Best Tents For Solo Bike Touring or Bikepacking

Nemo Hornet Ultralight Backpacking Tent 2019 ($359.95 USD)

Great things about the tent

• 2 Person tent
• 2 door tent. The zippers on the doors are great and work very well. Allowing you to get in and out of the tent really quickly.
• Great quality
• Weight is about 2 pounds 6 ounces or almost 1 Kg
• The tent is colour coded, so the pole is coloured black matching the black half of the tent and green for the front green half. Making it easier to setup.
• The tent is wide, for 2 people and gear storage on the outside of the tent under rain fly. Or perfect for bikepacking or bicycle touring and storing your gear beside you inside the tent.
• Pocket storage about your head in the roof of the tent. Which works well if you put a head lamp in there, the mess material helps to deaden the light.
• On the rain fly it has reflective tensioning clips at the end of the cord. Allowing you to tighten and tension down the rain fly to the tent.

• The steaks included with the tent also come with reflective pull cord, making it easier to get the steaks out of the ground.
• The seem on the rain fly zipper is further back, which makes the zip on the rain fly open much more smoothly and it does not seem to get caught as much on the zip.
• The rain fly as a cut away design, provide a little extra airflow, but still protecting you from the elements.

Things to consider

• This Nemo tent is a semi free standing tent. Which requires you to steak out the foot box area of the tent on either side. For it to be fully functional. So if you are looking for a free standing tent this is something to have in mind.
• The floor is 15d resistant nylon, which may require a foot print as it may puncture on really rough surfaces.

Specs and Sizing

Construction and Materials

What as changed in 2019? Redesigns that make the tent better

All of these upgrades have resulted in there being a little extra room inside the tent. You can read more about what as changed with the updated Hornet.

• The wing attachment (FlyBar) on the outside roof of the tent. Results in a expanding head portion of the tent. There are two of these at the roof of the tent at either end. So when the rain fly is on the tent due to the wing clips, the fly rests further away from contacting the tent material, helping to dissipate any moisture. When inside the tent this extra room helps to sit up easier with more space then the previous version.

• They added a ridged stay at the bottom corners of the tents seems near the steak area of the tent. Preventing the tent from collapsing inward as much
• The clips that attached to the poles are a little smaller.

MSR Carbon Reflex 2 Tent

Great things about the tent

• Really unique triangular design that creates a vertical sleep zone in the bottom of the tent.
• Easy to setup, Just steak in all four corners, place middle pole in and side top pole.
• The dimensions are fairly sizeable for a 2 person tent at 50 inches wide X 84 inches long.
• The tent provides enough head room and space to move around, get changed and not feel to stuffed in the tent.
• 2 doors
• Space on the outside of the tent under the rain fly to store wet and muddy gear.
• Three gear loft loops on the inside roof of the tent to allow storage if need. For extra overhead storage. However sold separately.
• The Stress points of the tent in many areas are reinforced.
• Also has a ventilation point at the top of the rain fly door. Preventing condensation.

Things to consider

• The carbon type pole is more delicate then its aluminium counterparts. Take caution when breaking down the poles to insure longevity. This maybe a concern for those who are a less careful with gear. This could one of the more delicate and weaker tents that are suited for bikepacking, which is something you don’t particularly want in a tent.
• Non Free standing design, will require to steak down to function appropriately.
• One of the features that stood out with this tent was the rain fly entry doors are not zip entry. They are hook and loop with velcro. Which makes tent that bit lighter. But I am not sure of the practicality of the design, it may make it more difficult getting in and out of the tent for some, who are used to a zip fly.

Specs

Big Agnes Copper Spur HV UL2 Backpacking Tent

Great things about the tent

• Double entry
• Smooth and quiet zippers
• Very light tent
• The side walls are elevated which is great for some extra privacy when you are laying down
• The tent is FREE Standing
• very easy to setup due to being a free standing tent
• Has the catenary cut on the top of the zipper which gives you the option to unzip the fly a little for some extra ventilation
• Has another ventilation spot on the top corner of the tent with a velcro stand which holds the rain fly up off the tent.
• Has a long mesh pocket on the inside of tent for table or other media devices with head[phone jack access at the bottom corners, so you could sit back and watch a movie
• More then enough room inside the tent to stretch and change clothing.
• Has the option to dry pitch

Things to consider

• The ridge line pole is not connected to the hub. Is possible to loose this piece.
• It is a little concerning how thin the floor material is. Take caution where you are setting up this tent. Avoid rough surfaces if possible. Recommended to use a footprint in this tent.

Specs

Big Agnes Fly Creek HV UL2 Ultralight Backpacking Tent

Great things about the tent

• Higher roof and wall volume
• Y Pole structure is simple and allows for easy and quick setup
• Tent is Free Standing, but will require you to steak out the corners for maximised interior space
• Includes a single vestibule for keeping gear outside of the tent but dry
• Single hub pole, which means it is a single piece when broken down
• Multiple mesh pockets on the side and up the top of the tent, for storing electronics
• The loops on the side outside wall of the tent, are used to attach to the rain fly and when the rain fly is drawn out it also draws out the body of the tent further. There is also addition loops on the tent body near the mid section of the tent which also attach to the guideline further creating some addition volume in the tent.
• Due to the near vertical front door, with the rain fly on, during raining condition the fly sits over the entry when fully opened preventing any leaking and water falling into the tent.

Things to consider

• If you plan to use this tent for sleeping 2 people, 2 wide sleeping pads will not fit in this tent. Medium width and normal sized pad will fit just fine.
• Tent is sold as a two person, however does not work the best for two people.

Specs

Best Budget Tent?

Naturehike Cloud-Up 2

Great things about the tent

• This tent is a great option for a budget tent but you are also wanting lightweight and good quality.
• Quality is much higher then what was expected for the price tag
• Simple to setup
• One pocket on the inside on the roof of the tent
• The pegs have a spin design which may help in keeping them steak into the ground much better.
• Tent does include the ground mat
• Has the option to dry pitch
• Free standing
• offer ventilation at the rear with a rigid velcro arm

Things to consider

• The zip on this tent seems lower quality. In the way they zip sits when closed. The small teeth and it gets caught sometimes when opening and closing.
• The tents ground material does also feel very light and thin, which is a good thing in making the tent very lightweight for a budget tent. But could pose risks for puncturing if not careful.
• Due to the design and shape of the tent the flat sides of the tent act as sails and get caught in the wind. Especially very heavy winds.
• A due to added tension to the central connector for the tent poles, people say that this is the first section of the tent to go.
• The tent illuminates like a lamp, when using a light inside the tent. Which is not the best when trying to stealth camp.

Specs

• Seem like a great tent for the occasional bikepacker and someone looking to get into bikepacking for the first time.

About The Author

codey

Codey Orgill, a seasoned bicycle adventurer, has been exploring the world on two wheels for over 10 years. Since embarking on his initial cycling journey, Codey Orgill has traversed numerous countries, experiencing a series of epic adventures.

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