1-Man Tents

gad-westy

gad-westy

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Graham
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I'd like to buy myself a tent. It's principally for a couple of reasons:

1. I have a week camping in Faroe Islands next year
2. I'd like to do more of the above!
3. I'd like to do occasional overnights up high in the UK. Something I haven't done in ages.

I have a few things to bear in mind here.
Though I don't necessarily have a set budget in mind, I'm wary of spending too much in case it doesn't get as much use as I anticipate.
I absolutely want it to be very weather proof.
Whilst I'd like it to be as light as possible, I don't want this to be at the expense of weather resistance.
I'd like it to pitch easily, preferably outer first.
Big enough for me and a backpack.

Although I won't need it immediately I've noticed that there are often good discounts on outdoor gear over autumn/winter so might look to buy in next couple of months.
 
Tons of them on amazon:)
 
I'm not up with the tent market these days but I think you need one with alloy poles (hoops), certainly not glassfibre as cheap ones might have (they snap). Another thing is that some aren't very wind-firm (against deformation and potential collapse), which you'll need if you're committed to a week in the Faroes or even in UK. I've known gales in June in the Highlands. Some tents just don't have guys in the right places to be wind-firm - if you've got a feel for structures you can anticipate this by just seeing a photo. Ease of pitching is another thing - all that threading of hoops business, sometimes it's windy and maybe dark too. The best tent I ever had was a Vango Force Ten, but it was a cotton ridge tent and weighed about 6 Kgs for 2 people - a bit much on your back along with everything else.

Tents do seem to get lighter and lighter all the time. Nylon is stronger than polyester.

With many models you can leave inner & outer connected and pitch as one.

For a week you need something like a 70 litre pack, and a tent of 2.5 Kgs is ok - if it can sleep two & you're on your own you can spread your stuff out in it.
 
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My daughter has a Vango Banshee 200 and reckons it is good.

Dave
 
Thanks all. The Vango Banshee 200 seems to get a lot of praise. Looks good value too. Only thing that puts me off is that it's not actually that light at 2.4kg.

I was originally looking at tents that were sub 1kg but actually these all seem to be a combination of very expensive and flimsy. But around 1.5kg-1.75kg seems like there might be a few good options.
 
Your best bets are as follows:

Wild Country Zephyros 2
Vango Banshee 200
Vango Zenith 200
Coleman Aravis 2
Coleman Cobra 2
Wild country helm 1 or 2
Naturehike tents (a range of them)

And a few more but depends on how light you want it and how much space you want. Vango usually have a 5000 HH. I just bought a Zenith 300, mainly for me but definitely room for two people and just under 3kg with the footprint.

Ps, with a bit of hassle Blacks do a price match + 10% - they refunded £18 on mine.
 
Light weight, robust, reasonable price: pick any two.

I have a 1kg Naturehike job which is OK for a night up high but I can imagine getting a bit hacked off if I did a week in it, I also don’t think it would last much more than a dozen trips in average UK weather. I think if you want something more than a glorified bivi then you are looking at over 2kg.
 
Banshee 200, it's what Thomas Heaton uses.

Always get a 2 man as you'll need space for gear and to move around.

We have a 3 man Vango as we have a big fluffy dog too.
 
Cheers. Need to read up a bit more on the specs for some those suggested. Point taken about trading lightweight vs robustness.
 
Throwing another option in to the ring - DD Tarptent. It's small but very light - you use walking poles as the tent poles, so if you carry those already (they're great for hillwalking) you save that weight.
 
I've got a jack wolfskin gossamer 1 man tent, had it for years and absolutely love it.

I think they now do an xt version if you don't mind a hair more weight and need extra space...
 
I bought a Vango Banshee 200 earlier this year and have used it 3 times in the mountains so far this year. Its not the lightest but when you start adding tripods, lenses, filters, drone, batteries, food, stove etc an extra 0.5kg doesn't make much odds:confused:
It is big enough for me and rucksack, has stood up to a couple of windy nights no problem and is very easy pitched as i leave inner and outer attached all the time so it is only a matter of sliding the 2 poles through, pulling the 2 end ropes tight and then pegging it down right round. Less than 5 minutes has it up.
 
Thanks all. Have made a bit of a short list. Will see if I can go and see them anywhere.
 
gad-westy said:
I'm not allowed to park my car on top of mountains! ;)
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Just walk up before the sunrise. And it saves lugging all the tent and bedding and breakfast up!
 
I have a Hilleberg tent, can't remember the model. Very well made and pretty light.
 
Have you considered a hooped bivibag? A LOT lighter and you can bung your bag in the bottom of some or just plackybag it outside. A 2.5kg tent, food water and camera bag... no thanks.
 
Don't wild camp very often so went for a relatively cheaper Robens Starlight 1. Pretty lightweight (but not the most lightweight), easy to erect, sturdy and has room to store your bag in the porch area. Works well for me.
 
