Tents! I’d appreciate some advice.

I’ve been through the search and read the older threads so apologies for yet another tent thread but it does seem like there’s a fair bit of experience on here so I’d appreciate some help.

The long and short of it is that now I have a CX bike with a rack and panniers already fitted, I’d like to try a little bit of cycle touring. Nothing major, a couple of nights to start with I expect and no intention to leave the UK.

I’ve been looking at tents and there’s a few that keep cropping up.

Like everyone I want something relatively light that packs small though having said that since I’m using rack and panniers I guess I can sacrifice a bit of weight for a little more tent space.

Budget ideally around £150 but could stretch to £200 if worth it.
Preferably a tent with a porch area.

The Vango banshee 300 keeps cropping up (looking at the 300 rather than the 200 For the reasons above). I Keep reading that the 200 is pretty small.
There’s quite a few Vango’s similar in price to the Banshee.

The Wild Country Hoolie 2 (£135) (from Terra Nova who seem well respected) has caught my eye and then there’s the Hoolie 2 ETC (£180) which has a pretty big porch area so space to stow gear, make a brew etc. It looks like quite a big tent so not sure if that’d be overkill.

Feel free to throw me some opinion / recommendations.

Things to consider (other than price and weight):
Does it pitch inner or outer first? Putting the inner up first in the rain can be a pain.
Does it have 2 skins, this helps with condensation
Pack size: will it fit in your panniers/ bike bags? Splitting the poles out into a longer bag should make this easier.
Have you considered a giving or tarp? This opens up the ability to use your bike or a wheel to give structure or save weight
Do you need a ground sheet ( in our current dry weather this could save weight).

For your budget you might also consider Alpkits one person tent. I don’t own one but have had good look in store and it is quite spacious with plenty of headroom. It retails (I think) around £160, including ground sheet.

Nordisk Svalbard

The Banshee is good, very good, but small. Very low. Tiny 2x porches.

We had a Vango Scafell 200 arrive today. It’s a tent I’ve already bought 5 of for DofE. They’re much larger inside than a Banshee, much lighter than a
Vango Halo. It’s a tunnel tent, so a touch fussier about being end on to the wind than some. But it also pitches easily and is good space for one.
It cost him £83 new.

I don’t think there is much out there to compete with a Vango under £200, perhaps some of the Chinese Nature Hike tents or Alpkit on clearance. They thread the balance of cost Vs weight Vs features Vs customer service well, as long as you don’t buy the Uber cheap range.

WildCountry/TeraNova have awful customer service in my experience and and aren’t great quality.

Don’t underestimate the warmth factor. A bigger tent with only one person in can get cold. This might not seem an issue in the summer at lower altitudes but a single person tent keeps warm better and means you can get away with a smaller thin sleeping bag. So smaller tent bag and smaller sleeping bag for the double win. You could always take a 1 man tarp too for very little extra weight to make more space to sit/cook under in the rain. It would get you half way to a bivvy/tarp lighter weight setup too. Or a bus shelter – you don’t have to carry those!

^^^ Agree the Svalbard is a tried and tested configuration. Pro-Action’s ‘Argos’ budget tent shares the same design, but is 300g heavier than the Svalbard SL, if £250 cheaper!) I think the original template for these designs was a Sierra Designs tent (?)

Anyhoops, is my favourite config for bikepacking. Packs down tiny and short, can get dressed in it ( headroom to sit up) and the ‘porch’ is just enough for boots.

There’s also an easy mod to turn the porch/flap into a windbreak/place to cook behind. Have some loose plans to use my one as a pilot-project for a few mods including an extension windbreak

How tall are you? Personally I like tents with entry in from the side, rather than at the head end like some of the tents above.

The Luxe tents sold by backpacking light.co.uk are worth a look.

https://www.backpackinglight.co.uk/shelters-1.html

Probably cheaper ordered in from the Far East if that’s your thing.

Svalbard is a tried and tested configuration. Pro-Action’s ‘Argos’ budget tent shares the same design, but is 300g heavier than the Svalbard SL, if £250 cheaper!)

With the cheaper tents a lot of the weight is in the poles, pegs and bag.

Throw the pack away bag away and replace with a dry bag. Replace the pegs and order replacement poles from places like bearbones etc and you can get that 300 g down a lot.

With a cheap tent you don’t have to be so precious with them.

I have a Nordisk tent and I set it up on my bars wrong once and it rubbed a tiny hole in the fabric which needed a repair.

I think if I bought another tent I’d look at alpkit or go cheaper with a highlander blackthorn. Standard weighs 1. 5kg or they do an xl for 1.85kg. They are about £40 which leaves a lot of money for new pegs and poles.

