1-person hiking tent: Lightweight and freedom for the solo hiker

Hiking alone is an exercise in freedom. You decide the pace, the breaks and where to end the day. But you also carry everything yourself. When no one else shares a tent, poles or outer fabric, every gram becomes more noticeable. That's why a dedicated 1-person hiking tent is often the most logical choice for the solo hiker.

In this part of our series on hiking tents, we focus on how to choose the right solo tent based on real needs: weight, packability, weather protection and how to actually fit yourself and your gear. If you want to first get an overview of different tent designs and uses, you can start in our main guide: Hiking Tents: The Ultimate Guide .

Why choose a dedicated 1-person tent?

Many solo hikers start out thinking that a 2-person tent might be smarter "to get a little extra space." In practice, this often means carrying more fabric, longer poles, and more packing volume than you actually need. For one person, a true one-man tent is rarely a compromise. It's often the most efficient solution.

The weight savings are the big win

The main advantage of a dedicated 1-person tent is simple: lower weight. For good lightweight tents, a reasonable range is often around 1 to 1.5 kg , while more pared-down models can come in under a kilo. That's a level where the tent can still provide reasonable weather protection, a usable vestibule, and sufficient comfort for several nights on the trail.

The difference compared to a larger tent is not theoretical. It is felt in your legs, especially on days two and three when the climbs are closer and the food still weighs a lot. A lighter tent won't make you immortal, but it will make you less unnecessarily tired.

Smaller footprint means more campsites

A smaller tent requires less flat ground. It sounds like a detail until you're standing late at night in rocky mountain terrain or in a forest with roots, weeds and slopes everywhere. Then a small footprint becomes a practical advantage. You get more possible campsites and less time spent searching for the perfect surface.

A one-man tent fits the solo logic better

When you're hiking alone, there's no one to share your weight with. Your gear should follow the same logic. The question isn't just how spacious the tent feels in the store, but what each extra gram actually gives you out on the trail. If the answer is mostly "a little air around me," that's often the wrong place to put your weight budget.

Comparison: Three favorites for the solo adventure

We have selected three tents that represent different ways of solving the same problem: light weight, sufficient space and reliable protection for those who go alone.

1. Lanshan 1: The most affordable lightweight tent on the market

The 3F UL Gear Lanshan 1 has almost achieved cult status among lightweight packers. It is a so-called trekking pole tent, which means you use your hiking poles as tent poles.

• Weight: Approx. 760g (tent only).
• Advantage: Extremely affordable and lightweight.
• Logic: By eliminating the tent poles, you save both weight and volume. However, the Lanshan 1 requires a certain technique when setting up to stand stable in strong winds.

The Lanshan 1 is available in both 3-season and 4-season versions . The difference lies in the inner tent; mesh for ventilation in the summer, or solid nylon to block cold winds in the fall.

2. Pretents Soloist: For the technical hiker

If Lanshan is the practical solution, Pretents Soloist is a masterpiece of design. Pretents (a sub-brand of TFS) focuses on aesthetics and functional precision. Soloist has a unique asymmetrical design that maximizes the ceiling height where you actually sit.

• Weight: Approximately 950g.
• Advantage: Outstanding material quality and wind stability.
• Logic: Soloist is for those who value craftsmanship and want a tent that feels more spacious than the numbers on paper suggest. It's a tent that can withstand being looked at as much as it can withstand being used in tough conditions.

3. Mobi Garden Light Knight Exo: The reliable standalone favorite

Many people prefer a freestanding tent, especially if you are hiking on terrain where it is difficult to get tent pegs in (such as on rocky outcrops or rocky ground). The Mobi Garden Light Knight Exo is a modern classic in this segment.

• Weight: Approximately 1.25 kg.
• Advantage: Easy to set up and stands on its own.
• Logic: The "Exo" construction means that the tent poles are on the outside. This means you can pitch the tent in the rain without the inner tent getting wet – a detail you'll thank yourself for during a rainy week in Sweden.

The hierarchy of important functions

When choosing your 1-person hiking tent , don't just get stuck on weight charts. Consider the following factors in this order of priority:

1. Weather protection: Can the tent handle a sudden storm on the bare mountain? If you choose an ultralight tent like the Lanshan, you need to be confident in your ability to anchor it properly.
2. Ventilation: In a small tent, condensation quickly becomes a problem. Make sure the tent has high-placed vents. A wet sleeping bag due to condensation is a safety hazard on cold nights.
3. Vestibule (Forecourt): Where should you store your wet backpack and boots? A functional vestibule is a requirement for keeping order in the limited space.
4. Seating height: Can you sit upright and change clothes or cook? Being forced to lie down for a day during a storm takes a toll on your psyche.

