Best Bikepacking Tents 2025 | Fully Tested and Rated by Our Experts
Here's our round-up of the best bikepacking tents for your next two-wheeled adventure including options from Vango, Terra Nova, Big Agnes and more
Sleeping under the stars is an integral part of the bikepacking experience. After all, bikepacking is about breaking free from the confines of modern life, pedaling into the unknown and embracing the great outdoors. That’s why we’ve picked out a selection of the best bikepacking tents to help you enjoy your experience to the full.
Bikepacking affords riders a freedom beyond traditional cycle touring. Relieving the bike of heavily-laden panniers allows bikepackers to venture further afield and deep into the unknown.
“It’s a little odd and scary at first, especially if you don’t even have a tent and you’re just asleep in a ditch somewhere,” says Joshua Cunningham, who rode 22,000km from London to Hong Kong in 2015. “But once you do it a few times and it begins to become normalised, that’s when you really start to appreciate the freedom you have. It’s liberating.”
Bivvy, Tent or Tarp?
Bikepackers typically have three main options when camping on a trip. First is a sleeping bag and bivvy; second is a sleeping bag, bivvy and tarp; and third, a lightweight tent.
“Bivvies are lightweight and faff-free, but aren’t the best in bad conditions as they leave you very exposed,” continues Cunningham. “Tarps can be fiddly and inconvenient, but have many proponents due to the extra protection they offer for such little extra weight. A tent is super-comfortable but heavier and more difficult to fit into bikepacking bags.”
All three setups have their pros and cons. The relative merits of each will depend on the demands of your ride and how inconspicuous you need to be. The importance you place on comfort, weight and ease of use will also be important factors. “If I’m doing a race I’ll take a bivvy, silk liner and inflatable mattress,” says Cunningham. “If I’m touring I’ll take a tent, sleeping bag and inflatable sleeping mat.”
“The ideal tent will vary from one rider to another”
We’d normally recommend a lightweight tent for bikepacking trips of more than a night or two, unless you need to travel particularly light.
The ‘ideal’ tent will vary from one rider to another. But generally speaking, a bikepacking tent should weigh less than 2.5kg and fit inside a handlebar bag (some may require the poles to go inside the frame pack). It should also be an inconspicuous colour, offer sufficient space and, of course, be able to withstand the conditions you’re likely to encounter.
Best Bikepacking Tents | Our Favourites
Many of the best lightweight tents for adventure racing, wild camping and long-distance hiking are also ideally suited to bikepacking. However, some features become even more important when you’re on two wheels. This includes pack size (particularly packed length), overall weight, ease of pitching and porch space. Tried and tested by our experts, here are our top 5 bikepacking tents:
Vango F10 Hydrogen – Best Bikepacking Tent Overall
Terra Nova Laser Compact 2 – Our Runner-Up
Big Agnes Copper Spur HV UL2 Bikepack – Best Two-Person Bikepacking Tent
Simond MT900 – Best Value Bikepacking Tent
Six Moon Designs Lunar Solo – Best Bikepacking Tarp
We will be continuing our tests throughout the seasons so keep an eye out for updates and changes, including tents that have stood up to the almighty test of time.
1. Vango F10Hydrogen Tent
Best bikepacking tent overall : This is our top pick following our extensive, on-going tent tests over the last few years
One of our tests is pictured here using the Vango F10 Project Helium tent. Photo: Chris Johnson
Price:£580 Weight:700g Pack size: 20 x 12cm Overall Rating: 4/5
The Vango F10 Hydrogen is claimed to be ‘the lightest two skin inflatable tent in the world’. At just 700g, it’s incredibly portable due to singular air beam construction propping up the width of the tent. The whole thing packs down to about the size of a Pringles can too.
The beam is inflated through a common Schrader valve using a bike pump – perfect for bikepackers who’ll (hopefully) be carrying a pump with them anyway – and there’s a small carbon pole to prop up the foot of the tent too.
The F10 Hydrogen uses a 7-denier, double silicon-coated ripstop flysheet (5000mm HHH), a 10-denier PU-coated ripstop nylon ground sheet and then a 7-denier mesh inner. The porch is big enough for some bikepacking bags and shoes, whilst the pegs are made from a sturdy titanium that should survive some strong winds.