But if I had more money it would be an msr hubba. I just love every bit it msr equipment I’ve ever owned.

Thanks, some useful advice so far and a few things to think about.
I really don’t want to overthink this, I’m hardly spending a fortune…I just want to make sure I get something that suits me best.

I’m 6’ 1” so something with a little headroom to sit up in would be beneficial.

Groundsheet – That’d be something I’d assume I’d want. Are all tents In this kind of price range going to require a separate groundsheet?
I Was a bit surprised to see terra nova want £40 for a Hoolie groundsheet!!

That Vango Scafell Looks good for the money. I see they do a + version (£104)with the porch which looks similar to the Hoolie ETC I looked at. Again, might be more than i really need though.

Not too (Italics) hung up on pack size as I’ll hopefully strap it to the top of the rack.

I like the Nordisk but feel I’d want more room.
Size wise I want something that Isn’t a squeeze for one person. Hence looking at the banshee 300 over the 200.
Something that could take two adults On the odd occasion at some point in the future Might make it a little more future proof.

On the subject of size, I think it’s common for people to start with the idea that they’ll benefit from the luxury of a bit extra space but then in practice realise it’s not necessary. I know that’s what I did, and even the 1 man tent I have now seems a bit bulky.

Of course, it’s personal experience and my idea of touring is generally to ride all day and pitch up late – the tent gets used for sleeping only. But I think the tendency in the beginning is to plan on everything you might need, just in case, and pack it all. Then you get on the bike and realise it weighs the same as a small SUV and that’s the thing you have to pedal all day. And it’s at that point you begin to question the need for extra space.

How tall you are will have some say on which tents you find comfortable too.

Vango in my experience are pretty robust, if not a little weighty. No experience of the Banshee but for a budget tent that will last years, you can’t go too far wrong with them.

Wild Country Zephyros is often recommended at this pricepoint. There do seem to be mixed reviews mind.

Pretty much any tent will squeeze on the top of a rack.

All have groundsheets built in. You can add an extra protector if you want. I only add a protector to my Uber light tent as the groundsheet is like cling film. The Vango’s are not needing an extra protector, as long as you’re fussy about moving twigs or rocks away.

Hence looking at the banshee 300 over the 200.

Defiantly go for the Scafell or similar then – a Scafell 200 weighs near as dammit the same as Banshee 300 and will have more space, particularly to sit up and move around.

If you can push the budget to £250, there is F10 Xenon (superlight version of the Scafell basically). You would get your porch for the bike and kit, good space and still be lighter than the Scafell or Banshee…

https://www.outdoorclothing.co.uk/equipment-c153/camping-c237/tents-c166/f10-xenon-ul-2-2-person-tent-p11175/s34415?cid=GBP&gclid=CjwKCAjwiMj2BRBFEiwAYfTbCn2OGbtKRiTx9c_ZWdmbYUzoX8Gv7BLu4EFIJXzxa9Rv9q5TIeNRTxoCkd8QAvD_BwE

But if I had more money it would be an msr hubba. I just love every bit it msr equipment I’ve ever owned.

Was not going to mention this as every STW thread ever ends up recommending stuff over the OP’s budget……but seeing as you did it first!

I have a MSR Hubba 1 tour. Whilst it fails your could take a 2nd person at a later date test I would describe it as the perfect solo cyclist tent for someone wanting a bit more space. A one person inner with at least the same again space porch if not a little more. As in so big if you took the wheels off your bike you could get the bike and frame in the porch if you wanted to. The beauty of this is you can keep the inner area and your sleeping kit dry whilst having a big old space to hang out in. Huge midge mesh door so you can sit ‘inside but outside’ into the evening if that’s your thing without getting battered by the little critters.

The tour version pitches outer first too. You could use it as a two person shelter without the inner if that was your thing.

And…….for some reason it is available online with some stupid big discounts at the moment. It is also hard to find on the MSR website now (though still there) so maybe it is dropping out of their line up hence the big reductions. It would blow the top of your budget by about £70-80 in the sales but RRP was circa £500.

My only criticism (and arguably a big one for a tent) is that in monsoon rain it does have a tendency to pool water on the roof of the porch if not pitched really tight. And you have to actively manage the venting a bit more than some tents I’ve used (never quite worked out why but it seems to be a thing – maybe it’s the large amount of uncovered ground in the porch that generates moisture as it is not trapped below a groundsheet). It’s also not the quietest tent in a proper blow (as in a storm up a mountain kind of blow), but that’s not what you are looking for here.

Cheap, light, quality: pick any two.

