Big Agnes Tiger Wall UL1

Best Ultralight One Person Tent

Weight: 852g
Price: £308
Internal Size: (LxWxHcm ): 213 x 97 x 99
Key attributes: very light, clever details, high ceiling
Best for: three-season backpacking, fastpacking, bikepacking
Rating: 5/5

If you’re looking for an affordable but high-end shelter, look no further. The Big Agnes Tiger UL1 is ultralight (852g), spacious, waterproof and packed full of features including: double sliders on the vestibule zippers allows for venting from the top or bottom; mini slats in the structured foot-end corners to create more usable space between your feet and tent wall; ceiling pockets for great storage space; a vent on the vestibule door; and multiple interior loops for attaching gear such as a headtorch.

The flysheet and groundsheet are made from a silicone-treated ripstop nylon with a 1,200mm hydrostatic head rating and an additional PU coating, while the tent inner is a breathable ripstop nylon with polyester mesh. All seams are taped with a waterproof, solvent free PU tape and the poles are DAC Featherlite. 

New for 2021, the Big Agnes Tiger Wall UL1 has been redesigned using a solution-dyed fabric that is highly resistant to UV fade and drastically reduces energy consumption and water use during manufacturing, a process that is better for the environment and that “improves the quality of the tent fabric”.

This one person tent features a cleverly-designed, hub-connected, all-in-one skeletal pole, which forms the main structure. A smaller transverse pole then slots across the apex of this structure stretching out the peak to maximise headroom. The freestanding inner, which is pitched first, clips tightly to this skeletal pole – and the result is a shelter with near-vertical walls and maximum head and elbow room. A decent-sized side porch and minimally-tapered floor add to the sense of spaciousness.

Full Specifications

Ultralight: 852g / three-season use / flysheet and groundsheet: silicone-treated ripstop nylon with PU coating (1200 HH) / freestanding inner: ripstop nylon with polyester mesh / solvent free PU taped seams / DAC Featherlite poles / hub-connected skeletal pole / double sliders on vestibule zippers / mini slats in foot-end corners / ceiling pockets / vestibule vent / multiple interior loops / 1.8m² floor space / 218cm floor length / 71-97cm floor width / 99cm head height / 0.7m² vestibule area / eco-friendly UV-resistant solution-dyed fabric.

Read our full Big Agnes Tiger Wall UL1 tent review.

Buy The Big Agnes Tiger Wall UL1: £308 at Ellis-brigham.com

Fjällräven Abisko Lite 1

Best one person tent for four season use

Weight: 1650g
Price: £520
Key attributes: sturdy, durable and high quality materials
Best for: four-season backpacking and bikepacking
Rating: 4.5/5

Fjällräven’s Abisko Lite 1, is the lightest and smallest in the brand’s collection, weighing in at 1650g and catering for one sleeper plus all of their backpacking kit. It uses a single hooped tunnel design with pole-propped corners, a removable inner compartment, a sizeable porch space and a single door.

The flysheet is made from a TripleRip silicone coated polyamide with an impressive waterproof rating of 3000mm (hydrostatic head). Cleverly, the upper parts of the fly have a 20D strength rating while the lower parts, those more at risk of abrasion, are rated at 40D. The inner features a 15D ripstop polyamide, a super fine bugproof mesh, and a 40D polyamide bathtub style floor with a 4000mm hydrostatic head. The poles, on the other hand, are made from a DAC Featherlite NSL, whilst the pegs are v-shaped and made from DAC aluminium alloy. All the materials here are made without PVC plastic and have a PFC-free DWR treatment.

The inner mesh features a large C-shaped door that’s double zipped and double-layered so that you can either seal yourself in with the full protection of the two layers (in winter, say) or just use the single layer of fine mesh in the warmer months. The ventilation options are equally handy, with one wire stiffened vent above the door, covered hatches at either end, and a clever toggle to fold back the door in the summer.

Nice details to note include mesh interior pockets for storage, an internal adjustable cord, reflective guylines and a handy adjuster cord that reduces the width of the inner compartment so you can have maximum porch space for cooking or organising gear.

Full Specifications

Four-season use / Triple Rip silicone coated polyamide fly sheet (3000mm HH) / 15D ripstop polyamide inner / 40D polyamide bathtub style floor (4000mm HH) / DAC Featherlite NSL poles / DAC aluminium alloy pegs / PVC plastic free / PFC-free DWR / single hooped tunnel design / removable inner compartment / sizeable porch / double zipped and double-layered single door / multiple vent options / 8 reflective guylines / mesh interior pockets / internal adjustable cord.

Read our full Fjällräven Abisko Lite 1 tent review.

