Exploration
10 of the best tents for every kind of adventure
From two-person alpine strongholds to simple single-person sanctuaries, these tents will help you bed down in comfort, be it in your backyard, or halfway up a mountain.
Your tent is your home away from home. Your shelter from the elements. Your hard-won respite from a tough day on the trail. So, it makes sense that a good tent is something you’ll want to invest in.
Whether you’re looking for a one-person shelter, a mountain-worthy hidey-hole, or a 10 person communal space, you’ll want something that’s easy to erect, sturdy, and packs down small. After all, when you have to carry your home in your backpack, every kilo counts.
With that in mind, here is a handy guide to the best new tents on the market, organised by function. Whatever your need, these tents will have you all zipped up.
Best for hikers
Fjällräven Abisko Shape 2, £690
The Abisko Shape 2 has a fine mesh to keep out even the smallest of insects
© fjallraven.co.uk
The best part of any hike is the view, right? So the worst part of crawling into your tent is that you’re cut off from all that magnificent beauty. Well, this tunnel-shaped offering from Fjällräven lets you roll up the flysheets at both ends, which not only helps with ventilation, but brings the outside in. We don’t recommend trying it in snow-bound climates, but in hot and temperate weather, it’s the perfect way to kick back after a day’s hike.
In terms of other features, the flysheet and inner tent are connected to prevent the inner tent getting wet while pitching. Plus there’s room for double poles for added stability in harsh conditions. Meanwhile, the vestibule has lots of room for equipment, cooking utensils, and a four-legged companion.
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Best for single person escapades
MSR Zoic 1, £215
If you’re out on your own in the wilderness the last thing you want is to have to faff around with your tent when it comes time to kick off your boots for the night. Thankfully, this new Zodic model from the trusted US brand is extremely easy to pitch. There’s a cross pole to keep the tent up, plus a cross beam and… that’s it.
The fly is optional, too. Leave it off and you’ll get a great view of the constellations through the mesh walls and roof. Or, you could pack it just in case – it’s 0.2kg of weight brings the total up to 1.7kg. So, it’s light, easy to construct, and can fit easily inside a 35l backpack. What more could you need? A porch big enough to fit a tall backpack plus extra kit? Oh, go on then, you’ve got it.
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Best for a damp UK weekend
Sierra Designs Clearwing 3, £216.40
The Clearwing 3 won Men's Journal 2019 Gear of the Year, so it must be good
© sierradesigns.com
This simple, lightweight (2.6kg) tent aims to keep up to three of you comfortable with the minimum of fuss. With a 46-foot interior, it isn’t the roomiest of tents on the market, but nor is it the smallest, either. There’s a peak height of 46 inches, meaning you won’t have to stoop too much (unless you’re a bonafide giant, that is). Doors and vents, you’ve got two of each, meaning it won’t get too musty when there’s three of you tucked away inside, either.
What really sets this tent apart, though, is the colour-coded snap together poles which make for easy construction – ideal for when the British weather starts pouring down and you need to get inside in a hurry. Best of all, it packs down to an extremely manageable size, meaning you won’t have to start your days trying to cram it back into the bag.
Buy it here
Best for fast and easy builds
Jack Wolfskin Exolight 1, £350
The Jack Wolfskin Exolight 1 is perfect for the solo backpacker
© jack-wolfskin.co.uk
Jack Wolfskin is another of those tried and trusted outdoor brands, and their tents are just as durable as you’d expect. This dome-shaped model comes with the fly and inner tent attached, making for easy pitching – ideal if you get caught in an unexpected shower. It comes in at 1.4kg, making it one of the lighter models on the market. It's slightly narrow, but this shouldn’t matter too much if you’re just planning on a few days in the wilderness.
One of the best features is how good the tent looks, with fluorescent details to help make assembly simple, plus colour-coded poles. What’s more, you could get away without pegging it down, meaning you could even set it up on rock, should you so desire.
