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Looking for a tent for me and my bike. I'm small 5ft5, and my bike is also a small 27.5 wheeled bike. I'd remove the front wheel and use that to hold the bike up to increase floor space.
It needs to be:
Lightweight. Under 2kgs.
Packable enough to put on my bike or attach to my backpack without getting in the way.
Ideally single skin to reduce weight.
Able to have my bike and me inside.
Bug proof.
A cheap single skin pop up tent will do if it folds small enough to put on my backpack. Some pack down to 80cm which is massive. It won't be use. It's only for 1 night at a time.
Budget?
And single-skin? Not worth the weight saving IMO.
Why do you need your bike inside? It'll take up a massive amount of space and it could be wet/muddy so will just make a mess.
Take that away and I'd suggest a Lunar Solo.
Yeah. Bike inside is a bit nuts. But you could probably get a Big Agnes for a couple of kilos that would make an uncomfortable night's sleep with a bike (if you take the wheels off).
I like my Nordisk Telemark UL2. It's 950gms and packs down really small. Spacious for one, can get two in there a bit tight.
Ignoring the bike inside thing - I bought a Highlander blackthorn a few years ago.
Think it was just over 1kg once I swapped the steep pegs for alloy ones and packed really small. I never fitted in as I'm 6'4" so sold it fairly quickly, but it would fit you just fine.
It was also incredibly cheap! Worth considering imo.
I thought about a bivvy but just don't feel comfortable with my bike out in the open. I'd rather it inside. I could even use it as a pillow.
If you’re worried about your bike being outside then tie some sort of line on it connected to you. Unless you’re near a built up area then your bike will be safe outside
No way a mucky bike is coming in the tent with me - even if I was car camping with a massive family tent.. definitely not when bikepacking.
I invested in a Vango project Hydrogen. Its insane...something like 700g and double skinned. goes without saying you have to be careful with it and I have discovered its impossible to erect when windy. Apart from that though I love it. Combined with ultralight sleeping bag mat it has transformed the terrain that I can ride with camping gear. Last year I went up and over Helvelyn, camping on the far side and then back the next day - very steep tech on each of the descents.
If your bike is likely to be stolen then you've camped in the wrong place 😂
Yeah, I've also used campsites but always found somewhere to lock up my bike. Site owners are often happy to lock it away for you.
I have been looking for ages at bikepacking tents, although have been looking for something that suits just me, and not my bike as well.
To get me started last year I bought a Highlander Blackthorn 1. I think it only cost £50. Weight is just under 1.5kgs with the standard heavy steel pegs. It packs pretty small.
BUT - it is pretty small inside! I am only 5'6" and found there wasn't a great deal of room. The head end tapers to a point, so although it looks quite long, some of that length isn't really usable. It is very low & discreet, but again - because it's so low it makes getting changed and doing anything in the tent a bit of a pain.
I keep mulling over the various budget options - they all seem to have positives & negatives.
My shortlist currently consists of the Naturehike Cloud-Up 1, the Lanshan 1 or the Decathlon Forclaz 1 person tent. I'm probably erring towards the Cloud-Up 1.
The problems I think you will have with putting a bike in the tent are:
- Mud & water in the tent
- Height of many tents will make it hard to stand a bike up in, once you take into account the handlebar width and the fact that the stated height is often only in the centre with a sharp taper on either side.
- The bike is likely to be quite unstable & might fall over while in the tent.
The other option is to us a tarp set up that uses your bike and front wheel as support?
Edit, sorry just read bug proof
Edit 2, what about this?
https://www.leisurelakesbikes.com/accessories/bike-tents/topeak-bikamper-1-person-bike-tent__30815
https://www.leisurelakesbikes.com/accessories/bike-tents/topeak-bikamper-1-person-bike-tent__30815/blockquote >Si from GCN used one of these in a vid I watched. Don't think he had a great nights sleep...
Bikamper is shit.
Let's leave it at that.
I don't think any pop-up tent is small enough to get into any kind of normal sized backpack. And they'll never fall under the "lightweight" category.
