Just to let viewers know that this tent has been updated in 2022. It has a new colour:Cactus Green. It’s been designed with a compact pack size ,just 30x18cm. The inner and flysheet pitch together. It also has adjusters at the bottom of the end poles for easier pitching.
For a hundred pounds, this is a superb tent. As the old adage ledge doesn't weigh anything... if someone is pitching their tent in a dip that will fill with water then they deserve to get soggy. A door that ties back would then compromise the side of the fly, as it would need to be stitched through in the middle of the side. Not ideal. I love mine- I'm 5.8 and a wide old lump and I fit in perfectly, with stuff in the porch- I'm about to get the little tarp to string over the front as I can then pin the end to my bicycle and have a pole less porch. If you don't buy one of these because of any of the reasons that our reviewer has given, you're really missing out.
A couple of clothes pegs easily hold the rolled up door in place. I always carry a few anyway. I bought this for £89 and stuffed it - without poles and pegs - into a bag that's the height of a litre water bottle and width of two. My concern for the long-term is that the sun will weaken the fabric until it tears as happened to my Wild Country Helios 2. Time will tell.
Good, honest review. I bought the Zephyros 1 lite version and was fairly happy with it bar the few annoyances you highlighted here. I thought they were just that though, annoyances that I could put up with instead of paying double the price for similar tents of the same weight. That was until one windy night in snowdonia when myself and a friend had our tents fail in windy conditions. The outer rain sheet of my tent was reduced to ribbons and the outer of my friend's tent (zephyros 1 standard version rather than lite) ripped at the pegging points. I'll be buying a 4 season tent as a replacement.
Hi. Just watched your review. I've had this tent since last June. The for drove me mad so I put some paracord on the end and can now peg it back over the tent.. I know mods are a pain, but it's part of the fun. Lol. Good review.. I've had some wild weather hit me and this took it all.. Atb Andy
Great review Abbie and very helpful to have the pros and cons explained so well. I had aleady bought this tent but in the light of your comments I will add a means of pegging back the the door and a mesh pocket to the inner tent before embarking on a month of hiking and wild camping in the wilds of NW Scotland next month.
Thanks for the review Abbie. The deal breaker for me was the lack of bathtub. I am currently looking around for a lightweight tent and you have helped me rule out this one. Take care.
Nice review, i think the main improvement i would make would be to and an extra inch to.the ground sheet so it has a little bathtub to it, as for.the door tieback , theres a little black loop on top on the door side of the inner which attaches to a toggle on the bottom of the door and there is also 2 pieces of velcro. (one for the door zip cover) which you can wrap around each other while the door is tied into its toggle to 'tension' back the door, a lot of folks do what and suggest and ties it back over the fly.
Best review I've seen on this tent :) My version came connected (inner to outer, and inner poles) out of the box so setting up was really easy. All I had to do was pole it, peg it and toggle the inner sheet to the outer poles stretch cord. Worked a treat and saved a lot of messing about. I like the amount of room between the inner and the outer as many other tents touch and get a bit wet. With this much space there is no chance of that, so a big plus. Yep no pockets, I noticed that! Really handy when you notice you've left your glasses on and no hard case to keep them safe. Latest version of this tent does have much better tent pegs than the earlier versions, so that's a big plus. I think it's good for the money, it's certainly much better than others that are more expensive. I hear you on all the cons though :)
Thank you for all gear tests. It is very helpful. I would not mind missing pockets and for summer camping I prefer mesh allover, but I agree the missing bathtub- design is a no go. The really low prize is not worth having puddles inside your tent.
