Bessport 2P Basic 3-Season Tent Review

Detailed In-Depth Review

I’ve been using the Bessport Basic 2-person, 3-season tent since 2020. I started out by using it on my solo hikes, but since then, I’ve upgraded to a much lighter single-person tent, the REI Flash Air 1. That said, the Bessport tent is still working nicely and I’m using it when hiking with my mates or with my girlfriend.

I’ve used it in all kinds of climates and terrains – in Latvia, Finland, Norway, France, and Spain. It’s been used in wet forests and dry high-altitude mountains above 3000m altitude. I even used it on my 800 km thru-hike across the Spanish Pyrenees mountains. So this review will be based on my own experience from all this time.

Size and Weight

The Bessport 2-person tent weighs 2.3 kg (5.2 lbs), which is somewhat lightweight, at least when compared to other affordable, below-100$ tents. Usually, an affordable two-person tent weighs closer to, or even above the 3 kg (6.6 lbs) mark. If you want to get the 1-person option instead, then you’ll save even more weight – the Bessport Basic 1-person tent weighs only 2 kg (4.4 lbs).

Of course, this tent is nowhere near some ultralight options, which often weigh below 1 kg (2.2 lbs), but they usually cost much more due to improved, lighter, more expensive materials. If you’re looking for a lightweight tent that doesn’t cost too much, then the Bessport tent pretty much nails it.

When it’s fully packaged in its original bag, the Bessport Basic 2-person tent is sized at 17×7 inches (43×17 cm). This makes it somewhat easy to pack into your backpack, however, it isn’t the most compact tent. Personally, if I know that I’ll be bringing the Bessport tent, I usually go with my 55l Teton backpack, instead of my 44l Osprey one, to leave some room for food, sleeping gear, and everything else.

Another way of packing it in a more compact way is to not use the original tent bag. Instead, I usually stuff the inner tent and the rainfly at the bottom of my tent and put the stakes and poles on the side.

Set-up and Take-Down Time

The Bessport 2-person Basic tent is incredibly easy and fast to set up. On our thru-hike with my girlfriend, we usually set it up in less than 3 minutes. To set it up, you first need to lay down the inner tent where you’re going to pitch it up. Then you have to extend the poles, attach them to the attachment points on each corner, and connect them to the tent with plastic clips. When that’s done, you need to lay over the rainfly, connect it to the inner tent with plastic clips on each corner, finalize where exactly you’re going to pitch it up and secure it with the stakes. At a minimum, you need 6 stakes (1 in each corner and 1 for each vestibule). I usually don’t use more than that, although, on windy days, it’s a good idea to also set up the guylines.

It’s also worth noting that the Bessport tent is really easy to take down and pack up. I usually just lay down the inner tent, put the rainfly on top, fold it all up several times until it’s wide enough to fit in the original bag, put on the stakes and poles, and roll it all up. They’ve also included a compression strap, which is really useful because when you’ve finished rolling everything, you can keep it in place, so it’s easier to stuff into the original sack. Speaking of that, the original bag is also pretty loose, which means that you don’t need to spend a lot of time stuffing it all inside.

Set-Up Size & Interior Liveability

In a set-up state, I measured the Bessport tent to be sized at 43 inches (1.1 m) in height, 48 inches (1.2 m) in width, and 86 inches (2.2 m) in length. It’s not the most spacious 2-person tent I’ve ever camped in, but it provides enough room for me, my girlfriend, our 55 lbs (25 kg) dog, and all of our stuff. The Bessport 1-person tent is really similar in size, except it’s a bit smaller in width. Instead of 48 inches (1.2 m), it’s 33 inches (0.85 m) in width.

Personally, whenever I’m sleeping in there, my feet or head never touch the walls. I feel like it has enough room in there for everything I’d need, but not much more. That said, I definitely don’t feel cramped whenever I’m reading a book or changing clothing.

I’m usually not able to fit everything inside, so I only keep my valuables (camera, phone, wallet, power bank) on the side of the tent, near my sleeping mat, and keep my backpack outside in the vestibule. For additional safety, I tie my backpack to the tent, so no wild animal is able to snatch my stuff while I’m sleeping. The vestibules are large enough to fit everything and there are two of them – one on each side.

Storage and Organization

For organizing some stuff, you’ll find four open mesh pockets – one in each corner. Each one is large enough to house a phone, power bank, empty sacks from your pillow, sleeping bag, sleeping pad, or something similarly-sized. They’re triangular-shaped, and not too handy through because things often fall out of them, so I tend to keep most of my stuff on the ground.

You’ll also find another shelf on top, where I usually keep my flashlight and anything else I’d quickly need to find during the night. You can also remove it and leave it at home if you feel that there’s no need for it. There’s also a plastic hook on top, where you could hand a lantern.

Water and Wind Resistance

The Bessport Basic model is built to be used in 3-seasons, although I would definitely call it a 3.5-season tent. This essentially means that it shouldn’t be used in winter, but I’m calling it a 3.5-season tent because I’ve slept in it in below-freezing temperatures many times without any issues.