Buy it here
Best for two person adventures
Robens Arch 2 Tent, £110
The Robens Arch 2 Tent is ideal for rest after a hard day on the trails
© robens.de/en-gb
Let’s face it; wherever you’re headed, more often than not, you’ll probably be travelling with a companion (even if it’s of the four legged variety). For a comfortable two person sleep, you can’t go wrong with this 2019 offering from Robens. Weighing in at just 2kg and with a 75 polyester denier fabric and stability-adding alloy poles, it’s pretty robust.
Like most Robens tents it’s packed with hooks and pockets for your gear, and due to the smaller size, will comfortably fit into a 30-40l backpack. With a maximum height of 41 inches, and a width of 55 inches, you should be snug enough. And, if you are travelling alone, you’ll have more than enough room to stretch out after a hard day on the trails.
Buy it here
Best for all seasons
SlingFin Portal, £374.91
At 1.2kg, tents don’t get much lighter than this. Which means you can comfortably tote it around in your backpack all day without feeling the strain. In terms of features, there are a total of seven – yes, seven – interior pockets here, with two vents and a fly you can roll all the way back to watch that sunset in comfort.
The most noteworthy feature, however, is that the tent is made from top-quality nylon 66 fabric. Essentially, this offers a silicone protectant layer instead of the common polyurethane-coated nylon. Which basically means you’re more likely to keep the weather out and the warmth in.
Not only that, but it’s sturdier, and offers increased UV-resistance. With a 27 foot interior and plenty of guy-points to secure it in bad weather, this is a tent that can face almost any season head on.
Buy it here
Best budget
Vango Skye 300 Pole Tent, £99.99
The Vango Skye 300 Pole Tent is ideal for the festival junkies out there
© vango.co.uk
This easy to pitch, three pole tunnel tent is pretty much the best tent on the market for under £100. Perfect for bedding down in summer conditions, you’ll feel equally at home in a campsite or festival ground.
Designed for three people, it’s made of 70 denier polyester fabric, with 3000mm waterproofing to offer protection from the elements. Plus, its tension band system makes for added stability in poor weather conditions while the ‘lights out’ technology reduces the amount of unwanted light making its way into the tent at night.
Buy it here
Best for mountaineers
The North Face Summit Series Mountain 25 Tent, £650
From storms to snow, the Summit Series Mountain 25 Tent can handle anything
© thenorthface.co.uk
At 4.45kg, this is one of the heavier two-person tents out there, but then again, it’s also one of the most durable and heavy duty mountaineering tents, too. Sling it around over scree, or drag the pack through wild thickets and you’re unlikely to get any tears. This tent is designed to protect you in the very worst alpine weather with a 40D uncoated nylon ripstop, water-resistant finish and a 70D coated nylon floor, helping fight puddles.
It’s the details that make it, though. Want glow-in-the-dark, colour coded zip pulls? You got ‘em. Fancy numerous internal hanger loops to help you dry out your wet clothes? They’re yours. Want four snow stakes, welded reinforcements on the fly and a PU port window, cold-crack tested to -51°C? You’ll never have to leave home without them now...
Buy it here
Best for group adventures
Robens Apache Tipi Tent, £849.99
With no poles, the Robens Apache Tipi Tent is easy to move around in
© robens.de
Want to bed down with 10 of your mates? Robins have got you covered. This (frankly, massive) tipi style A-frame tent offers a huge living space without any poles getting in your way. There’s also room for a stove port for a log burner, and a zip-out groundsheet, perfect for sealing the tent from the elements.
Worried about having 10 trail-weary bodies in the same confined space? You needn’t be; the tent comes with internal apex vent control which is easily operated to help control air – and odour – flow.
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Best for last minute adventures
Black Diamond Distance, £193.21
With a mesh door, there will be no condensation in the Black Distance Tent
© www.rei.com
When it comes to quality, Black Diamond rarely disappoint. And, this tent is no exception. Not only has it been tested in 30-mile rains and an inch of rainwater, it also uses super-strong Dyneema guy lines and polyester panelling to help you stay grounded in the worst weather.
The best feature, however, is that it uses hiking poles to erect, meaning it doesn’t take up space with tent poles. It may be slightly cramped inside, but at less than a kg of weight, it’s easy enough to throw in your backpack for that last-minute solo hike. Need to spend a night or two on the side of a mountain? This will see you through, and then some.
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