Alpkit
Alpkit Aeronaut 2
Best use
- Made for
- Bikepacking, Backpacking and wild camping
- Not for
- Winter mountain
Why these labels
- Bikepacking: The maker states this use, and the published specs do not rule it out.
- Backpacking and wild camping: The maker states this use, and the published specs do not rule it out.
- Winter mountain: 3-season rating, not built for winter storms
From the maker's stated use and the published specs.
- Summer wild camp: 7/10 UK, roughly May to September, nights above about 8 °C, sheltered pitches.
- Three-season hills: 7/10 UK hills in spring and autumn. Wind, rain, and nights near freezing.
- Winter camp: 4/10 UK winter or high ground. Below freezing, strong wind, possibly snow. Capped at 4: needs the maker's 4-season rating and wind 7+.
- Weight: 6/10 How much it adds to your pack, compared with the whole market.
Bikepacking, kayaking or backpacking trips for two in spring to autumn where pack size matters
- Pitches
- Outer first
- Sleeps
- 2
- Seasons
- 3-season
- Min. weight
- 1.5 kg
- Flysheet
- 3,000 mm
Packed size 5.65 L, 32 cm long and 15 cm across Compare with a 2-litre bottle
About as long as a 2-litre bottle and about one and a half times as wide. Drawn to scale.
Where to buy
Alpkit £209.99 In stock. Free delivery. Its page shows a Pre-order button for Kelp and gives no despatch date. Free UK delivery over £60.
View at shop: AlpkitPrices checked 8 Nov 2026 on each shop's own page; shops can change them. We earn no commission on these links; shops are listed by price. More
Our ratings (out of 10)
1 to 10, compared with the whole market. Each says what it's based on. How we score
Weight
From maker's figures 6/10How much it adds to your pack. This is the whole tent: two people sharing can split it. 6: A bit better than average.
Alpkit gives a total of 1,500 g, which sits on the 1.5–1.99 kg band edge. Its parts (fly with air pole 835 g, inner 405 g, footbox poles 54 g, pegs 75 g, bag 30 g) add to 1,399 g, so the true minimum may be a little lower; Alpkit doesn't explain the gap. Countryfile and Live for the Outdoors both list 1.5 kg.
Rain protection
From maker's figures 8/10How well it keeps out heavy, long rain. 8: Clearly better than most.
15D fly is 3,000 mm, in the 3,000 mm+ band, and the 5,000 mm floor is over 2,000 mm, so no deduction. Countryfile quotes a 3,000 mm floor for the model it tested; either figure is over 2,000 mm. The printed figure alone gives 8 at most: a 9 or 10 needs 3 reviews that say it stays dry in real storms.
Wind
Estimate: only 1 review about wind (fewer than the 3 we need, so never above 8) 6/10How steady it stays in strong wind on open ground. 6: A bit better than average.
Countryfile warns that wind flex and a loose flysheet could let the inner and outer touch; this is a design concern rather than a measured storm test.
Space
Estimate from maker's specs: berths and tent shape (no floor area published) 7/10Room to lie, sit up and keep kit inside. 7: Better than most.
Estimate from maker's specs
Packed size
From maker's figures 7/10How much room it takes in your rucksack. 7: Better than most.
Alpkit gives 32 x 15 cm: 3.1416 x 7.5 x 7.5 x 32 = 5,655 cm³, so 5.65 L, in the 4–6.9 L band. Live for the Outdoors measured its sack at 39 x 19 x 14 cm, so check it fits before buying for a tight bag.
What reviewers say (out of 10)
Ratings marked * are from reviews and are not part of the trip score. They are reviewers' scores, not our own measurements. How we score
Pitching*
Reviewers' average 7/10How quickly and easily one person can pitch it, including in wind and rain.
3 reviews on pitching, e.g. "Positioning the inflatable 'pole' proved difficult and the tent had a lopsided look".
Reviewers disagree on this.
Condensation*
Estimate: only 1 review about condensation (fewer than the 3 we need, so never above 8) 8/10How dry it stays inside on still, damp nights; higher is drier.
1 review on condensation, e.g. "I found condensation simply wasn't an issue during my forays.".
Durability*
Estimate: only 2 reviews about durability (fewer than the 3 we need, so never above 8) 6/10How well the fabric, poles, zips and seams hold up over seasons of use.
2 reviews on durability, e.g. "is adequate but may not stand up to persistent puddles".
In short
Good for
- Bikepacking, kayaking or backpacking trips for two in spring to autumn where pack size matters
- Anyone who doesn't want to carry long tent poles
Strengths
- Inflatable arch instead of a long pole: it bends in gusts and springs back, packs small and can be inflated with a bike pump or foot pump
- Flysheet 3,000 mm and floor 5,000 mm, taped seams and a mostly mesh inner; Live for the Outdoors found condensation was not an issue
- Packs down in about four minutes and stuffs easily because only two short poles remain
- Three inner pockets, hanging loops and a mesh pocket to stow the inner door
- Alpkit's 3 Year Alpine Bond covers repairs, and a standard puncture patch fixes the air pole
Weaknesses
- One low door and a small porch: Live for the Outdoors found wet kit ended up inside the inner, and the person on the wall side has to climb over the other
- Close for two, and the sloping roof lets you sit up at only one end (Countryfile)
- Countryfile's three experienced campers struggled to place the air pole and ended up with a lopsided pitch
- Live for the Outdoors bent three of the pegs during the test
- Needs a pump to pitch, and Live for the Outdoors measured the packed sack at 39 x 19 x 14 cm, bigger than Alpkit's 32 x 15 cm
Sources
We haven't tested this ourselves. Every score comes from these specs, tests and reviews.