RRP: £229
Weight: 1kg (our own measurement came in at just under 1kg including bag, pegs and repair kit)
Lifesystems recently launched its first 1 person tent – the Solo Peak. I’ve been testing it, first on a multi-day wild camping trip around Perthshire’s Cateran Trail in wet, autumnal conditions and later on a breezier, cool night out in the Cairngorms. Here’s what I found.
Firstly, weight – this tent really does tip the scales at just under 1kg, including a generous ten pegs (it can easily pitch with 8 in calm conditions), waterproof bag, and repair kit including tent splint and spare fabric squares. It also packs down easily into the bag, the length of the packed tent matching that of the longest pole at 32cm, meaning it can easily go sideways at the bottom of most packs and is an option for bikepackers.
The design is a single hoop tunnel with a vertical foot pole and single side opening door. Whilst this design doesn’t offer the flexibility and strength of geodesic tents, I found once the hoop is secured in its sleeve you can easily move the tent about to find the perfect position before securing the head end pegs, as the single hoop is not so high that you can’t hold it down if it catches the wind. Pitching is quick and fairly easy done in one go as the inner is already attached via clips to the flysheet; there are no worries about an inner getting wet whilst pitching in the rain. The poles are aluminium alloy and the ends lock into plastic clips which would be slightly fiddly to undo when packing up in the coldest conditions. The hardest bit is to ensure the small pole at the foot end goes into the sleeve on the inner properly; it is then tensioned using a horizontal guy line before the vertical guy is tensioned. The guylines are 1.8mm Dyneema and secured with plastic tensioners – whilst metal would be stronger, these appear robust and an acceptable lightweight trade-off. The Y-stake design pegs are excellent at holding into soft ground and come with orange pull cords already attached, which is a nice touch. Made from 2mm aluminium, they should be strong enough but with this design the weak point is always the guy line notch at the top, take care if bashing them in with a stone or boot.
The grey 20D nylon ripstop fabric has a three-layer silicone coating on both sides, giving both the fly and ground sheet a 3,000mm hydrostatic head rating. This measurement of water resistance means the fabric can withstand a 3000mm tall column of water before it starts to seep through. Tents for the UK usually vary between a 2,000 and 5,000 rating and I’d expect a 3,000 rating to withstand moderate Scottish rainfall as long as the tent is designed and made well. The Solo Peak has taped seams, a straightforward design minimising sewn-through seams, and the zips are covered at the crucial points with additional velcro fasteners on the fly sheet door – all factors that should prevent water coming in. So far it has stood up well to a couple of nights of moderate to heavy rain. There’s a good amount of separation between the outer and inner and enough space inside so that you are not constantly forcing the inner to touch the flysheet and allow water through. To manage condensation there is a mesh vent at the foot end of the flysheet and the flysheet side door can be partially zipped open from the top whilst the inner has a smaller vent across the top of the door – this area is protected by a small wired peak on the flysheet. I’ve not had any issues with condensation so far but it would still be nice to be able to open the inner door from the top (it opens with two separate zips that meet at the bottom).
The inner is mainly midge-proof mesh with a bath tub design for the groundsheet. There is one long mesh pocket at the side of the head end and a tiny hanging loop at the highest point. The pocket gapes with only a few items in it so this would be better if sewn into 2 separate compartments; I found the loop a bit too small to be useful, a small washing line would be better, but again, this would add weight.
Internally the tent has a lot of useful space. I use a 183cm (6 foot) long inflatable sleeping pad and this fitted in easily with room to spare at the foot end. There was also enough room at the far side to put my pack, stove, food etc. My pad is 5cm high and I’m 5’3″ and able to sit cross legged on it and still see out of the tent, anyone much taller would need to sit less upright for a full view. I found there was enough room to get dressed and pack away sleeping bag and mat without bashing the sides of the tent too much or feeling like you’re fighting with yourself. It felt larger than some solo tunnel tents I’ve been in – I’ve put the actual dimensions below. There is an attention to detail in the design, the fly and inner doors both roll back and can be fixed open with cord-tightening toggles that work very well and the zips are YKK anti-snag which also works better than on some other tents I’ve used. I was able to comfortably sit on my pad inside the tent and lean out to cook beyond the porch easily, something I prefer to do if possible at the end of the day. The door is large enough to allow you to get a good view whilst reclining in the tent, although as the tent only has the one door and needs to be pitched against the wind in breezier conditions you don’t always have the choice of outlook that you might with a geodesic design.
The porch is on the small side but still very useable. I managed to stow my empty wet pack, full 2 litre water bladder and boots and keep them out of the rain and I could still get out of the tent at night once I’d put my boots on without moving the other stuff.
A porch set, weighing an additional 58g, can be bought separately for £19.99. This consists of a 2-part pole, peg and guy line and props open the larger flap of the door outer to provide a sheltered area for gear and cooking from the tent and extra protection and shade when the door is open for ventilation.
There is also a footprint available at £29.99 for added protection under the main tent against sharp objects and dampness. It weighs 148g and is made from 70D nylon with a 5,000mm hydrostatic head rating so should provide good waterproofing. It secures to the tent’s lashing points so it stays in place and doesn’t add to pitching time once installed – worth considering if you camp a lot in rough, boggy terrain and don’t mind the extra weight.
Overall, I’ve found the Solo Peak to be a great tent for solo backpackers outside of the snowy season. It’s properly lightweight yet still solidly made, and with a very reasonable price tag.
Dimensions: flysheet 250L x 130W x 90H cm, inner 230L x 76-50W x 77H cm, packed tent 32L x 15W x 12H cm.