Buy The Fjällräven Abisko Lite 1: £520 at Ultralightoutdoorgear.co.uk

Six Moon Designs Lunar Solo

Best Lightweight Tarp Tent

Weight: 740g
Price: £310
Internal Size: 2.4 m2
Key attributes: lightweight, very small packed size
Best for: three-season backpacking and fastpacking
Rating: 3/5

While you may not have heard of Six Moon Designs before, they are in fact an extremely popular brand within the ultralight hiking and fastpacking 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. One of our testers used this on a three-week fastpack over all of Wales’ mountains and he really struggled to keep condensation from forming on the inside. 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.

Full Specifications

Full vestibule / high vent / zipper vestibule closure / easy tensioning adjustment / floating canopy / floating floor / optimized sleeping area / centre pole support.

Read our full Six Moon Designs Lunar Solo Tent review

Buy The Six Moon Designs Lunar Solo: £310 at Ultralightoutdoorgear.co.uk

Highlander Refuge 1

Weight: 2kg
Price: £130
Internal Size: (LxWxH): 218 x 90 x 90cm
Key attributes: great value, sturdy, roomy interior
Best for: three-season backpacking and bikepacking
Rating: 4/5

The Highlander Refuge 1 is designed for solo wilderness backpacking trips. It has a tried and tested single hooped design that can be pitched outer first, or with the fly and inner together. It’s not the lightest one-person tent out there, coming in at 2kg, but it’s not the heaviest either. From what we’ve seen, £130 represents very good value for money. It’s an ideal tent for campers who want something reliable and comfortable and without breaking the bank.

OM editor Will recently tested the Refuge in the mountains of Eryri and said, “For me, all of the materials seem good quality and they all combine to make for a tent with a durable and dependable feel. On one occasion, I used the Highlander Refuge on an extremely windy mountainside and it held really well and kept out some very heavy rain. Condensation did build up on the flysheet, but there’s enough space inside the tent that I found I could sleep and move around comfortably without worrying about the inner touching the walls.”

“From my experience, it provides a peaceful night’s sleep, it’s light and packable enough to fit in a 50-litre backpack with the rest of my backpacking set up and it generally just has the look of a quality tent. If you’re getting into camping, it’s a great option, and it also gets my recommendation if you just want something that’s reliable and comfortable, and that won’t set you back hundreds of pounds.”

Full Specifications

Fly sheet: 75D 210T polyester rip stop 4000mm / ground sheet: 190T polyester 5000mm / inner: polyester with DWR finish / hydrostatic head: 4000mm / taped seams / two-way front zipper / mesh window at front / lightweight and strong aluminium 7001 poles / sewn-in groundsheet / integrated hanging line / waterproof stuff sack / fire retardant / pack size: 44(L) x 13(D)cm.

Read our full Highlander Refuge 1 review.

Buy The Highlander Refuge 1 Tent: £130 at Highlander-outdoor.com

Outdoor Research Helium Bivy

Price: £250
Weight: 448g
Best for: 66 x 48 x 208cm
Key attributes: very light and packable, innovative fabrics
Rating: 3.5/5

OK this might be a bivy bag and not a tent, but we still thought it was worth including in this list, firstly because it’s a great product (the winner in our bivy bag tests) and also because it kind of isn’t far off from offering the same experience as a one person tent. As you can see in the picture above, it has one small pole that keeps the bivy fabric elevated and away from your head. What’s more, you can open up this end of the bivy 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 – it’s my new favourite thing for SUP beach camps, 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!”

Full Specifications

Flysheet and groundsheet: bluesign approved Pertex Shield Diamond Fuse 2.5L 100% Nylon, 30D Ripstop Upper. 100% Nylon, 40D with TPU lamination floor, bluesign approved 100% Polyester mesh / Poles: 1 flexi pole / Pegs: 4 aluminium / Porches: none.

Buy The Outdoor Research Helium: £183 at Amazon.co.uk

Sierra Designs High Route 3000 1P

Price: £255
Weight: 1010g
Internal Size: 259cm x 107ccm, 114cm high in centre
Key attributes: sturdy, good space-to-weight
Best for: three-season backpacking
Rating: 4/5

The High Route is compact and lightweight, so it’s an attractive option for solo multi-day backpackers – so long as you’re also taking trekking poles with you. It’s also very liveable, by which we mean it feels airy, spacious and practical when you’re inside. That’s all thanks to its unusual offset design, the only downside of which is that it is a little trickier to pitch than some rivals. But like all things, practice makes perfect, so with a little perseverance, we think this is a tent that many users will grow to love.