Of course those are pretty vague terms – what exactly is “light”? For shelter, I’d say you need to be sub 1kg/person to be regarded as light but that’s going to cost you. Sub 750g/person is possible for cost without too many compromises, sub 500g/person has cost and compromises.

Just outside that 1kg weight is the Alpkit Soloist – https://alpkit.com/collections/tents/products/soloist

Wild Country/Terra Nova have a varying reputation, in the 1980s I had a Super Nova that was brilliant but more recently they seem to have taken their eye off the ball. I’ve also got a Lasercomp which is a 1+person tent, basically you can sleep two in it if you are very friendly. If not you will be friendly after the first night!

Voodoo Banshee 300? Do you need a 3-man tent? We also have an earlier version of the Vango Pulsar Pro 200 – a lot of room in the vestibule, possibly enough to get your bike under cover! Chuffin’ heavy at 3.2kg though.

The awkward parts of tents when biking are the poles due to their length and with geodesic/hooped tents their shape. Big Agnes do bikepacking specific tents with poles split into shorter sections but they are way outside your budget (we have a BA tent and got it just before they introduced the bikepacking version). No doubt we’ll see more. Our BA tent is a very similar design to the MSR Hubba series, has a bit more headroom but other than that very little difference.

As above, consider a tarp. You can either go flat or shaped. Flat is just a sheet of material and it’s up to you to configure it how you want it, shaped are basically the outer skin of a tent so the setup is predefined. With a flat tarp you aren’t confined to areas of flat ground that are big enough to fit a tent on, you can string it between trees, lean it up against walls, etc. You get more protection from the elements than you might think. Big downside is lack of bug protection so you either need a bivy bag or something like the Sea to Summit Nano bug net.

Shaped tarps are a sort of halfway house between tarps and tents. Something like the SMD Gatewood Cape packs small enough to fit into a cycling shirt pocket, the SMD Lunar Solo is fully enclosed and is basically a super lightweight tent but to lose 500g over the Alpkit Soloist the price is double, compromises again.

I’ve toured/bikepacked with all of the above, the only two I wouldn’t choose again would be the Vango and the Lasercomp, the Vango is just too heavy and bulky, the Lasercomp is too cramped.

Lots of options/ideas there. If I were you I’d sit down and list your desired features, what is really important to you and what you want to compromise on. Then and only then start looking at specific makes/models.

Edit: whilst writing all that you added further requirements including it being a two man tent for future use so ignore most of the above recommendations!

The awkward parts of tents when biking are the poles due to their length

Isn’t that what the top tube is for?

For shelter, I’d say you need to be sub 1kg/person to be regarded as light but that’s going to cost you. Sub 750g/person is possible for cost without too many compromises, sub 500g/person has cost and compromises.

That’s quite a high bar in weight imo.

I tend to mtfu a bit, save some money and remind myself that after lugging around a 5.5kg MK2 F10 I carried a 2.8kg Macpac Minaret, then a 1.9kg Banshee and ( /Yorkshire voice) thought myself lucky…

Sharing a tent does shave of serious weight.

A light tent is a delight – I’ve a 900g Alpkit – but that comes with comprises already about durability, weather resistance and huge cost.

Maybe I’m too tight…

Here is an outlier. I’ve not seen one, but I have seen other nature hike tents and I think my Alpkit Beta is a Nature Hike underneath the badge.

1.8kg tunnel with porch, UK seller.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/372968887621

OP, are you planning on just using official campsites or also wild camping? On a campsite privacy is quite important, not so when wild camping.

For head height, measure yourself sat up on your sleeping mat then have a look at the dimensions drawings of the various models. When we were looking at a lightweight bikepacking tent we borrowed a friend’s MSR Hubba which was on the short list, as soon as I sat in it I realised it wasn’t tall enough.

When lockdown ends you might want to search out one of the tent fairs where you can check out the various models in real life. The big retailers like Go Outdoors have some smaller tents on display as well.

@mattoutandabout – high as in the cutoffs are too high or high as in not achievable?

Our Big Agnes Copper Spur 2 is 1.5kg with the groundsheet so 750g each but is £380 which is why I didn’t recommend it to the OP. It’s paper thin material so you have to be pretty careful in use. Against that there’s plenty of room, door to either side so you don’t have to climb over one another to get out.

Thanks matt_outandabout. Appreciate your help. As I do everybody else .

Thanks Whitestone – apologies , I realised I should have stipulated in the first post that I may want to house two people on occasion rather than just have a roomier tent for myself.

No wild camping. Just official sites.
Total novice :-)

I fear I’m making More of this than it needs to be.

I’ve never cycle toured. Our family tent is a huge 8 man job. That’s all I am
Used to!

