MSR Freelite 2 Tent Review – Light & Roomy

The MSR Freelite 2 is one of the most spacious and convenient to use semi-freestanding tents on the market. It’s made for the backpacking camper and provides an excellent balance of what you need whilst out on the trail. The mix of living space, storage space, low weight, and great weather protection make it a real contender in the backpacking tent marketplace.

In this MSR Freelite 2 review, we focus on the recently updated version. We will take you through all the features of the and why we think it’s one of the best backpacking tents around.

We are going to start off with a brief overview and rating to give you a full picture before we then follow it all up with all the details around materials, durability, comfort, and more.

MSR Freelite 2 Tent Review: Materials & Durability

All fabrics, especially in the tent world, come with a D-rating (Denier). This is directly related to its thickness, weight, and therefore durability. A fabric with a high D-rating will be thick, durable but heavy. A fabric with a low D-rating will be thinner, less durable, and very light.

As with all ultralight tents, the durability has to be compromised in order to get the weight down. This is done by using lighter and thinner fabrics. Although the fabrics do the job of giving you a great tent, they need to be handled delicately as they aren’t as durable as their heavier, thicker counterparts.

The idea is always to find a balance and this is what the MSR Freelite 2 has to offer in terms of materials and durability.

Inner Tent & Rainfly

When you first open the MSR Freelite 2, you’ll notice how thin and light the material is but what is it made from? The inner tent uses 10D mesh and 15D ripstop nylon for the floor. The 15D nylon floor is coated with polyurethane in order to make it waterproof and a little bit more robust.

Both 10D & 15D are low denier fabrics and while being very light to carry they are fragile and will need looking after. The floor is always the area most prone to damage in tents, especially if you camp on rocky and tough terrains.

It’s highly recommended to use a footprint to protect the base of the tent if you camp on harsh terrains, for a few extra ounces and not many dollars, you’ll get a longer-lasting tent and some extra insulation. The Msr Freelite is not inexpensive and it’s worth protecting your investment.

The rainfly is also made from polyurethane-coated 15D nylon which is again light and delicate but subject to far less abuse than the floor will ever see. Just be careful when pitching around trees where branches blow in the wind and cause a tear.

Overall, you should have no issues with durability if you’re careful and way fewer worries if you add a footprint/groundsheet.

Zippers

The zippers on both the tent body and rainfly are of great quality and don’t catch while being used. They slide up and down with ease.

Poles

The poles that are included with the Freelite 2 are Easton Syclone tent poles. These poles were first introduced to MSR’s 4-season tents and are made from a light carbon fiber composite. They are designed to flex in extreme weather and once flexed, return to their original shape. Other aluminum poles can bend or snap when under strain, so the carbon fiber upgrade is a great asset.

Weight & Packed Size

If you love to hike and camp as you go, you’ll know the benefits of having a light pack. Your tent is always going to be one of the heaviest pieces of gear and it’s one of the best places to save some weight.

The MSR Freelite 2 does a great job of reducing weight and having a small packed size while being spacious and comfortable, here are the details.

Weight

The Freelite 2 weighs just 2lbs. 8oz. which is exceptionally light but, when compared to other ultralight tents, which can be as light as 1 lb. 15oz. it can seem a little heavy. So, why is this tent is a bit on the heavy side? It’s due to the space and comfort that it offers.

The Freelite 2 comes with two doors, two vestibules, and more interior space than the others that weigh less than it. Comfort and enjoyment of your trip are more important in our eyes than having to carry a few extra ounces.

It’s also pretty easy to split the weight of the Freelite 2 between two of you, making it exceptionally light per person and worth every extra ounce for increased comfort.

Packed Size

The MSR Freelite 2 is extremely easy to get into its stuff sack and once inside you can use the compression straps to get it down to 18 x 6 inches. This is pretty average in terms of the packed size of an ultralight tent but even the lighter competition can’t get their packed size much smaller.

Overall it has one of the smallest packed sizes on the market and does very well in this category.

Living Space & Storage

Living space and storage are the two most important factors of a tent you love to use, in our eyes anyway. You have to imagine that some weather has come in while you’re camping and you’ve got to wait it out for 24 hours. Having a spacious, comfortable tent is something to be desired in this situation.

The MSR Freelite 2 does a great job of being comfortable with storage space while still being lightweight.

Living Space

The Freelite 2 is pretty spacious for a 2 person backpacking tent. Especially as far as ultralight tents go and far more spacious than their lighter competitors. Its dimensions are 84 x 50 inches and its peak height is 36 inches, giving you 29 square feet of floor space and plenty of headroom to sit up and read, look at a map and go through photos.