Our tester Will said, “I used this in Snowdonia and was impressed by the design. It’s so easy to pitch (and pump), you can take it out of the bag and be ready to climb into it within two minutes. There’s a lot of headspace. It’s actually one of the taller one person tents I’ve come across actually. That does, however, mean that there’s a big surface area for the wind to catch. Still, I had this up on a rather windy (though not gale force) and wet night and it was absolutely fine.”
The Terra Nova Laser Compact 2 is based on Terra Nova’s popular Laser Competition 2. However, it is both lighter and more compact in terms of pack size. With a claimed weight of 1.23kg and packed dimensions of 30x15cm, it’s ideally sized for a handlebar bag.
The tent is rated for three-season use. The low-profile design, with an inconspicuous green flysheet, makes it ideal for wild camping. The tent pitches all-in-one, with the flysheet and inner attached, so getting it up quickly in the rain shouldn’t be a problem.
The Laser Compact 2 technically sleeps two, and has two porches to store kit. However, it would be ideal for a solo bikepacker in need of a little extra space and comfort.
Our tester Giles said, “The most noticeable thing about this is how small it packs down and how light it is – when packed it’s about the same size as my sleeping bag and stows really well at the bottom of my bag. For me, it’s important to have a tent that fits inside my bag rather than attached to the external straps.”
Given the fast-growing popularity of bikepacking, it’s little surprise to see bikepacking-specific tents emerging. The Copper Spur UL2 Bikepack from US brand Big Agnes is one such tent.
OM editor, Will Renwick, described the space-to-weight ratio as ‘very impressive’. Like the Terra Nova, it has a handlebar-friendly pack size of 30x15cm, while claimed trail weight is right on the money at 1.36kg.
The Big Agnes pitches inner first but we found it quick and easy to erect, while quality materials should see it stand the test of time.
Beyond the compact size, smart features that bikepackers will appreciate include webbing loops on the flysheet to dry wet kit, an oversized pocket to stash bulky gear, elastic webbing to store your helmet on top of the tent, and an extended footprint.
Best value bikepacking tent: We judged this to be the option option in terms of bang for your buck.
The Simond MT900 during our tests.
Price: £160 Weight: 1.3kg Pack size: 41 x 12cm (to be confirmed) Overall Rating: 3.5/5
Simond, in case you don’t know it, is Decathlon’s own brand that specialises in technical equipment for mountaineering, trekking and camping. We’ve tested several Simond products here at Outdoors Magic and generally find them to be functional, reliable, and well priced. This product is a case in point. It features a tried-and-tested design, high-quality materials, and is remarkably lightweight and packable – all for a very reasonable £160.
OM editor, Will, has been testing it out in the hills of Wales. “I was really impressed by the small packed size,” he said. “It’s about the same size as a 2-litre bottle. At just 1.3kg, it’s also very light. It’s comparable to tents like the Sea to Summit Alto, Big Agnes Copper Spur UL 1, and MSR Elixir. While the materials aren’t quite as high spec (they’re still decent though) and it’s a little heavier, it’s significantly cheaper.”
Will added, “I was able to pitch it quickly and easily on my first try without even reading the instructions – the colour-coding makes setup straightforward. Inside, it feels pretty cosy but it offers plenty of head height and there’s easily enough room for a large rectangular sleeping mat. Ultimately, I think it’s an ideal option for solo fastpacking or bikepacking, particularly if you want something light but not super high spec.”
While you may not have heard of Six Moon Designs before, they are in fact an extremely popular brand within the ultralight hiking and bikepacking community.
It’s a hybrid tarp / tent design that features a single skin of silicon coated polyester upper that’s suspended off a trekking pole. This upper is pegged down at the edge and corners to form a hexagonal shape around its base.
This design gives a relatively large sleeping area, with 1.2 metres of height and 2.4 square metres of sleeping space. On top of that, you’ve also got the benefit of a 0.8 square metre porch, providing plenty room to cook and organise your kit – something we feel is an essential feature in single skin tents to avoid touching the potentially damp walls of the main compartment.
You’ll be able to pitch this tent in no time, once you’ve got the hang of it. First of all, peg down the back corner, then stick your trekking pole in place and pull the guyline on the peak to then peg down the front, followed by the corners. Don’t worry if the sides look to be high off the ground; this has been done to promote ventilation.