You might just about be able to squeeze a bike into the porch of a Lunar Solo or equivalent. You'd probably have to drop the bars off too, though. (I can get a gravel bike in the porch, but it's a massive faff, and you have to do weird contortions to get in/out/close the door - I tend not to bother).
Cant get a bike inside but I have a wild country zephyros 2 that packs really small. 1.2kg from memory
Looking for a tent for me and my bike. I’m small 5ft5, and my bike is also a small 27.5 wheeled bike. I’d remove the front wheel and use that to hold the bike up to increase floor space.
It needs to be:
Lightweight. Under 2kgs.
Packable enough to put on my bike or attach to my backpack without getting in the way.
Ideally single skin to reduce weight.
Able to have my bike and me inside.
Bug proof.A cheap single skin pop up tent will do if it folds small enough to put on my backpack. Some pack down to 80cm which is massive. It won’t be use. It’s only for 1 night at a time.
Jeez you don't want much do you!
Some shite suggestions on here too. Good god.
Scrap the idea of a tent that you can get your bike inside - not gonna happen. And its an insane idea anyway.
Ignore people who suggest garbage like a Highlander tent - cheap crap that will not last and will fail. Why people recommend rubbish like this is beyond me. There's a reason its that cheap and it ain't the manufacturers generosity...
You need to tell us where you're likely to be camping, i.e. on a mountain in the winter or will this be just on campsites in the summer months? This is key info before you can get the right tent.
If you want lightweight and spacious you'll need to pay good money for it. And if you want 4 season capability then you're looking at £500 minimum new.
My worry is that I'm a heavy sleeper so wouldn't wake up if someone was messing with my bike outside the tent. I once woke up to my house alarm going off. My other half told me it went off a few times that night and I slept through it.
If someone had to move me to get to my bike, I'd likely wake up.
Where are you going to be camping that this is a concern?
A large enough tent to house you and a wet/muddy bike is going to be heavy, even if you are prepared to pay.
My worry is that I’m a heavy sleeper so wouldn’t wake up if someone was messing with my bike outside the tent.
Prince Albert piercing; chain running out through tent door to bike. It's the only sensible answer to your demands.
You want a pyramid tent. Lightweight and massive inside, single skin works because you’re nowhere near the sides. I use a Locusgear Khafra, but there are plenty of others available.
How is this for starters?
Or better still, buy a Trekkertent Phreeranger copy and a tarp? Or ask Marc at Trekkertent to customise a design for you?
Single skin pop up tents aren’t exactly small nor light so I would suggest perhaps not going down that road?
What is your budget and where are you planning to use the tent?
Cheers
Sanny
That DD superlight pyramid is a great tent but not the biggest and defo not getting a bike inside.
Tarp set up is your best bet as been suggested.
But you need to tell us when (as in time of year) and where you're likely to be camping to get realistic recommendations. Without this info its all just guesswork.
Some shite suggestions on here too. Good god.
Someone got out of the wrong side of their sleeping bag this morning 😉
Someone got out of the wrong side of their sleeping bag this morning 😉
This is me everyday 😉 - Seriously though, suggesting a Highlander tent is either ignorance or stupidity. Why not go the whole hog and send them to Argos or Halfords to get one of their special cheap tents...
New to camping with a bike?
Putting it in your tent is crazy.
If you’re worried about your bike being outside then tie some sort of line on it connected to you. Unless you’re near a built up area then your bike will be safe outside
I'd the same fear when wild camping up in Skye. Even tied a line to it, tucked the front end of the bike under the fly, to the corner of my sleeping bag.
Then got up for a wee at 3am and realized it was pitch dark, and i could hardly even see my bike despite being stood next to it. Chances of someone seeing me from a road 2 miles away was so nuts it was hilariously funny, so now I dont bother.
