A one- or two-person tent for the UAE: light or comfortable?

At home you probably chose a small tent by weight. In the UAE the trips look different. Most nights out are a short drive from home, the tent is pitched a few metres from the car, and only some trips in the Hajar Mountains involve carrying it far. So the question is not how light the tent is, but how often you will carry it and how much time you will spend inside it.

How you will actually use it

• Car camping in the desert or at a managed site: weight hardly matters. Space, ventilation and somewhere to leave sandy shoes matter a lot.
• A walk-in camp in the mountains: an hour or two with a full pack, most of it water. Every kilogram counts, and a free-standing tent helps on rock where stakes do not go in.
• Both: choose for the trip you will do more often, and be honest about it.

A one-person tent is for solo hikers who carry it often. A two-person tent is the more flexible choice for one person with gear inside, and a snug one for two adults. If you camp as a couple next to the car, a roomy two-person tent with two doors is far more pleasant than a tight backpacking one.

The light option: backpacking tents

These are built to be carried. The Discovery Trail 1P and Discovery Trail 2P are free-standing domes with Quick Corners, so they keep their shape on a rock slab where stakes will not go in; you still tie them to large, stable rocks so the wind cannot move them. The Far Out 2 has lightweight aluminium poles, comes with a footprint and pre-attached guylines, and has two doors and two vestibules; its Stargazing Fly rolls back for a view of the sky and rolls down for protection. The Grand Mesa 2 is a long-standing backpacking design with aluminium poles and Quick Corners.

The comfortable option: car-camping two-person tents

If the tent rarely leaves the car, choose for living space. The Wireless 2P has two doors and two vestibules, so two people get in and out without climbing over each other, and each has a covered spot for shoes and bags. The Late Start 2P uses pre-bent poles for more interior space and Quick Corners for a fast setup in the dark. The Tanglewood 2 has a large D-shaped door, a vestibule with two stake points for gear and attached guylines that Kelty says help stabilise it in wind, which on a desert evening is a real advantage.

Side by side

Only what the product descriptions state; we leave out weights and floor areas rather than guess them.

• Discovery Trail 1P and 2P: backpacking; free-standing dome; Quick Corners; a matching footprint for the 1P.
• Far Out 2: backpacking; aluminium poles; two doors, two vestibules; footprint included; Stargazing Fly.
• Grand Mesa 2: backpacking; aluminium poles; Quick Corners; matching footprint available.
• Wireless 2P: car camping; two doors, two vestibules; Quick Corners; matching footprint available.
• Late Start 2P: car camping; pre-bent poles for more space; Quick Corners; footprint sold separately.
• Tanglewood 2: car camping or backcountry; D-shaped door; attached guylines.

Footprint: protection, not armour

Desert sand is abrasive and Hajar gravel is sharp, and both wear a tent floor faster than forest soil. A footprint made for the model takes most of that wear, and Kelty cuts its footprints slightly smaller than the floor, so no edge sticks out to collect water. It does not make the floor indestructible: clear sharp stones and thorns first, and do not drag the tent across the ground. The Far Out 2 includes a footprint; for the others there is a matching Discovery Trail 1P Footprint, Grand Mesa 2P Footprint, Wireless 2P Footprint and Late Start 2P Footprint. The Wireless footprint attaches to the tent’s Quick Corners, so it stays in place.

Cost per night of use

A tent price means little on its own. Divide it by the number of nights you will actually spend in it. The numbers below are round examples, not our prices, and they count the tent only: a footprint, extra anchors and any repairs add to the total. Put in your own numbers.

• An 800 AED tent used twice a season for two seasons: 4 nights, 200 AED a night.
• The same tent used once a month from November to April for two seasons: 12 nights, about 67 AED a night.
• A 1,200 AED tent used 12 nights: 100 AED a night. Used 24 nights: 50 AED.

The tent you take more often is the cheaper one per night, whatever its price, so buy for the trips you will really do.

A quick decision

• Mostly car camping, two people: a roomy two-door tent such as the Wireless 2P.
• Mostly walk-in mountain camps, one person: a light free-standing tent such as the Discovery Trail 1P.
• A mix: a two-person backpacking tent, which carries well and still fits two.
• Always: a footprint, sand anchors for the desert and a plan for wind; see pitching a tent on sand.
• Packing for a mountain overnight: see what to carry in the Hajar.