There are two types of backpacking and camping tents: single-wall tents, which are popular because they’re lightweight, and double-wall tents which are heavier but provide more protection for their occupants. The best way to describe the pros and cons of a single-wall tent is to contrast it with a double-wall tent, which we do below.
Single Wall Tents
Single-wall tents are lighter weight than double-wall tents because they don’t have a separate inner tent and rainfly. They often use trekking poles instead of tent poles for structural support and to eliminate the added weight of carrying tent poles, although they are single-wall tents that do require the use of tent poles, such as the freestanding Black Diamond FirstLight or the MSR Advance Pro, which are mountaineering tents where lightweight gear is important.
Single-wall trekking pole tent tents are also commonly used by ultralight and lightweight backpackers because they are so lightweight. One characteristic shared by all single-wall tents, and I’ve used dozens, is that occupants can get wet from the internal condensation that tends to collect on the tent ceiling, either by rubbing against or if the condensation drips onto you. While there are ways to mitigate internal condensation (How to Prevent Tent Condensation) you’ll often experience it in a single-wall tent despite your best efforts. Bring a towel and wipe down the ceiling periodically. It is the most effective way to combat it.
Since single-wall backpacking tents are usually used in warmer weather they usually have mesh walls or doors for insect protection. These are often protected from rain by exterior fabric that creates a vestibule or awning that can be used for covered gear storage. This doesn’t make them double-wall tents since they are still set up as a single unit and they have a ceiling that occupants can come in direct contact with. Beware of tent manufacturers who claim they’ve invented hybrid single-wall/double-wall tents – this is just marketing BS to obscure the fact that you can get wet from internal condensation collecting on the ceiling.
Double-Wall Tents
Double-wall tents are so-called because they have an external rainfly and a separate inner tent, with its own floor, walls, and ceiling. The floor of the inner tent is made with a solid waterproof fabric and the walls and ceiling can be made with insect netting or they can be solid, which is usually warmer and more windproof.
Double-wall tents are often heavier than single-wall tents because more fabric is required to make them. They’re also warmer and more weather-proof because there are more layers between you and the outdoors and vestibule doors often reach to the ground. But one of their biggest advantages is that they protect occupants from the internal condensation that collects on the underside of the rainfly and drips onto the inner tent, instead of onto the occupants. People with double-wall tents rarely get wet from internal condensation.
Ten years ago, double-wall tents were much heavier than single-wall tents and were much less popular with ultralight and lightweight backpackers. But advances in ultralight materials have ushered in a new breed of ultralight double wall tents that are quite competitive weightwise to single wall models. See our Ultralight Backpacking Double Wall Tent Gear Guide for details. You really don’t have to compromise much in terms of gear weight or comfort anymore if you’d rather use a double-wall tent instead of a single-wall one.
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