Author: Marcus Reed

Last fall, I watched a couple in their sixties pull a twelve-pound canvas wall tent out of their Subaru at a Colorado trailhead. They were gearing up for a three-night backpacking trip—seven miles in, with 2,000 feet of elevation gain. I didn’t have the heart to tell them they’d made a terrible mistake. Two hours…

By Marcus ReedTents & Shelters Expert I’ve woken up in a puddle more times than I care to admit, and I can tell you it’s rarely the shelter’s fault—it’s usually user error. But a few years ago, deep in the wind-scoured backcountry of Patagonia, I watched my hiking partner sleep soundly in a glorified plastic…