UKC

I'm looking for a sub 1 kilo tent or maybe a larger hooped bivvy that weights well under a kilo, packs up tiny, doesn't cost the earth and isn't a piece of junk.

Am I searching for a unicorn?

Cheers,

E

This, or the slightly larger 1.5 version https://www.trekkertent.com/home/home/3-stealth.html

With carbon poles from here:

https://www.bearbonesbikepacking.co.uk/product/shelter-specific-poles/

I can vouch for the quality but if you need it quick, look elsewhere.

Doesn't fit your size and weight, but I bought a Jarran 3 from Alpkit with a view to bikepacking with my kids. They do a Jarran 2. It's 2kg, but you get a lot of space. Packed down it's small - my usual tent is a Quasar and about 3 times the packed volume and twice the weight.

Edit : maybe their soloist would fit the bill https://alpkit.com/products/soloist

In April last year, I did a cycle tour for a month across the desert in the southwest US. This is the tent I took with me - https://www.sixmoondesigns.com/products/lunar-solo-tent

I have absolutely no complaints. It did a sterling job! It's spacious inside (I'm 6ft 4"), but as small and lightweight as a tent could feasibly be. The only things I'd flag are that I had to seal the seams myself. You can get six moon designs to do it for you, but it's not a big faff to do it yourself. Also, the tent doesn't come with poles (I just used a single carbon running pole) or pegs. You'll have to get those separately.

Anyway, great tent. I've since used it on some very wet and windy adventures in Scotland and it's held up very well. Would recommend!

Outdoor Research helium bivvy? 

I've been using a Tarptent Protrail for the last six years.  Just under 1 kg.  Very happy with it.  Could use a touch more space but t'was ever thus..

Durston X Mid1. You can buy adjustable poles as an extra if you're not carrying walking poles.

Resale ones were going for crazy prices but increased production has killed that market. You may well have to pay import duty and VAT if ordered from North America.

They are the business.

I've got a Nordisk Telemark 1 ULW which comes in under a kg and is big enough to get changed in and has enough of a porch for bike packaging kit.

It packs down pretty small and poles are short enough to fit easily into a frame bag.

I used it for a 2 week trip last summer and it worked well for that including sitting out a day of wet weather.

Get a bike tarp?

It depends on your budget. I've ummed and ahhed over the same for a couple of years and still not bought anything. I'm lucky that I've been reviewing an MSR freelite 2 and have taken that on a couple of bikepacking trips now. It's a kilo and has loads of space being a 2 man, but it's not perfect in some respects - poles too long to fit in my frame bag for example and they're not cheap. The 3F Lanshan is probably the only cheapish thing that's fits your description and some folk rate them but you have to order them from China so there's some extra hassle in that regard. 

Only thing I can think of is Nordisk Telemark (I have one, it's ace) or Lofoten. Not cheap though. 

As the saying goes: light, durable, cheap; pick two.
 

 Big Agnes copper spur. Cracking tent. 

Thanks for all the input. Some great ideas.

E

No pole, fine I expect many, like you, will use a walking pole or similar.

But no pegs? On a tent? Odd marketing...

I suspect the logic is that once you get lightweight or specialised enough, most of the people buying the tent have strong personal preferences on what pegs are best, either in general or for specific ground/conditions, and maybe already own the pegs they'll want to use, so bundling them in doesn't make sense. Your choice would never suit everyone so leave them out and let people decide for themselves.

Like how you could buy a basic starter badminton set with a couple of rackets and a few shuttlecocks but if you wanted fancy ones you'd only find them available individually.

I realise they are very affordable and you cant have everything but Alpkit always seem remarkably heavy for what they are to me, a 1 man tent at 1.2kg is a no from me.

If you can wait until spring, MSR have a new version of the Hubba for bike packing. 900 grams with shorter pole lengths so packs up small. There will be a review on UKC soon but in the meantime https://www.ukclimbing.com/videos/categories/product_videos/new_camping_gea...

I was going to suggest the Big Agnes Fly Creek but might break the budgie aspect. That said I have seen them come up for sale on FB Outdoor Gear Exchange group.

https://www.ellis-brigham.com/big-agnes-fly-creek-hv-ul1-bikepack-solution-...

Are you reviewing it Rach? If so - doh! I was going to ask Dan if I could. The MSR freelite 2 I'm currently reviewing is in many ways perfect for bikepacking - very light and spacious BUT the poles are too long to even fit through the zip of my framebag. I have to strap them to the cross bar of my gravel bike or on top of the handle bar pack on my mountain bike (too long to fit inside drop bars on the gravel). Both are sort of ok but I'm pretty paranoid about attaching them very carefully so they can't get lost during a day's rough riding!

I have a big Agnes Tiger Wall UL2 (non bikepacking but was going to suggest the bike packing versions of BA tents should be very good as the standard ones are excellent and they are v.similar just with shorter poles to avoid TobyA's issues. Budget notwithstanding.....

I have a big Agnes Tiger Wall UL2 (non bikepacking but was going to suggest the bike packing versions of BA tents should be very good as the standard ones are excellent and they are v.similar just with shorter poles to avoid TobyA's issues. Budget notwithstanding.....

In rain, if you open the fly does the rain drip into the inner bathtub floor? Not sued on but it is basically the same design as my BA Tiger Wall but the "speader pole" looked a bit short on the MSR when I sat in one. Seemed a silly mistake for a big brand like MSR but.....

Basically yes, although even in rainy weather I haven't found it to be a massive problem. There aren't many products that are basically perfect though, you get suspicious that you've missed something if you can't find anything wrong with a product!

https://www.sportpursuit.com/catalog/product/view/id/3061163

saw these the other day on sport pursuit, no idea if they are any good......?

I have one of these, and imagine its great in warmer, drier climates, ** don't ** buy this for the UK. Lots of condensation as single skin (as expected), but as its a single unit (floor / sides etc), you can't separate it, so once wet (after most nights in the UK), you have to pack the whole thing damp/wet, and night 2 is always 'wet', so trying to keep a down sleeping bag, on a thermarest dry / away from the floor / sides is impossible. I've had quite a few damp trips with this tent in the UK. Get a light weight double skin tent. Free standing Big Agnes / MSR are much better 

got mine from Decathlon, maybe a little over 1kg but its very light and compact.

Cheers all.

Went for this in the end 

https://www.decathlon.fr/p/tente-de-trekking-ferrino-sling-1-verte/_/R-p-X8...

Comes in at just over 1 kilo so with tent, sleeping bag, mat and pillow my accommodation is around 2 kilos.

First trip in two weeks. I'll keep you posted.

E