Never to picky when your the one out in the bush depending on the equipment. No bath tub floor would be a deal breaker by itself but the other cons would not help. If fixed yeah it might be worth the price. Thanks for a good review. atb
Ps: Also Abbie...I watched your vid on the vango zenith 100 which was very helpful...by what made me go for the Zephyros 1 was the great vids by Dean Reed in the Peak District. But know one till now brought up those oblivious cons...which if only Terra Nova could put right, we would have the out right number one tent for the poor pocketed camper. Keep up the great vids Abbie and maybe I'll make my own vid on this great tent.
hi Sy Jones - thanks for your kind messages, and Im glad I didn't come across as too much of a grump! I too based my thoughts of this tent on Dean Reeds videos!! Not blaming him in any way, as all that I have mentioned is craftily hidden away online on blogs, but still. Have fun with the tent! :)
Great review and the best I've seen on this tent! Totally agree that you shouldn't have to make any alterations on a £130 tent however I know a few people have added some cord to the corner of the door in order to flip it back over the top of the tent to get it out of the way.
Great review, and based on one thing you picked out, the no bathtub groundsheet I won't be buying this one! That is something I would have missed. Last weekends wild camp in this particular tent would have seen me swimming by morning. It was a bit wet! Thanks for the review.
thank you, Abbie for your hones opinion, i much appreciate it. no one before mentioned the door being rolled down (!) and main door being annoying, I also usually cover my window with towel so i am bit warmer (i have and love oex phoxx), it also bothers me that it is not 5000mmh which like you have said it is standard, i was thinking about buying it, but now i won't. the reason i was looking to buy something different i am worried that if i encounter heavy rains it will end up in my tent the second i open the door in my oex phoxx, but i may get myself a tarp... (expedition tarp by oex is bit heavy and bulky though) let me know if you have an advice for it.
I was looking at buying one of these until I saw this review. You make some very good points about the obvious cons with this tent, which is a shame as the tent itself looks ideal for wild camping or cycle camping. Back to the Zenith I think. Thanks Abbie.
Honest review Abbie. I have to agree, with your findings... I know this upload is 6 years old. And you since got a Akto.. However for your subs who are budget conscious. The 2019 Robens Starlight 1 is the bomb.. 108 euros.. Wind tested to 174kph. 5000mm outer 10,000mm bath tub. 1.9kg 9 Out of 10 for Venting options and condensation issues.. A very usable vestibule considering the size of the tent.. Suitable for tall people up to 6ft 4 inches..
Hi nifty fifty , what's your thoughts on the starlight one, have you had one as in form between that and the forclaz ultralight 2 , same sort of design slightly bigger similar price , what the room inside really like , can you sits up ok etc
@@simonbarber8674 Enough head room when sat up for up to 6ft 2 I would say. Very long for a 1 person tent about 7 ft 6. vestibule will accommodate a 50L pack and boots no problem.. Very sturdy and wind resistant design.. No condensation issues so far..
Nifty fifty thanks for the reply, sold all my old tents this week to raise about £100 and just want best tent for me , that will last, zephros seems good on paper but lack of bath tub and the door issues let it down, Vango Cairngorm 100 looks good stats, I do like the forclaz ultralight 2 as I said same sort of design as the starlight but more room, only down side is colour for wild camping, but did consider small hide net over for odd times for that. Thanks for your feedback, if possible mate do an in-depth review of the tent as there's hardly anything on UA-cam. Thanks.
The Starlight has lots of issues. Don't just believe the manufacturer claims. It's a good shape - based on other expensive tents - but the pole clips pop off at less than 30mph gusts and the velcro on the vent opens easily in wind and then the rain comes right into the inner. The straps that tension the inner to outer go loose in gusty wind and then you have to keep going out and re-tensioning or the inner and outer touch. I've had more than 50 nights experience in the Starlight and it's a good design that hasn't been made for harsh conditions. They have never addressed and fixed the problems in all the years they've been making it. It's not cheap for nothing.
Thank you for putting up a video for pros can cons cause most review videos don't really give any cons only the pros pretty much selling out the tents. Seems like a a nice tent but a lot of work for what I have planed for a tent. But thank you for the video.
