David Lintern reviews the Alpkit Ultra 1, a semi-freestanding, one-person tent designed for ultralight adventurers. Discover its features, benefits.
Our new Ultra 1 tent has made the cut for TGOs Best 1 person backpacking tents for 2024. This comprehensive and diverse overview highlights some of the best 1 person backpacking tents with essential insights from solo camping gurus Chris Townsend and David Lintern.
Covering the gamut of summer to winter camping, with prices ranging from £230 to £940 and weights from 580 g to 2.4 kg its not really the kind of review you can use to make like for like comparisons. What it does do is celebrate the rich range of options available to the solo camper.
Our new Ultra 1, a semi-freestanding one-person tent, is at the lighter end of the spectrum and is included for its lightweight design, tailored for solo adventurers seeking simplicity and minimalism.
They say
David appreciates this ultralight tent for its small packsize, sub 900 gram trail weight and decent porch size.
The offset porch is appreciated for actually offering storage space, a luxury rarely found in small, solo ultralight tents, but he expresses concern about the absence of guy lines and its potential effect on the tent's stability in a strong crosswind.
During his tests, David experienced no condensation, indicating the mesh inner is cool and well-vented to sleep in. Roll on warm summer nights!
David found the tent compact and would have liked to have seen more headroom.
We say
Ultra stands out for ultralight enthusiasts who value minimalism and efficiency. The sil/sil flysheet has really low stretch when wet, diminishing the requirements of additional guy lines to tension the flysheet.
The tent's profile is designed to meet typical 2-3 season weather conditions without additional guylines, which would add another 80 - 100g to the weight. This, of course, goes hand in hand with appropriate pitching for the conditions.
Ultra 1 will also appeal to hikers who value longevity in their products. The Sil/Sil coating increases the tear strength of the flysheet, and resists mold and mildew, keeping its waterproofness and strength for longer than PU and PE coated fabrics.
Read the full review by David Lintern on The Great Outdoors Magazine.