The "Best" solo tent for under £100

yungmannfuzz

Tenderfoot
Jan 6, 2011
57
0
NI
I know there are varying opinions, but I have read up on the Gelert Solo, and it seems great. It will be for wild camping. I'm 5'10 medium build, but want to know in real life terms what this thing is like to live with.

I think I would like a lightweight tent to have a porch big enough for my rucksack, and ideally cook.. but I know this is a long stretch.

For £30 the Solo looks to cover most bases, but I'm hoping for some "real world" advice here..
 

Redwall

Tenderfoot
Apr 12, 2011
54
0
Bristol
I'm no pro but I think the Solo pitches inner first, which can be a bit of an embuggerance if it's tipping it down.

Not got much else useful to add.
 

calibanzwei

Settler
Jan 7, 2009
885
0
45
Warrington, UK
I'd suggest the Vango Banshee 200 (2 man, but more like 1 man+kit) as a great tent - about 60£ - but not much of a porch, but I've never had problems cooking under/within the porch of mine.
 
Aug 13, 2011
184
0
I'd suggest the Vango Banshee 200 (2 man, but more like 1 man+kit) as a great tent - about 60£ - but not much of a porch, but I've never had problems cooking under/within the porch of mine.

Yes a better tent (Probably)... However where can you get one for fer £100 or less....?
 

comeonbabylightmyfire

Need to contact Admin...
Sep 3, 2010
192
0
London
Another vote for the Vango Banshee 200. Not good if you're over 6' unless you sleep diagonally, and sitting up is out of the question. However, the tent doesn't leak and won't blow away in a light breeze.
 

Gotte

Nomad
Oct 9, 2010
395
0
Here and there
If you don't mind limited headroom and porch, the Ferino Ultralite from Decathlon is excellent. When I first got it, I thought it was a tad coffin like, and in many ways it is, but for all that, it is cosy and, best of all, high quality and bomb proof.

http://www.decathlon.co.uk/EN/lightent-3246909/

They only seem to be showing the red here, but you can get it in slate grey. As I said, limited porch and headroom, but packs down really small and is only 1.5 kg.

I also have a Highlander Forces 2, which is also a great tent, but with much more space. It's bombproof, ultrastable and really practical (other than inner pitch first). I replaced the poles in mine for alu from Decathlon (about £30 for two sets). The Forces 2 usually goes for about £35, so that's £65 for a tent that weighs in about 2 kg. There are no real flourishes to it (I believe it was designed for the army) but a great design, free standing, tons of headroom, a good sized porch and even a door you can rig as a canopy should it be raining. It is prone to condensation given the right (wrong) conditions, but if it's not raining, I've found leaving the fly door open cures it pretty well.

Of course, if you want something good and really cheap, look on ebay for a proaction Tigerpaws. They come up every couple of weeks or so, even the more sought after green version. Usually go for about £25, about 2kg, and a great little tent, by all accounts, though there are some niggles with the design (zip too tight to close when the fly is tensioned fully, and condensation - from memory).
 

Shewie

Mod
Mod
Dec 15, 2005
24,259
26
49
Yorkshire
A pal is testing the Gelert this year, first night out at Angle Tarn in the Lakes it got flattened by a gust and bent the pole intersects. I think it was because he'd not tied the inner loops to the fly and it was too unstable, looked okay without the wind apparently. It was a freakish night up there though, a couple of Terra Nova Lasers had their carbon uprights smashed.

Great customer service from Gelert though, we sent them some photos of the bent poles sections and they sent us out a whole new set, front and back. He's had a couple more weekends in it since and it's holding up really well when pitched properly. Fingers crossed it's going on a 200mile coast to coast next May.
 

Minstrel

Forager
Feb 9, 2009
158
0
Hartlepool
I love my Pro Action one manner. A 'Tiger Paws' in old money. Plenty of room, I'm 5'9 and there's room for more. I have room inside with me for my rucksack and have cooked in the porch although it's not massive. You can usually pick them up for 20 - 25 quid. I haven't tested it in gales but it has withstood a good lashing on several occasions.
 

yungmannfuzz

Tenderfoot
Jan 6, 2011
57
0
NI
some really good replies here, lots to think about.
Funny thing is, Coleman seem to have a wide range of 1 man, or even small 2 man tents, and no one has mentioned them?

No experience with them? or not worth looking into?

Some reviews say that a rucksack will not fit in the porch of the Gelert Solo, and others say it will. Some say you cant cook in it, others say you can prop the door a bit, and have a small slightly sheltered porch, so what is it!?
 

beamdune

Full Member
Oct 14, 2005
362
0
52
Manchester
The Zephyros range has already been mentioned - there's big an owners thread for them over on Outdoorsmagic - lots of folk seem very pleased with them.

It's basically a lower budget Laser.
 

Huweth

Member
May 20, 2011
14
0
East Devon
I used to have a Coleman Cobra 2. Think I paid about £80 for it. I know they don't do them anymore, but there are plenty of similar designs around today. I spent hundreds of nights in it and shared it with a friend when we walked for 5 weeks on the Appalachian trail. It also withstood immense winds on the coast of France and was the only tent left standing in the field. In fact I was wearing ear plugs as I'd been on night duty and was woken, confused at 1pm by someone who couldn't find me to help sort all the school kids tents out. I'd slept through a hurricane. The thing that finally killed it was sleeping at Glen Nevis where I'd pitched in the dark and not realised I was in a slight dip. As the snow melted overnight I found myself floating on my mat with a ruined groundsheet.
It was a great tent. Plenty of space, good shape, light, tough and cheap! If you see something similar and you're happy with the materials used I'd say get one.
 

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