Exped Vela I Extreme

I brought this tent on my one-year backpacking trip from Ushaia to Deadhorse, and have to say — it is the best HOME you can carry! The LARGE space inside convinced me on the buy (much more space in front of the inner tent than in other brands).

A very complete product I can warmly recommend to any long-term traveler!

The tent is a very simple build, nothing can break and it is possible to pitch in under two minutes, with a dry inner tent even in the rain. Tough Patagonian winds and wet Alaskan swamps with swarming mosquitoes did not have any influence on the comfort inside.

And there is nothing better than to unclip the two (!) (see solo Hilleberg tent where this is NOT possible) sides of the outer tent and sleep below the stars in warm summer nights.

A very complete product I can warmly recommend to any long-term traveler!

Setup: Fast and really efficient, needs only two anchors to be standing. If tent pegs won't do the job I had it attached with paracord to a rock, works fine. With a little training this tent is mounted within two minutes. I was generally the fastest on the camping site.

Stability: The neat, shell-like, outer hull does not give any resistance to the wind. It ducks low and the shape of the tent is rounded. This reduces noise and gives comfort in strong (Patagonian) winds. Happy to have had such a solid built!

Weather Resistance: Rain is no big deal, and the snow just slides down the sides. No issues with wet underground too — really can't complain about the basic functionality of this tent!

Ventilation: Generally very good. Watch out to put the opening into the wind — zippers inside are useful to regulate the amount of ventilation of the inner tent (little "windows" on the two ends to be opened/closed as you wish). In heavy morning dew conditions like Alaska or Iceland, the outer tent is WET inside, but the rather big distance between the outer and inner fabrics kept me generally dry in my sleeping bag. No big deal!

Room: I chose this tent because it is the most spacious one-person tent on the market. I can sit, legs stretched, SIDEWAYS (towards opening, 90° to the sleeping chamber) inside, and cooking is no problem. In heavy rain this tent is still a comfy space, and even a three-person team meeting is absolutely possible to be held inside (unclipped inner tent) — a rather LARGE tent!! (no big deal to put backpack, shoes, and food in outside the sleeping chamber over night.)

Packing: Small, half the size of my sleeping bag, easily fits into the backpack. Disadvantage, the packsack is NOT water resistant and needed a complementary wrap if the tent was soaked.

Usability: The power of this tent lies in the flexibility. The door opens completely longside, giving a huge access to the inside. Or you unclip the outer shell in order to enjoy the night skies. Possible to unclip one side only or the two sides (making the inner tent standalone) — super flexible.

I would never trade this tent for some other SOLO person tent. The little extra weight is absolutely rewarding, for this is a super strong build with plenty of flexibility!!!

The complete story, pictures of the tent in action: wwwDOTmouchequiloucheDOTtumblrDOTcom