The original High Route concept was developed by Sierra Designs in collaboration with renowned backpacker Andrew Skurka, who was also responsible for the design of their best-selling Sierra Designs Flex Capacitor rucksacks. This particular version with the ‘3000’ in its name is actually specifically made for UK or Northern European use, with the flysheet given a higher hydrostatic head rating and the colour changed from blue to green, apparently to suit our more muted preferences, 

Inside, there is room to stretch out and sit upright, though the inner isn’t the widest. You get two useful porch areas and an unusual ‘1.5’ door configuration. There’s a main doorway with a full-length zip, plus a rear door with a half zip that is a bit too small to use as an entrance but still gives access to a secondary vestibule area. Sierra Designs calls this a ‘gear garage’, intended for stashing backpacks, cooking equipment or muddy boots.

Full Specifications

Flysheet: 20D nylon ripstop silicone PU, 3000mm HH / Inner: 20D nylon ripstop silicone/ 15D nylon mesh / Groundsheet: 30D nylon ripstop, 3000mm hydrostatic head / Poles: 2 trekking poles (not supplied) / Pegs: 9 x 15cm Y / Porches: x 2 , 28cm deep.

Read our full Sierra Designs High Route 3000 review.

Buy The Sierra Designs High Route 3000 1P: £255 at Trekitt.co.uk

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Like all of the products that Vaude manufactures, the Taurus SUL tent is completely PVC-free and instead, uses waterproof tent fabrics made from triple silicone coated nylon which is siliconised on both sides. This gives it high UV reflection and increased tear resistance, ensuring sustainability through longevity without resorting to more harmful treatments.

The Taurus SUL 1P is also quick and easy to pitch, with a pre-attached inner that means the tent can be pitched all-in-one. The pole sleeves are also open at one end only, which further aids fast and efficient set-up. It has a classic ‘tripod’ construction designed for stability without sacrificing too much interior height. This means there’s ample space inside for you and your gear. Side mesh pockets keep small items handy and easy to find in the dark. There’s only a single doorway and porch, but that’s fine for solo use. It is roomy enough to accommodate plenty of gear, including muddy boots and a pack.

Full Specifications

Double-skinned design / weight: 1.25kg / packed size: 36 x 15cm / full mesh and fabric inner / three-season camping / PVC-free / triple silicone coated nylon tent fabric / high UV reflection / PFC-free / carbon offset design / DAC NFL featherlite aluminium alloy poles / pre-attached inner (all-in-one pitch) / tripod construction / side mesh pockets / single doorway and porch / rainproof vents in flysheet / flysheet HH rating: 3,000mm / PU-coated ripstop nylon floor with 3,000mm HH.

Read our full Vaude Taurus SUL 1 review.

Buy The Vaude Taurus SUL 1: £222 at Alpinetrek.co.uk

Vango F10 Helium UL 1

Price: £215
Weight: 1200g
Internal Size: (LxWxH): 210cm x 95cm x 95cm
Key attributes: competitively priced, lightweight
Best for: three-season backpacking and bikepacking
Rating: 3/5

Vango’s F10 Helium UL 1 is the ideal mid-range option in our list of the best solo backpacking tents. It can’t match the high-end, premium features of Terra Nova and Hilleberg; nor is it as competitive as Snugpak or Wild Country on price. But this means it fits neatly on its own, in the middle, providing a mid-range option with an excellent balance between weight and price. In fact, with a price tag of just £240, the F10 Helium UL 1 is incredibly lightweight, measuring just 1200g – saving valuable grams from your backpack. And the small weight still comes with big features.

Vango bill the Helium UL 1 as a ‘welcome and reliable shelter’ – and that’s certainly how it felt testing it out in the Scottish Highlands. The hybrid tunnel, constructed with one main and two shorter poles, provides effective bracing against side winds, while the Protex 3000mm waterproof flysheet and 70 denier nylon fabric ground sheet provide effective protection against the rain. Vents allow air flow to combat condensation and pre-angled poles achieve greater internal space, including generous head room. Other handy features include internal storage pockets, reflective points on pegs and guy lines (to stop you tripping up) and the oversized fast-pack bag for ease of storage.

Downsides? The tension band system is a little annoying and can get in the way, while the central curved pole can be a little awkward to thread through the sleeve by yourself. But all in all the F10 Helium UL 1 is an extremely good value tent. For just £240, you get an ultra-lightweight, durable, weatherproof and spacious one-man tent – it doesn’t get much better than that.

Full Specifications

Protex 3000mm flysheet / internal storage pockets optional footprint / oversized tent bag with compression straps for easy packing  / dyneema pegging points / multiple reflective points.

Buy The Vango F10 Helium UL 1: £215 at Amazon.co.uk

One More Thing: How to Clean a Tent

When you’ve spent a lot of money on your tent, it makes a lot of sense to keep it well maintained, because a clean and well looked after tent is a tent that lasts longer. Here’s a handy guide we compiled that explains exactly what you need to do to clean and reproof a tent in just a few simple steps.

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