Appreciate your honesty as always Ben. This tent wasn't for you from the start, but you did give it a chance to redeem itself! Couldn't agree more, especially on a long mission like the coast to coast, you need something that just works👌🏕. Look forward to seeing your new tent choice👍 All the best Shell and Pete
Each to their own, I took mine to Wales, had rain both nights and stayed dry and found it easy to pitch, did both inner first and outer first. Even discovered that my alpkit folding trek pole wasn't fully extended and it was still standing true. I think an adjustable pole is the ideal as you can then set it taught or looser to the conditions.
I think this a fair account of your experience. It's strange how people can get upset when it doesn't match their own! This tent is still on my list as a contender - I use a 2x3 tarp mostly, as well as a 3x3 so I'm quite used to the faff of figuring out the tension. Price is right I think, and is so much cheaper than the Durston X Mid 1. One point - I like that you can get the 2 man inner and 1 man inner for the same flysheet. Meaning that if someone else wanted to tag along, they can (although losing any vestibule in the process). But I think this versatility is a very strong point. I have a lot of faith in pyramid formations - the weather my tarp set ups have stood up to is amazing.
Good decision - i couldn't be arsed to faff around trying to get a shelter right after a 15/20 mile walk - looking forward to which one you decide to take
I’m interested to know which backpack you’ll be taking ? A lot of weight for a long hike needs a comfortable pack. I’m sticking with my Rook 65 for now but I’d love to upgrade at some point.
I have a very similar tarp tent to this one ( A Luxe Minipeak II ). My experience is much the same as yours, it works in some ways but not in others, and I prefer a tent that's an quick and easy pitch. As I'm also doing the Coast to Coast in late August early September I though long and hard about the tent I wanted to take. As someone who is 6ft 2" a tent needs to have a decent interior height for me, and that narrows things down quite considerably, most 1 man tents are just too small for me. In the end I stumped up for a Big Agnes Copper Spur HV UL2. I've used it a couple of times and it's just what I was looking for, great height, excellent storage inside (brilliant large loft pocket), it goes up nice and easy, pegs down great and feels really spacious comfortable as well being pretty light for it's size (Lanshan 2 4 season territory). I also like the fact it's a free standing design which makes it more versatile and easy to move if the wind changes. There's also an excellent for it using trekking poles if the wind gets a bit cheeky. So that's where I got to, I'm looking forward to seeing what you decided to go for, I'm wondering if it's one of the new OEX lightweight tents or maybe you splashed out for something like an MSR Hubba Hubba? Had I not bought the Cooper Spur I probably would have gone for the Durston X Mid 2P, which looks easy to pitch for a trekking pole tent.
Very useful and honest review. I am using a WC Helm compact 2, partly based on your review of Helm compact 1, so I will be interested to see what the new tent is as I may need something lighter at some point! Cheers Eliot
You did the right thing selling it. It clearly wasn't the tent for you. Helm compact 2 maybe. An upgrade to a tried and tested tent. Looks forward to that video, fella.
Thanks for the review, Ben. Seems you should maybe have gone for the OneTigris Tetra 160 with its non-removable inner, so pitching it should work first time and every time. It's even got a design which they claim will remove condensation.
Tried a lot of tents myself and always go back to the lanshan 1 or 1 pro for my trekking preference. Its ridiculously light and small when packed and with pegs pre-attached and can have it up in literally a few minutes. It saw me through a powerful named storm on the hadrians wall walk and I've always been dry in this tent. The pro is better as its slightly larger but they really take some beating as far as cost & useability.
Thanks for the honest review. It’s one I’ve been looking at but now I think I’ll give it a miss. I will be interested in seeing what tent you go with for C2C crossing. I used the Naturehike Vik1 for mine last year but I’m now looking a switching to a trekking pole tent.
@@benhikescamps The first few days in the Lakes can be tough going if you are not used to them particularly if you are carrying everything as some of the climbs are brutal. I practiced in the Peak District but was still not prepared for some of them. Water isn’t much of an issue unless we have another heatwave - I did my crossing this time last year and found myself drinking over 5 litres a day during the first few days and even after the Lakes I was drinking a good 3 - 4 litres a day. There are plenty of places to get food and drink on the route though so you should be fine.
