Tents

Sea to Summit's innovative engineering delivers ultralight backpacking tents that are user-friendly, adaptable to various conditions, and exceptionally livable.

TR2 || Telos Evo Tent
TR2 || Telos Evo Tent

Telos Evo Tent

$530.00-$600.00
TR2 || Ikos Evo Tent
TR3 || Ikos Evo Tent

Ikos Evo Tent

$350.00-$500.00
TR2 || Telos Evo Bikepack Tent
TR2 || Telos Evo Bikepack Tent

Telos Evo Bikepack Tent

$580.00
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Ultralight Tents

Details make the differenceUltralight Tents

What Makes a Tent Ultralight?

Ultralight design focuses on removing what you don’t need and refining what you do. Many designs utilize semi-freestanding builds to save weight without sacrificing performance.

  • Streamlined materials: Advanced fabrics reduce weight while maintaining durability.
  • Efficient pole structures: Minimal frameworks do more with less, keeping the shelter stable.
  • Reduced packed size: These tents fit easily into smaller packs or shared loads.
  • Purpose-built features: Every detail carefully considered, none of them accidental.

Many designs also lean toward semi-freestanding builds to save additional weight, without sacrificing performance in the field.

Best Uses for Ultralight Tents

Ultralight shelters shine when distance and efficiency are your top priorities. They are the ideal choice for those looking to cover ground and keep their pack lean.

  • Multi-day backpacking: Less weight means more energy for the miles ahead.
  • Thru-hiking: Keep your load manageable over weeks or months on the trail.
  • Warm-weather trips: Versatile pitching options let you roll back the rainfly for stargazing, or convert to Hangout Mode for a semi-open shelter.

Weight vs. Space Tradeoffs

Weight savings and livability aren't mutually exclusive — but they do require deliberate design choices. A lower profile or tapered shape keeps grams down, while optimized floor plans and strategic ventilation make sure the space you have stays comfortable.

Designed with unique Tension Ridge Architecture, our Telos and Alto tents have greater overall ceiling height, near-vertical walls, and higher doors. This has also allowed us to put our oversized Apex Vent at the highest point of the tent to more effectively expel hot air and moisture vapor – significantly reducing condensation. Both tents offer multiple set-up configurations, and our Telos tents can be used in Hangout Mode, which converts your tent's fly into a semi-open shelter.

Browse our range of ultralight, 1, 2, and 3-person backpacking tents online above and get FREE shipping US-wide on orders over $50.

Learn more on the blog

Frequently Asked questions

What's the difference between a Freestanding and Semi-Freestanding ultralight backpacking tent?

A freestanding tent has poles that extend down to all internal four corners, holding them under tension. A semi-freestanding tent has poles that extend down to two corners, but two other corners need to be staked out to provide tension. Semi-freestanding tents are lighter than freestanding models.

What's the difference between 3 Season and 3+ Season ultralight backpacking tents?

Sea to Summit's 'Plus' models have nylon fabric (rather than mesh) inner walls which prevent breezes from entering the inner tent. Each model also a higher-spec (more waterproof) floor.

What size sleeping pads fit in the 1, 2, and 3 person backpacking tents?

Alto and Telos are designed for tapered (not rectangular) sleeping pads. Here are then number/sizes of mats each tent will accommodate: Alto TR1: 1 x Large | Alto TR 2: 1 x Large, 1 x Regular | Telos TR 2: 2 x Large | Telos TR 3: 1 x Large, 2 x Regular.

Which Sea to Summit tent is best suited for bikepacking?

The Telos TR 2 Bikepack is an excellent bikepacking tent - it has great space and ventilation, and packs really compact (especially the poleset, which has short segments).