We have this as our insanely small tent: https://www.terra-nova.co.uk/all-tents/2-man-tents/solar-photon-2-tent/ It is incredibly cosy for 2, and to be honest much nicer place for one. I guess at a squeeze you could get your bike in if you really wanted, but it will be very tight (and you'd get a muddy sleeping bag). We tend to us our MSR Hubba Hubba more, way for liveable for 2 (you can sit up in it) and therefore more space for you and your bike, but a weight penalty especially if being carried by one person.
If you want super tiny and tight (ignoring the bike for now) for one person, then this: https://www.terra-nova.co.uk/all-tents/1-man-tents/laser-pulse-1-tent/ or the MSR Hubba NX-1.
If your weight limit is 2 kg and you want a tent over a tarp, I personally wouldn't go single skin in the UK - the damp and midges are not worth the weight saving.
As others said, if you could provide a bit more info we can help with some more tailored responses.
I know what you mean about being worried about the bike, so as an alternative to having it in the tent, I have bought one of these https://www.oxfordproducts.com/motorcycle/brands/oxford/security/disc_locks_and_padlocks/micro_xa5_disc_lock_yellowblack/ which we fit on the chainring once the bikes are locked up. Its f***ing loud if disturbed and therefore I would be very surprised you'd not wake up, given most people tend to sleep more lightly in a tent anyway.
If someone had to move me to get to my bike, I’d likely wake up.
Putting a bike inside the sleeping bit is a bit weird, and it'd be really impractical. And it's not really like it offers more protection - people would just cut through the side of the tent, rather than try to lift it over you.
I tend to pitch the fly over a bit of my bike, so I can at least see it from inside the tent. I sleep better that way.
jhinwxm
Some shite suggestions on here too. Good god.
Scrap the idea of a tent that you can get your bike inside – not gonna happen. And its an insane idea anyway.Ignore people who suggest garbage like a Highlander tent – cheap crap that will not last and will fail. Why people recommend rubbish like this is beyond me. There’s a reason its that cheap and it ain’t the manufacturers generosity…
Blimey! Chill out. 🤣
The tent police have arrived!!
I was going to suggest that we define "lightweight" as being under 1kg but now I'm scared that stumpy01 will accuse me of being weightist 😂
I personally wouldn’t go single skin in the UK – the damp and midges are not worth the weight saving.
Hasn't really been an issue with my Lunar Solo
The tent police have arrived!!
I think the Highlander Blackthorn is a rebrand of the old Gelert Solo tent, which I've got. Or at least it looks exactly like it.
It weighs about 1.2kg, packs fairly small, and was faultless for four or five 3-4 night bikepacking trips in Scotland a few years ago. I've got another 3 night trip in the calendar this coming April, and I'll probably use it for that too.
It cost me £35 new, because I'd rather spend the £300 a 'better' tent would have cost me on Guinness.
*&%# the police. Get the Highlander.
(You won't get your bike in it though.)
scotroutes
I was going to suggest that we define “lightweight” as being under 1kg but now I’m scared that stumpy01 will accuse me of being weightist
😮😁 Well, are you? 🤣
Shirley, lightweight will depend on what size tent the OP actually wants?
I am not an expert on tent stuff but sub 1kg for a one person tent seems do-able if you are willing to spend and don't mind sacrificing some durability?
Sub 1kg for a tent that will house a person & bike does not seem easily do-able.
The OP defined lightweight as under 2kgs.
My piece of shit Highlander tent is under 1.5kg which I consider pretty light, but some people might find unacceptably heavy. When pottering around the local area, eating dinner in the pub and watching the sun go down while sat at the edge of a field drinking a beer it's perfectly acceptable.
I wouldn't take it up a Scottish mountain in winter though.
If you are worried about someone walking off with your bike how about a thin long cable lock tied to a tent pole (or foot!) so if a chancer tries it would wake you up?
If you want lightweight and spacious you’ll need to pay good money for it.
Not necessarily. I have a Vango Nevis 3 person - cost £80 and only a little over 2kg. A 2 person version would be under 2kg. Mine fits in a drybag on my bars.
I wouldn't use it on a mountain in winter, but it's been fine for three season adventures, including a couple of windy nights.
It would be for the summer in the south of England. SDW.