Wayne Els said:
If you're not on too much of a budget I'd suggest a Hilleberg Enan. If you use walking poles a Tarptent Notch is a great shelter, bit of a pain to buy as they are from the USA. If you want lots of space a some sort of lightweight teepee - I'm serious is great: http://www.backpackinglight.co.uk/shelters-1.html
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Cheers. A friend has a Hilleberg so they're on my radar as it were. Bit *ahem* spendy but I'm impressed by what I've seen. Probably hard to justify for my usage if I'm honest. Will take a good look at your link too. Looks interesting.
 
If it’s going to be high up and exposed/poor weather best to get a 3 or 4 season tent to ensure it will withstand everything that nature can throw at it. There is a difference camping at low level and high up in mountains. Regarding tent size best to get a tent that’s 2 man if it’s yourself and your backpack inside the tent.the reasoning I’ve always heard is number of people plus 1 for tent sizing.

Alex Nail is one photographer who comes to mind. I seem to remember his blog was quite good for info on camping equipment required for this type of thing.
 
rob-nikon said:
If it’s going to be high up and exposed/poor weather best to get a 3 or 4 season tent to ensure it will withstand everything that nature can throw at it. There is a difference camping at low level and high up in mountains. Regarding tent size best to get a tent that’s 2 man if it’s yourself and your backpack inside the tent.the reasoning I’ve always heard is number of people plus 1 for tent sizing.

Alex Nail is one photographer who comes to mind. I seem to remember his blog was quite good for info on camping equipment required for this type of thing.
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Thanks Rob. That's much appreciated. I'd filtered out most options under 3-season. I'm not the sort of person who's likely to deliberately go out in foul weather for the sake of it I'm all too aware that the higher one goes, the less predictable the weather gets. And it rarely gets better, though nice when it does!

There are some tents that I'd describe as 1.5 man that look like they'd be comfortable enough for me and a pack, otherwise, yep 2 man looks like the way to go. I don't want the bag to need to go outside, regardless of whether it's covered. I also need to play off height against wind resistance a bit. I've slept in bivies before and I never feel comfortable not being able to sit up at all. Since, it's about enjoying the outdoors rather than torture, I suspect I want to be able to at least get close to being able to sit upright or at least not feel too enclosed. There are loads of great options mentioned on here but I think what I really need to do soon is go and see some for myself. Something like the outdoor show would probably be ideal but I've missed the boat on that one. Might be a good excuse to go to ambleside and trail the gear shops a bit.
 
rob-nikon said:
If it’s going to be high up and exposed/poor weather best to get a 3 or 4 season tent to ensure it will withstand everything that nature can throw at it. There is a difference camping at low level and high up in mountains. Regarding tent size best to get a tent that’s 2 man if it’s yourself and your backpack inside the tent.the reasoning I’ve always heard is number of people plus 1 for tent sizing.

Alex Nail is one photographer who comes to mind. I seem to remember his blog was quite good for info on camping equipment required for this type of thing.
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TBH there's a lot of nonsense talked about how bomber a tent needs to be. Well not nonsense but possibly overkill. You only need 4 season if you are expecting strong winds or heavy snow loading. Even with a 4 season tent it makes more sense to camp somewhere lower or more sheltered if it's going to be blowing, they can still break. Also there is usually a considerable weight penalty for the added strength. Alex uses, or at least did use, Terra Nova Quasars. Great tents for 2 people but bulky and heavy for one.

I mentioned the Tarptent Notch but their Scarp with the additional crossing poles is a very popular tent with trekkers who want space and a relatively robust design.
 
gad-westy said:
Cheers. A friend has a Hilleberg so they're on my radar as it were. Bit *ahem* spendy but I'm impressed by what I've seen. Probably hard to justify for my usage if I'm honest. Will take a good look at your link too. Looks interesting.
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@gad-westy
What did you go for in the end?
 
Whatever you get.... if it has a lightweight groundsheet, consider spraying it with something like Fabsil to increase water resistance; this has worked well for me. And if it's small you can put your sac outside in a plastic bin liner - have done this a lot. More important to have a bit of space to use a small stove off the groundsheet but under the fly.
 
British army hooped bivvy. Incredibly warm, super light, sets up in a minute or so, lots of room for kit.
 
gad-westy said:
Still procrastinating but likely to go with a TN Laser. They do a few versions but haven't really looked into it recently as a few other priorities have got in the way. Likely to look again in May as I have a trip in June.
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TN laser is great, keep an eye out and you'll pick up a decent second hand one on ebay for sub £100! Don't come up often but they do come up
 
Just get an MSR Hubba Hubba or Big Agnes Copper Spur HV UL2. Light and well made.

I'm also considering getting a tent and wild camping, those are the options I'm looking at.
 
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