Vango’s solo tent is the ideal solo shelter for quick overnight hiking escapades, fastpacking and bikepacking
When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
(Image credit: Pat Kinsella)
(Image credit: Pat Kinsella)
T3 Verdict
Reasons to buy+Ridiculously light+Tiny pack size+Quick to pitch (once you know how)+Fly and inner pitch together+Interior pockets+Discreet colourReasons to avoid-Tiny, thin titanium pegs don’t hold well & are easy to lose-Very little internal storage space
Reasons to buy+Ridiculously light+Tiny pack size+Quick to pitch (once you know how)+Fly and inner pitch together+Interior pockets+Discreet colour
Ridiculously light
Tiny pack size
Quick to pitch (once you know how)
Fly and inner pitch together
Interior pockets
Discreet colour
Reasons to avoid-Tiny, thin titanium pegs don’t hold well & are easy to lose-Very little internal storage space
Tiny, thin titanium pegs don’t hold well & are easy to lose
Very little internal storage space
Why you can trust T3Our expert reviewers spend hours testing and comparing products and services so you can choose the best for you.Find out more about how we test.
Why you can trust T3Our expert reviewers spend hours testing and comparing products and services so you can choose the best for you.Find out more about how we test.
Jump to category:Price and availabilitySpecificationsDesign and ease of pitchingPerformanceVerdictAlso consider
Jump to category:Price and availabilitySpecificationsDesign and ease of pitchingPerformanceVerdictAlso consider
Vango F10 Neon UL 1 deals
No price informationCheck Amazon
No price informationCheck Amazon
No price informationCheck Amazon
No price informationCheck Amazon
No price information
No price information
We check over 250 million products every day for the best prices
It’s not entirely fair to compare Vango’s sophisticated F10 Neon UL1 solo shelter to thebest backpacking tentson the market because it is very much designed with a specific purpose in mind: to provide weatherproof overnight protection for one person engaged in an outdoor adventure that involves carrying the least amount of weight possible.
It goes beyond anything a bivvy bag can offer, but this is not thebest tentfor headroom for people who want to sit around playing cards or a vestibule for providing cover for cooking in the rain. All that matters is that it’s compact and easy to carry while you’re out on the trail—whether you are speed hiking along a multiday route or engaged in afastpackingorbikepackingescapade.
Roughly the same size as a 2L bottle of water and considerably lighter and easier to carry, the F10 Neon UL1 from Scottish outdoor specialists Vango is an advanced one-person shelter that will get gram-counters grinning and delight anyone who enjoys a good fastpacking mission or bikepacking escapade.
This wonderfully weatherproof tiny tent is aimed at explorers who like to fly solo and travel extremely light but tend to venture very much on the wild side. With a twin-skin design (fly sheet plus mesh inner), it offers much more cover, a higher degree of functionality, and many more features than a basic bivvy bag, but at no extra weight penalty. And it will even make your wallet lighter…
Vango F10 Neon UL1 review
Price and availability
(Image credit: Pat Kinsella)
(Image credit: Pat Kinsella)
The F10 Neon UL1 is available to purchasedirectly from Vangoand other outlets now for a list price of £455.
Specifications
Design and ease of pitching
(Image credit: Pat Kinsella)
(Image credit: Pat Kinsella)
The F10 Neon UL1 one-person shelter has a twin skin design, which is to say it has a wind- and waterproof flysheet to keep the elements out and an inner tent that supplies the sleeping space.
The tent is made from Protex 7D Double Silicone, an incredibly lightweight material. The flysheet has ahydrostatic headof 2,000mm, which—while far from the highest rating I’ve encountered—is still impressive for such a featherlight shelter.
The tent can be pitched fly first, or you can erect the whole lot together (once you’ve got the hang of it). The pitching instructions are relatively easy to follow: you basically peg the flysheet out, prop up the foot end with the integrated upright (pictured above), put the pole together and slot each end in an eyelet to create a hoop at the head end, and then attach both the flysheet and the inner to the pole (using Velcro tabs for the former, and plastic hoops and toggles for the latter - as seen below) before tensioning the entire thing out.
(Image credit: Pat Kinsella)
(Image credit: Pat Kinsella)
After a couple of uses, and when done in calm conditions and good light, you can easily have the F10 Neon UL1 up and be in your sleeping bag in 5 minutes flat. The first time you pitch it, however, expect the process to take a bit longer, and if there’s a strong wind gusting the superlight material will blow around all over the place, leading to swearing and tantrums, but more of that later.
(Image credit: Pat Kinsella)
(Image credit: Pat Kinsella)
The ‘pegs’ are the most surprising part of this tent. While three standard-style star-topped pegs are supplied, the other eight pegs in the kit resemble bits of thin wire with a hook on top (pictured above).
Made from titanium, they are tougher than they look (although they still bend), but they’re so thin and short that I’m not at all convinced they’re capable of providing the kind of secure hold sometimes required when camping in the wind-whipped wilds.
Obviously, this is a weight-saving effort (when I popped one of the titanium spikes on my scales, it didn’t even register, so they’re less than a gram each, as compared to the 8g weight of the individual standard pegs).
Performance
(Image credit: Pat Kinsella)
(Image credit: Pat Kinsella)
The very first time I took this tent out was at the tail end of Storm Kathleen, and I can report that trying to pitch a super lightweight shelter like the F10 Neon UL1 in high winds is less than ideal. The Protex 7D Double Silicone material flaps around like parachute silk in the wind, and with it being our first date, I was not au fait with what needed to go where in what order.