Sounds a bit bollocky. I think alpkit are good at some stuff and reasonably priced but I’m not a huge fan of them and dont blame you sacking it. I’ve been using MLD duo mid of late and loving it - inner is a back and I don’t bother attaching mid- point connections between inner and fly. I wonder have you got yourself a Zpacks solo plex or a Durston Xmid or tarp tent notch??👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼
Putting the likes of Durston, MLD, Six Moon Designs to one side - they are in a completely different league - DD Hammock have a very similar tent to the Tarpstar 1. Not many reviews, and unsure about the quality though.
Had the same issues with Luxe HexPeak v4a and other one, wayyyy to much faff with those tent and I was doing John Muir long hike....anyway I bougth X-Mid Solid 1p and never looked back since after using it for 500km in Scotland so far lol
I watched reviews. Tent is too small for the inner. If they made it bigger there wouldn't be any problems. You can pull it higher and taut. Wouldn't need any tie-outs. And you can change the orientation. Why make square pyramid tent if you can put the inner in only one way? That's stupid. Also not having vents at the top is a big fail.
And honestly, I know you had some issues with the Lanshan. But you should have hold on to it. Or perhaps you are the kind of person that does need to spend €500 on tent to be happy? No shame to that.
@@benhikescamps What's so hard to understand? I see people make that mistake all the time. They pitch a pyramid tent too low all the way to the ground. If the tent is too small, the inner will sag, or touch the fly if you pull it taut. Pitch a pyramid tent higher you will have more space for the inner. But in that case the gap may be too big to keep wind or rain out. So the fly can't be too small. It's not rocket science. Although I have seen a movie of a pyramid flying into space with an alien behind the wheel.
@@benhikescamps I have more tents than days I can go camping. All I'm saying is you can fit a 100 meter inner nice and taut under a tiny pyramid tent if you just pitch it high enough. Question is if that is going to keep you out of the wind and rain. If not you need a larger outer tent. And that may be the problem with this Tarpstar 1. In windy UK people don't want a huge gap between the fly and ground.
Sorry but... it's a 4 sided pyramid.. they are one of the easiest, if not THE easiest type of shelter to pitch. They are extremely popular in windy climates precisely because they can be pitched easily in such conditions without risk of damage. There is no faff to speak of. On the contrary. So, sorry, but really this is a knowledge issue, not a "faffy tent" issue.
I guess it’s all subjective isn’t it? I’m giving you a description of my experience. My experience will probably be different to yours and others. So I’m not asking you to agree with me am I? That’s like saying because someone owns a particular Hilleberg tent and loves it I should adore it in equal measure. 😂 Not all 4-sided pyramids are the same either in terms of the inner tent. Some ‘pyramid inners’ fill the pyramid, some are at the back, some the side (Tarpstar 1) and some fill the space partially in other configurations. Also, inners attach in different ways. I’m really glad to hear that in your experience there is no faff to speak of. Excellent. In my experience there was faff and this is a video sharing that information. Thanks for watching.
Appreciate your honesty as always Ben. This tent wasn't for you from the start, but you did give it a chance to redeem itself! Couldn't agree more, especially on a long mission like the coast to coast, you need something that just works👌🏕. Look forward to seeing your new tent choice👍
All the best
Shell and Pete
A no bs assessment founded on solid experience - thank you
You're absolutely right, at the end of a long hike you juat want a tent that works, not one that requires a lot of effort to get right.
👍totally
Each to their own, I took mine to Wales, had rain both nights and stayed dry and found it easy to pitch, did both inner first and outer first. Even discovered that my alpkit folding trek pole wasn't fully extended and it was still standing true. I think an adjustable pole is the ideal as you can then set it taught or looser to the conditions.
Really glad the tent worked out for you in Wales. I think some camping equipment is meant for some people and not others. Many thanks for watching! 👍
I'm so happy you've put this up... I was soooo close to getting one. I hate faff.