On the breathability/ventilation front, we would say that this tent gets pretty wet inside in certain conditions – namely when it’s cold, wet and not particularly windy. So if you’re going to use this, avoid using in the aforementioned conditions and if you have to, make sure the door is unzipped from the top and the sides are raised as high as possible.
As you can see in the picture above, the Outdoor Research Helium Bivy has one small pole that keeps the bivvy fabric elevated and away from your head. What’s more, you can open up this end of the bivvy for airflow and remain protected from bugs thanks to a mesh flap.
We were impressed by the wet weather performance of the main fabric while we also found the base fabric reassuringly durable. Our tester, Sarah Leighton (also known as Fit For Adventure), was a big fan of the Helium when she used this. “The OR bivvi is awesome”, said Sarah. “The hooped hood makes it not too claustrophobic when you shut out the bugs, sand, etc. Considering I’ve always been a tent fan, this is a bivvi that could see me converted!”
Two-person tents that are pushing the sub-1kg barrier are usually short of headroom and lack two entrances and vestibules, but that’s not the case here. The single forked pole design makes for an easy pitch, while Nemo’s own ‘Flybar’ extends headroom space by giving two additional attachment points for the inner thus widening the width of the roof.
The flysheet is 10D and PU and silicone coated nylon, and there are two large doors on either side of the tent. When zipped up, they provide two spacious vestibules that offer enough room to leave a bikepacking bags, shoes, and still enough cooking space per person.
The inner is made from a mesh in its upper reaches, with a nearly opaque privacy mesh rising almost halfway up the sides. On the top of the inner, Nemo has used what they claim is a black mesh that turns virtually transparent at night for stargazing.
All of this stuffs into a nifty 50 x 14 cm ‘Divvy’ stuff sack. Split into separate compartments, this gives you the option to divide the inner and outer between you and a friend.Our tester Jordan said, ““All in all, I’ve been left impressed with the Hornet 2P. I’d certainly reach for it as our go-to ultra-lightweight two person tent for myself and my partner.”
Though the Sierra Designs Metero 3000 comes out as the heaviest here, it’s also the most environmentally friendly option. It’s an ideal option for two-person bikepacking trips where you can share the load and has more than enough space for your gear too.
It’s three-season rated and is completely free from any eco hazardous PFCs. Instead, there’s specifically developed DWRs that are kinder to the earth, and recycled fabrics used all throughout.
It has a freestanding, inner pitched and semi-geodesic design with one short pole across the roof. There are two very spacious vestibules and then a large mesh inner with steep walls and plenty of room to sit up in. You also have DAC aluminium poles, a 68D Poly Taffeta fly and floor fabric, 15D mesh inner and then some lightweight aluminium stakes pegs (x10).
Our tester Will said, “I’ve been out in the Preseli Hills of Pembrokeshire with it recently and I’ve been really impressed. It’s a tent with bucket loads of space but it’s still reasonably light, and it’s got some pretty nifty little design features to make life on the trail that bit easier. They’ve also swapped in some excellent low-impact materials to lower the Meteor’s footprint on the environment.”
In reality, the demands of a bikepacker are very similar to the fast and light hiker. MSR’s superbly-named Hubba Hubba may be described as a backpacking tent but it’s also suited to bikepacking. it has a claimed weight of 1.56kg and a pack size of 46cm x 15cm.
The tent’s generously-sized interior provides plenty of head room and can also be entered from either side, in turn providing two porches for storing bikepacking bags.
The freestanding design is ideal for bikepackers who need flexibility as to where they can camp. The Hubba Hubba can also be pitched with just the poles, flysheet and a footprint or tarp (sold separately) if you want to cut weight.
The Hubba Hubba isn’t quite as compact as the Terra Nova and Big Agnes tents featured here. You should make sure it fits in your handlebar bag. However, this is still a really good option. If you want to go lighter and smaller still, check out the one-person Hubba.
Our tester Gareth said, “Very quick and easily pitched either with or without the outer shell on and with two large vestibule areas either side of the tent for bag storage, this offers the perfect comfort, space and weight balance when camping alone or with a friend – I adore it.”
As Rab’s cheapest and lightest bivvy, this is well suited to campers looking to ditch the tent for the first time. The Trailhead is crafted from hardwearing 40 Denier ripstop nylon with a breathable yet waterproof polyurethane coating on both its top and base. This durable combination ensures that any rain is kept at bay, while a zipped mesh vent enables appropriate ventilation. All seams are taped, completing what is an impressively watertight product.
