The TENT wild campers REALLY want.

In this video I head to the edge of the Peak District to test out a new tent for my wild camping adventures. Finding the perfect tent is an impossible task but this one ticks a lot of boxes. But obviously I want more so I've put a Wishlist together of things that I think all 1 man tents need. Let me know in the comments what you'd like to see added and maybe some manufactures may take note. Thanks for watching and I hope you found it useful.

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[lmg]

Thanks for getting Andy to lay down. It’s always good to see what room there is for taller campers who use a large wide mat.

[tullochgorum]

I'm designing my own ideal tent right now, so this is top of mind. Ten other points, big and small.

1) Warm colours on the inner. I find the white inners used by Terra Nova and Wild Country are depressing as you sit out a freezing rainstorm. Give me a cheerful Hilleberg yellow every time.

2) Progressive pegging. In good weather, get a good pitch with half a dozen pegs or less - 3 minutes max. When Armageddon looms, enough effective guy points to build a flap-free fortress.

3) Sheltered thru-venting that can be adjusted from inside the tent. It's amazing how many premium designs force you to venture out into the storm to close up the vents.

4) Double inner doors like the old WinterGear Sapphire.. Mesh only for hot weather, with the option to zip up a solid panel to at least deflect the draught above your sleeping bag.

5) Doors that can be left open in all but the worst weather. The old Sanders A-frames with the 3 panel vestibules are the standard here. You can cook with the central panel open with shelter from both sides, with the steam escaping upwards. And unless the wind swings 180 and blows in horizontally you can leave it open all night for superb venting. And of course doors with a fall line that drips on the inner are a deal-breaker. And the fly doors should have straight zips - far too many failures with curved zips, even on Hillies.

6) Integrated outer-first pitching - something the Americans don't seem to prioritise. but a must-have in Europe.

7) Small footprint. On steep mountain walks, finding a pitch at the end of a tiring day can be a major stressor, as you walk on into the night searching for a spot. Yes, some inner space, but the minimum necessary. Some designs give far more vestibule and floorspace than you really need if you're organised. Duplex? Stratospire? Trailstar? Plenty of examples.

8) For me - a single skin design with integrated bug protection and bathtub. Peg it out and you're done. You can wipe the walls with ease, while with double designs you often end up packing wet and soaking the inner, or separating and faffing about as you pack in the morning. Then you're grovelling around to hook up the inner again in the evening. Lots of ways to mitigate condensation in a single wall, such as the reflective panels on the legendary Stephenson Warmlite. Or simply a minimal bivy bag. But with well designed venting it's rarely an issue. With double walls, it is what it is with no flexibility. Plus with a single wall you get more space and can build it smaller. Less weight. Tighter footprint. Less fabric to flap in the wind...

9) Simplicity. The less things to break the better. Far too many intricate, fragile designs on the market. I loved the basic cotton Vango Force 10s and Blacks Mountain Tents I cut my teeth on. Utterly bomber. Pity you need a yak to carry the damn things around or I'd still be using them.

10) Robust ground sheets. I'll happily trade a few grams for a groundsheet I don't have to baby and that saves faffing around with bloody footprints.

Enough for now...

[MrRockstar]

I find a groundsheet that also covers the vestibule area can help reduce condensation as some of the dampness rises from the grass in those areas when not covered.

[paddlermike]

BIggest tent wish list is option for a slightly heavier duty groundsheets. I appreciate that many tents are sold on weight comparisons, and the ground sheet is an easy area to save weight, but would far rather have a few extra grams on the ground sheet (which could be offset by not always needing a ground sheet protector). Gives more confidence when camping on shingle beaches (not always safe / or possible to head into wilderness behind beaches in wild areas) and the modern materials just sometimes feel like the pass damp through even though they dont.

Or perhaps its just the place I camp, not always nice soft grass.

[christophkragolnik]

I've tried a lot of different pillows but the best one is still the compression sack of the sleeping bag. If it has some buckles just turn it inside out and fill it with a jacket or some other clothes.

