This is my review of the Alpkit Tarpstar 1 and 2. This tent has very quickly become my go to for my adventures. Not only is it super light weight it’s pretty spacious too.
Another bonus which may be small for many is that it’s green. This means that it seamlessly blends in with the landscape whilst out wild camping.
The use of hiking poles to construct this pyramid shaped tent means there is even less to carry. In total it weighs less than 1kg with the inner and outer tent + pegs.
There is a couple of versions you can get for the bedroom (I might have bought both). The single version means that you get half of the tent for your sleeping area. The other half is a perfect dry space to store all your gear. Whilst the room in the two person version fills out the whole tent.
There is also a four person version but that goes further than my needs so probably won’t be added to my kit list. I am sure that it stands up just as well as the 1/2 version.
There is plenty of space in side the tent to relax with a beer. This camping matt was a little slippy though and maybe a few too many Brewdogs. I stand at 5’10” and never once had any issue with space lying down or sitting up inside.
The one person version of the Tarpstar
The single person version has a fly net with built in bucket base which sits on one side of the tent which leaves the half open to use as storage or a place to rest before getting into bed if the weather is a little wet.
When using the one person set up the inner has a hook and loop strap to attach it to the centre pole. This means that the room stays in place. I was concerned that having a pole in the middle of the tent might be an issue but it stays put and never once I have rolled over and comprised the structure of the tent.
The two person version of the Tarpstar
When using the two person inner tent it does mean that the whole inside is taken up by a bedroom meaning that you sacrifice your porch space. I have over come this by combing it with a simple tarp to create a porch although this might not be ideal in stronger winds. If I find someone I want to share a tent with I’m sure that I’ll be happy with this compromise!
I did use the pole that came with the tarp. However since the tent only requires a single hiking pole your second pole would work perfectly to support an additional porch.
Is the Tarpstar tent good in bad weather?
I’ve been out in some pretty rough weather in the tent and it has really held its own. The pyramid design means that there are no flat side to catch the wind. There are no guy lines which worried me at first but I’ve been in some strong winds and, unlike some other tents I’ve had, I’ve never been concerned that it will take off.
Is there any downside to the Tarpstar Tent?
Due to the pyramid design it does mean that the space needed to set up the tent is 2 meters by 2.5 meters. So it does require a nice big flat area for the pitch. This hasn’t been much of an issue for me but in some circumstances it might make it difficult for wild camping. When ground space to pitch might be a little more lacking.
One thing I did notice was that the bucket floor on the inner tent is rather thin. It is lightweight after all. I tackled this by getting an extra ground sheet. Unfortunately the matching one at Alpkit wasn’t in stock when I got this. Since it is constructed to a nice round figured dimensions of 2 metres by 2.5 metres though it meant it was easy to find a suitable version from a third party supplier (thank you Amazon!)
Would I recommend the Alpkit Tarpstar?
I highly recommend this tent, I used it throughout my Stafford2Snowdon challenge back in the summer. Before that it held out well in the Scottish spring and some autumnal Welsh camps.
Unlike some other lightweight tents this one won’t break the bank, and Alpkit is just an amazing company and I love that my purchase supports a British business (although I have avoided the shop in Betws-y-Coed that is mostly to save leaving with the whole store though!!)
I am in no way paid or sponsored by Alpkit. The review given is entirely my own view after spending a combined 40 nights in the tent.