As I’ve been researching best backpacking tents, the UL Granite 2P backpacking tent by Featherstone Outdoor Gear is a tent that continues to show up. Intrigued, I finally got the opportunity to take it for a test hike. Read the full review below and check out the full specs at featherstoneoutdoors.com.
In this review, I cover:
Overview specs
Seasons: 3-Season
Sleeping Capacity: 2 Person (See our review of the 1-person tent here.)
Floor Dimensions: 84 x 51 in / 213 x 130 cm
Peak Height: 43 in / 109 cm
Vestibule Area: 25.6 in / 65 cm
Pack Size: 16 x 4 in / 41 x 10 cm
Pack Weight: 4 lbs 10 oz (2.10 kg)
Trail Weight: 4 lbs (1.81 kg)
Minimalist Setup Weight: 2.7 lbs (1.22 kg)
The test
A camping test in the backyard and then an overnight backpacking trip at Mohican State Park.
The backyard test
It’s a personal rule of mine to always sleep in a tent in my backyard before I take it out on the trail. Not only does this give me plenty of time and space to see all the ins and outs of setting it up, it also allows me to make a comfortable escape to my house. Since it’s a two-person tent, I convinced my sister to join me.
The first night I set it up was a mildly warm night with just a hint of cold in the breeze. I hadn’t looked at the weather forecast that night since it seemed so mild and I was right by my house. However, I woke up that night to winds gusting up to 50 mph. The tent not only survived the night, but I didn’t feel the need to leave it to head for the house either.
The backpacking test
This time, I loaded it up in a backpack and headed to a local park with my sister for an actual trip. While the day was beautiful, rain was in the forecast that night. I carried it a full day and set it up in dim dusk lighting with my sister that evening. We listened the coyotes until the rain started, and slept through the night dry and comfortable. It was still raining as we were able to easily pack it up and hiked back towards our pull-out point.
The full review
Set up and tear down
First things first. Pulling the Granite out of it’s bag for the first time and it’s clear the designers of this tent meant for it to be an easy, self-explanatory setup. The bags were color-coded to what went in them (for instance, black footprint went in the black bag).
The first time setting up the tent, I did have help which made it go quickly and efficiently. After that, I set it up solo. The only tricky part to set up by yourself is keeping the top cross pole in place as you slip to the other side of the tent to attach the other side.
In addition to providing you with the footprint and stakes, Featherstone Outdoor also provides guylines and enough tent stakes for the guylines as well.
Durability
The first time I slept in this tent, it survived a surprise windstorm with gusts of up to 50 mph. Additionally, during the rainstorm the next time we took it out, it performed beautifully, keeping us dry the whole night through.
This isn’t a tent I’d be nervous about taking out and letting it shield you from the elements! The only thing I’d be nervous about would be taking it out in a surprise spring snow. The vestibule is high enough that the wind whips underneath and carried in leaves that filled up our vestibule. It would easily kick snow in as well.
The biggest durability issue I saw was that there is no pocket or other type of fastener on the rainfly that I could find to put the cross pole in. As such, as the wind blew or the tent poles naturally shifted, this pole was usually off of the reinforced fabric. I can’t imagine it can take too many storms before it puts a hole there, and I expect I’ll be putting a patch there. While a patch could probably fix it, that’s not an issue you want your backpacking tent to have, especially when the manufacturer could easily prevent it via a pocket.
Comfort
I was surprised at how wide and comfortable the Granite felt from the inside. All too easily, backpacking tents can feel crowded or claustrophobic. However, the Granite’s top cross pole kept headroom in an almost box-shape high and away from your face. Both my sister and I were able to sit straight up simultaneously without feeling crowded.
Additionally, we fit quite well inside the tent, and each of us had space on either side of our mats and at our feet. This extra room gave us plenty of room to keep a water bladder in the tent with us and to shift our mats as needed for the most comfortable sleeping position.
I appreciated the two-doors and two vestibules since it’s a two-person tent. It allowed each of us to exit or enter the tent on our own schedule, and most importantly, gave us enough space to keep both of our packs and boots out of the rain. Additionally, the “bathtub” style floor kept water from running in or splashing in when it hit the ground. No chances of leaking seams along the ground either.
Each end of the rainfly had optional ventilation ports. If it was a warm day with only a mild drizzle, you could velcro the brace to open it up. Colder day or a hard rain? No worries, just velcro it closed.
Other nice, small touches were the mesh pockets at either end of the tent, perfectly sized for holding phones, other electronics, or to dry out socks. There was also a large pocket at the top of the tent for holding some of those bigger things you wanted to keep off the tent floor.
Packability
Probably the biggest trade with the Granite 2P is the weight of it. Clocking in at 4lbs (or 2.7 lbs if you go minimalistic), it’s definitely on the heavier end of the lightweight backpacking tents. However, this weight comes at very affordable price. Knocking any additional pound off comes with a large price jump and more fragile poles and fabric.
It was bulky trying to fit into my pack. Eventually, I worked out a system of keeping the poles and the folded footprint in the side pocket and cinching down the rainfly and actual tent to put inside my pack. As a two-person tent, there’s also the option of handing some of the tent over to a partner to carry.
If you’re looking for a lighter-weight option, the rainfly and footprint work together to create an easy up, easy down freestanding tarp tent. This weighs about 2.7 lbs and is a great way to have shelter without bulk!
Overall sentiment: The UL Granite 2P as a backpacking tent or camping tent
Featherstone Outdoor Gear’s motto is to make the outdoors accessible to all. With the low price yet high-quality of the UL Granite 2P backpacking tent, I’d say they are doing exactly what they strive to.
The Granite is a great option for someone getting into backpacking or someone looking for a budget-friendly, durable tent they can count on. For the price, the weight range is on target and the quality and care put into the Granite makes it an easy choice.
Ready to check the UL Granite 2P out?
This site contains affiliate links. If you use these links to buy something we may earn a commission.