Thanks Abbie, very thorough and honest review! I wish you'd also done a review of the Vango Blade as that's the main other one I was looking at at the moment but that would've just been too convenient haha
This is billed in most advertising as a single pole tent. It is a three pole tent, with minor poles at both ends. Each of these fit into poorly designed socket ( for want of a better word) in the flysheet and in the long guylines at both ends of the inner so that is two sockets per pole. These are necessary to get the A shape of the tent and make its shape. These ( I feel) are best fitted before the tent is put up. There are no instructions about these poles..in the literature. It takes a lot of practice to put this tent up. I feel that the flysheet could be damaged if these arent properly seated
agree completely mystified when tried to put up this tent for the first time and had to watch Abbie's helpful video several times ! this is not 5 * tent..
Great review, but I have the same tent and mine seems to have a bathtub floor. Did they change designs at some point? Mine was bought June 2012 for £99 from Cotswold Outdoor. I must admit I was concerned about the white interior, but after at least 80 nights out, mainly Dartmoor and Scotland, it still looks as clean as a whistle. The two little support poles came already fitted on mine, so I was not aware of any problems inserting them. I can't agree that the click buckles are a problem in cold weather. Personally I find this to be the easiest fixing to use when the temperature drops. However, that door is a major pain and I now have a permanently attached Dyneema line on it which loops over a trekking pole and forms a windbreak when the door is open. Such a silly little flaw which would be so easy to fix. My latest tent is my Nordisk Svalbard 1 Si, which is lighter and gives more internal space and better headroom. But I still like the Zephyros,
Love your work...Abbie...but to late! Had just brought the tent from coltwold when I saw your vid on youtube and I have to agree with you great tent but you right about the cons,...should have got the vango zenith 200 which was also at £99.00.
FWIW, the guy at cotswold outdoors told us to forget about the zenith and get the 2 person version of the Zephyros. mind, in 2018, the tent has seen some updates (not the fly door, though).
Great review... it has helped a lot... i intend to replace my Vango Micro... The zephros is a very similar design to the Micro... I totally agree regards the door of the Zephyros... I couldnt live with that... I looked at another review of the Zephyros, the door was the first thing i noticed though the reviewer did not mention this.... My Micro opens and ties back the way you would like and i believe it is the correct way... That point alone would prevent me from purchasing what is otherwise a decent replacement for my Micro... It would seem that Vango,s Banshee might prove to be the better alternative... Thanks for your review...
i got one 2 week ago and it must of had a good uo grade as it has a to way zip and a small bath tub and the pegs are sound !thanks for your reply and Paul .
i got one 2 week ago and it must of had a good uo grade as it has a to way zip and a small bath tub and the pegs are sound !thanks for your reply and Paul .
Tent not having bathtub design, it is just plain silly! What an earth did they think when designing the floor.. Hey lets put waterproof ground but no sides to it, its gonna be surprise in the early morning!
This tent is based on expensive and very sturdy tents and is as flappy as the others that have the same design but cost hundreds more Pounds. I live in Scotland too and take earplugs in case of strong/gusty wind. I believe cuben fibre tents don't make so much noise but they're very expensive.
Thanks for this honest review. I was close to buying one of these recently but the lack of a bathtub really put me off. I hope Wild Country addresses these issues. I may get a Helm 1 compact in the future as they look decent but for now, I went for the Robens Starlight 1 instead of this it has pockets, bathtub etc...
Just to let viewers know that this tent has been updated in 2022. It has a new colour:Cactus Green. It’s been designed with a compact pack size ,just 30x18cm. The inner and flysheet pitch together. It also has adjusters at the bottom of the end poles for easier pitching.
For a hundred pounds, this is a superb tent.
As the old adage ledge doesn't weigh anything... if someone is pitching their tent in a dip that will fill with water then they deserve to get soggy. A door that ties back would then compromise the side of the fly, as it would need to be stitched through in the middle of the side. Not ideal.
I love mine- I'm 5.8 and a wide old lump and I fit in perfectly, with stuff in the porch- I'm about to get the little tarp to string over the front as I can then pin the end to my bicycle and have a pole less porch.
If you don't buy one of these because of any of the reasons that our reviewer has given, you're really missing out.