I’ve read everything I can find online and tbh it’s a minefield.

In terms of requirements…
I don’t want It to be tiny.
I don’t need a super light 1kg tent that I’m scared to use.
Id like something I can sit up in.
I’d like a porch. Not to fit the bike in, just for gear / making a brew.

Reasonably light (again, it’ll
Go on the rack so 2.5kg Ish would be good I guess?)

I’m waffling. I’ll shut up

Check out the Vango F10 Helium UL2, can be found within your budget, and weighs about 1.4kg.

Like bikes, tents are all about the lightest, Uber materials and marketing. Don’t believe too much of the hype.

@mattoutandabout – high as in the cutoffs are too high or high as in not achievable?

Just not on the OP’s budget, or what I’m comfortable paying.

I’ve just saved 1kg from my pack. Not from the tent, but by a lighter sleeping pad (-250g), lighter sleeping bag (-550g), lighter over trousers (-100g) and I’m looking at lighter rucksack. All of them needed replacing anyway and the added cost of going lighter was +£40 with some canny buying.

I’m now intrigued as to how cold a 900g 3-seadon down bag and barely insulated mat are…

No problem, gotta start somewhere.

A quick tip: look at the weight and packed size of the tent then find a bag around that size and pack it up to the same weight. Now think about fitting that on your bike and riding with it.

Tents are all about compromises, figure out what you are willing to compromise to get the features that you have to have. So at 6’1″ you are going to need a tent with an internal length of at least 2 metres to allow for the walls angling in, that sort of thing.

Luxe Outdoor were mentioned above. I have a Habitat SIL (not listed now) which I’ve used for about 6 years very frequently. The quality is excellent, and the weight for size is excellent. It is not the best in REALLY strong wind, though survived a night half way up the Brecon Beacons during Storm Desmond when it was gusting 80-90 mph.

I picked up a 6 Moon Design Lunar Solo secondhand last year, specifically for bikepacking (which I haven’t done since!). It uses a trekking pole or a little optional carbon pole which would be the one for bikepacking but isn’t quite as stable. There’s load of space for the packsize; I’ve reviewed it here; https://www.wildernessisastateofmind.co.uk/six-moon-design-lunar-solo-tent

@matt_outandabout – there’s a lot of “I wouldn’t start here” about that 😂 It does tend to be a gradual progression.

900g sleeping bag? depends on the quality of down and the materials used for the shell as to what temp it’s good to, then it depends whether you sleep warm or cold, how tired you are, how well fed, etc. I’ve seen 900g bags that were good to 5C and others that were good to -21C, both limit not comfort rating, no bets as to difference in cost!

I like that F10 xenon.
Looks like the scafell 200+ but clearly lightweight and more expensive.

I’m drawn to tents with a porch I could sit under and/or change in before I get into the main tent but I’m not Exactlyt sure how much I would need that.
Most of the tents I’ve seen / been recommended for touring have minimal porch areas.
Again, I fear I’d be buying(And carrying) more than I need.

The MSR looks excellent, again it has a Good porch area But it’s well over budget when I still have a sleeping bad and Mat to buy.

there’s a lot of “I wouldn’t start here” about that

Very true!

I guess like bike upgrading 🤪

I’m at a place where I’ve always had durable kit as it got battered for work and days off.
I’m now only needing it for my time, so I’m upgrading a fair bit that’s wearing out with lighter.

The sleeping bag will be interesting – could be worse, my son has a new 700g 3 season bag…

@matt_outandabout – what’s “3 season”? Doesn’t really mean anything. What are the EN13537 comfort and limit ratings? For a starting point use the comfort rating if you are a cold sleeper, the limit if you are a warm sleeper.

@stox – if you take a microfibre towel then you can use the part of the tent just in from the door as a changing area then wipe it dry. Not ideal but it’s what you tend to do with these tents in bad weather. Some moisture will get in, you’ll have wet feet, etc so it’s a case of having a system to manage it.

Sleeping bag and mat – a whole different rabbit hole! Think of them as a system that work together rather than two separate items. It’s worth getting one of the inflatable insulated mats even though they are expensive as they prevent a lot of heat loss to the ground meaning you can go with a lighter/cheaper sleeping bag. Unlike sleeping bags they don’t really have an upper usable temperature limit, a bit like your mattress at home. Exped and Thermarest are the two main contenders. I prefer quilts to bags for UK conditions, lighter because there’s no bottom/back to them – that job’s done by the sleeping mat. A quilt will be roughly 25% lighter than a sleeping bag of the same rating and quality.

Tipi tent for the win.

They can take heavy weather.