[EEME]

I’ve had this tent since its launch earlier this year. I find it less noisy in wind than my old Laserlarge1 tent that it replaced, and the materials are superior. I’ve had it in extreme winds in the Yorkshire dales and found it to be a very capable tent, equal to the likes of the Hilleberg Akto, but with better internal space. It strikes a great balance between strength and weight, in addition to space and ventilation. I have no issue with the pegs either. They are strong and light. Recommended.

[WessexBladesHandMadeKnives]

Now I'm in my 50's, the range of tents over the years I've used, repaired, fished out of skips etc has created a wish list so to speak, but has heavily evolved over the decades. In the 70's it would be unpainted wooden poles with undented metal sockets please, too often using old scout tents where any combination of poles being cannibalised, painted, hurled in a Transit, spilled across car parks gives a host of chunky splinters to discover. So many hours duly spent with sandpaper and boiled linseed. Then a good supply of old Post Office canvas cash bags, to repair the rat holes and sacking for the skirts. Then many 5 litre cans of Fabsil. My preference for colour would be dark rather than white tents, 4am June mornings really brings home the extra few minutes sleep having a dark green canvas over waking up in Celestial Heaven. During the 80's there were these steel framed thingies with multi cornered puzzle mind bendered assembly Kypton Factor ... lots of pinced 12 year old fingers later the whole concept made sense eventually and my appreciation of them slowly warmed, but the supplied pegs were still knaff so I kept my old stock knife wooden ones for main guy lines, but the weight saved with modern materials over canvas was a blessing, but here also was a new challenge, getting Don Camerons balloon back in the bag with the poles as well. The old scout tents usually had some monstrous Army kit bag to engulf everything, Modern tents with their igloo, tunnel, dome, blade designs with inners are a massive step forward but still now I've had a "few" years to play with them, I guess my wish list for a 1 man one would include
1, decent sized bag to get the thing back into, I have no hydraulic arm folder thingy in a field.
2, as waterproof as possible, it's the British Isles, the Atlantic is just over there.
3, dark inner with a little mesh, for complete barrier to bugs.mozzies, wasps, and early morning dark
4, aluminium poles, because fibreglass splinters suck, I know, I made knives with G10 scales
5, roof hook thingy, as all the mini pump/light Olight S1R are so small, why not have a roof light?
6, tent pegs should be a functional thing of beauty rather than a BBQ skewer
7, guy lines should be visible and durable with good slide/lock.
8, plenty of room, Banshee 300, Bobcat kind of room, enough to kneel to pack, sit up to dress
9, vestibule, size 12 boots and a 65litre rucksack don't like sharing the bedroom section.
10, Price, oh dear, only ever got second hand, on sale with codes, out of a skip or cobbled together, so I would choke at anything over £90 but there are plenty of people to use high end gear rather than what the rat had a chew on so I'll go, keep it under £160 on sale with codes etc...

[jackw]

As a 6'5" hiker it looks like this is a solid tent. At my height i dont think 'ultralight' is truely a thing but if i can keep by baseweight around 9kg I'm happy so dont mind the extra weight. If only i could get on with hiking poles id try a trekking pole tent!!

I have a scarp 1 (brilliant, spacious, never leaked in 100+ camps, lightweight) but the thing that is starting to do my head in is the inbuilt poles at the ends - means it more difficult to pack in my bag. It is a relative minor niggle but its something that does my head in when im packing away.

My wishlist would be:
1) all poles need to be inserted.
2) near verticle head/foot end so if i use a 3-4" pad I'm not inhaling inner tent
3) easy to take inner out on those rainy mornings so if i am multi day hiking and weather is bad the tent inner doesnt get wet when I pack away

[munchh]

I agree with all your wishlist bar one, if i am shelling out the sort of mone these tents go for i want a freestanding tent, i dont mean semi where the main living area is held up and you have to peg out the vestibule, i mean a full 3 cross pole tent that is ready to use once the poles are in it, if i cannot use it in a carpark or on the flat roof of my house without pegging it out, im not spending my money on it.
The closest to perfect one man i have come across is the Aztec Esquina solo, but like alot of great things they dont make them anymore.
Id like to see you do a video on true freestanding tents.
Been watching a long time, still loving your honest views and locations ❤.