A couple of clothes pegs easily hold the rolled up door in place. I always carry a few anyway. I bought this for £89 and stuffed it - without poles and pegs - into a bag that's the height of a litre water bottle and width of two. My concern for the long-term is that the sun will weaken the fabric until it tears as happened to my Wild Country Helios 2. Time will tell.
Your concerns are very valid and addresses practical issues in my opinion, not being picky
Good, honest review. I bought the Zephyros 1 lite version and was fairly happy with it bar the few annoyances you highlighted here. I thought they were just that though, annoyances that I could put up with instead of paying double the price for similar tents of the same weight. That was until one windy night in snowdonia when myself and a friend had our tents fail in windy conditions. The outer rain sheet of my tent was reduced to ribbons and the outer of my friend's tent (zephyros 1 standard version rather than lite) ripped at the pegging points. I'll be buying a 4 season tent as a replacement.
Great detailed review. No need to be apologetic about your issues with the product. That's exactly the information we want.
Hi. Just watched your review. I've had this tent since last June. The for drove me mad so I put some paracord on the end and can now peg it back over the tent.. I know mods are a pain, but it's part of the fun. Lol. Good review.. I've had some wild weather hit me and this took it all.. Atb
Andy
Great review Abbie and very helpful to have the pros and cons explained so well.
I had aleady bought this tent but in the light of your comments I will add a means of pegging back the the door and a mesh pocket to the inner tent before embarking on a month of hiking and wild camping in the wilds of NW Scotland next month.
Thanks for the review Abbie. The deal breaker for me was the lack of bathtub. I am currently looking around for a lightweight tent and you have helped me rule out this one. Take care.
Nice review, i think the main improvement i would make would be to and an extra inch to.the ground sheet so it has a little bathtub to it, as for.the door tieback , theres a little black loop on top on the door side of the inner which attaches to a toggle on the bottom of the door and there is also 2 pieces of velcro. (one for the door zip cover) which you can wrap around each other while the door is tied into its toggle to 'tension' back the door, a lot of folks do what and suggest and ties it back over the fly.
two little support poles difficult to fit and couldn't found the sleeve without searching for ages
thank you Abbie
Welcome :)
Best review on this tent so far, many thanks for being picky as im same way.
you've made some very practical points and definately speaks loud from experience
Thanks for watching!
Best review I've seen on this tent :)
My version came connected (inner to outer, and inner poles) out of the box so setting up was really easy. All I had to do was pole it, peg it and toggle the inner sheet to the outer poles stretch cord. Worked a treat and saved a lot of messing about.
I like the amount of room between the inner and the outer as many other tents touch and get a bit wet. With this much space there is no chance of that, so a big plus.
Yep no pockets, I noticed that! Really handy when you notice you've left your glasses on and no hard case to keep them safe.
Latest version of this tent does have much better tent pegs than the earlier versions, so that's a big plus.
I think it's good for the money, it's certainly much better than others that are more expensive. I hear you on all the cons though :)
Thank you for all gear tests.
It is very helpful.
I would not mind missing pockets and for summer camping I prefer mesh allover, but I agree the missing bathtub- design is a no go.
The really low prize is not worth having puddles inside your tent.
Thanks for this more critical review! A good tent is all about getting the details right.
Thanks for watching :)
Never to picky when your the one out in the bush depending on the equipment. No bath tub floor would be a deal breaker by itself but the other cons would not help. If fixed yeah it might be worth the price. Thanks for a good review. atb
Ps: Also Abbie...I watched your vid on the vango zenith 100 which was very helpful...by what made me go for the Zephyros 1 was the great vids by Dean Reed in the Peak District.
But know one till now brought up those oblivious cons...which if only Terra Nova could put right, we would have the out right number one tent for the poor pocketed camper.
Keep up the great vids Abbie and maybe I'll make my own vid on this great tent.
hi Sy Jones - thanks for your kind messages, and Im glad I didn't come across as too much of a grump! I too based my thoughts of this tent on Dean Reeds videos!! Not blaming him in any way, as all that I have mentioned is craftily hidden away online on blogs, but still. Have fun with the tent! :)
Great review and the best I've seen on this tent! Totally agree that you shouldn't have to make any alterations on a £130 tent however I know a few people have added some cord to the corner of the door in order to flip it back over the top of the tent to get it out of the way.