The rainfly is made from 68D polyester and the bottom bath of the inner tent from welded oxford cloth. I’ve slept in the Bessport tent in rain multiple times, and I’ve never had any issues with dampness. I’ve always managed to stay completely dry, so I can vouch that it’s waterproof. I’ve used it regularly for two years, and I still haven’t had to re-tape the seams or patch any holes. Plus, the bottom bath is lifted about 8 inches (20 cm) from the ground, so I haven’t had any water sip in through puddles.

In addition to rain, I’ve also used the Bessport Basic in heavy wind speeds of up to 70 km/h (19.5 m/s). I’ve always used guylines, and always in combination with rocks to keep everything in place, and the tent has stood up without any issues.

Ventilation and Condensation

The Bessport Basic 2-person tent is very well ventilated, and I’ve very rarely experienced condensation buildup in all kinds of climates. I’ve only had a lot of condensation in early spring when there was a lot of melting snow around and the air was very humid. But other than that, there’s pretty much no condensation whatsoever, even when sleeping with my girlfriend and my dog.

It’s so well ventilated, because it has a fairly large section of mesh on the inner tent, in combination with a lot of airflow coming through the rainfly. Specifically, the rainfly has two openings on the top part on each side, and the gaps in the bottom and underneath the vestibules are large enough to pass through a lot of air. To keep some of the air on colder, below-freezing nights, I usually close the ventilation openings on the top and do not pitch one (or both) of the vestibules. This is usually enough to keep me warm.

Stakes and Poles

The Bessport tent comes with 12 aluminum stakes and 2 folded poles, which are meant for standing up the inner tent. To secure the tent, you actually need only 6 stakes – one in each corner, and two for setting up the vestibules. Another 2 are used to extend the middle part of each end, and 4 more for setting up the guylines.

The poles themselves are really good quality, especially for a tent this cheap. They’re built from aluminum and they snap into place really easily. Plus, it’s easy to attach them to the inner tent, because on each end, they have locking pegs, which really helps when setting up the tent by yourself because it keeps them in place when going to the other corner.

The only issue that I have with the Bessport tent is that it has bad-quality stakes. They feel really lightweight, but they bend really easily. I still haven’t lost or broken one, but most of them have been bent and re-adjusted several times. Plus, in windy conditions and hard ground, they sometimes come out of the ground if not secured with a rock.

Warranty

The Bessport Basic 2-person tent doesn’t come with any warranty. In fact, you won’t even be able to find the website of Bessport Gear. They’re a manufacturer who sells directly on Amazon, so you’re only covered by Amazon’s 30-day return policy. If you see any defects right after receiving your tent, you should get in touch with Amazon straight away.

Value

I think that currently, the Bessport 2P Basic tent offers tremendous value. In fact, I’ve recommended it to many of my friends who are just getting into hiking and backpacking. It’s probably too heavy to be used solely for thru-hiking, but it’s an awesome option for overnight hikes and ones that stretch out to several nights.

Compared to Decathlon or Walmart tents, which cost roughly the same, the Bessport tent is way more durable and more lightweight. And compared to other options on Amazon, I consider it to be the best below-100$ option.

The Competition

The Bessport Basic 2P Tent is, in my opinion, the best option below 100$. Another good alternative is the Bisinna 2P 3-season tent, but the Bessport one is slightly more durable. That said, the Bisinna is also a really good option, due to its light weight.

If you have a bit more money, then definitely go with the Naturehike Cloud-Up 2P tent. It’s the only cheap Amazon tent that’s comparable in weight with some of the more ultralight options, that you’d see from Nemo, Big Agnes, REI, etc. That said, you have to be fairly careful with the Naturehike Cloud-Up because it’s less durable than the Bessport 2p Basic tent.

Compared to other off-brand options in the affordable price range, I think that the safest bet is to go with Bessport because it’s a really solid tent – it’s affordable, durable, spacious, doesn’t have ventilation issues, and is lightweight.

Read Next: REI Flash Air 1 Ultralight Tent Review

Final Verdict

I’ve recommended the Bessport 2P Basic tent to many of my friends, who usually ask something along the lines of: “What’s a somewhat cheap, good tent for occasional hiking?” My reasoning is simple – above everything else, it’s pretty durable. So durable, that it will probably last you a good 5-20 years of hiking. It’s actually surprisingly durable for a tent that costs so cheaply.

But other than that, it’s also pretty lightweight, it’s spacious, it’s easy to set up and take down, and it doesn’t take up too much space in my backpack. In my opinion, it’s also great for car camping, bikepacking, and motorcycle touring.

The only issue that I have with it is that it isn’t ultralight, so it’s far from ideal for thru-hiking. You can live with it (in fact, I took it on my 800 km thru-hike), but if you have the budget, it would be worth it to invest in something lighter. Other than that, I’m also not a fan of its weak tent stakes, which bend pretty easily.