"The mountain rarely punishes those who pack lightly, but it always punishes those who pack recklessly."

Space: so you have room for both yourself and your luggage

A common mistake is to judge a solo tent solely by its floor dimensions. That doesn't tell the whole story. For a solo hiker, usable space is about three things: lying length, sitting height, and an vestibule that actually swallows the pack.

Prioritize the vestibule, not just the sleeping area

In most one-man tents, you shouldn't expect both you and your entire pack to be comfortable inside the inner tent. The normal solution is instead to sleep in the inner tent and store your backpack, shoes and wet things in the vestibule. This is not an emergency solution. This is how the tent is intended to be used.

A good vestibule makes a big difference when the weather turns. It gives you a place to store your gear, keeps your inner tent drier, and makes it easier to get in and out without dragging half the trail into the sleeping area.

Pack for the tent layout

To make a small tent work smoothly, you need to pack accordingly:

• The backpack in the vestibule: Place it so that the door can still be used without acrobatics.
• What you need at night inside, the rest outside: Headlamp, water bottle, down jacket and phone close at hand. The rest can stay in the backpack.
• Wet and dry separated: Rainwear and wet shoes belong in the vestibule, not by the sleeping bag.
• Consider the inner walls: In small tents, it's easy to press the sleeping bag against the canvas and get condensation where you least want it.

Compact doesn't mean claustrophobic

Many modern solo tents feel larger than the numbers suggest, especially if the design allows for good headroom and a reasonable doorway. Ask yourself: Can I sit up? Can I change without irritation? Is there room to handle a rainy evening without everything becoming a pile? These are more important questions than a few extra inches of floor width on paper.

Hiking pole tent or tent with poles?

For the solo hiker, this is one of the most important choices. Both solutions work, but they suit different types of tours and different types of users.

Hiking pole tent: lowest weight and small packing volume

Tents that use trekking poles instead of classic poles are often the most weight-saving option. That's a big part of the point of models like the Lanshan 1. If you're going to be hiking with poles anyway, there's good logic in letting the same equipment do double duty.

Suitable for you as:

• already walks with poles
• want to keep the base weight down
• accept that the set up requires a little more precision

Disadvantages to understand:

• requires good ground anchorage to perform as intended
• less forgiving on hard, rocky or tricky ground
• more sensitive to sloppy pitch in wind and rain

Tents with poles: simpler and more forgiving

Freestanding or semi-freestanding tents with poles often weigh a little more, but they are often quicker to set up consistently. For many solo hikers, it's a perfectly reasonable trade-off: a few extra pounds for less hassle when you're tired, wet, or find a tricky spot.

Suitable for you as:

• often pitch tents on rocky ground or cliffs
• prioritizes simple setup
• want a structure that is easy to move a few decimeters after it is erected

The important question is not which type is "best" in general, but which one works best for your trips. On forest trips with soft ground and poles in hand, trekking pole tents often make a lot of sense. On mixed ground and in more varied weather, an arch tent may be the calmer choice.

The balance between light weight and safety

We often see a trend where hikers are chasing the absolute lightest tent on the market. It’s a good idea, but it needs to be balanced against your experience level and the environment you’ll be staying in. If you’re planning a hike along the Kungsleden Trail in September, a 4-season inner tent, like the one at Lanshan 1 (4-season) , is often a wiser choice than the lightest mesh version. The ground chill and cold winds can make a night in a mesh tent unnecessarily energy-intensive.

Ask yourself: What will the tent actually handle? Is it sunny weekends in Tyresta or is it unpredictable weather in Sarek? Your answer should guide your choice of equipment.

Summary: Choose compact, but don't choose blindly

A good 1-person hiking tent should do one thing very well: give you enough protection and enough recovery at as little weight as possible. For many solo hikers, this is exactly why a dedicated 1-person tent is the way to go. You save weight, you can fit more easily in small tent pitches, and you don't have to carry around extra volume that doesn't do any good.

For most people, the reasonable sweet spot is around 1 to 1.5 kg . There are many tents out there that still offer a functional vestibule, good weather protection and sufficient comfort for several nights in a row. If you want to push the weight even further, there are compact solutions like the Lanshan 1 , but then you also need to be honest about where and how you will use the tent.

Are you unsure whether to choose a trekking pole tent, a pole tent, or just want to understand the differences better? Please read our main guide again: Hiking Tents: The Ultimate Guide . There you will get the whole picture before deciding which compact solution actually suits your hike.

If you are unsure which tent is right for your height or your specific route, please contact us at HikingStore or visit our 1-person tent category to read more about the technical specifications.

In the next part of our series, we'll move up in size and take a closer look at 2-person hiking tents – the tents that offer the perfect balance of shared weight and luxurious space.

Stay dry, pack light and see you on the trail!