Usually this isn’t a problem – I’ve been doing this a while, and usually it’s pretty obvious how to put a tent up. Eventually, I had to resort to reading the instructions (to be fair, these are comprehensive and easy to locate, being attached to the stash bag) and then finding some stones to keep the flysheet roughly where I wanted it while I got my head around the pegs.
(Image credit: Pat Kinsella)
(Image credit: Pat Kinsella)
Because that’s the next surprise. The pegs do not look like tent pegs. Aside from three normal-looking pegs, the eight ‘pegs’ that come with the Vango F10 Neon UL1 are essentially short bits of thin titanium wire with a hook on top. As the wind buffeted me from all directions, I looked askance at these ‘anchors’, wondering how I was going to catch the tent when it inevitably took off after the first gust of wind.
One other point about these pegs: despite being coloured red on top, they are still very easy to lose in long grass (or, I’m sure, in various other terrain types). I think they’re a neat idea for the times when you really do want to go super light (while bikepacking or fastpacking), but considering the price of this tent, it wouldn’t hurt Vango to throw in a few more standard pegs.
(Image credit: Pat Kinsella)
(Image credit: Pat Kinsella)
Pegs and pitching dramas aside, I’m pretty impressed with the design of the F10 Neon UL1. Having now used the tent several times in different places and conditions, I can confirm that in non-stormy weather, it is easy enough to erect. The main pole is well designed and nicely shaped to give the shelter strength and stability, and the upright at the bottom is essentially a mini pole, included to give your feet some wriggle room and preserve some space between the fly and the inner to avoid moisture seeping through.
Considering the shelter isn’t much bigger than a coffin, there’s actually a reasonable amount of headroom at the top. Not enough to actually sit up, of course, but certainly to rest on your elbows, read or get dressed without pushing the inner against the outer and compromising the waterproofing.
(Image credit: Pat Kinsella)
(Image credit: Pat Kinsella)
Depending on how big yourhiking backpackis—and how much space you take up—you might have to use it as a pillow, but most people will have enough room around them to stash a few things inside the main compartment.
There is a good-sized pocket on the inside for keeping essentials like aheadtorchand your phone somewhere close to hand, and a very small loop on the inside where you can hang ahandheld torch.
It’s never that easy getting in and out of a tent that sits so low to the ground, but the inner tent door is extra long, and there are double zips on both the flysheet and the inner entrances, all of which really help.
(Image credit: Pat KInsella)
(Image credit: Pat KInsella)
The groundsheet’s hydrostatic head rating isn’t stated, but I have been using the F10 Neon UL1 on pretty wet terrain without employing an extra footprint (because carrying extra weight would go against the grain of such a svelte structure). Although I have, of course, used acamping mat, no moisture has so far made its way through.
In terms of thermal protection, I have been using this tent in springtime while using alightweight sleeping bag, and I was comfortably warm. I’d rate the F10 Neon UL1 as a decent 3-season tent, despite being a solo shelter (so you can never benefit from the warmth a tent buddy brings to the party).
Lastly, I really love the natural, non-lurid green colour of this tent, which, combined with its low profile and the speed with which you can pitch and drop it, allows you to be very discreet when you arewild camping.
Verdict
(Image credit: Pat Kinsella)
(Image credit: Pat Kinsella)
I’ve been testing tents for a long time, but even I was a bit surprised at just how lightweight the F10 Neon UL1 is, for the level of performance it offers. I’ve used bivvy bags that are heavier and bulkier than this, and it’s absolutely brilliant for thru-hiking, wild camping, fastpacking and bikepacking escapades.
The tent itself is well-designed and offers a reasonable amount of space inside. There’s enough room for one person and a pack (just about), while footwear can be stowed under the flysheet on the outside. The shelter is waterproof and warm enough for lightweight adventures across three seasons.
My only real problem with it is the spike-style pegs it comes with, which are far too thin to be effective in windy conditions and can easily be lost. I’d rather carry a few more grams on the trails and then sleep more soundly, knowing my tent would withstand a few gusts.
Also consider
For an excellent lightweight 1-person backpacking tent with a lot more space inside, check out theVaude Hogan SUL 1–2P. Alternatively, if you’re on a budget and looking for a 1-person shelter that’s considerably cheaper, consider theAlpkit Soloist, which offers high performance and more space but weighs twice as much as the F10 Neon UL1. Other good options include theSierra Designs High Route 1 3000 1P tent.
Vango F10 Neon UL 1: Price Comparison
No price informationCheck Amazon
No price informationCheck Amazon
No price informationCheck Amazon
No price informationCheck Amazon
No price information
No price information
We check over 250 million products every day for the best prices
Sign up to the T3 newsletter for smarter living straight to your inbox
Get all the latest news, reviews, deals and buying guides on gorgeous tech, home and active products from the T3 experts
Build bigger arms in just 30 minutes with this 5-move dumbbell-only workoutIt’ll leave the biceps and triceps popping!
It’ll leave the biceps and triceps popping!
OMEGA puts the moon on your wrist with its new Speedmaster Moonphase MeteoriteOMEGA adds two new Moonphase Meteorite watches to its Speedmaster line-up
OMEGA adds two new Moonphase Meteorite watches to its Speedmaster line-up
There’s an amazing money-off deal on Samsung Galaxy S25 alreadyGet £50 / $50 off a new Samsung Galaxy S25 when you register your interest
Get £50 / $50 off a new Samsung Galaxy S25 when you register your interest
