Simond
Simond Makalu T2 2-person mountaineering tent
Best use
- Made for
- Winter mountain
- Not for
- Bikepacking
Why these labels
- Winter mountain: The maker states this use, and the published specs do not rule it out.
- Bikepacking: Heavy for bikepacking: 3.1 kg
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: 6/10 UK winter or high ground. Below freezing, strong wind, possibly snow.
- Weight: 1/10 How much it adds to your pack, compared with the whole market.
Winter and high-ground camping on a budget, where wind and snow matter more than weight
- Pitches
- Outer first
- Freestanding
- Yes
- Walls
- Double
- Sleeps
- 2
- Seasons
- 4-season
- Min. weight
- 3.1 kg
- Flysheet
- 2,000 mm
- Inner length
- 215 cm
Packed size 19.6 L, 40 cm long and 25 cm across Compare with a 2-litre bottle
A bit longer than a 2-litre bottle and about two and a half times as wide. Drawn to scale.
Where to buy
Decathlon UK £279.99 In stock. Delivery from £2.99, shown in the basket.
View at shop: Decathlon UKPrices 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.
Decathlon states 3.1 kg and gives no parts list, so 3.1 kg is used: the 2.7 kg+ band. Andrew Park weighed the earlier version at 3.2 kg and says the current one is 3.1 kg.
Rain protection
From maker's figures 7/10How well it keeps out heavy, long rain. 7: Better than most.
Flysheet of 2,000 mm is the 2,000–2,999 mm band; the 5,000 mm floor means no point is taken off.
Wind
Estimate: only 2 reviews about wind (fewer than the 3 we need, so never above 8) 8/10How steady it stays in strong wind on open ground. 8: Clearly better than most.
Not enough evidence: only Decathlon's buyers describe the current tent in storms (a sleet gale in the Scottish Highlands, high summits, Aconcagua and Denali). Fellmandave's night in gusts of about 48 km/h went fine, but it was his earlier 3.25 kg version; Andrew Park's loan was the same tent and he only pitched it in a breeze. Decathlon's own wind claims are not counted.
Space
Estimate from maker's specs: inner floor area per person 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 1/10How much room it takes in your rucksack. 1: A real weak point.
Decathlon states a 40 x 25 x 25 cm bag; two sides are equal, so a duffel cylinder: 3.1416 x 12.5 x 12.5 x 40 = 19,635 cm³, so 19.6 L, in the 15 L+ band (a box would give 25 L, the same 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. "it's very straightforward to be honest".
Condensation*
Estimate: only 1 review about condensation (fewer than the 3 we need, so never above 8) 6/10How dry it stays inside on still, damp nights; higher is drier.
1 review on condensation, e.g. "Very good tent, with condensation issue.".
Durability*
Estimate: only 1 review about durability (fewer than the 3 we need, so never above 8) 8/10How well the fabric, poles, zips and seams hold up over seasons of use.
1 review on durability, e.g. "poller sağlam, fırtına da kalsanız da patlamaz".
In short
Good for
- Winter and high-ground camping on a budget, where wind and snow matter more than weight
- Base camps, ski tours and short carries where the tent weight is less of a problem
- One adult plus a child or dog, or two adults who do not mind a snug tent
Strengths
- Geodesic three-pole dome that stands without pegs, with poles outside for quick pitching
- Decathlon rates it 4-season; a snow and mud flap goes all round the base for stones or snow
- Fly of 2,000 mm and a 5,000 mm floor, with heat-sealed seams
- Decathlon's buyers report it standing up in winter storms, a sleet gale in the Scottish Highlands, on Denali and Aconcagua and at -15 °C in Norway; Fellmandave's night in gusts of about 48 km/h went fine (earlier version)
- Vestibule with a window and a rain cover over the door, and a vent at the top
Weaknesses
- Heavy at 3.1 kg; Andrew Park weighed the earlier version at 3.2 kg
- Packs to about 20 L (40 x 25 x 25 cm) in a duffel bag
- Snug for two: 85 cm high, and the floor narrows towards the feet
- The solid inner door has no mesh (Andrew Park); Fellmandave added a mesh door
- Condensation reported by Fellmandave and a Decathlon buyer; use the vents and flaps
- Only 9 mm poles; one Czech buyer found them hard to fit, and Andrew Park doubts the zip on the bag
- Space, wind, pitching and durability are estimates, not reviewed scores: the two video reviews cover an earlier version and are first looks or one night out, so only Decathlon's buyers cover the current tent
Sources
We haven't tested this ourselves. Every score comes from these specs, tests and reviews.
ShowHide sources (4)
- Decathlon UK: 2-person mountaineering tent Makalu T2 (specifications)
- Fellmandave: Winter wildcamp Simond Makalu T2 mountain tent, mods and update (his own earlier-version tent, 3.25 kg; steady wind of about 32 km/h, gusts to about 48 km/h)
- Andrew Park Outdoors: #373 Simond Makalu T2, best buy 4-season 2-man mountain tent? (first look at a loan from Fellmandave, so the same earlier version; pitched in a breeze)
- Decathlon UK customer reviews: Makalu T2 (21 reviews, about 4.6 out of 5; we read all 21)