Why the Ultra 1 is the Ultimate Ultralight Backpacking Tent

Explore the Alpkit Ultra 1, a new ultralight tent designed for multi-day adventures. Review by Matt Jones includes detailed analysis of its features, performance, and sustainability.

Matt Jones writing for Live for the Outdoors, has reviewed our Ultra 1 ultralight solo shelter. Designed for multi-day adventures, Matt tested the Ultra 1 for several weeks, backpacking and wild camping in the mountains of Eryri. From his photos it looks like he had some stunning weather. Scoring 5 out of 5 across 4 of 7 LFTO's testing categories, the tent did rather well as well.

They say

The Alpkit Ultra 1 is crafted from ultralight fabrics and a carbon fibre pole set, ensuring a packed weight of just 900g. Matt found the freestanding design both easy and fast to pitch.

A technologically advanced tent with an impressive sub-1kg weight and small packed size. At around £200 cheaper than comparable carbon fibre poled tents, it's arguably good value too.

Inside Matt found the floorspace to be generous, with internal storage space for essentials and a hanging loop for his torch. Matt found the porch to be a genuinely useful size, with a well designed door for easy access. The mesh inner offered great ventilation, important for minimising condensation.

It's as light as many single-skin or trekking pole shelters but significantly more protective, and better at managing condensation.

Matt goes on to devote a few lines to the sustainability story behind the Ultra. Using a 10D sil/sil nylon fly, he notes there is no need for a chemical DWR finish. The tent is free from PFCs or fire retardent chemicals, and is resistant to the process of hydrolysis (a chemical reaction where water molecules break down PU backed fabrics).

With an RRP of £300, this is a good value tent given the high-spec materials and fabrics used in its construction, such as its carbon fibre pole set. For comparison, other carbon fibre tents on the market (like the MSR Carbon Reflex 1 for example) typically come in at £500+.

In summary Matt is impressed by the Ultra 1 as an option for the committed ultra lightweight camper. Other options do exist that offer greater space or lighter weight but come at significantly higher costs, or less well suited to British 3-season conditions.

We say

The Ultra 1 pushes our tent range firmly into the ultra lightweight realm. Using advanced materials such a Sil/Sil nylon and a carbon fibre hubbed pole system, this ultralight tent offers lightweight technology at great value.

Ideally suited to solo adventurers, whether bike packing, hiking, canoe or cycle touring, its strengths in low weight, small pack size, usable porch and ease of setup ensures it sticks to our design principles of small homes with liveable space and makes it a strong contender in its category.

How do we know? Matt evaluated the Ultra 1 in conjunction with five other top solo backpacking tents as part of his comprehensive 2024 group test. This allowed Matt a direct comparison across various critical aspects such as overall dimensions, space, weight, packed size, ease of setup, and other essential features.

There is a small typo in the published spec in the review - the fly is in fact 10D Nylon Sil/Sil ripstop (not PU backed). The advantage being greater tear strength, durability and lifetime longevity.

Read the full review by Matt Jones on The Great Outdoors Magazine.