This is the tent I am currently using on the bikepacking adventures, Alpkits Tarpstar one. After a not so good time with the lanshan that I used very briefly, check the video down below for more on that. Straight off the bat, though, it seems like this tent actually comes in two different versions. I’m not talking about a one person and two persons etc, I’m still talking about the one-person version and the difference in my opinion makes or breaks this tent. The different is how the inner attaches to the outer, this version I have is the version that you don’t want to receive. The other version apparently just has a clip, whereas my version has this very awkward pouch that you have to get in-between the outer and the pole. When pitching outer first this is quite awkward and if you have already tensioned the outer (like you would want to) getting the inner up becomes quite hard. You have to lift the out up away from the pole to get the inner between the pole and the outer. This is either just really awkward or results in you pulling some pegs out. So what you really have to do with this version of the tent is half tension the outer then, but the inner up, then go around again to get the outer set-up perfect. It’s a faff honestly and has annoyed me that Alpkit don’t let you know this. If you plan to buy one, I’d try to request the one with a clip or go in store and find one yourself because this version of the design is silly.

So one thing I really like about my previous tent, Alpkits Soloist, was that you could set up the inner only and just enjoy them cool summer nights looking up at the stars while not being eaten by the bugs. The Tarpstar can kind if you do this, though I don’t think it was ever a feature Alpkit designed. When I say kind of, I mean it would have to be an incredibly calm night for it to stay in place. I think it would work better with actual hiking poles. A bit hard to carry on a bike, though.

The Tarpstar one was originally designed as a 2-person tent and that’s why it uses the exact same outer as the 2-person version, which means if you have the 2-person version already, you can just purchase the one-person inner separately. The question is, should you? … And well, so far for me, it’s a no. Getting in and out of this tent is awkward as the inner can only be placed on two sides of the tent. Meaning you have to do a bit of a crouch crab walk to get out off the Tarpstar one. Ideally, it would be good if it was at the back of the tent. A lot of people said they didn’t like the Soloist because it was hard to get in and out of with the front door, and that’s fair. It’s not the easiest, but this is actually worse in my opinion. It’s harder and more awkward. So don’t get this if you didn’t like the soloist, maybe just get the 2-person version instead. The inner section of this tent also hangs quite loose, meaning the bug net falls into the tent. Small issue, but a little annoying if you ask me.

The big selling point for this tent for a lot of people though is the outside space, and there is a lot of it. This is essentially a whole person worth of space, considering this tent has just removed half of the inner from the 2-person version. Not quite big enough for your bike, unfortunately. For me, it’s a bit overkill, but I guess if you have loads of pannier bags and gear you want to stash in there, then it’s a good option.

The tent weighs just under a kilogram, not including the pole that is purchased separately. You can either use this with a hiking pole or a pole with the height 125 cm, Alpkit do sell one, but I used a gram counter 5 piece carbon pole. And if you watched the recent adventure around the Dales Divide, you will know that the pole snapped on me one windy night. I ended up having to makeshift a shelter with the outer and my wheels for the first night, then the next night I was able to find a stick to set up the tent.

So this tent hasn’t really been plain sailing for me and I don’t think it all that great, it’s possibly better with the other version with a clip. But I’m also not really a fan of non-freestanding tents as I often find myself in places where getting good stake points can be a challenge therefore making the set-up of this tent annoying. It feels quite a slow tent to put up. Having to keep going around to get it perfect and make sure its all secure. I feel like this tent is definitely better as a 2-person version, and you can tell the one-person version was definitely an afterthought. I can totally understand why Alpkit went with it though, but ID love them to make is a true one-person tent with the inner at the back of the tent and maybe a little smaller.