Two minutes flat to pitch, the fastest in our test, and watertight in a three hour thunderstorm. Just know it has one door. It scores 74 out of 100 and ranks #9 in our best backpacking tents guide as our fastest pitch.
Fastest Pitch
Kelty Late Start 2P
- Weight (our scale): 4 lb 8 oz packed
- Our pitch time: 2 minutes
- Pad fit (our test): two 20 in pads
- Doors: 1
Bottom Line : Pitched in two minutes flat, the fastest here, and watertight in a three hour storm. One door means climbing over your partner.
Pros
- Fastest pitch in this guide: 2 minutes
- Watertight in a 3 hour thunderstorm
- Tough floor handled sharp twigs
Cons
- One door and one vestibule
- Stuffy in humid weather
In the Red River Gorge
Emma used the Late Start in the Red River Gorge, Kentucky, in June: muggy, humid and full of sudden downpours. It stayed watertight through a three hour thunderstorm.
It bent noticeably in 25 mph forest gusts but held firm once it was guyed out. The tough floor handled sharp twigs easily.
The corner pockets made it the fastest pitch on our list: two minutes flat. It weighed 4 lb 8 oz packed.
Where It Asks Something of You
One door. Emma had to crawl over her partner for a 2 AM bathroom run. With one door and one vestibule there's no cross-breeze, so condensation was bad on muggy nights.
Two 20 inch pads fit, but 25 inch pads bunch up against the lower walls.
Spec Sheet vs Our Test
One-person, three-minute setup. Kelty says one person can set it up in three minutes. Emma did it in two.
Waterproof 68D polyester fly and floor. Kelty promises a waterproof, durable fly and floor. Both held: dry through the thunderstorm, and the floor shrugged off sharp twigs.
Single door design. Kelty is upfront that it's one door and one vestibule, and that's the catch for two people. Emma had to crawl over her partner for a 2 AM bathroom run, and with one door there was no cross-breeze on muggy nights. Solo, the single door doesn't matter and the space is generous.
Should You Buy the Kelty Late Start 2P?
Yes, as a roomy, quick solo tent on a budget. It's the easiest tent in our test to put up.
For two people, the ALPS Lynx 2 gives you two doors and far more floor, if you can carry it.
Compare With
- NEMO Dagger OSMO 2P: our best overall backpacking tent.
- MSR Hubba Hubba LT 2: our highest-rated tent.
- Big Agnes Copper Spur HV UL2: our most livable for the weight.
- Sea to Summit Telos TR2 Plus: our best for wind and wet shoulder seasons.
- Mountain Hardwear Mineral King 2: our best for short walk-ins and dogs.
- MSR Elixir 2: our most durable.
- Big Agnes Tiger Wall UL2: our lightest two-person tent.
- ALPS Mountaineering Lynx 2: our best budget tent.
- Big Agnes Fly Creek UL1: our best solo tent.
- Naturehike Cloud Up 2: our best budget ultralight.
See all 11, and how we tested them, in our best backpacking tents guide. For family and car-camping tents, start at our camping tents hub.
Editor's Note, 17 October 2026: New review, from the field notes of Emma, who tested this tent for our backpacking tent guide and weighed it on her own scale.
Our Testers
This review was edited by Sean Williams and tested by Emma Williams.
- Sean Williams, Editor-in-Chief. Sean built the team of researchers and testers behind our reviews and sets the rule the site runs on: we buy what we test, and we say what we found.
- Ryan Williams, Lead Tester. Ryan reviewed the rankings against Emma's notes and agreed the Dagger belongs at #1.
- Emma Williams, Editor and Tester. Emma leads our tent, camp kitchen and footwear testing, mostly in wet weather, and tested every tent in this guide.
