Alpkit
Alpkit Soloist
Best use
- Made for
- Bikepacking, 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: The maker states this use, and the published specs do not rule it out.
- 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: 8/10 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: 8/10 How much it adds to your pack, compared with the whole market.
Walkers who want a 1.2 kg double-skin tent that packs smaller than a 5 L stuff sack
- Freestanding
- Yes
- Walls
- Double
- Sleeps
- 1
- Seasons
- 3-season
- Min. weight
- 1.07 kg
- Flysheet
- 3,000 mm
- Inner length
- 200 cm
Packed size 4.75 L, 42 cm long and 12 cm across Compare with a 2-litre bottle
About one and a half 2-litre bottles long and a bit wider than one. Drawn to scale.
Where to buy
Alpkit £149.99 In stock. Free delivery. Free UK delivery over £60; Kelp and River colours in stock.
View at shop: AlpkitPrices 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 8/10How much it adds to your pack. This is the whole tent: two people sharing can split it. 8: Clearly better than most.
Alpkit's own part weights (fly 380 g, inner 358 g, pole 331 g) add up to 1,069 g, in the 1.0–1.49 kg band; its 1,200 g total includes 11 pegs and bags. Advnture lists 1,200 g for the regular size.
Rain protection
From maker's figures 8/10How well it keeps out heavy, long rain. 8: Clearly better than most.
Fly 3,000 mm is in the 3,000 mm+ band, and the 5,000 mm floor is over 2,000 mm so nothing is taken 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
From reviews 6/10How steady it stays in strong wind on open ground. 6: A bit better than average.
Three reviews, scored 4, 3 and 2: average 3 out of 5, so 6 out of 10. Gear Assistant camped several nights in strong wind in exposed alpine conditions and said the tent stayed taut and its strength in wind was not in doubt (4). The Great Outdoors found pitching unwieldy in gusty wind, but once guyed out called it secure with excellent protection from wind and driving rain, with some worry about the light poles in a vigorous blow (3). off-road.cc listed the tent as a little vulnerable to wind and not for very windy days (2).
Reviewers disagree on this.
Space
From maker's figures 9/10Room to lie, sit up and keep kit inside. 9: Among the best you can buy for this.
Alpkit gives 200 cm long, 95 cm wide at the door end tapering to 77 cm: 200 x (95 + 77) / 2 = 17,200 cm², or 1.72 m² for one person, in the 1.6 m²+ band. This is floor area only: the inner is 95 cm high at the ridge.
Packed size
From maker's figures 8/10How much room it takes in your rucksack. 8: Clearly better than most.
Packs to 42 cm long x 12 cm across: 3.1416 x 6 x 6 x 42 = 4,750 cm³, so 4.75 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*
Reviewers' average 8/10How quickly and easily one person can pitch it, including in wind and rain.
4 reviews on pitching, e.g. "I found this tent easy and quick to pitch, even in challenging situations.".
Reviewers disagree on this.
Condensation*
Estimate: only 2 reviews about condensation (fewer than the 3 we need, so never above 8) 7/10How dry it stays inside on still, damp nights; higher is drier.
2 reviews on condensation, e.g. "when it is open you only get a few droplets on a morning.".
In short
Good for
- Walkers who want a 1.2 kg double-skin tent that packs smaller than a 5 L stuff sack
- Most people lie comfortably in the 200 cm length; taller walkers can choose the XL, which Advnture lists 20 cm longer
Strengths
- Packs to 42 x 12 cm, small enough for a day pack (Advnture)
- Quick to pitch (5–10 minutes by Advnture's account) on a single hubbed pole, and freestanding
- Fly 3,000 mm and floor 5,000 mm; Advnture stayed dry in some horrendous Scottish weather
- Can be pitched inner only, or fly plus the optional footprint, for a lighter set-up
- Muted colour that is discreet for wild camping (Advnture), and 11 pegs in the box
Weaknesses
- Small porch: Advnture finds it fine for a pack and boots but too small to cook in with the zip closed
- Advnture recommends it outside summer, and without it the tent pitches inner first
- Mostly mesh inner: Advnture says the mesh door lets cool air in, which rules it out as a four-season tent
- Few inner pockets (Advnture), and the zips occasionally catch
- Standard length is 200 cm; Advnture suggests the XL for taller backpackers
- Reviewers differ on wind: Gear Assistant praised it in strong wind, while The Great Outdoors worried about the light poles in a vigorous blow and off-road.cc found it a little vulnerable
Sources
We haven't tested this ourselves. Every score comes from these specs, tests and reviews.
ShowHide sources (5)
- Alpkit: Soloist 1-person backpacking tent specifications
- Advnture: Alpkit Soloist one-person three-season tent review (8 months' use)
- Gear Assistant: Alpkit Soloist tent review (12-day test, strong wind on exposed alpine pitches)
- The Great Outdoors: Alpkit Soloist review
- off-road.cc: Alpkit Soloist Backpacking Tent review