Tents under $100 · Vs review
Teton Mountain Ultra 1-Person V.S. 2-Person Tent (I Bought & Tested Both!)
Two of the best budget tents I own, side by side in my yard, across 9 head-to-head tests.
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The short answer
Take the Mountain Ultra 2 unless weight, packed size or the extra $30 is the problem. It takes a whole queen bed and gives you 5.5 inches more headroom.
The Mountain Ultra 2 is 81 by 61 inches instead of 81 by 32, so it takes an entire queen bed, and 44 inches of peak height meant I could sit up on a 6-inch mattress. It also has the second door, the door pockets, the bigger gear loft and a rainfly you can stake out at the widths. The Mountain Ultra 1 answers on exactly the three things that would change my mind: 4.2 lbs against 6.4, a 22 by 7 by 6 inch pack, and about $30 off the price. Unless weight, packed size or budget is the deciding factor, the 2-Person is the one I'd buy.
Side by side
Where they actually differ
| Measured | Mountain Ultra 1 | Mountain Ultra 2 |
|---|---|---|
| Poles | 1 pole | 3 poles2 orange, 1 gray |
| Guylines | 2 | 4 |
| Set up (1 person) | 4.5 minutes | 6.5 minutes |
| Pack away (1 person) | 5.5 minutes | 6.5-7 minutes |
| Peak height | 38.5 inches | 44 inches5.5 inches more |
| Base dimensions | 81 × 32 inches | 81 × 61 inchesSame length, nearly double the width |
| What fits inside | Up to an extra-wide single pad, 25-30 inches | 2 regular pads, or an entire queen bed |
| Vestibules | 1 | 2Identical, one each side |
| Doors | 1 | 2 |
| Stowing the door | 2 toggles | A door pocket each side |
| Working the zip | Straight, then up (a little past halfway) | Almost all the way round, but 2 hands at the bend |
| Pockets | 1, 8 × 8 inches | 2, 14 × 7 inches each |
| Gear loft | Pre-attached, 14.5 × 14.5 inchesCan't be removed | Removable, 24 × 20 inches |
| Lantern loops | 0 | 1Plus 4 more for the gear loft |
| Rainfly vents | 2One in the vestibule, one at the back, angled down | 42 in the vestibules, 2 at the top, not angled down |
| Vents left open in heavy rain | No water in | Had to shut the top 2 |
| Rainfly staked out at the widths | No stake loop | Yes, 2 extra bottom vents |
| Weight (everything) | 4.2 lbs | 6.4 lbsAbout 50% heavier |
| Packed size | 22 × 7 × 6 inches | 23.5 × 8 × 6 inchesAbout 20% more volume, 7% longer |
| Price | About $30 less | About $30 more |
✓ = the better result, from my own testing. Shared: both bought from Amazon · both arrive with a carry bag, 2 compression straps, tent body, rainfly, poles, stakes, guylines, instructions and a lifetime warranty · both vestibules measure 25 inches at their longest · the doors are within 2 inches of each other.
Which applies to you?
Get this one if…
Get the Mountain Ultra 1 if…
- Weight is the deciding factor: 4.2 lbs against 6.4.
- Packed size is the deciding factor: 22 by 7 by 6 inches against 23.5 by 8 by 6.
- Budget is the deciding factor: it is about $30 less.
- Just know what you give up: 29 inches of width, 5.5 inches of headroom, one door and one vestibule. And if you are 5'10" or taller you would be sleeping diagonally.
Get the Mountain Ultra 2 if…
- You don't usually camp alone: 81 by 61 inches takes 2 pads or an entire queen bed.
- You want the headroom: 5.5 inches more, enough for a 6-inch mattress.
- You want the second door and second vestibule, the door pockets instead of toggles, and the cross ventilation that comes with them.
- You want the all-round ventilation: this is the one you can stake the rainfly out at the widths.