Good plan :)
Thanks for this. I this your ‘cons’ with the tent are totally valid. No bathtub? That’s crazy.
hi abbie, I've just bought this tent, really good I've found, appreciate your feedback and comments on it! Cheers, Jack
Thanks for the coupon just ordered.
Thanks for this review
Excellent review, Abbie. The Vango Orion became my choice and I'm very happy with it. Unfortunately it doesn't get many reviews here on yt, ATB Jan
Great review, and based on one thing you picked out, the no bathtub groundsheet I won't be buying this one! That is something I would have missed. Last weekends wild camp in this particular tent would have seen me swimming by morning. It was a bit wet! Thanks for the review.
thank you, Abbie for your hones opinion, i much appreciate it. no one before mentioned the door being rolled down (!) and main door being annoying, I also usually cover my window with towel so i am bit warmer (i have and love oex phoxx), it also bothers me that it is not 5000mmh which like you have said it is standard, i was thinking about buying it, but now i won't. the reason i was looking to buy something different i am worried that if i encounter heavy rains it will end up in my tent the second i open the door in my oex phoxx, but i may get myself a tarp... (expedition tarp by oex is bit heavy and bulky though) let me know if you have an advice for it.
I was looking at buying one of these until I saw this review. You make some very good points about the obvious cons with this tent, which is a shame as the tent itself looks ideal for wild camping or cycle camping. Back to the Zenith I think. Thanks Abbie.
Honest review Abbie. I have to agree, with your findings... I know this upload is 6 years old. And you since got a Akto.. However for your subs who are budget conscious. The 2019 Robens Starlight 1 is the bomb.. 108 euros.. Wind tested to 174kph. 5000mm outer 10,000mm bath tub. 1.9kg 9 Out of 10 for Venting options and condensation issues.. A very usable vestibule considering the size of the tent.. Suitable for tall people up to 6ft 4 inches..
Hi nifty fifty , what's your thoughts on the starlight one, have you had one as in form between that and the forclaz ultralight 2 , same sort of design slightly bigger similar price , what the room inside really like , can you sits up ok etc
@@simonbarber8674 Enough head room when sat up for up to 6ft 2 I would say. Very long for a 1 person tent about 7 ft 6. vestibule will accommodate a 50L pack and boots no problem.. Very sturdy and wind resistant design.. No condensation issues so far..
Nifty fifty thanks for the reply, sold all my old tents this week to raise about £100 and just want best tent for me , that will last, zephros seems good on paper but lack of bath tub and the door issues let it down, Vango Cairngorm 100 looks good stats, I do like the forclaz ultralight 2 as I said same sort of design as the starlight but more room, only down side is colour for wild camping, but did consider small hide net over for odd times for that. Thanks for your feedback, if possible mate do an in-depth review of the tent as there's hardly anything on UA-cam. Thanks.
@@simonbarber8674 In terms of quality and design the Starlight 1 is far superior to the Zephros
The Starlight has lots of issues. Don't just believe the manufacturer claims. It's a good shape - based on other expensive tents - but the pole clips pop off at less than 30mph gusts and the velcro on the vent opens easily in wind and then the rain comes right into the inner. The straps that tension the inner to outer go loose in gusty wind and then you have to keep going out and re-tensioning or the inner and outer touch. I've had more than 50 nights experience in the Starlight and it's a good design that hasn't been made for harsh conditions. They have never addressed and fixed the problems in all the years they've been making it. It's not cheap for nothing.
Thank you for putting up a video for pros can cons cause most review videos don't really give any cons only the pros pretty much selling out the tents. Seems like a a nice tent but a lot of work for what I have planed for a tent. But thank you for the video.
Thanks Abbie, very thorough and honest review!
