Kelty Late Start 2 Person Tent

2023-10-18T12:27:36

I'm 6'00" tall and it feels roomy to me. I had plenty of room for me on an extra large single person sleeping pad, all off my gear and 2 Boston terriers 2 people could use this tent but if using sleeping pads would need to make sure they fit because it is a taper slightly on the foot end. It was very easy to set up and take down. It fit in its sack very well.

BRADY W.

2023-08-22T20:00:00

Just received this tent from Kelty, and it appears to be well made. Naturally, the first thing I did is put it on the scale. It's advertised "Packed Weight" is 4lb 8oz. After removing the instruction sheet inside, my packed weight tent came in at 4lb, 13.4 ounces, which is 5.4 ounces heavier than advertised. The trail weight (Kelty calls this 'minimum weight' (tent body, rainfly, and poles) came in at 4lb, 7.6 ounces, whereas it is advertised on the website as 4lbs even. Given that this is an entry-level tent at a good price, the weights are not an issue with me. It would definitely be tight for two people, I would recommend this as a one-person tent, with room for your gear inside the tent. FYI, they do not sell the footprint on the website, so I contacted them prior to buying to see about it, and they had them, and you can order it over the phone.

Greg

Originally posted at

2023-06-22T20:00:00

Great quality tent poles and stakes. Great build quality of tent body and rain fly. Fitting two people is snug, not a ton of room for extra gear etc. I recently used this tent and was caught in a massive rain storm. Absolutely nothing got through, tent was completely dry on the inside. Very happy with this tent.

Tim

Originally posted at

2023-06-21T20:00:00

I own several of their other products, and without fail, they've performed as expected, I will always invest my money in Kelty, it just works, I own the Kelty Trail Ridge 3, Late Start 1 & 2 p tents along with the Coyote 85, and 105 backpacks, all have fit my needs, when needed. Thank you Kelty.

Laconia Y.

Originally posted at

2023-05-31T20:00:00

I love this tent. One suggestion is that if you had an additional stake able strap at each corner of the rain fly and a sleeve on the inside of each corner you could use your rain fly as a small shade canopy when needed. Just a thought that I thought would be handy.

Jason M.

Originally posted at

2023-03-19T20:00:00

I have not taken it out yet on a trip but did a set up which was super easy. I really like the pole end sleeves and the color coded fly makes it really quick to attach. Quality of construction also looks great and I did not notice any loose threads or other defects.

KEVIN B.

Originally posted at

2023-02-16T19:00:00

I brought this tent with me to Shenandoah national park for 3 days with some friends and it was probably the smartest purchase I made next to there down sleeping bag of course. Overall pretty dang lightweight for that price! And a fast setup which helped tremendously because of how dark it got on certain parts of the mountain in a short amount of time. The last night we stayed it got down to about 20° and my buddies Coleman tent became to heavy and was not packable at all?? so he left it in the car and winged it. Kelty says that this is a (2) person tent, that is a lie! Me and both of my friends all fit in this tent and still had extra space for our bags?? what a awesome tent, thanks to the team that keeps the dream going! Much love??

Gianni M.

Originally posted at

2022-11-20T19:00:00

This is a nice tent. I bought the 2 person tent because I like to keep my pack inside with me. It's the perfect size for 1 person plus a pack, but I think it would be really snug with 2 people in it.

Patric d.

Originally posted at

2022-10-25T20:00:00

Perfect tent for backpacking. Very lightweight. I am 6?5? and I fit in here comfortably.

Tim P.

Originally posted at

2022-10-19T20:00:00

Used on a 4-day solo wilderness backpacking trip. Endured a torrential rain storm without a drop of water coming in. As light as the ?light weight? tents out there at less than half the cost! Very quick and easy to set up.

Wolfbite

Originally posted at

2022-10-07T20:00:00

I bought my second late start tent and was pleased until the first rain and water came in from the bottom and seams. The great news is a tent is on the way. The stakes are the best I have had. Easy to pull out and the poles have withstood strong winds.

Marita G.

