In our guide to the best backpacking tents for the money in 2016 and beyond, we will help you get the most bang for your budget. The challenge is to find a high-quality tent at a low price. More specifically, the challenge is choosing the best backpacking tent that fits your needs and has an overall value that exceeds the purchase price. These seven best backpacking tents all punch above their weight, so to speak: We recommend these tents for backpacking beginners because they all have excellent cost-to-value ratios and are easy-to-use. Before we continue, I have to recommend that you don’t buy a cheap department store “backpacking tent” and expect to have a good backpacking experience. Those tents are usually too heavy and will likely fail — maybe even on your very first backpacking trip in 2016. This isn’t an issue if you’re staying close to the parking lot. If you’re actually going backpacking more than a mile from the trailhead you’ll want a good backpacking tent.

Rain, bugs, and severe weather. Any time you get in the mountains, there is a risk that you’ll get rained on. And once your sleeping bag is wet, once your sleeping pad is wet, once your clothes are wet . . . it’s very difficult to get dry unless it stops raining. And that just sucks. If you’re making the effort to go backpacking for the first time, the right gear will help ensure that you have a great time. So what makes the best backpacking tents for beginners? In our opinion, the best backpacking tents — especially for beginners — have a freestanding design. A freestanding tent will let you set it up most anywhere without needing to stake it down. If you hike over varied terrain, freestanding backpacking tents are the most versatile. Next, you should avoid most single-wall tents because they have ventilation issues that tend to collect moisture inside. I always recommend that beginner backpackers go with a design that has plenty of mesh with a separate fly to shed the rain.

Our recommended seven best backpacking tents for the money provide excellent overall value for your backpacking budget in 2016. They are lightweight, durable, freestanding, and most importantly, easy on your wallet. (The pricing is approximate, of course, and sometimes changes.) *Note: None of our top 7 best backpacking tents for the money for 2016 come in under $100 — most are under $150 or under $200. If you’re on a really tight budget, there are still a few sub-$100 options that can get you by for a season or two. We’ve added those at the end in the bonus section for you. The North Face Stormbreak 1 Tent — This is a freestanding tent with a simple and effective x-pole design. Its minimum trail weight is 3 lbs 1.4 oz. It has a bathtub floor to keep the wet out, along with plenty of ventilation and a separate rain fly cover with a vestibule over the door. The Stormbreak 1 is not the lightest 1-person tent, but at about $129, it’s easily the best overall quality-to-price buy we’ve seen for 2016.

To read more about this best-buy backpacking tent, check out our full Stormbreak 1 review. Runner-up: REI Passage 1 Tent — If you’re a big guy, you might appreciate a few extra inches in the REI Passage 1. REI Passage 2 Tent — Like the Passage 1, the REI Passage 2 offers 90 inches of interior length and a generous 54 inches in width. neymar backpack mcmThis bit of extra space is important if you’re sharing the tent with a big guy — or a dog. zmr250 backpackAt just $159, the tent gives you two doors and two vestibules. minaal bag for saleIt has plenty of ventilation, interior mesh pockets, and an included gear loft. fightstick backpack

If you buy the optional footprint, you can use just the rain fly for a lightweight minimalist experience. Marmot Catalyst 2P Tent — At $169, the Marmot Catalyst offers a full mesh design with two doors, two vestibules, and an enviable level of quality. 2face backpackPlus, it’s hard not to like a brilliant orange tent when it’s setup in the backcountry. swissgear laptop backpack pegasusLifts your spirits for some reason. [ or free regular shipping at Moosejaw.] REI Half Dome 2 Plus Tent — If you’re a tall backpacker, you understand the value of legroom, and the REI Half Dome 2 Plus delivers. It’s 98 inches long, which is just over 8 feet. At $219, it’s a bit more than the competition — but it means even the tallest guys won’t butt their heads or feet against a sidewall. The length also means a backpacking dog might have plenty of room, too.

We’re just happy that REI is producing it. In addition, it’s one of the few backpacking tents that you can customize by choosing your own fly color. Runner-up: Alps Mountaineering Zephyr 2 Tent — Often heavily discounted, the Zephyr consistently gets praise from beginner backpackers on a budget. The North Face Stormbreak 3 Tent — It’s no surprise to see The North Face Stormbreak series again. At just $199, it offers all the goodness of its smaller siblings yet retains the great mix of value to cost. Marmot Tungsten 3P Tent — We sure like full mesh freestanding tents, and this Marmot delivers. Also uses a pole design that creates steeper sidewalls for more head and foot room. Runner-up: The previous generation Marmot Ajax 3 is a long-time favorite backpacking tent, available as a closeout at Sierra Trading Post. If there’s a good deal running, use the link below and then search for “Marmot Ajax” to find it and apply any available discounts. REI Camp Dome 4 — At just over 8 pounds in the minimum trail weight, the astoundingly well-priced $199 REI Camp Dome 4 can handle four snug and cozy backpackers, which means your trail weight averages about 2 lbs for each person, which is a good weight-to-space ratio, especially for families who are backpacking.