- You are 5'10" or taller so the 1-Person is short enough that you would be sleeping diagonally.
Set Up & Pack Away
| Measured | Mountain Ultra 1 | Mountain Ultra 2 |
|---|---|---|
| Poles | 1 pole | 3 poles2 orange, 1 gray |
| Guylines | 2 | 4 |
| Velcro strips under the rainfly | 2 | 4 |
| Set up (1 person) | 4.5 minutes | 6.5 minutes |
| Pack away (1 person) | 5.5 minutes | 6.5-7 minutes |
The 1-Person is one pole. You put it together, clip it into the 4 grommets in the tent body, attach the pole clips, and the short section at the top rotates on the spot into the 2 grommets up there. The 2-Person is three separate poles: 2 orange ones going diagonally across into the 4 grommets, and a gray one over the top of them doing the same job as the 1-Person's twirly section.
Everything else scales the same way: 2 guylines against 4, 2 Velcro strips under the rainfly against 4. It adds up to 4.5 minutes against 6.5 to pitch, and 5.5 minutes against 6.5 to 7 to pack away.
Peak Height
| Measured | Mountain Ultra 1 | Mountain Ultra 2 |
|---|---|---|
| Peak height | 38.5 inches | 44 inches5.5 inches more |
38.5 inches against 44, so 5.5 inches to the 2-Person. That is the difference between fitting a 6-inch mattress in and still sitting up comfortably, and not.
Base Area & What Fits
| Measured | Mountain Ultra 1 | Mountain Ultra 2 |
|---|---|---|
| Length | 81 inches | 81 inches |
| Width | 32 inches | 61 inchesJust under double |
| What fits | Up to an extra-wide single pad, 25-30 inches | 2 regular pads, or an entire queen bed |
Identical length at 81 inches. The width is where they part: 32 inches against 61, so just under double.
The 1-Person takes an extra-wide single pad, the 25 to 30 inch sort. The 2-Person takes 2 regular pads, and it took a whole queen bed, though a queen does use up the entire base, so there is nothing left for gear.
Vestibules, Doors & Zips
| Measured | Mountain Ultra 1 | Mountain Ultra 2 |
|---|---|---|
| Vestibules | 1 | 2Identical, one each side |
| Vestibule width (longest) | 25 inches | 25 inches |
| Doors | 1 | 2 |
| Door size | 44 × 32 inches | 44 × 30 inches |
| Stowing the door | 2 toggles | A door pocket each sideQuicker, easier |
| Working the zip | Straight, then up (a little past halfway) | Almost all the way round, but 2 hands at the bend |
One vestibule against two, and the two on the 2-Person are identical, one each side. Their longest width is the same on both tents, 25 inches, and the doors are within 2 inches of each other: 44 by 32 on the 1-Person, 44 by 30 on the 2-Person. So this is about the count, not the size.
Stowing the door is where the 2-Person pulls away. Each of its doors has its own pocket to stuff the fabric into. The 1-Person has 2 toggles near the top that you tie the fabric up with, which takes longer and is more fiddly.
The one thing the 1-Person does better here is the zip. Its door unzips straight then up, a little past halfway, and that is that. The 2-Person's unzips almost all the way round, and at the bend it doesn't snag but it does need 2 hands. Force it round with one hand and you will regret it. I did that a few times and the door stitching started showing wear.
Storage
| Measured | Mountain Ultra 1 | Mountain Ultra 2 |
|---|---|---|
| Pockets | 1, 8 × 8 inchesBy the door | 2, 14 × 7 inches eachOne beside each door |
| Gear loft | Pre-attached, 14.5 × 14.5 inchesCan't be removed | Removable, 24 × 20 inches |
| Lantern loops | 0 | 1Plus 4 more for the gear loft |
The 1-Person gets one 8 by 8 inch pocket by the door and a gear loft that is 14.5 inches square and permanently attached. There is no lantern loop at all, so I ended up squishing my lantern into the gear loft.
