Alpkit
Alpkit Ultra 1
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: 8/10 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.
- Weight: 9/10 How much it adds to your pack, compared with the whole market.
Solo wild camping and backpacking where weight and pack size matter most
- Pitches
- Inner first
- Freestanding
- Yes
- Walls
- Double
- Sleeps
- 1
- Seasons
- 3-season
- Min. weight
- 881 g
- Flysheet
- Not published
- Inner length
- 210 cm
Packed size 4.75 L, 42 cm long and 12 cm across Compare with a 2-litre bottle
About one and a half 2-litre bottles long and a bit wider than one. Drawn to scale.
Where to buy
Alpkit £314.99 In stock. Free delivery. Green only. Alpkit's page shows a Pre-order button 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 9/10How much it adds to your pack. This is the whole tent: two people sharing can split it. 9: Among the best you can buy for this.
Alpkit's trail weight (fly, inner, poles, pegs) is 881 g, in the under 1.0 kg band; its 900 g total includes stuff sacks.
Rain protection
Estimate from maker's specs: maker's season rating (no waterproof figure published) 5/10How well it keeps out heavy, long rain. 5: Does the job. Average for wild-camping gear.
Estimate from maker's specs
Wind
From reviews 7/10How steady it stays in strong wind on open ground. 7: Better than most.
Reviewers split 3 and 4: Fiona Outdoors found it stable in moderately strong wind with some fabric flapping and would not use it in very strong wind, Live for the Outdoors says the low profile sheds wind but the fly has no guy-out points, and The Camping Hiker's first night in some wind on High Pike left it unmoved, though he doubts it for stormy winter weather. The Great Outdoors tested a pre-production sample, so it is not counted.
Space
From maker's figures 9/10Room to lie, sit up and keep kit inside. 9: Among the best you can buy for this.
Alpkit and Live for the Outdoors give a rectangular 210 x 77 cm floor: 2.10 x 0.77 = 1.617 m² for one person, in the 1.6 m²+ band. Floor area only: headroom is 80 cm, and both Fiona Outdoors and The Great Outdoors found it cramped for sitting up.
Packed size
From maker's figures 8/10How much room it takes in your rucksack. 8: Clearly better than most.
Packs to 42 cm long x 12 cm across: 3.1416 x 6 x 6 x 42 = 4,750 cm³, so 4.75 L, in the 4–6.9 L band.
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 8/10How quickly and easily one person can pitch it, including in wind and rain.
3 reviews on pitching, e.g. "even on the first occasion, I managed it fairly swiftly ... I was able to complete the task in less than 10 minutes.".
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. "There's a single vent at the rear, and I experienced no condensation.".
In short
Good for
- Solo wild camping and backpacking where weight and pack size matter most
- Bikepacking and mountain marathons: 900 g, packs to 42 x 12 cm
- Mild to moderate three-season weather, pitched in sheltered spots
Strengths
- Very light: 881 g trail weight, 900 g total, and it packs to about 4.75 L
- Freestanding carbon fibre pole set, pitched in under 10 minutes by Fiona Outdoors, and it can be moved to find flatter ground
- Long floor of 210 x 77 cm, with a side-entry porch big enough for a pack and boots
- Full mesh inner and roof vent for airflow; floor rated 5,000 mm
- Silicone-coated fly, free of PFAS and fire retardants, with a 3-year Alpine Bond guarantee
Weaknesses
- Headroom is only 80 cm: reviewers could not sit up comfortably and found changing and cooking awkward
- No guy-out points on the fly, and reviewers rate it for moderate rather than severe wind
- Pitches inner first, so the inner gets wet in the rain, and it is partly exposed when the fly door is open
- Carbon poles are brittle and need care when pitching and packing; Fiona Outdoors found the outer fabric slow to dry
Sources
We haven't tested this ourselves. Every score comes from these specs, tests and reviews.
ShowHide sources (5)
- Alpkit: Ultra 1 ultralight backpacking tent, technical details
- Fiona Outdoors: Review of the Alpkit Ultra 1 tent
- Live for the Outdoors: Alpkit Ultra 1 backpacking tent, tested and reviewed
- The Camping Hiker: Alpkit Ultra 1 Tent Review, specifications and first night (YouTube, bought second-hand)
- The Great Outdoors: Alpkit Ultra review (David Lintern, prototype sample)