Light Tent - Camping It Up

Just in case you thought things always go well for us, take note of this little article. But even from the worst of experiences it is usually possible to extract some value. Here we were, organizing a midsized motorcycle tour with some of our friends. Being ever the optimist, I thought we´d camp – a good opportunity with nature, etc, etc... Good idea, right? Especially as we found a camping equipment supplier who had very kindly offered us whatever camping gear we wanted to sample. They know that motorcyclists are a good potential market.

It was when I got in touch with them that I made my first mistake. I didn't specify motorcycle-size equipment. Instead I emphasized that we would be heading for the mountains up North of Thailand. Nights can still be cool in the beginning of January so we would need some warm stuff.

My second mistake was in assuming that we could keep it dry, it normally doesn't rain in January so making camping a reasonable option.

My third mistake was not checking what it was that actually arrived when the camping gear was dropped off in the warehouse where the motorcycles were waiting for the big day.

And my fourth mistake of mine, in my experience, goes long unpunished. And when there are four of them in a row... well. So when I arrived at the warehouse in pouring rain on that fateful morning, in weather that was desperately unsuitable to camping – unsuitable, indeed, to anything other than curling up in a corner of the living room with a good book – I found that we were a rider short and had camping gear that would have been excellent for a 4x4 pickup truck camping trip. It was , to put it mildly, rather bulky... Pretty warm though.

I looked at the thick strings of rain trailing down the warehouse door and made an decision. We would leave the camping gear behind. Accommodation would need to be sorted out along the way.

This, or course, was staggeringly unfair to our camping gear sponsor, which had taken enormous amount of trouble to get the stuff to us in the first place. So it was just as well that I discovered, tucked away among the humungous sleeping bags and titanic inflatable mats, a truly terrific little package. And I do mean little!

This was a simple 3 person hiking tent. It is extremely compact with only two lightweight aluminum rods – they're not really poles, just stiffeners – and a 'forecourt' area that is ideal for motorcycle gear such as helmets and boots.

I have now tried it out and found it compact, stable and lightweight in use and really easy to pack and carry. Despite being tiny, the tent will accommodate two 'caucasian' adults, but you'd better really enjoy each other's company. It has two doors, which means that if you stop enjoying each other's company you can exit in different directions. No, seriously, it offers a lot of extra flexibility for location and use.

Reflective trims along the zipper cuffs and guy ropes help to stop people from running over you at night. Compression straps on the carrybag allow the test to easily fit the tent into a pannier. The tent also has a groundsheet that can zipped on and off, although I don't understand the usefulness of this. It's very easy to put up, but it does rely on the pegs to keep it upright – so it would be difficult to use on a beach or on a rock plate. Anywhere else will be fine.

The design features an integrated flysheet made of polyester ripstop while the inner test is made of polyester, which is breathable. The floor is made of nylon taffeta. Total cost is 600 THB which I think is outstanding value.