I'd go during good weather so low chance of rain or storms. Wasn't going to bother with a sleeping bag, but would take an inflatable ground mat and emergency bivvy incase I get cold.
If I go down the route of taking cable locks I'd need the tent to be nearer 1kg.
Alpkit Soloist and a decent lock or two.
I must have missed the point of this as no one has said Alpkit Soloist yet.
So i'll say Alpkit Soloist now and wait for someone to tell me why I am so wrong.
ahrghhhh snap with dove1
alarm lock thingy
Something like this might be what your after
I bought something very similar from Amazon last year as I was heading out on a posher bike than I would normally.
They are very lightweight and there is an alarm that is supposed to sound if you cut the wire (couldn't really test this worked without breaking it).
What I really wanted it for though was the motion sensor - unfortunately the version I bought it was not very sensitive - it seamed like you needed to shake it vigorously for about 30 seconds before it went off. Perhaps this one is better?
Motion alarm is the way forward though - don't really need the lock to be honest, just a small device to position on the bike somewhere that is sensitive to any sort of movement and sets off a rape alarm. I might build one...
Actually in hind-site the lock is useful... Even though its only long enough to go round the front wheel it should give you enough time to emerge from the tent and beat him to death with your shoes.
Or better still, buy a Trekkertent Phreeranger copy and a tarp? Or ask Marc at Trekkertent to customise a design for you?
I've actually got the tent this was based on, the single-skin goretex version, the Phreerunner.
It cost me £270 in 1986...
I recently bought a new pole for it as the shock-cord elastic failed, and treated it to new Ti pegs.
Naturehike offer a very competitive range, given quality, weight and price. (eg cloud up 2).
Pre brexit some great deals on Aliexpress, but available via other sources too. I got mine from a UK supplier.
I wouldnt contemplate putting my bike inside my tent, a dog is bad enough.
Alternative is to bivy.
beat him to death with your shoes.
Remove the bombers from the bike for the evening then, on catching the culprit, "own him"
South Downs way in summer - tarp and a cable lock IMO.
MSR used to do a single-skin, two-person tent that pitched using trekking poles - or alloy tent poles - and was proper light, erm, well, I can't remember, very light anyway. It was pretty spacious and would potentially fit both man and bike if you really insisted and didn't mind being poked in the ribs by your handlebars and using your wheels as an impromptu sleeping mat.
It sort of meets your criteria, but is also less than rugged, slightly sweaty and not much use outside of bone-dry summer conditions. They don't, I think, make it any more...
This is what I use. It's small, light, cheap and loud, and has adjustable sensitivity so won't go off if the wind wobbles your bike:
KINOEE Bicycle Alarm, Anti-Theft... https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B08F592WQQ?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share
Oh and even a reusable zip toe or two (or a light cafe lock) would probably slow down a drunken dafty who thinks they might just pick up your bike and ride off. Could always bring a wheel or pedals inside your tent porch for a similar effect.
Something like the Hexpeak Tipi might let you get the tent in the porch with a separate sleeping area.
Can't post a link for some reason.
I use a Nordisk, before that a Hilleberg. The Hilleberg (Akto) was bombproof, lasted years, but twice the weight. I wouldn't have a single skin tent, condensation hell plus a few other downsides....
Luxe Minipeak II might be an option but not sure if I’d want a bike in it.
https://www.backpackinglight.co.uk/shelters-1/WF126-139.html
MSR used to do a tent called the Hubba Tour. We've got the 2-person version, weighs 2-2.5kg and you can definitely fit a bike in the porch, probably two. You'd have to take the wheels off though. Can't find them online any more but you might get lucky on ebay.
Personally I just take a bivvi bag and sleep next to my bike though.
I have a single pole teepee tent by....erm Lan Shan
Goes up outer only and I reckon you'd get a bike in with one person if you really really wanted too. Comes with an inner also.
No sleeping bag and the bike inside your tent, sounds comfy!
Seriously though, the weight saving can be counter productive, having a nice warm sleep for the extra weight of sleeping bag and decent mat should not be overlooked.
