Grand Canyon
Grand Canyon Apex 2
Best use
- Made for
- Backpacking and wild camping
- Not for
- Bikepacking, Winter mountain
Why these labels
- Backpacking and wild camping: The maker states this use, and the published specs do not rule it out.
- Bikepacking: Heavy for bikepacking: 3.6 kg
- Winter mountain: 3-season rating, not built for winter storms
From the maker's stated use and the published specs.
- Summer wild camp: 4/10 UK, roughly May to September, nights above about 8 °C, sheltered pitches.
- Three-season hills: 5/10 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: 1/10 How much it adds to your pack, compared with the whole market.
Two people on a very small budget who want a freestanding dome for campsite, trekking and bikepacking trips (Grand Canyon sells it for two-person trekking, paddling and bikepacking)
- Freestanding
- Yes
- Walls
- Double
- Sleeps
- 2
- Seasons
- 3-season
- Min. weight
- 3.6 kg
- Flysheet
- 3,000 mm
- Inner length
- 230 cm
Packed size 13.49 L, 53 cm long and 18 cm across Compare with a 2-litre bottle
About one and a half 2-litre bottles long and about one and a half times as wide. Drawn to scale.
Where to buy
Alpinetrek £75.16 In stock. Delivery £4.49. Delivery £4.49 under £85, free from £85; delivery time 5-7 working days.
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 1/10How much it adds to your pack. This is the whole tent: two people sharing can split it. 1: A real weak point.
Grand Canyon lists a total weight of 3,600 g and no minimum weight. Alpinetrek and Bergfreunde give 3,080 g and call it a packed weight, so the figures differ; we band Grand Canyon's own 3,600 g. Both are in the 2.7 kg+ band.
Rain protection
From maker's figures 8/10How well it keeps out heavy, long rain. 8: Clearly better than most.
Grand Canyon gives a 3,000 mm fly and a 4,000 mm floor. The fly is in the 3,000 mm+ band and the floor is over 2,000 mm, so no point comes off. 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 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
Estimate from maker's specs: inner floor area per person 8/10Room to lie, sit up and keep kit inside. 8: Clearly better than most.
Estimate from maker's specs
Packed size
From maker's figures 3/10How much room it takes in your rucksack. 3: Below average. Fine for some trips, not others.
Grand Canyon gives a pack size of 18 cm across by 53 cm long, a roll: 3.1416 x 9 x 9 x 53 = 13,487 cm³, so 13.49 L, in the 10-14.9 L band. Alpinetrek and Bergfreunde print 48 x 17 cm (10.9 L), the same band.
In short
Good for
- Two people on a very small budget who want a freestanding dome for campsite, trekking and bikepacking trips (Grand Canyon sells it for two-person trekking, paddling and bikepacking)
- Dry to showery summer weekends, with two doors and two porches so nobody climbs over a partner
Strengths
- Freestanding geodesic dome with two doors and two vestibules
- Fly 3,000 mm and floor 4,000 mm HH (Grand Canyon)
- Mosquito-net inner for warm nights, which can be pitched without the fly (Grand Canyon)
Weaknesses
- 3.6 kg total weight (Grand Canyon), over 2.7 kg, so it is heavy for a hiking tent
- Fibreglass poles are heavier and less strong than aluminium
- Packs to 53 x 18 cm, about 13.5 L
- Grand Canyon gives no floor area, so space is an estimate, not a reviewed score
- No independent review found, so wind, pitching and durability are estimates, not reviewed scores
- Shops give the height as 120 cm outside and 115 cm inside
- Only one UK shop found (Alpinetrek)
Sources
We haven't tested this ourselves. Every score comes from these specs, tests and reviews.