Alpkit
Alpkit Viso 2
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: 2.7 kg
- Winter mountain: 3-season rating, not built for winter storms
From the maker's stated use and the published specs.
- Summer wild camp: 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: 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.
Two people on a budget who want a roomy base camp or car-camping tent
- Sleeps
- 2
- Seasons
- 3-season
- Min. weight
- 2.71 kg
- Flysheet
- 8,000 mm
Packed size 23.23 L, 48 cm long and 22 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
Alpkit £169.99 In stock. Free delivery. Kelp and River in stock, Chilli sold out. Free UK delivery over £60.
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 2/10How much it adds to your pack. This is the whole tent: two people sharing can split it. 2: A weak point.
Alpkit lists 3,222 g in total; fly 1,422 g + inner 720 g + poles 570 g = 2,712 g without the 210 g porch groundsheet and 300 g of pegs. Both are in the 2.7 kg+ band.
Rain protection
From maker's figures 8/10How well it keeps out heavy, long rain. 8: Clearly better than most.
Alpkit's page gives the fly as 8,000 mm (with the note 'we are updating our product tech guides, 2k to 8k') and the floor as 3,000 mm; the 2018 spec read 3,000 mm fly and 8,000 mm floor. Either way the fly is in the 3,000 mm+ band (the top band) and the floor is over 2,000 mm, so no deduction. The printed figure alone gives 8 at most: a 9 or 10 needs 3 reviews that say it stays dry in real storms.
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: only 2 independent sources say anything about wind. UKClimbing (2018) calls it a mid-range tent, not a mountain bombshelter, with a guyline on the vent; Chain Reaction Adventures says it did brilliantly in heavy rain and wind over two nights on the Isle of Man.
Space
Estimate from maker's specs: berths and tent shape (no floor area published) 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.
Packs to 48 x 22 x 22 cm: 48 x 22 x 22 = 23,232 cm³, so 23.2 L, in the 15 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) 7/10How quickly and easily one person can pitch it, including in wind and rain.
2 reviews on pitching, e.g. "In those conditions the Viso 2 seemed a very awkward and unwieldy tent to pitch".
Condensation*
Estimate: only 1 review about condensation (fewer than the 3 we need, so never above 8) 8/10How dry it stays inside on still, damp nights; higher is drier.
1 review on condensation, e.g. "I've not yet had a problem with drippy ceilings in the morning.".
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. "the fabric use has impressed me greatly".
In short
Good for
- Two people on a budget who want a roomy base camp or car-camping tent
- Cycle touring and short carries where weight and pack size matter less than living space
- A wet-weather tent for UK trips: the outer pitches first and the porch has a groundsheet
Strengths
- Large porch with a groundsheet, roomy enough to cook in out of the rain
- Outer-first tunnel pitch: the inner can stay dry and can be left attached for packing
- Generous headroom (110 cm in UKClimbing's measurement) and a long inner
- Fly rated 8,000 mm by Alpkit's current page, floor 3,000 mm, with factory-taped seams
- Can be pitched outer only as a shelter
Weaknesses
- Heavy at 3.2 kg and bulky at 23 L packed: not a tent to carry far
- Comes with 19 pegs, and a tunnel tent needs them all in wind
- Inner is hard to get taut (UKClimbing)
- Only two independent reviews found, both positive (UKClimbing's is from 2018, when Alpkit listed it at 3,325 g), so there is little evidence on wind and long-term durability
- Alpkit's fly and floor waterproof figures differ between listings
Sources
We haven't tested this ourselves. Every score comes from these specs, tests and reviews.