Exped
Exped Venus II UL
Best use
- Made for
- Backpacking and wild camping
- Not for
- Winter mountain
Why these labels
- 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: 5/10 UK, roughly May to September, nights above about 8 °C, sheltered pitches.
- Three-season hills: 6/10 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: 4/10 How much it adds to your pack, compared with the whole market.
Two people on three-season trekking, canoe or cycle trips who want room for kit
- Sleeps
- 2
- Seasons
- 3-season
- Min. weight
- 2.1 kg
- Flysheet
- 2,500 mm
- Inner length
- 220 cm
Packed size 10.18 L, 40 cm long and 18 cm across Compare with a 2-litre bottle
A bit longer than a 2-litre bottle and about one and a half times as wide. Drawn to scale.
Where to buy
OutdoorXL £534.95 In stock. Dutch shop with a UK site; UK delivery is worked out in the basket. Shows an earlier price of £779.95 (about Exped's €900 list price).
View at shop: OutdoorXLAlpinetrek £579.71 In stock. Free delivery. Shows a crossed-out earlier price of £772.95.
View at shop: AlpinetrekPrices 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 4/10How much it adds to your pack. This is the whole tent: two people sharing can split it. 4: A bit below average.
Exped's minimum weight of 2.1 kg is in the 2.0-2.69 kg band (2.35 kg maximum with everything). Two people sharing carry about 1.05 to 1.2 kg each.
Rain protection
From maker's figures 8/10How well it keeps out heavy, long rain. 8: Clearly better than most.
Exped's current fly is 2,500 mm water column, in the 2,000-2,999 mm band, and the floor is 10,000 mm, so no point is taken off. Older Venus II UL tags show a 1,500 mm fly, so check the date on any older review.
Wind
Estimate from maker's specs: maker's season rating (fewer than 3 reviews about wind) 5/10How steady it stays in strong wind on open ground. 5: Does the job. Average for wild-camping gear.
No published review says how it copes with wind, so this is an estimate from the maker's season rating.
Space
From maker's figures 7/10Room to lie, sit up and keep kit inside. 7: Better than most.
Exped's 2.85 m² canopy area for two people is 1.43 m² each, in the 1.35-1.59 m² band. The inner is 220 x 130 cm and 110 cm high.
Packed size
From maker's figures 4/10How much room it takes in your rucksack. 4: A bit below average.
Exped's packed size is 40 x 18 cm: 3.1416 x 9 x 9 x 40 = 10,179 cm³, so 10.18 L, in the 10-14.9 L band. Retailers list 46 x 14 cm (7.1 L) from an older spec sheet; we use Exped's current page.
In short
Good for
- Two people on three-season trekking, canoe or cycle trips who want room for kit
- Couples who want two doors and two porches for packs and cooking
- Mild or warm weather, where a mostly-mesh inner and good airflow help
Strengths
- Roomy: 2.85 m² inner (about 1.4 m² each) plus two porches
- Two doors and two porches, so neither person climbs over the other
- Floor 10,000 mm and fly 2,500 mm, good for the weight
- Almost freestanding tunnel and ridge hybrid on DAC poles
- Five-year warranty on defects
Weaknesses
- Heavy for a UL tent: 2.1 kg minimum, 2.35 kg complete, so it is not a weight-saver
- Packed 40 x 18 cm (10.2 L)
- Only 110 cm high
- Few pegs and guylines in the box, and a peg broke in Outside Stories' trip
- Only one review of the current build, so wind, pitching and durability are estimates, not reviewed scores; older tests cover a lighter-fabric earlier version
Sources
We haven't tested this ourselves. Every score comes from these specs, tests and reviews.