Bikepacking Tent - Topeak Bikamper Review

My thoughts on the Topeak Bikamper bikepacking tent.

[vonketelsen]

Thanks for the honest review of this tent! Yeah, definitely looks like Topeak needs to resolve the issue of the sagging tent material!

[DIY-DaddyO]

I remember back in the 80’s there was a bike bivi that slung over the top crossbar for support. Looked pretty neat but can’t find a trace on the internet now.

[nedt]

Thanks for taking the time to post, you have obviously actually used this unlike most reviews. Cheers!

[nemezote]

Dude, the music, please, I can barely hear you... how do you upload this thinking thats ok?...

[tomrodgers]

Thanks for the review. If I get one I will strap it to my backpack. I don't like stuff hanging off my handlebars. I do like the compact nature of it.

[markjthomson]

Thought on the buckles, if you move them around so they are at the front instead of bridging the handle bar they will secure correctly and shouldn't come loose.

[vracan]

I like the idea of using your bike as part of the tent. This will make me less paranoid of my expensive bike being stolen while I sleep!

[sanatandharma]

If you put the fork ground peg in a small seperate cotton bag the issue of it sticking out may be resolved. I would also put a bungee around the tent to decrease the possibility of detachment from the handle bars. The tent bag does indeed seem thin material, but a lot of tents have this.
The design of the tent seems a sound idea that needs a little more refining, especially the 'turning the handlebars around, ' that seems silly!
Thanks for this review.

[reeree]

can i please just say that the reason his tent is so baggy in the middle like he says at 1:08 is because his bars are so narrow

[tronalpha]

You can try using those spreader poles that are used in hammocks these days. and atach them to the fly. Using velcrove straps from the outside of the tent.
Gerard.

[knordberg]

Very clever but wouldn't want to take off the front tire every day.

[BertrandDunogier]

Cool review. Based on facts, clear, concrete feedback. Good work.

[richardstoffel]

Thanks for the review. I do hope Topeak listens to beefier stitching and maybe adding some durability to the bottom of the bag itself for road debris. I’m curious if you can into any rain did the bag keep the tent somewhat dry or is it a really light weight bag and not so much with moisture. For the sagging I’m curious about maybe putting on some attach points and use a guy line each side to help reduce that and give some more room. It will also allow water drainage to be a bit better I’d imagine. I’m looking at a big Agnes fly creek tent they weigh in around 2lbs for the trail and seem to be a bit less bulky then this tent. I do love the concept, but topeak needs to make an updated version and work some kinks out

[sudanjackson]

Man, just get a tiny free-standing tent like the Big Agnes Flycreek or the MSR Hubba. Those tents are extremely lightweight, and you don't have to fuddle around with your bike every evening. And if you don't have Big Agnes or MSR money, then get the chinese knock-off called Nature Hike Cloud Up. Google it - these are outstanding tents, weigh in at just a hair over 1.5kg, and can be packed down quite small...

[DavidChurcheese]

That's a fun idea, but I would NEVER EVER leave my 3'000£ bike outside during the night. It's a call for thieves.

[mcdonrolando]

looks AWESOME - perfect so your bike don't get stolen when you slleep i can't seem to find where to buy one

[rwalshca]

Using your bike to set up your tent means you can't use your bike after camp is set up. I tried this set up on a PCH trip. Thumbs down.

[asasojourner-love]

Thanks a lot for the demonstration -- both the happy and the crappy!

*I wonder how well this handles rain (or midnight sprinklers!)??

A few years ago I had seriously thought about buying one of these Topeak Bike Camper tents, but like other commenters, I thought a significant drawbacks to it for me was fiddling with the bike wheel every night -- too much wear and tear on critical parts that need to be stable.

Eventually I decided on a NEMO OBI 2 tent. It weighs ~2½ lbs -- light for its durability (I've already camped it for months on end and weathered rain, snow, and wind storms).

[Roman-nuom]

looks ingenious at first sight but think about it: You cannot use your bike as long as the tent is built up which kinda sucks. Imagine you are camping near a small town and wanna take a quick ride to the supermarket? Some people prefer to lock their bike over night too, I doubt that the advantage in using the bike as a structure for the tent outweights all these downsides

[RickRubinesque]

$300?? Tarp and bamboo canes. Free. Smaller. Lighter. Disposable. Multifunction. My bike and all accessories cost less than half £300.