80% of 10 verified owners recommend the Kelty Late Start 2P, based on real owner verdicts aggregated from Reddit, enthusiast forums, and YouTube.
The headline score reflects owners (Reddit, enthusiast forums), independent lab tests, blogs with no affiliate links, and YouTube owner-comments when they line up with owners. YouTube is shown for perspective but kept out here — hover the i for why.
“I can already set up my Salida in 3-4 minutes with one hand tied behind my back, so that's not a big deal to me. They're similar enough that I'd just buy whatever is cheaper.”
“I've never had any issues.”
“4 lbs for a 1 person tent is nuts”
“I loved the ease of setup and aluminum poles. I didn't like the condensation issue and the misleading color of the fly.”
“it has worked great for 3-4 years”
“That's little more than a Walmart tent from Ozark Trail....I wouldn't pay 60 bucks for that and pity ANYONE they suckered for $140.”
“It has NEVER leaked on me and my dog, Rocky.”
“It is really narrow at the top . They could have put in a bit more fabric and made it wider”
“I have a Kelty Late Start 6 person tent and I really like it. It's surprising spacious for a 2 pole tent”
“It's a nice no frills tent. Good color, but the rain fly could be larger. Mine doesn't leak either.”
“I love my late start, has been through torrential down pours and never a drop. Great product.”
“it is an overweighted, hideous looking, lack of space, cheap quality and overpriced tent.”
“Oh yeah, I have a couple of Kelty's now and they are aging, but still do not leak! Love them.”
“I thought for the price point, the tent was fine.”
“The floor doesn't have a heavy enough coating to be really waterproof.”
“The last Kelty tent I bought for the scouts didn't last long.”
“I actually like the colors of this tent.”
“It's an ok tent”
“I like this one”
“Since when has $140.00 for a tent become budget friendly?”
“Been using Kelty for backpacking for years and they've been pretty durable and easy to setup from my own personal experience.”
“Another heavy Ugly, sweat lodge, thats just Embarassing.”
“Can't say I'm too impressed, its very run of the mill.”
“Kelty](https://www.amazon.com/Kelty-Late-Start-Backpacking-Tent/dp/B07ML4F9HR/ref=as_li_ss_il?ie=UTF8&linkCode=li2&tag=tenthacker-20&linkId=379a05ee090c21da51bf4ec4c975f462&language=en_US) is a decent option. At 4 lbs. 8 oz.”
Practical notes owners raise — setup, quirks, and issues to watch for. They don't say whether the person likes the product, so they're not counted in the score, but they inform the pros, cons, and who it's for.
“Our tent is the Kelty Late Start 2p; there are other tents out there for 1 person if you need, but Kelty isn't a bad place to start your search. If you are in the market for hiking boots; go to REI and get fitted by their shoe staff.”
“It’s a 27 mile hike which will take us 3-4 days to get though. We will be in CO for a good two weeks total though, camping for the majority of that time. Has anyone had any experience with the Kelty late start 2p / 3 season tent? Is this going to be sufficient in getting me through a trip like this?”
“After this season I had to retire my old REI tent. I then spent way too much time hemming and hawing about what to buy. Finally decided on a Kelty late start 2. Can't wait to try it out this spring/summer. #dirtsleeper #skynapper”
“If you’re not backpacking but rather driving to the site or canoeing in, maybe the Kelty tent would be better. For bike packing, I’m not so sure but generally smaller is better so better so just go with whichever has the smaller pack size.”
“Let me know how it works in spring. I've only used the Salida in fall.”
“In my opinion, Kelty is the best bang for your buck camping gear company out there. My Grand Mesa 2 gas held up great in some poor weather, but I do wish the pole structure offered more interior space. The pre-bent poles in the Late Start models will help with that, but I've always been curious as to how much.”
“I know it weighs in at around 6lbs packed, which is considered heavy for most, but if I can keep my pack under 15lbs total I'll be happy. I've never done any backpack camping before, so me and a friend are going to start small by doing like a four mile hike out into the woods, camping for a night, and hiking back out.”