Tent for West Highl...
 

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Tent for West Highland Way

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I'm planning to walk and wild camp the WHW next May a couple of weeks after running London Marathon. Done a bit of wild camping in the past but haven't used lightweight tents. Haven't got a great budget, £150 tops really. Any ideas? So far from the little research I've done I've narrowed it down to:

Alpkit Soloist XL 

Lanshan 2 

Wild County Zephyros Compact 1 

Decathlon Forclaz MT900 

 

Which one is likely to the best in wind? I'll be going second week in May so hopefully it won't be blowing too badly but then it is Scotland. 

Any other recommendations? Thanks  


 
Posted : 22/06/2025 5:57 pm
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I've got an Alpkit tarpstar 1. Uses a walking pole so no tent poles to carry, really light, simple to pitch. Haven't tested it in strong winds tho. I'd say for whw purposes it's perfect 


 
Posted : 22/06/2025 6:03 pm
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I have an Alpkit Soloist XL and my daughter has the Tarpstar.  Pros and cons.  The Soloist is super stable and rigid and I'd happily use it in high winds. It's relatively light. The inner and outer are well separated so no condensation issues and you can (just about) sit up inside. The porch area is tiny though.  It pitches inner first which isn't great in the rain. If you buy the accessory footprint, you can pitch it outer first, but that does add extra weight,  The Tarpstar is lighter and roomier with a big porch area for kit but not as stable. I'd be a little dubious about using it in windy conditions. My daughter also had some water ingress (from underneath) and condensation issues on a recent trip.  This may have been down to pitching technique mind. image.png

My son has the OEX Phoxx which is a great tent and really good value.  This also needs really careful pitching and tensioning to avoid the inner and outer touching.  It's easier to get in and out of than my Soloist with a side door which is similar to my ancient but well loved Vango Banshee. It has a decent sized porch, but a low roof - No sitting up, you'll be getting dressed and undressed lying down.

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All three together for comparison.

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Posted : 22/06/2025 6:16 pm
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I have the Phoxx but I wouldn't want to stay in it for more than one night, it feels claustrophobic and not something you want to spend much time in. 


 
Posted : 23/06/2025 6:15 am
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Tents are very much and example of "cheap . strong, light pick any two" and roomy comes into it as well.  I have a large 2  person tent that weighs 1.4 kgs.  It cost £500.  It also has a porch big enough to get out of your waterproofs in without getting into the inner

At £150 you are going to have to accept some compromises


 
Posted : 23/06/2025 7:38 am
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you can get a naturehike cloudup2 for that price. Though its too small for 2 unless youre very friendly , i may take mine for the WHW in may. Id prefer a naturehike mongar 2 (msr hubbahubba copy)for the extra space/headroom but its a little heavier


 
Posted : 23/06/2025 11:00 am
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I completed the WHW using an Alpkit Tarpstar 2.  I was a bit nervous as it was the first trip out with it, we had 2 days/nights of truly awful weather.  The tent stayed in position and I remained dry, it did the job very well !


 
Posted : 23/06/2025 11:04 am
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It's been a while since i did any tenting, but when i did it was a month in europe on a bike. If it's going up and down each day i'd be looking for something that is really easy to pitch - so probs a max 3 pole geodesic if you want some stabilty in the wind. That naturehike looks a bit of a faff with all those poles and junctions as does the decathlon.

I had a wild country trisar which was great but a bit heavy for backpacking. 
I'd be looking at their Helm Compact which looks a bit more stable than the Zephyros


 
Posted : 23/06/2025 1:13 pm
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Depending on what your approach to the WHW will be, there's a good chance you might have to spend quite a lot of time in your tent due to weather or midges. Personally I'd probably take the weight penalty of a roomier tent with space to sit up in, particularly since there's no huge mountains to go over. The decathlon tent on your list looks ideal, and assuming it's the same dimensions as the MSR hubba hubba it's copied I can attest that it's a reasonable place to while away a wet evening.


 
Posted : 23/06/2025 8:41 pm
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Posted by: susepic

I'd be looking at their Helm Compact which looks a bit more stable than the Zephyros

Helm 1 looks like a great option for the price. There's an Elite version too, that shaves some weight but is a bit more expensive.


 
Posted : 24/06/2025 7:51 am
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Posted by: stevious

Depending on what your approach to the WHW will be, there's a good chance you might have to spend quite a lot of time in your tent due to weather or midges. Personally I'd probably take the weight penalty of a roomier tent with space to sit up in, particularly since there's no huge mountains to go over. The decathlon tent on your list looks ideal, and assuming it's the same dimensions as the MSR hubba hubba it's copied I can attest that it's a reasonable place to while away a wet evening.

The cloudup 2 is very quick n easy to pitch.

But my son got something like the mongar, which was a pain to pitch, he actually gave up one night and joined me back at the campsite. The hubbahubba looked the most stable there in high winds, and as stevious says, much better for spending wet days in

 

Dont Decathlon have this deal now, if you buy one of their tents, you can return it in september and they give you a credit note of the same as the cost? Whether theyll do the same next year i have no idea

 


 
Posted : 24/06/2025 3:46 pm
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I've got the Wild Country Helm and the Panacea, for ventilation and quick pitching/tear down, the Panacea is miles ahead. 


 
Posted : 24/06/2025 4:44 pm
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Posted by: tjagain

I have a large 2 person tent that weighs 1.4 kgs. It cost £500. It also has a porch big enough to get out of your waterproofs in without getting into the inner

Sounds great @tjagain! What tent do you have?


 
Posted : 24/06/2025 8:05 pm
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Its a custom trekkertent.  Basically a drift 3person outer with a 2 person inner and carbon fibre poles from bear bones bikepacking that I made into an "A" pole for the front.  I had to do a fair bit of tinkering and modifying to get it exactly how I want

20220618_163345.jpg

 


 
Posted : 24/06/2025 8:20 pm
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Thanks @tjagain - looks good, I'll investigate.


 
Posted : 24/06/2025 8:40 pm
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Its not perfect.  the doors don't stay open in the tiebacks and its fiddly to pitch.  It also needs really strong pegs in the ground'  Long lead times as well for making them


 
Posted : 24/06/2025 8:45 pm
lorax reacted
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One thing to consider is that it might not always be windy, but it most certainly will be midge. 

A tent where the inner/outer arent joined so you can take off the flysheet, then cook inside using the mesh as midge protection. 

 


 
Posted : 25/06/2025 1:59 pm
 poly
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Which one is likely to the best in wind? I'll be going second week in May so hopefully it won't be blowing too badly but then it is Scotland. 

It could be great but I've had snow in the hills in May!  Probably not at the height you'll be camping at, but at the height you'll walk over.   To be fair I think any of the tents suggested are probably fine - if the forecast is for thunderstorms you'd probably think again.  Sleeping mat would be where my priority was.  (In truth I'd put the £150 towards accommodation and carrying less gear - which makes the sleep and the day better - but I realise some people enjoy that).


 
Posted : 26/06/2025 1:32 pm
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I went through most of the options and bought an Alpkit Tarpstar 1.  I haven't camped in it, but it's far larger than the other options and weighs no more.

You can sit up in it, there's room to sort kit and cook and all sorts. You can also pitch it during the day if you need some shelter whilst eating lunch etc.  You could also pitch it without the inner and you only need erect the inner at actual bedtime.  Feels very stable.

Tents are very much and example of "cheap . strong, light pick any two"

I don't think so these days, to be honest.  My tent is 1kg, plenty strong, and was £180. I could have three times that and only saved about 100g.


 
Posted : 26/06/2025 3:09 pm

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