I’m also quite an impatient camper Lee! You may take to the challenge more than me. 😂⛺️
@@benhikescamps I've got less patients than a stressed out NHS doctors thats been on a shift for 16.7 hours straight in A&E
So I get ya 👍
I think this a fair account of your experience. It's strange how people can get upset when it doesn't match their own! This tent is still on my list as a contender - I use a 2x3 tarp mostly, as well as a 3x3 so I'm quite used to the faff of figuring out the tension.
Price is right I think, and is so much cheaper than the Durston X Mid 1.
One point - I like that you can get the 2 man inner and 1 man inner for the same flysheet. Meaning that if someone else wanted to tag along, they can (although losing any vestibule in the process). But I think this versatility is a very strong point.
I have a lot of faith in pyramid formations - the weather my tarp set ups have stood up to is amazing.
Look forward to finding out what tent you’ve chosen for your hike Ben 👍🏼
Good decision - i couldn't be arsed to faff around trying to get a shelter right after a 15/20 mile walk - looking forward to which one you decide to take
I’m interested to know which backpack you’ll be taking ?
A lot of weight for a long hike needs a comfortable pack.
I’m sticking with my Rook 65 for now but I’d love to upgrade at some point.
Thanks for your honesty
I have a very similar tarp tent to this one ( A Luxe Minipeak II ). My experience is much the same as yours, it works in some ways but not in others, and I prefer a tent that's an quick and easy pitch. As I'm also doing the Coast to Coast in late August early September I though long and hard about the tent I wanted to take. As someone who is 6ft 2" a tent needs to have a decent interior height for me, and that narrows things down quite considerably, most 1 man tents are just too small for me. In the end I stumped up for a Big Agnes Copper Spur HV UL2. I've used it a couple of times and it's just what I was looking for, great height, excellent storage inside (brilliant large loft pocket), it goes up nice and easy, pegs down great and feels really spacious comfortable as well being pretty light for it's size (Lanshan 2 4 season territory). I also like the fact it's a free standing design which makes it more versatile and easy to move if the wind changes. There's also an excellent for it using trekking poles if the wind gets a bit cheeky. So that's where I got to, I'm looking forward to seeing what you decided to go for, I'm wondering if it's one of the new OEX lightweight tents or maybe you splashed out for something like an MSR Hubba Hubba? Had I not bought the Cooper Spur I probably would have gone for the Durston X Mid 2P, which looks easy to pitch for a trekking pole tent.
Very useful and honest review. I am using a WC Helm compact 2, partly based on your review of Helm compact 1, so I will be interested to see what the new tent is as I may need something lighter at some point! Cheers Eliot
You did the right thing selling it. It clearly wasn't the tent for you. Helm compact 2 maybe. An upgrade to a tried and tested tent. Looks forward to that video, fella.
Thanks for the review, Ben. Seems you should maybe have gone for the OneTigris Tetra 160 with its non-removable inner, so pitching it should work first time and every time. It's even got a design which they claim will remove condensation.
Good honest video Ben,i fancied one of them to 👍
Thanks Ian. It might work out for you though. Maybe I had a bad one and just couldn’t get on with it. Thanks for watching!
Honest review, thankyou
Tried a lot of tents myself and always go back to the lanshan 1 or 1 pro for my trekking preference. Its ridiculously light and small when packed and with pegs pre-attached and can have it up in literally a few minutes. It saw me through a powerful named storm on the hadrians wall walk and I've always been dry in this tent. The pro is better as its slightly larger but they really take some beating as far as cost & useability.
Thanks Andy. Yes have heard good things about that tent.
An honest review, Ben. And nice that you were able to sell it on 🙂 Back to the Helm Compact then 😉
Thanks Paul. I’ve now retired the Helm until the autumn. A bit too warm and too heavy for a long hike. I do love the Helm though. Hope all well sir!👍
Thanks for the honest review. It’s one I’ve been looking at but now I think I’ll give it a miss. I will be interested in seeing what tent you go with for C2C crossing. I used the Naturehike Vik1 for mine last year but I’m now looking a switching to a trekking pole tent.
Thanks for watching Richard. Didn’t know you did the C2C last year. Any tips???