It has an open-face style with a snap opening and stiffened peak. This is in contrast to the zipped face designs commonly found on most bivvy bags and Rab champion it as being less constricting. An integrated rain gutter manages precipitation effectively.
The bag stretches out to 250cm in length and is 85cm wide, which is larger than the average bivvy. This means there’s loads of space for your boots, backpack and anything else you want to keep dry.
We’ve found this keeps your sleeping bag protected from the elements but, with its lack of any poles to keep the material off your face, it’s unlikely to provide the most comfortable of shelters in a prolonged downpour.
It’s no-frills, but no-frills is sometimes fine if the bag is light and protective, and that’s certainly the case here.
Alpkit is a favourite among bikepackers. The British firm sells a range of quality bikepacking bags as well as camping gear and clothing. The Ordos 2 is their lightest tent (claimed weight 1.3kg). While the pack size is a little bigger than the Terra Nova and Big Agnes tents (at 42x13cm), it’s still well-suited to bikepacking adventures.
The inner and flysheet are pitched separately (inner first). We generally prefer tents that pitch inner and outer together, both for simplicity and when pitching in the rain, but the Ordos’ design does mean you can just use the inner on warm, dry evenings.
The outer can be pitched on its own, too, for a super-lightweight setup which still offers a reasonable level of protection. Otherwise, the Ordos 2 is also available with a footprint for a tenner more; a worthwhile investment.
If you can’t stomach forking out £500 or so for a premium tent, but still want a sturdy, roomy and weatherproof shelter for your backpacking adventures, then look no further than the Ionosphere. At £180, Snugpak’s offering is the joint cheapest tent on test, making it an affordable and excellent value option. It can’t compete with Terra Nova, Hilleberg and co in terms of weight – at 1520g it is heavier than many solo wild campers would prefer – and it isn’t as flush with high-end touches and premium materials. But don’t be fooled into thinking the low price tag means low features. This is a great tent at a great price.
Snugpak’s Ionosphere is a long, narrow and low profile tent, with a huge floorspace. At 240cm in length, it is big enough for even the tallest of wild campers, and there is ample room for a single occupant with lots of equipment, despite the lack of a porch. At only 75cm high, it isn’t the best for sitting up in, but the low profile means the tent isn’t thrown around by the wind. The two-pole, hooped structure feels sturdy and durable, while the 5000mm hydrostatic fly sheet with taped seams effectively keeps out the rain and the accompanying mesh interior effectively prevents condensation (and midge attacks). Other positives include the military green colour, which is ideal for stealthy wild camping; and the 16 star-shaped pegs, which enable extremely secure pegging out.
As with any product, there are of course some negatives. The pole sleeve, which is split into three parts, is fiddly and awkward, while the very low profile of the tent makes sitting up without your head pressing against the inner roof impossible. In some ways, the Ionosphere could be described as a very large, hooped bivvy bag, or perhaps a particularly shallow, squat tent. But none of this really matters. At £180 and a weight of 1520g, this is an amazing value tent that is lightweight, sturdy and weatherproof – a great companion for adventures, both big and small.
Choose somewhere that has overhead cover for extra warmth and protection (bus stop, hedge, barn, rock, tree).
Try to camp on flattish ground that’s elevated from bodies of water that may rise in the night.
Don’t be scared to ask landowners for permission to camp: pub gardens, people’s gardens, churchyards, farmers’ fields… wherever it is and whoever you ask will almost always let you stay.
Make your exit from the road quickly and confidently. Do it just before dark, when there’s nobody to see you setting up camp. Be gone before anybody discovers you.
“Imagine a world where bikepackers are globally connected and look out for each other,” says Callum Nicklin, brand manager of Mason Cycles. “Well, it exists and it’s called warmshowers.org. Here you might just find a caring and generous person offering a fellow cyclist somewhere safe to put your tent, maybe even a bed and a meal. You’ll meet someone new, share a connection and probably get a good night’s sleep. Just try to return the favour when someone else needs it.”
If you’re after more general advice on bikepacking, including how to start out and what you need for it, take a look at our beginner’s guide to bikepacking.
Words: George Scott with updates made by the wider Outdoors Magic team.
Price: £110
Price: £140
