Lightwave G1 ION

This 2-person backpacking tent weighs 2235g, and you get a lot of tent for the weight, while the price of only £180 makes it exceptionally appealing too. It is built around a 3-pole geodesic configuration, which is the most stable and spacious design. It is pitched inner-first with colour-coded poles slipping easily through sleeves around the outside of the inner tent and you get good ladder lock adjustment at the base. I liked the fact that the outer comes down close to the ground, to fend off side-driven wind and rain. The outer door has a central zip and rolls to each side, but you can also open it from the top to vent the steam while cooking in the porch during wet weather. The porch is reasonably large and so you can get two rucksacks stashed away with some space left to cook a meal. The inner door rolls to the side and is made of mesh. The inner is mesh except the roof, which is solid to resist drips of condensation. The inner provides reasonable headroom. A mesh vent at the rear of the inner encourages airflow through the tent. You get a 3000mm hydrostatic head on the flysheet, so this should retain its waterproofness longer than those with lower levels of waterproofness. Use this for backpacking and camping in wild windy locations and it should be ideal. But this is an inner-pitched-first design and this can be a real disadvantage when camping in wet UK conditions. There is no adjustment at the pegging points, which can be a real pain if the site is rocky and you are struggling to get pegs into the ground. The inner has a fair amount of mesh so it tends to feel colder and draughtier than some. The pegs are very sore on the hands. And you get only one entrance and one porch while some tents here have two porches and two entrances.