Climber September/October 2017

gear review
The material used is nylon Watershed (HH
3000mm) for the fly and nylon Watershed (HH
5000mm) for the groundsheet. The poles are
quality DAC poles and the tent pegs are worth
mentioning. These are small titanium ones
weighing in at miserly 1g each – someone said
they were: “Akin to oversized toothpicks.” They
held okay in firm ground but not so well in soft
ground, it was felt worth carrying some V pegs
for the main pegging points for this situation.
Terra Nova are unable to factory tape the
seams due to the super light material but they are
sewn in a way that minimises water penetration.
You’ll need to apply seam sealer yourself if you
want but it would be nice if seam sealer was
supplied with the tent.
The tent is inner pitch first and was simple to
erect, one of the quickest on test, and it came
with instructions too. The pole bag had an
integral pocket for the pegs, a nice touch and
again cuts weight and there’s a repair tube in
case of a broken pole. The inner tent door is
made entirely of mesh and there’s mesh at the
foot end to allow ventilation to cut condensation.
On this note it was well-controlled with none
visible during testing in part due to the front and
rear fly hoods that allow through ventilation.
Terra Nova Solar Photon 2
Vango F10 Xenon UL 2
A compromise of such a low weight is
space and headroom. It’s a tight fit for two
but if you keep your gear in the porch it just
about works. You also need to check the
width of your sleeping mats as there is not
much room at the narrower foot end and
mats may overlap unless you have tapered
ones. Headspace is manageable unless you
are tall. The porch was a good size and could
fit a pack or two. To save more weight you
can use just the outer tent and Terra Nova’s
Fastpack groundsheet.
One tester found the sides of the tent flapped
in the wind and felt that a couple of extra
pegging points towards the back of the tent
would stop this. There was no damp coming
through the groundsheet even though it’s a
light material, but if you can afford the extra
weight use a footprint. On the whole it was
very stable due to its design and inspired
confidence for such a light tent.
In summary, there are compromises and it
isn’t cheap but it is incredibly well-made. Easily
the lightest on test and ideal for those wanting
a fast and light approach but need reliable
protection from the elements and are willing
to trade interior space for weight.
Vango F10 Xenon UL 2
Weight: 1.65kg RRP £325
The Vango F10 Xenon UL 2 is a lightweight
two person, three-season tunnel style tent
which offers excellent levels of stability and
weather protection, combined with a spacious
living area.
The Xenon utilises two alloy Gothic Arch
poles to create the tunnel shape and give an
amazing amount of space within the tent
considering the weight. To create more stability
Vango have incorporated TBS Pro, an internal
guying system using a lightweight Dyneema
cord that works beautifully, holding the tent
firm in bad weather.
The flysheet fabric is a 15D siliconised/PU
coated nylon (HH 3000mm), the bathtub
groundsheet is a durable 70D nylon fabric
(waterproof to HH 6000mm) and the inner is
15D breathable nylon. All flysheet and groundsheet
seams are factory taped to make a weather
tight product. The guylines and pegging points
are made from super strong Dyneema.
The easiest to pitch of all the tents in this
review, it can be pitched in one, with flysheet
and inner pitching together making it a doddle.
The inner and outer can be separated if you
wish, ideal for when you are trying it out back
at home. To combat condensation and add
ventilation the Xenon 2 also features a large
vent over the door allowing plenty of airflow,
with the added advantage of preventing the
rain falling into the inner when the door is
open. The vent is needed given that the flysheet
reaches all the way to the ground to keep out
wind and rain. Finally, a part mesh inner door
allows ventilation whilst keeping midges out.
The tunnel style gives plenty of headroom
in the inner tent area and there are a number
of storage pockets including in the roof space
for odds ’n’ ends. The porch offers good space
easily taking a couple of packs if you need to
put them there. If you do need a bigger porch
there’s the Xenon 2 UL 2+, essentially the same
tent but adds an elongated porch and around
400g extra weight.
The tent was used in some foul weather
and was found to be very robust, keeping out
heavy rain and remaining stable in strong
winds. It all just worked without any problems
and gave a sense of security when cocooned
inside. The large vent allowed some airflow
and kept condensation down to a minimum
in humid weather. Using a heavier weight
groundsheet meant no problems with damp
and was fine without a footprint. The tent has
a pretty small pack size especially given how
big it is and the tent bag has an oversized
opening for easy packing and compression
straps to reduce pack size.
Very reliable, easy to pitch and take
down, offering superb space to weight ratio
and at a good price. This tent is equally at
home in the mountains and as a base camp
down in the valley. Recommended, especially
if you value more space and want an all-round
tent. n
www.climber.co.uk Sep–Oct 2017 77