@@benhikescamps The first few days in the Lakes can be tough going if you are not used to them particularly if you are carrying everything as some of the climbs are brutal. I practiced in the Peak District but was still not prepared for some of them. Water isn’t much of an issue unless we have another heatwave - I did my crossing this time last year and found myself drinking over 5 litres a day during the first few days and even after the Lakes I was drinking a good 3 - 4 litres a day. There are plenty of places to get food and drink on the route though so you should be fine.
Honesty is the best policy.
Thanks for watching. 👍
The tarpstar 2 inner works much better,ive had no issues with it
How many people can you fit in that bunker? Are you going to raffle off spaces for people to use when the world ends?
😂
absolutely agree with you....
Hope u keeping well
Sounds a bit bollocky. I think alpkit are good at some stuff and reasonably priced but I’m not a huge fan of them and dont blame you sacking it.
I’ve been using MLD duo mid of late and loving it - inner is a back and I don’t bother attaching mid- point connections between inner and fly.
I wonder have you got yourself a Zpacks solo plex or a Durston Xmid or tarp tent notch??👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼
Piece of piss to pitch
Light portable and no issues with the inner imho a good thru hiking and bikepacking tent
It’s a TEN from Len 👍👍
Well done! Glad it’s working for you. 👍💫
nice
Putting the likes of Durston, MLD, Six Moon Designs to one side - they are in a completely different league - DD Hammock have a very similar tent to the Tarpstar 1. Not many reviews, and unsure about the quality though.
The DD has a hole in the floor which rules it out for me.
Had the same issues with Luxe HexPeak v4a and other one, wayyyy to much faff with those tent and I was doing John Muir long hike....anyway I bougth X-Mid Solid 1p and never looked back since after using it for 500km in Scotland so far lol
Holy Mary mother of God Ben...you look as if you are in front a a firing squad son!
😂😂😂
I have some Durston x mid 1 tents coming end of the month £315 if your interested let me know
I watched reviews. Tent is too small for the inner. If they made it bigger there wouldn't be any problems. You can pull it higher and taut. Wouldn't need any tie-outs. And you can change the orientation. Why make square pyramid tent if you can put the inner in only one way? That's stupid.
Also not having vents at the top is a big fail.
And honestly, I know you had some issues with the Lanshan. But you should have hold on to it. Or perhaps you are the kind of person that does need to spend €500 on tent to be happy? No shame to that.
@driewiel Sorry, I don’t understand what you mean. Thanks for watching though. Keep camping 👍
@@benhikescamps What's so hard to understand? I see people make that mistake all the time. They pitch a pyramid tent too low all the way to the ground. If the tent is too small, the inner will sag, or touch the fly if you pull it taut. Pitch a pyramid tent higher you will have more space for the inner. But in that case the gap may be too big to keep wind or rain out. So the fly can't be too small. It's not rocket science. Although I have seen a movie of a pyramid flying into space with an alien behind the wheel.
@driewiel I say do what you want. Buy the tent you want. Sell the tent you want. Life is too short to be ruled by tents.
@@benhikescamps I have more tents than days I can go camping. All I'm saying is you can fit a 100 meter inner nice and taut under a tiny pyramid tent if you just pitch it high enough. Question is if that is going to keep you out of the wind and rain. If not you need a larger outer tent. And that may be the problem with this Tarpstar 1. In windy UK people don't want a huge gap between the fly and ground.
Sorry but... it's a 4 sided pyramid.. they are one of the easiest, if not THE easiest type of shelter to pitch. They are extremely popular in windy climates precisely because they can be pitched easily in such conditions without risk of damage. There is no faff to speak of. On the contrary. So, sorry, but really this is a knowledge issue, not a "faffy tent" issue.
I guess it’s all subjective isn’t it? I’m giving you a description of my experience. My experience will probably be different to yours and others. So I’m not asking you to agree with me am I? That’s like saying because someone owns a particular Hilleberg tent and loves it I should adore it in equal measure. 😂 Not all 4-sided pyramids are the same either in terms of the inner tent. Some ‘pyramid inners’ fill the pyramid, some are at the back, some the side (Tarpstar 1) and some fill the space partially in other configurations. Also, inners attach in different ways. I’m really glad to hear that in your experience there is no faff to speak of. Excellent. In my experience there was faff and this is a video sharing that information. Thanks for watching.