[geordiegeorge]

For the last 25 years I have been using a Jack Wolfskin Gosammer 1 as a 4 season tent. Absolutely no complaints.

[BruSwayneable]

this was a classic paul messner type video, great to see you in your stride and enjoying it again ! 🙏🏻

[billhulley]

I've had a Laser Compact 2 for a few years now. Back in 2020 it survived storm Francis on a very exposed site in Norfolk with only minor damage to the pole hood. Got a replacement from Terra Nova easily. Didn't sleep much that night 😬
It's great tent, packs small and tight, easy to put up even in bad weather.

[sherpa]

I've been using the same 2 person dome tent for like 15 years. Spacious, easy to set up, weighs a pound or more, and has a solid tarp bottom. It has always kept me dry, I've learned to give it a 5 star rating. Others might scoff at it but it works perfectly for me, literally all seasons. Never expect a 1-man tent to be tick off all the boxes, though it can be done.

[pauls]

thats great.I am 6 3 The vertical ends help. I ussually end up with a 3 man and sleep diagonal

[mphunty]

Bought one of these tents a few weeks ago, and only set up in the garden but was really impressed with the size for a '1' man tent. Maybe not the lightest to take on the coast to coast I start next week, but spending 14 odd nights in a tent it has to be comfortable so looking forward to it.

[rogibaer]

Great suggestions. I'm still harking for a 4-season 1-man Tipi-tent. No-ones quite got there yet. One pole you can replace in the woods if need be, or your walking stick. Octaginal; top loop; 2 or 3 top vents; 2 or 3 lower vents; stove opening (as a choice, also good hide peek-hole); tarp can be fastened at top of door; 2 doors, that can be opened to make 1 vestibule; fly tight to ground, maybe snow skirt; can sit in porch on a small UL chair (just!)... Tentipi did Ovilin: no lower vents; upper vents not for stormy rain. And the rest aren't up there in true 4-season quality. Luxe Hex 6e comes close in design, not materials. Bach closer in materials but not design. A mini Nortent Lavvu '1' would be the ticket for me.

[chrishamilton]

I’ve tried out so many tents including the Terra Nova All Season which is a great tent for those with a height of <6ft …..I’m 6’5” and really struggle with internal length and sitting headroom in most tents. I also need enough space for my hiking companion, a 50kg Finnish long legged dachshund. I’ve found that trekking pole tents just don’t work for me - I prefer free standing tents despite their weight penalty. My current tent is a dome and weighs 2kgs, with two doors and two vestibules - these improve ventilation and gives the choice of cooking in which ever is leeward. For extreme weather I’ve a free standing tunnel tent with doors at both ends, one with a vestibule - all in weight at under 3kg.
For a pillow, I’ve literally tried everything. Ive settled on a Big Sky Dream Sleeper and for me it’s proved brilliant and is super lightweight (not easy to source though). I use a fleece lined dry bag turned inside out for a pillow case. Both tents fit sideways in my Atom pack.

[Howling-Mad-Murdock]

That tent looks great and might be exactly what I’m looking for, thanks for getting Andy to go in - he’s the same height as me so very useful.

There’s lots of tents that on 1st look seem like they’d be ideal. Then you look around and find they have a glaring design flaw, like water pouring into the inner when you open the door. Makes you wonder how on earth something like that gets put into production.

[kiddoutdoors]

Looks like a lovely tent Paul. I know what you mean though about the struggle to find the perfect tent. No matter how much money you spend there is always things you find that could have been done better. Maybe you & Terranova should get together and work on a tent together. I can just picture it now . The terra Nova Mesner 1 AS!

[GoodBlokeOutdoors]

Fantastic video as always Paul, tent looks a great piece of kit. This is exactly where I took my sister on her first ever Wild Camp last year 👌🏼 Great spot and didn’t see another person all evening / night which is ideal.

Pipedream 400 is my main bag for majority of the year, probably ordered it from the recommendation of you or Haze last year👌🏼

I’m yet to try an alcohol stove, but i’ve just ordered some new kit, gonna stick to using it outside the tent as i’m a clumsy get sometimes and will end up with the tent up in flames.

Anyway, thanks for the cracking content as always.

👍🏼