The rectangular, untapered shape, generous peak height plus near-vertical walls give the tent a voluminous feel once inside. At seven feet long and without a tapered width you can easily fit two air mattresses inside and sleep with your heads at either end for extra space. Two adults can sleep quite comfortably.

The two doors make the tent very easy to access and save you from having to climb over each other in the night when someone needs to use the bathroom. This is a huge benefit in our eyes, as it allows both campers an added sense of comfort and their own vestibule to store things in. Most other, lighter tents come with just one door and vestibule.

Internal Storage

There are two small storage pockets inside the Freelite 2 for storing things you might need to access quickly or keep safe like a headlamp and your valuables. There will also be some extra space around the sides things you might want to keep extra dry.

Vestibules

The two side vestibules offer 9 square feet of storage each. They are perfect for storing your backpack and muddy shoes overnight, without blocking access to the door. You can even roll up one-half of the vestibule to give you covered storage and some extra airflow for those hot nights.

Weather Resistance

Weather resistance is always something to think about when buying a tent and the first place to start is the season rating. The MSR Freelite 2 is rated as a 3-season tent meaning it will handle the conditions of spring, summer, and fall. It’s not made for icy, snowy, winter camping but will be ok for a brief shower of light snow.

Weather Protection

You might expect less weather protection in an ultralight tent. They tend to cut corners in order to reduce the weight by having a single wall or trimming down the rain fly. But, this is not the case with the Freelite 2.

The floor and rain fly are fully sealed and waterproof. They can handle heavy downpours and harsh winds without letting a drop of water inside the tent. The bathtub floor keeps moisture from coming in over the sides and the rain fly reaches the ground on all sides to ensure all the runoff goes to the ground and doesn’t drip into your tent.

The tent is also warm thanks to the double-walled design and will keep you warm in temperatures below freezing. If you use a footprint, as recommended, you can camp in boggy areas without concern of water seeping in or the cold ground getting through.

Ventilation

The ventilation of the Freelite 2 is excellent. This is thanks to the mostly mesh body that ensures great airflow in all conditions, removing condensation entirely. When properly set up the rain fly will not touch the inner tent, therefore, reducing any chance of waking up with wet gear that might have touched the sides in the night.

You also have the option of 1/2 rolling up the vestibule or not zipping the rain fly, and just velcro-ing it, to give you extra ventilation on hot nights.

Set Up & Take Down

The MSR Freelite 2 is not completely freestanding, it’s a semi-freestanding tent. This means you’ll have to have stakes in the ground in order to set it up, and it can’t be moved without pulling the stakes out and putting them back in again.

The reason for this is that it requires fewer poles and therefore, reduces the weight of the tent. This design is used by most ultralight tents. Just be sure to pick the right pitching spot so you don’t need to keep un-staking and re-staking.

Overall, the Freelite 2 is super easy to set up, even by yourself. Stake one end and connect the poles together. Run them down the spine to create a  Y section at one end, insert them into the bevels and attach the clips. You’ll not have a standing tent. Then attach the cross-section to the gromets above each of the doors. This will keep the ceiling tight and the walls vertical.

Then throw the rainfly over, it fits quite easily, and stake it out. You can choose to share the same stakes as the tent body or add new ones to create a bigger gap and extra airflow.

Set-up takes just a couple of minutes and the takedown is just as simple and fast.

Value For Money

The MSR Freelite 2 is pretty expensive as far as tents go but for a top ultralight 2 person tent, it’s the right price and what you should really expect to pay. In the end, when it comes to tents you get what you pay for. And MSR is one of the premium tent brands on the market.

For a hiking camper, it’s worth every penny. It will last, keep you warm, dry, and comfortable, especially with a footprint. Plus it comes with a 3-year warranty.

Rating

The MSRFreelite 2 achieved 94/100 in our rating system, a great score. It only lost marks on the durability side but this is a must when being an ultralight backpacking tent.

Size Options

The MSR Freelite 2 comes in a few sizes, both a 1P and 3P. The tents are all similar in design and the only real differences are the price, weight, and space. Scaling down removes some weight, some dollars, and a lot of space while scaling up increases space, dollars, and weight.

We still believe the 2P option is the most practical across all situations but if you want some extra space, the 3P option is not a bad shout, especially if you like to take your dog along with you.

Verdict

Overall, the MSR Freelite 2 is one of the best ultralight tents on the market. It’s spacious, comfortable, easy to pitch, keeps you dry and warm, all while being very light.

If you love to camp while you hike, and you do it a lot, we highly recommend the Msr Freelite 2, it might just be the tent you’ve been waiting for.