OEX
OEX Bobcat I Ultralite
Best use
- Made for
- Backpacking and wild camping
- Also works for
- Bikepacking
- 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.
- Bikepacking: Light and short: 0.8 kg, packs to 33 cm
- 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 campers who want a sub-1 kg tent with a single pole and a porch big enough for a pack
- Pitches
- Outer first
- Sleeps
- 1
- Seasons
- 3-season
- Min. weight
- 795 g
- Flysheet
- 1,500 mm
- Inner length
- 200 cm
Packed size 5.28 L, 33 x 20 x 8 cm Compare with a 2-litre bottle
About as long as a 2-litre bottle and about twice as wide. Drawn to scale.
Where to buy
Blacks £194 In stock. Free delivery. Marked down from £189; standard delivery £4.99, free over £95.
View at shop: BlacksMillets £194 In stock. Free delivery. Marked down from £189; standard delivery £3.99, free over £70.
View at shop: MilletsGO Outdoors £280 In stock. Free delivery. Member price £129.97 is not included. Free delivery over £80.
View at shop: GO OutdoorsPrices 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.
OEX's weight without bag and accessories of 795 g is under 1.0 kg (958 g with sack, pegs and guylines).
Rain protection
From maker's figures 5/10How well it keeps out heavy, long rain. 5: Does the job. Average for wild-camping gear.
Fly 1,500 mm is the 1,500-1,999 band, band 3 (5 out of 10); the floor is 3,000 mm, so no point is taken off. Silnylon often does better than its number suggests, but we score the figure. The maker's figure, not re-tested.
Wind
Estimate: only 2 reviews about wind (fewer than the 3 we need, so never above 8) 7/10How steady it stays in strong wind on open ground. 7: Better than most.
Not enough evidence: two usable reviews. Great British Adventure Club held it in gusts of about 48 km/h (4: quiet all night, though the fly pressed on the inner, and they would only pitch it somewhere sheltered), and Blaggers' Blog found it pretty secure but wouldn't back it into the wind (3). English Woodsman says he wouldn't take it out in a storm but gives no clear test.
Space
From maker's figures 7/10Room to lie, sit up and keep kit inside. 7: Better than most.
OEX's inner size 200 x 70 cm is 1.4 m2 for one person, in the 1.35-1.59 band. That is length x width of a tent that is probably tapered, so the real floor is likely a little smaller, and 70 cm is narrow for a wide mat.
Packed size
From maker's figures 8/10How much room it takes in your rucksack. 8: Clearly better than most.
No litres published. 33 x 20 x 8 cm is a box of 33 x 20 x 8 = 5,280 cm3, so about 5.3 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*
Estimate: only 2 reviews about pitching (fewer than the 3 we need, so never above 8) 8/10How quickly and easily one person can pitch it, including in wind and rain.
2 reviews on pitching, e.g. "is super easy — even easier than the original Bobcat.".
Condensation*
Estimate: only 1 review about condensation (fewer than the 3 we need, so never above 8) 4/10How dry it stays inside on still, damp nights; higher is drier.
1 review on condensation, e.g. "Other reviewers have mentioned issues with condensation and this was a worse problem than I first realised.".
Durability*
Estimate: only 2 reviews about durability (fewer than the 3 we need, so never above 8) 5/10How well the fabric, poles, zips and seams hold up over seasons of use.
2 reviews on durability, e.g. "we’re under no illusion that this tent will put up with years of abuse if you treat it like a heavier tent.".
In short
Good for
- Solo wild campers who want a sub-1 kg tent with a single pole and a porch big enough for a pack
- Fast-and-light summer and shoulder-season trips where weight and pack size matter more than space
- Tall solo campers: the inner is 200 cm long
Strengths
- 795 g without sack and pegs (958 g all-in), light for a pole-supported solo tent
- Packs to about 5.3 L (33 x 20 x 8 cm)
- Single pole, with the inner able to stay attached for quicker pitching, according to OEX
- Aluminium pegs, ultralight guylines and a tube of silicone seam sealer in the box
Weaknesses
- Only 70 cm wide inside, so a wide mat or any spare kit will crowd you
- Fly 1,500 mm is only the middle band, and silnylon seams are sealed with silicone rather than taped, so OEX supplies sealer for you to use
- Only two reviewers have tested it in wind and none for long, so wind stability and durability are estimates, not reviewed scores
- 10D fly and 15D inner are very thin, so it needs careful pitch spots and no rough ground
- OEX gives no season rating; we list it as three-season, the cautious choice
- OEX is GO Outdoors' own brand, sold only through GO Outdoors, Blacks and Millets
Sources
We haven't tested this ourselves. Every score comes from these specs, tests and reviews.
ShowHide sources (6)
- Millets: OEX Bobcat I Ultralight Tent (spec page: weights, fabrics, HH, sizes)
- GO Outdoors: OEX Bobcat I Ultralite Tent (same product code 705623, same specs, retail price)
- Great British Adventure Club: OEX Bobcat 1 Ultralite review (Andrew William; sample lent by GO Outdoors, five-day test)
- Blaggers' Blog: Review: OEX Bobcat I Ultralight Tent (bought by the reviewer, two nights)
- English Woodsman (YouTube): The OEX BOBCAT ultralite, why I waited to buy this tent
- Great British Adventure Club: OEX Bobcat 1 Ultralite review