Originally posted at

2022-10-06T20:00:00

Great product, very high quality. Fast shipping and competitive pricing. Will definitely buy from again for my next outdoor gear purchase.

Jeremy C.

Originally posted at

2022-10-06T20:00:00

My Son and I both purchased this tent. We brought them on a backpacking trip to Lake Vernon in northern Yosemite. Soon after pitching camp we were met with a cloud burst complete with lightning and clapping thunder over our heads. Needless to say, the rain and wind was remarkable. We had retreated to our tents and by lifting the rain fly a bit were able to created cool videos. These tents handled rain and wind gusts of at least 50mph. We had locked the rain fly corner tie downs with rocks since we were on total granite. Not one tents stake was used! They handled the winds without an issue. Being in sandy areas surrounded with granite we found that these areas filled with water. We laughed to each other how nice and cool the floor was. No leaks what so ever. Although the tent is on the heavy side, I?m happy with the performance and room for my gear that a 2 person tent gives me. All my gear stayed nice and dry. We both recommend this tent. Nice going Kelly!

Paul P.

Originally posted at

2022-10-02T20:00:00

The Late Start 2 is easy assemble.

Wayne L.

Originally posted at

2022-09-12T08:45:22

Very nice tent. Easy to set up. Quality steaks.Held up well in some pretty high winds and rain at timberline.Would recommend for 3 season.

stan K.

2022-08-28T20:00:00

Easy to put up and take down. Only thing I see would be a way to velcro the cover flaps to the door back so it will leave the tent door open for ventilation.

James w.

Originally posted at

2022-06-15T20:00:00

Awesome tent. Took it out for an overnight fishing trip. Rained all freakin' night. While the rain fly got damp, it did it's job protecting me from getting wet. This happened 2 nights in a row. Tent is easy to set up, easy to break down. I thought it was pretty standard for a 2 person tent that isn't focused on light/ultra-light backpacking. Not too big, not too small. Not too heavy, but definitely not the lightest tent out there. But for someone like me who is a noobie camper & hiker, doesn't need top of the line, ultra-light gear and is satisfied with mid-tier gear such as this... Well it was PERFECT. Definitely recommend if you're on the fence and looking for a 2 person tent. Space wise, I got it because it's spacious enough for me solo-camping and fits all my junk that I bring along, yet it's big enough for the partner to fit when she decides to come a long. The rain fly acts as a vestibule and helps keep the packs/gear dry from the elements if you need to store them outside the tent due to space and there's ample room for both packs under the fly. Only gripe I have is that the fly makes the tent have a larger footprint than you would think when looking at the picture. I camped in a tight spot and couldn't fully deploy the fly. Not a problem in regard to functionality, but I had the ability to store my pack in the tent as the partner wasn't with me. If I had to store gear under the fly, it wouldn't have worked out as nicely, as I couldn't deploy it fully due to space.

Jonathan S.

Originally posted at

2022-05-28T20:00:00

Great fit for a 6 foot tall camper

Erik C.

Originally posted at

2022-05-26T20:00:00

Simple to setup. I used it on a 9-day river trip. It was perfect. Very practical and light.

Alvarez W.

Originally posted at

2022-05-18T08:33:55

This tent is awesome! Kelty is known for quality products and the late start2 is nothing short of that. Pair the fitted footprint with the tent and you don't have to worry about puncturing the bottom. The tent is very waterproof and I've had no issues with rain. The tent is very light and packs small to carry or put in a tote box. The mesh is awesome for stargazing on clear nights.

PRESTON H.

2022-05-10T20:00:00

I bought this for my 10 year old as his first tent. The easy set up makes it great for a kid and I will probably borrow it some for shorter backpacking trips.

brad p.

Originally posted at

2022-05-08T20:00:00

Used it for my first backpack trip in May. We saw sunshine in the mid-70?s day 1 to pouring rain by day 3. This tent performed flawlessly. Easy setup and take-down, and it kept me dry. Also, being 6? 3? I had plenty of space where I wasn?t touching either end with my head or feet.