I wish you'd also done a review of the Vango Blade as that's the main other one I was looking at at the moment but that would've just been too convenient haha
The Vango Blade is a great little tent. If I can get my hands on one Ill be sure to do a review :)
I would use a walking stick for door and get foot print
This is billed in most advertising as a single pole tent. It is a three pole tent, with minor poles at both ends. Each of these fit into poorly designed socket ( for want of a better word) in the flysheet and in the long guylines at both ends of the inner so that is two sockets per pole. These are necessary to get the A shape of the tent and make its shape. These ( I feel) are best fitted before the tent is put up. There are no instructions about these poles..in the literature. It takes a lot of practice to put this tent up. I feel that the flysheet could be damaged if these arent properly seated
agree completely mystified when tried to put up this tent for the first time and had to watch Abbie's helpful video several times ! this is not 5 * tent..
Great review, but I have the same tent and mine seems to have a bathtub floor. Did they change designs at some point? Mine was bought June 2012 for £99 from Cotswold Outdoor.
I must admit I was concerned about the white interior, but after at least 80 nights out, mainly Dartmoor and Scotland, it still looks as clean as a whistle.
The two little support poles came already fitted on mine, so I was not aware of any problems inserting them.
I can't agree that the click buckles are a problem in cold weather. Personally I find this to be the easiest fixing to use when the temperature drops.
However, that door is a major pain and I now have a permanently attached Dyneema line on it which loops over a trekking pole and forms a windbreak when the door is open. Such a silly little flaw which would be so easy to fix.
My latest tent is my Nordisk Svalbard 1 Si, which is lighter and gives more internal space and better headroom. But I still like the Zephyros,
Thanks. Is the Svalbard worth the extra money?
Love your work...Abbie...but to late! Had just brought the tent from coltwold when I saw your vid on youtube and I have to agree with you great tent but you right about the cons,...should have got the vango zenith 200 which was also at £99.00.
Sy Jones snap!
FWIW, the guy at cotswold outdoors told us to forget about the zenith and get the 2 person version of the Zephyros. mind, in 2018, the tent has seen some updates (not the fly door, though).
Great Review!
Have you seen the new model Coshee 1? What do you think about? I can´t decide between Coshee 1 and Zephyros 1 :)
No bathtub inner?! One to cross off then!
Great review... it has helped a lot... i intend to replace my Vango Micro... The zephros is a very similar design to the Micro... I totally agree regards the door of the Zephyros... I couldnt live with that... I looked at another review of the Zephyros, the door was the first thing i noticed though the reviewer did not mention this.... My Micro opens and ties back the way you would like and i believe it is the correct way... That point alone would prevent me from purchasing what is otherwise a decent replacement for my Micro... It would seem that Vango,s Banshee might prove to be the better alternative... Thanks for your review...
Glad to help. Thanks for the comment.
Nice vid! could you tell me dose the door have a two way zip ? atb Paul.
Im afraid it doesn't.
i got one 2 week ago and it must of had a good uo grade as it has a to way zip and a small bath tub and the pegs are sound !thanks for your reply and Paul .
i got one 2 week ago and it must of had a good uo grade as it has a to way zip and a small bath tub and the pegs are sound !thanks for your reply and Paul .
Tent not having bathtub design, it is just plain silly! What an earth did they think when designing the floor.. Hey lets put waterproof ground but no sides to it, its gonna be surprise in the early morning!
Too little mesh for me, limits air flow and increases condensation.
Noise from traffic is awful ruins the review I think it would be a real flapper in the wind I live in Scotland so not for me.
This tent is based on expensive and very sturdy tents and is as flappy as the others that have the same design but cost hundreds more Pounds. I live in Scotland too and take earplugs in case of strong/gusty wind. I believe cuben fibre tents don't make so much noise but they're very expensive.
I'm 6'3 so not a tent for me then
Thanks for this honest review. I was close to buying one of these recently but the lack of a bathtub really put me off. I hope Wild Country addresses these issues. I may get a Helm 1 compact in the future as they look decent but for now, I went for the Robens Starlight 1 instead of this it has pockets, bathtub etc...