You can pull a disassembled bike in after you into one of the bigger tipi tents mentioned. I've done it myself once on an extremely dodgy Ayrshire coast campsite, pikey central, when I got caught out by ferry timetable changes.
[img] 
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But a big tent and no sleeping bag? The OP is a fantasist. Stop wasting your time with well meaning suggestions.
singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/most-packable-lightweight-tent/page/2/#post-12273883
Anagallis’ tipi looks like a direct copy of the GoLite SL3 I use. One can put a bike inside if one wishes but I have only gone so once up above Uffington white horse. After that I never bothered. Flysheet in saddle bag along with sleeping bag, poles in frame bag along with pegs. Use deet if you’re bothered by midges. Never been an issue for me.
https://flic.kr/p/2kmQe8s
It would be for the summer in the south of England. SDW.
I’d go during good weather so low chance of rain or storms. Wasn’t going to bother with a sleeping bag, but would take an inflatable ground mat and emergency bivvy incase I get cold.
If I go down the route of taking cable locks I’d need the tent to be nearer 1kg.
TBH, the requirement sounds much more like a mat, sleeping bag, bivvy and/or tarp would suit better than a tent.
I'm not sure having you and the bike fully undercover for a bit of fair weather summer wild camping would be a massive advantage.
Putting up a tent Vs a tarp for some temporary cover as sunset approaches is probably a bit of a 'six of one, half a dozen of the other' type debate. I suppose it come down to how much you like/are able to improvise in those kind of situations, some people just like to know they can pitch their tent pretty much anywhere and not worry about finding an appropriate spot for a tarp...
If you're really worried about roving, rural bike thieves a bit of para-cord tied between the bars and your wrist might be enough(?)...
So you aren't going to use a sleeping bag, as nuts as your tent idea.....
Start afresh. You intend to camp in in southern England with nights so warm you apparently think you won't need a sleeping bag. That's not a frequent occurrence.
Do what I do
Get a lightweight Alpkit bivvy bag and mat and a lightweight down bag. I'd just use midge repellent on you face as the bivvy opening need be no more than an inch. And run a chain to your arm if you continue to be paranoid....... If you use a bivvy you can sleep loads of places out of sight.
Er that's two of us with the same idea. I recently did the Sandstone Way with a bivvy
I've got a single skin tent - Mountain Equipment direkt 2 - packs tiny, 1.3 kilos, one night the condensation won't be the end of the world but wouldn't fancy a cosy night with the bike though I tihnk it's possible.
You need the sleeping bag more than the emergency bivy. I've got a down 2 season bag that's tiny and very good, (M E Xero 200) but not cheap. If you really need the emergency bivy, sue your tent, tarp, but I don't think you do
Taking your bike inside a tent to use as a pillow whilst not using a sleeping bag sounds bonkers to me. Have you tried this system out yet? I doubt it will work well. If you don't wake up to your house alarm going off then I could probably slice through your tent with a Stanley knife and steal your bike & kit as you slept (it'd be much quieter) so bike outside makes no odds.
Personally I leave the bike outside of my Lanshan double skin tent (linked above) and use a sleeping bag, I've used a small cable tie type lock for the bike (same as I'd use if popping into a shop to resupply).
The suggestions are certainly making me reconsider getting a decent bivvy bag.
I've had my bike inside a tent in the past, but a larger 3 person tent. My main reason for having the bike inside a tent is so anyone passing won't know its there. If its outside it could still be tampered with without me knowing. Though an alarm would help as suggested above. Even if I just put the wheels inside the tent I'd be more comfortable than leaving it all outside.
If I go down the bivvy route I'd get one with a mesh section over my head so bugs (flying or crawling) won't get in. The tarp idea to cover everything sounds like a good option.
My recommendation would be a Black Diamond megalight or similar shaped tent. They are under a kilo, ****ing massive and you can put your bike inside if you're camping somewhere shady (...e.g. a campsite).
It really is the most versatile type of tent. They do incredibly well in the wind considering how basic they are.