Use them with a pole and inner tent, fly only suspended from a tree branch, lots of options.

I’ve spent many months at a time living out of one, best bang for buck IMO. After using a different design for a while I find myself thinking of going back to a tipi.

A couple of points:

Firstly, if you get to your campsite at 4pm in the rain, you will need to be in your tent for a long time before setting off the next day. At this point you will value more space over an additional 300g. Don’t get a tent which has to be pitched inner first – in the rain it makes for a miserable experience. Being able to sit up in the tent and cook in the porch is essential.

Secondly, lots of manufacturers quote weights of their tents in a “bare” state. So no guy lines, 4 titanium “needles” instead of the full number of proper pegs needed to keep the tent up in any more than still air. Also there is no point in an ultralight tent with a super thin groundsheet when you need an additional footprint groundsheet to stop the tent floor leaking or ripping. In other words look at the weights, then see what you actually get, and what you will have to add to make the tent usable before comparing.

When I went through the process a couple of years ago I ended up with the Force 10 Helium UL2. I’ve no idea if it’s the “best” or not, but I’m very happy with it and use it for backpacking, bikepacking and motorbike touring. I’ve added a couple of additional guy lines and it’s been fine in 30-40mph winds on mountain tops.

Thanks boriselbrus. That tent caught my eye after seeing the F10 xenon that was mentioned earlier on.
It’s top of the budget but it suits in terms of weight and being able to sit up in. Not a hugh porch area but Whitestone made a good point regarding That.

It’s definitely on the list

I’ve got a MSR Carbon Reflex and like others have said light, cheap durable – pick two. It’s very light and it was expensive but as it’s so light it’s gossamer thin. Tub on it has to be looked after carefully but it’s fantastic for bikepackijg and the Easton carbon poles fit in the frame bag easily enough

OP, why not just grab one of these and try it out?

Vango Cairngorm

@malvernrider – that’s a good call! Good weight too.
I’ll check it out. Thanks!

Vango Nevis 300 . 2.5kg, three man, £100 in the sale.

Really impressed by my Alpkit Tetri!

For £120 delivered it’s an absolute bargain.

Small enough to pack solo but big enough for 2

Tetri

Also weighs less than Alpkit claimed which is nice

But if I had more money it would be an msr hubba. I just love every bit it msr equipment I’ve ever owned.

I like MSR too, but my experience of the Hubba Hubba NX was that the end panel folded in and smacked you in the face in strong-ish winds which wasn’t optimal. I bought an Access 1 though, so have nowt against the brand per se.

If you (the OP) can stretch to an extra 30 quid over the £200, I’d look seriously at the Alpkit Ordos 2. Or within budget, the Soloist. Mates have the Ordos 2 and it’s a really good balance of price, space, weight and pack-size plus decently made too.

That Alpkit Tetri does look good. A little heavy but I’ve Had a quick look at a video and it has a handy little porch area and a good amount of room inside. I think it’d be a little snug for two should I need that option.
Be interested to see how large it is packed away.

I like alpkit gear but I’d only looked at the Ordos but moved on from that given the price but given I’ve considered £200 tents now maybe I might revisit!

What are the EN13537 comfort and limit ratings

Comfort 2*, comfort limit -2*, extreme something stoopid like -10*

Ones Vango Cobra, one is Sierra Designs Zissou.

@stox

If you end up considering the Alpkit I can happy take photos of pack size etc.

It’s big for one and adequate for 2. Basically it’s just wide enough for 2 normal mats in there

Comfort 2*, comfort limit -2*, extreme something stoopid like -10*

Forget the “extreme” value, that’s the lowest temperature at which you are unlikely to die! (genuinely – “the minimum temperature at which a standard female can remain for six hours without risk of death from hypothermia (though frostbite is still possible)” – doesn’t sound particularly pleasant to me), you’ll just have to figure out which of the other two applies to you or your son. That’s trial and error really. Remember the rating assumes you are on an insulated mat and wearing a single thin layer of thermal underwear.

Pssst – whitestone…..you are sounding a touch condescending. You do realise MoAB has done this for a living for decades don’t you? And run centres that educate kids and now teaches adults to teach kids in exactly this for decades too.

We have access to a few tents, some pretty fancy ones and we have a decent vango (and a Force Ten somewhere) but years ago I bought a Coleman Cobra 2 for my son to go cycle touring. It was light (he was 10-11) and cheap so he didn’t have to worry about it. Ten years on and this has been used more than any other, it’s done numerous cycle touring hols, been on microlights, on mountains. For the money, it’s been great value and still going strong!
Like the look of the Alpkit, have used a vango Banshee and though good.