A PORT IN ANY STORM
If protection—not weight—is your chief priority, the three-person Tengu is your shelter. It’s what’s commonly known as a Euro (or dry-pitch) tent, because you clip the poles to the tent’s fly, not its body. The upshot: In a storm you can pitch the Tengu with the fly already attached, and thus not expose any part of the inner tent to the elements—a feature I appreciated after putting it up and taking it down on several soggy camping trips. In other respects, the Tengu is also a great bad-weather refuge: It’s stable and roomy and condensation-free, with two doors, two interior pockets in the massive 22-square-foot main vestibule, and two windows. 7.9 lbs; sierradesigns.com
Bonus: With both vestibules rolled up, the Tengu stayed dry on a muggy car-camping trip in Michigan.
Bummer: It’s a load (even the two-person version weighs 6.4 pounds).