Why We Chose The Snugpak Journey Duo Tent: Extremely durable, good value, easy to pitch.
At 3200g, this is a pretty heavy tent, but that should be OK to look past if it’s reliability that you’re mainly after.
In all but full winter conditions, this is certainly a tent that you can count on for keeping you safely sheltered, and that’s thanks to the lower profile, inner pitched first, three-pole semi-geodesic design that Snugpak have opted for. There are loads of pegging points as well, so if the wind switches direction, you’ll still have peace of mind inside.
The bulk of that 3200g weight comes from the rather heavy materials that Snugpak have opted for. Take the pegs for instance, they’re chunky cross shaped stakes that are each about the same weight as a Snickers bar. The British brand seem to have foregone keeping the weight down in order to provide robust protection and, in all likelihood, to keep that price low enough to appeal to their target market, which at a guess, we’d say is entry-level and/or award scheme hikers.
“This is a tent that can really take a bit of a battering – it’s one of the most capable tents I’ve used in a while actually”
As well as that durability, another thing we like about the Journey Duo is the amount of space you get. It’s a roomy two-person we’d say, offering enough room for you to sleep comfortably alongside a friend and also store two big backpacks in the porch. There are also a couple of handy pockets for gear organisation on the inside.
It’s definitely waterproof, which should really go without saying with tents these days, and there’s reasonable ventilation provided by the sealable vent on the back. Other things worth noting include the additional bugproof mesh on the door, a footprint that can be used should you require it, and reflective strips in the guylines. It also comes in a waterproof stuff sack which has compression straps and a roll top.
