The Tent: Mountain Hardwear Airjet 2

When it comes to tents, the holy trinity of decision making is weight, size, and pitch speed, and this canvas home-away-from-home excels at all three. As its name implies, the Airjet 2 weighs a feathery three pounds, 15 ounces, and 38 square feet of real estate (including the vestibule) offers ample space for two slumbering campers and their packs. But the Airjet's true merit is exposed in the most averse conditions. This single-wall structure pitches in a few heartbeats—slip the aluminum-alloy poles into their sleeves, stomp down the stakes, and moments later you'll be ensconced in rainproof canvas, taking nips from your Nalgene flask while the rest of your crew wrestles with their rain flies. Nice extras include glow-in-the-dark zips, a wide mesh door, and full parameter venting to keep things cool on those sticky summer nights.
$285; www.mountainhardwear.com
—NB