The 2-Person has a 14 by 7 inch pocket beside each door (separate from the door pockets), a 24 by 20 inch gear loft you can install or leave out, a lantern loop at the very top and 4 more loops around it.
Rainfly Vents In The Rain
| Measured | Mountain Ultra 1 | Mountain Ultra 2 |
|---|---|---|
| Rainfly vents | 21 vestibule, 1 at the back | 42 vestibule, 2 at the top |
| Angled downwards | Yes, the back vent | No, the 2 top vents |
| Left open in my heavy rain test | No water in | Had to shut the top 2 |
The 2-Person has twice as many rainfly vents, and I still prefer the 1-Person's. Its second vent sits at the back of the tent and is angled downwards, so I left it wide open through heavy rain and not a drop came in.
The 2-Person's two vestibule vents are the same as the 1-Person's, but its other two sit at the very top and are not really angled down. During my heavy rain test, with the water coming in at the angle it was, I had to shut both of them, because they were letting a lot of water into the tent.
Staking The Rainfly Out
| Measured | Mountain Ultra 1 | Mountain Ultra 2 |
|---|---|---|
| Stake loop at the widths | None | Yes, both widths |
| Extra bottom vents | 0 | 2 |
| Ventilation with the fly on | Vestibule and back only | All round |
On the 2-Person I can pull the rainfly away from the tent body at both widths, because there is a stake loop there. That gives me 2 extra bottom vents, and with the vestibules as well it means air moves all the way round the tent even with the fly on.
The 1-Person has the vestibule at the front and I can pull the fly away at the back, but not at the widths; there is no stake loop there to guy it out. So there is less going on with the fly on.
Weight & Packed Size
| Measured | Mountain Ultra 1 | Mountain Ultra 2 |
|---|---|---|
| Weight (everything) | 4.2 lbs | 6.4 lbsAbout 50% heavier |
| Packed size | 22 × 7 × 6 inches | 23.5 × 8 × 6 inchesAbout 20% more volume, 7% longer |
4.2 lbs against 6.4 for everything in the bag, so the 2-Person is about 50% heavier. It barely looks it packed, though: about 20% more volume and only 7% longer.
Price & What's In The Box
| Measured | Mountain Ultra 1 | Mountain Ultra 2 |
|---|---|---|
| Price | About $30 less | About $30 more |
| Warranty | Lifetime | Lifetime |
I paid about $30 more for the 2-Person, and I bought both from Amazon a couple of years ago. The box is otherwise identical: carry bag, 2 compression straps, tent body, rainfly, poles, stakes, guylines, instructions, and a lifetime warranty on both. And if you are wondering what real money buys instead, I put a $100 tent against a $500 one.
My recommendation
Both of these are incredible value, and for the price they are the best budget tents I have tested. My rule with these two: the Teton Mountain Ultra 2 unless weight, packed size or budget is the deciding factor. Five reasons: I don't usually camp alone and it takes 2 pads or a whole queen bed; 5.5 inches more headroom means a 6-inch mattress works; the extra vestibule and door bring cross ventilation with them; I can stake the rainfly out at the widths for all-round airflow; and it is only about $30 more, 20% bigger packed.
Two things to remember if you buy the 2-Person: shut the 2 top rainfly vents if heavy rain or wind is coming, and use both hands to work the zip round the bend.
The Mountain Ultra 1 is the one I would take if weight, packed size or the $30 is what decides it. Camping alone and carrying it in, that’s the call I would make. Just bear in mind that if you’re 5'10" or taller its length is short, and you would be sleeping diagonally, at which point you may as well have the 2-Person.
Bonus: I bought and tested 6 of the best tents under $100 against each other. Set-up timings, rain tests, base areas, the lot. Every figure on this page comes out of that run.
Every figure on this page comes from my own measurements of the tents I bought and tested in my own yard, not from a spec sheet.
