Wechsel
Wechsel Exogen 2
Best use
- Made for
- Bikepacking
- Also works for
- Backpacking and wild camping
- Not for
- Winter mountain
Why these labels
- Bikepacking: The maker states this use, and the published specs do not rule it out.
- Backpacking and wild camping: Light to carry: 1.7 kg
- Winter mountain: 3-season rating, not built for winter storms
From the maker's stated use and the published specs.
- Summer wild camp: 6/10 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: 6/10 How much it adds to your pack, compared with the whole market.
Exposed pitches in spring, autumn and cold weather where a stiff freestanding tent matters more than weight
- Pitches
- Inner first
- Freestanding
- Yes
- Sleeps
- 2
- Seasons
- 3-season
- Min. weight
- 1.66 kg
- Flysheet
- 3,000 mm
- Inner length
- 225 cm
Packed size 12.76 L, 45 cm long and 19 cm across Compare with a 2-litre bottle
About one and a half 2-litre bottles long and about twice as wide. Drawn to scale.
Where to buy
Alpinetrek £398.36 In stock. Free delivery. Free delivery from £85.
View at shop: AlpinetrekUltralight Outdoor Gear £504.99 In stock. Free delivery. Free UK delivery over £15.
View at shop: Ultralight Outdoor GearPrices 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 6/10How much it adds to your pack. This is the whole tent: two people sharing can split it. 6: A bit better than average.
Wechsel gives a trail weight of 1,656 g (its page prints '1.656 g'; the full weight is 1.80 kg), in the 1.5-1.99 kg band. The Great Outdoors weighed 1,980 g and Live for the Outdoors 1.93 kg, both with the stuff sack and pegs, so the same band.
Rain protection
From maker's figures 8/10How well it keeps out heavy, long rain. 8: Clearly better than most.
Fly 3,000 mm HH is in the 3,000 mm+ band, and the 5,000 mm floor is over 2,000 mm so nothing is taken off. The Great Outdoors' spec table lists a 68D polyester fly at 5,000 mm instead, which disagrees with Wechsel, Alpinetrek, Ultralight Outdoor Gear and Live for the Outdoors (all silicone-coated nylon, 3,000 mm). Its 1,980 g weight with stuff sack and pegs fits the nylon tent (Ultralight Outdoor Gear lists 1,785 g plus 118 g of pegs), not the polyester Venture 2, which Live for the Outdoors puts at about 2.6 kg, so we treat that table as a mistake and use Wechsel's 3,000 mm. The printed figure alone gives 8 at most: a 9 or 10 needs 3 reviews that say it stays dry in real storms.
Wind
From reviews 7/10How steady it stays in strong wind on open ground. 7: Better than most.
Live for the Outdoors found it 'really solid in wind' and held firm in strong gusts on exposed spring pitches, thanks to the full-width cross pole. Wild Treks (a year, over a dozen trips including heavy rain and strong wind in Tasmania) says it performed better than he expected. The Great Outdoors calls the shape sturdy but notes noisy fabric in stronger winds (scored 3 out of 5).
Space
From maker's figures 6/10Room to lie, sit up and keep kit inside. 6: A bit better than average.
Alpinetrek gives the inside as 220 x 115 cm: 2.53 m², so 1.265 m² each, in the 1.15-1.34 band. The floor tapers (Live for the Outdoors: 125 cm at the head, 115 cm at the foot); that tester's tapered average (225 x 120 cm) gives 1.35 m² each, which would just reach the next band, so we take the cautious score. Both testers found it tight for two wide mats; peak height 100 cm.
Packed size
From maker's figures 3/10How much room it takes in your rucksack. 3: Below average. Fine for some trips, not others.
Packs to 45 cm long x 19 cm across: 3.1416 x 9.5 x 9.5 x 45 = 12,759 cm³, so 12.76 L, in the 10-14.9 L band. With the poles taken out the bag shortens to 25 cm.
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 7/10How quickly and easily one person can pitch it, including in wind and rain.
3 reviews on pitching, e.g. "the whole tent can be up inside five minutes once you've learned the sequence".
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. "condensation can accumulate on the inner surface of the fly overnight".
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. "Seams and stitching are tidy and reinforced at stress points; pole quality is high".
In short
Good for
- Exposed pitches in spring, autumn and cold weather where a stiff freestanding tent matters more than weight
- One tent for walking and bikepacking: the stuff sack shortens to 25 cm with the poles removed
- Two people who each want a door and a porch
Strengths
- Stable in strong gusts: a full-width cross pole runs to the ground on each side (Live for the Outdoors)
- Floor 5,000 mm HH and a fly cut low to the ground; two testers had no leaks from above or below
- 1,656 g trail weight (1.80 kg full) for a freestanding tent with two doors and two porches
- Freestanding, so it stands on rock or hard ground without pegs
- Dyneema guylines with reflective thread and V-profile aluminium pegs supplied
Weaknesses
- Little ventilation: the low fly and few mesh panels cause condensation (Live for the Outdoors)
- Floor tapers to 115 cm at the foot: tight for two wide mats; peak height 100 cm
- Flysheet seams can't be factory-taped (double silicone coating), so a tube of sealant is supplied and Live for the Outdoors suggests sealing them for long autumn trips
- Noisy fly fabric in wind and fiddly door fasteners (The Great Outdoors)
Sources
We haven't tested this ourselves. Every score comes from these specs, tests and reviews.
ShowHide sources (6)
- Wechsel: Exogen 2 (maker's specification)
- Alpinetrek: Wechsel Exogen 2 product page (interior size)
- Live for the Outdoors: Wechsel Exogen 2 tent review, a hardy wild camping shelter
- The Great Outdoors: Wechsel Exogen 2 review
- YouTube (Wild Treks): Wechsel Exogen 2p long-term review
- Ultralight Outdoor Gear: Wechsel Exogen 2 (specification and component weights)