Simond
Simond MT500 2-Person Dome Trekking Tent (formerly Forclaz)
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: 2.9 kg
- 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: 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.
- Weight: 2/10 How much it adds to your pack, compared with the whole market.
Budget first tent for a summer or early-autumn wild camp, especially for one person who wants lots of room
- Pitches
- Outer first
- Freestanding
- Yes
- Walls
- Double
- Sleeps
- 2
- Seasons
- 3-season
- Min. weight
- 2.85 kg
- Flysheet
- 2,000 mm
- Inner length
- 210 cm
Packed size 9.36 L, 39 x 16 x 15 cm 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
Decathlon UK £129.99 In stock. Delivery from £2.99.
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 2/10How much it adds to your pack. This is the whole tent: two people sharing can split it. 2: A weak point.
2.85 kg is in the 2.7 kg+ band. Two people can split it, but it is heavy for a hill tent.
Rain protection
From maker's figures 7/10How well it keeps out heavy, long rain. 7: Better than most.
Decathlon quotes a fly of over 2,000 mm (band 2,000–2,999 mm) and a floor of over 5,000 mm, so no point is taken off.
Wind
From reviews 7/10How steady it stays in strong wind on open ground. 7: Better than most.
Advnture's owner had it through a Dartmoor winter storm without trouble and UK buyers report 80 km/h or so; the Dutch reviewer only says the stiff poles keep it stable in a summer shower. Advnture reviewed it as the Forclaz MT500 in 2023, the same tent under its old name.
Space
From maker's figures 6/10Room to lie, sit up and keep kit inside. 6: A bit better than average.
Decathlon UK gives the bedroom as 210 cm long and 120 cm wide (60 cm per person): 210 x 120 = 25,200 cm², or 2.52 m², so 1.26 m² each, in the 1.15–1.34 band.
Packed size
From maker's figures 5/10How much room it takes in your rucksack. 5: Does the job. Average for wild-camping gear.
Packs to 39 x 16 x 15 cm: 39 x 16 x 15 = 9,360 cm³, so 9.4 L, in the 7–9.9 L band (Decathlon's own compression cover figure is 9 L).
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.
4 reviews on pitching, e.g. "Putting up the Forclaz MT500 is incredibly easy.".
Reviewers disagree on this.
Condensation*
Reviewers' average 8/10How dry it stays inside on still, damp nights; higher is drier.
4 reviews on condensation, e.g. "I have always found this to be ample and have never had any major condensation issues, even when camping at very low temperatures.".
In short
Good for
- Budget first tent for a summer or early-autumn wild camp, especially for one person who wants lots of room
- Couples who are happy to share a snug bed and keep rucksacks in the porches
Strengths
- Freestanding, with the inner and fly joined, so it goes up fast and the bed stays dry while you pitch
- Two doors and two porches, so nobody climbs over a partner and kit has somewhere to go
- Owners report it staying put in strong wind and keeping out heavy rain
- Door zips are fixed to the door so the panel rolls out of the way and doesn't drip inside
Weaknesses
- Heavy for a two-person hill tent at 2.85 kg
- Tight for two adults: 60 cm each is only a little wider than a sleeping mat
- Thin groundsheet that reviewers suggest protecting with a footprint on stony ground
- Fly is rated at only 2,000 mm, which is modest on paper (though reviewers stayed dry)
- A three-season tent: Advnture's reviewer would avoid winter summits and exceptional summer storms in it
- Some reviewers found the vent struts fragile and the top pole a tight squeeze to fit, and a buyer struggled to lock the main poles in
Sources
We haven't tested this ourselves. Every score comes from these specs, tests and reviews.