You can then buy a range of inners, ground sheets and everything in between to suit the conditions you are working in.
Mountain Equipment direkt 2
Mountain Hardwear rather than ME?
lightweight down bag
Is that just a lightweight sleeping bag?
As has been said, definitely bike outside and camp where no one knows, arrive late, leave early.
A tarp with your bike as support, wheel off is the easiest and cheapest option for both camping and security.
Tent wise, alpkit soloist, lunar solo, terra nova laser competition, trekker tent.
Or just a bivvy bag and no tarp or tent.
I do all of the above depending on the weather and the midge forecast. But tent is the last choice.
Alpkit is a great one stop shop for all your needs.
hammock, and hang the bike above you.
sorted
Correct - Mountain Hardwear - for a specialist piece of kit it's seen a lot of non specialist use. That plus mat plus sleeping bag is really small, sub 2 kilo and has worked down to minus a fair few
Yes, kightweight down sleeping bag. The BD megalight is a good suggestion tho'.
Or in the hammock theme. Hammock with bike as counterweight holding you up - any monkey business from bandits, you are woken by falling on the ground.
A down bag is filled with duck down [tiny under feathers]. The highest quality is Eider [a northern duck] down. Some folks object to using duck down on ethical grounds though it's still just about the warmest per weight. I object to the needless use of synthetics which pollute degrade and then pollute some more. I used a Rab summer bag, the lightest they make, and inside a bivvy it was good down to 10 c. Unfortunately high up on Hadrians Wall the first night was 7....
You really need to keep weight at an absolute minimum offroad. I plan to do the transcambrian and possibly the Pennine Way this summer, before I'm completely past it.
Shit
What about this:
Topeak tent
What stops anyone stealing your front wheel? Thus, ruining the next day.
Shit
Fair enough! 🤣
Alpkit have been doing inflatable 2 man tents….fewer issues with packing shape. As my previous suggestion, I’ve not used one. I use a decathlon 2 person and highly rate it.
What stops anyone stealing your front wheel?
The fact it's holding up your tent?
OP, do think it through. There's a reason that people use sleeping bags, that tarps, tents and bivvy bags are common, that few people bring a bike inside a tent etc. You seem to be suggesting things that are very unusual, suggesting you've not much experience, and dismissing 'normal' and proven ideas and approaches.
For summer SDW, bivvy bag and tarp only if rain forecast. You may get a heavy dew in the morning. There are no bugs which bite (IME).
There is no-one about between 9pm and 6am in places you are likely to camp, you might see the odd other weekend warrior overnighter, fell runner or cycling type. More likely to have your bike nibbled by a curious sheep or peed on by a dog on an early morning walk than tampered with by some random person...
I have a couple of trekkertents. the stealth 1.5 is very light, under 1kg and comfy for one the Drift custom weighs under 2 kg with poles could easily take one person and a bike but as above why?
If you are really paranoid tie the tent to your bike. No one is stealing it without waking you
I too have a TT Stealth 2 and a Drift Custom 4 🙂 Great tents.
I overthink things way too much which is my biggest problem.
What kind of sleeping bags pack up small? I'll probably attach the tent/bivvy to my bars so will need to be creative with where things go.
Again down bags pack really small. You can easily get the bivvy mat and sleeping bag all in one bar bag
I overthink things way too much which is my biggest problem.
If it helps:
Provided you haven't camped right by the path next to the local dogging spot/spliff bench then:
The chances of someone passing your bivvy spot are pretty small.
If someone does pass, the chances of them spotting you in the dark are also small.
If they do spot it, they're probably outdoorsy people with a similar mindset to you, not wrong 'uns.
And if they do try to nick your bike, even if you're a deep sleeper, the chances of you sleeping deeply enough in a bivvy not to notice are tiny.
Honestly, you'll be fine. Camp off the path/behind a tree, bag as a pillow, bike in a big gear and right beside you
I've lux mini peak 2, fits me and a bike in it when required, with a carbon pole its less than 2kg too I really like it