Josh A.

Originally posted at

2022-04-27T20:00:00

Super user-friendly, no frills tent! Bought for a few camping trips this Spring/Summer and am pleased with it. I bought the 2 person in order to have extra room for gear inside the tent with me - while two people can fit, it would be pretty tight. Setup is easy with color-coded tabs and clips. While low on additional features, there are a few mesh pockets inside, including one above for a light. I also bought the footprint which I would definitely recommend since it is going to save you from a very wet tent bottom - though I wish it was more than just another layer of the same material as the tent bottom. My only real complaint is that there is no place to tie the rainfly vestibule panels when not in use so they are free to just flap around. This made airing the tent out somewhat difficult and getting in and out a wet mess with condensation from the panels touching the inner mesh. Packs down alright, not the smallest and lightest but not terrible. All-in-all a great starter tent that will get the job done.

Olivia B.

Originally posted at

2022-03-24T20:00:00

Great for my camping excursions.

mya

Originally posted at

2022-03-24T20:00:00

Great for my camping excursions.

mya j.

Originally posted at

2022-03-18T20:00:00

I've been looking for a mostly mesh tent for summer backpacking. This fit the bill. I needed a tent that would let the breeze through on those hot summer backpacking trips. There's room for one person and all their gear or 2 people and no gear. My daughter and I slept in it during a rain storm last night and we're completely dry. The quality seems first rate, which is what you get with everything from Kelty. It's exactly what I wanted. It comes with Kelty's Nobendium stakes, but I wish it came with the triangular blade style stakes that came with my old Kelty Salida 2 tent. The triangular blade style stakes can withstand being hammered into hard or rocky soil, which backpackers sometimes have to deal with. Great tent - love it.

Justin G.

Originally posted at

2022-03-17T20:00:00

Lived in this tent for just over two weeks on a 6000 mile Harley adventure coast to coast and at Daytona Bike Week. I?m a big guy so I packed a 3? luxury style self inflating pad and 0* rectangle bag. Both fit no problem. I slept on everything from grass to sand to gravel, with the optional footprint in place it survived without a scratch. I used the tent a few times without staking and it worked fine. Staked out the tent performed flawlessly in heavy rain and strong winds. Without the rain fly you can sleep beneath the stars and not worry about snakes or other critters interrupting your good times. Yes it?s small, but I fit no problem with my bag and riding gear. Two? You better be small and use wedge pads/ mummies. But I love my new home away from home! My only complaint is that the toggle/ loop connection to the footprint is not very secure? falls out while trying to assemble. Once you get it put together it was fine but setting up in high winds took a little longer. Otherwise, PERFECT!

Bill K.

Originally posted at

2022-03-07T19:00:00

This is a good size for a backpacking tent or one for bike or mototcycle camping. It's quite a bit more compact than my other Kelty tent.

Arthur W.

Originally posted at

2022-03-06T19:00:00

We experienced significant winds the night we camped with this tent. Held up great. Also lightweight and easily carried with my UL backpacking gear.

Megan

Originally posted at

2022-03-03T19:00:00

I haven't had a chance to use this tent in the field yet. I bought it for a hunting trip next fall where we have to hike in a ways and wanted something light and small. I'm impressed with the size and weight. Shouldn't be a problem taking this tent in. I put it together in my living room just to check it out. Very simple assembly. First time doing it and it took me about fifteen minutes. They included a helpful color-code on the buckles of the tent and rainfly to orient the fly on the tent correctly. I ordered the larger Late Start 2 so I could fit my gear and rifle in the tent with me. There is plenty of room for both me and the gear. One concern I always have is getting the tent, stakes, poles, and fly back into the stuff sack after using it. Not an issue with this tent. It all fit easily back into the stuff sack. Seems to be pretty durable, the zippers worked well, and I'm excited to use it. I've seen plenty of reviews on the site that speak to the tent's waterproof ability, so I'm confident it will keep the moisture out. If I have any issues after field use, I can update this review.

Lee

Originally posted at