The Zephyros Compact 1 V3 Tent by Wild Country is a great value lightweight tent, perfect for when you need a really low weight tent such as backpacking. |
Review of the Zephyros Compact 1 Tent by Wild Country
I’m always on the lookout for great products to suit my outdoor hobbies of wild camping and hiking and on this occasion I tested out the Zephyros Compact 1 man (V3) Tent by Wild Country.
Regular readers of the blog will know I like to keep my reviews brief and to the point, so keep reading to see what I thought of this little tent.
PRO’S of the Zephyros Compact 1 V3 Tent:
• One of the most useful aspects of this tent is it’s low weight of 1.57kg (3lb 7oz)
• The latest ‘compact’ incarnation of this tent gives it a pack size of 30cm x 18cm – so it’s easy to fit in your backpack & panniers
• It’s quick to pitch, with colour coded poles and the Fly & Inner pitch together
• The fly sheet is made of Stormetx P4000 FR – Fire retardant Polyester 4000mm Hydrostatic Head and is fully seam-sealed and it holds up well to the wet British weather
• It’s low profile make it surprisingly sturdy and resilient against the wind (it’s billed as a 3 season tent)
• The door has a mesh panel and there’s a small mesh panel at either end so this helps a lot with ventilation
• It has 1 door which opens into a relatively big porch – very useful for small 1 man tents to give extra space for kit
The compact nature of the tent makes it an ideal choice for wild camping |
CON’S of the Zephyros Compact 1 V3 Tent:
• If your not used to this kind of design – you may need a few practice goes at pitching it to get the end poles in the right position and the fly sheet nice and taught as it can be a bit fiddly
• I think the zip on the inner tent could be designed so it goes along the bottom of the door too so you can pack the door away to the left or right (it’s current design means you have to rest the full width of the door on the floor (which makes it easier to get dirty in time as it can get in the way)
• This is a compact 1 person tent – so your backpack will need to be stored in the porch – I recommend getting the footprint to make your porch more useable
Here you can see the relatively big porch, but also how the zip of the door doesn’t go along the bottom of the door (I like to tuck the doors away to the side) |
Its a decent size inside as far as 1 person tents go – at 64cm wide inside and 220cm long. I’m 6ft and it was big enough for me! |
I like the little clip on the flysheet door to attach it to the inner tent to keep it open rather than have to roll it up |
Summary of the Zephyros Compact 1 V3
All tents by Wild Country are renowned for their great value and this is no exception. It’s lightweight, sturdy and will respond to the bad weather well. It packs away in a compact stuff sack which makes it great for backpacking and cycling tours. Infact it won Trail Magazine’s Best Value Award June 2021 with the comment “Superb price, weatherproofing, tried and tested design, sturdy construction”.
If weight, price and compactness are very key considerations for you – then definitely consider this tent, especially for very short trips. For longer trips you may well want something bigger inside. Personally I already have the Helm 2 Compact Tent by Wild Country – and I love that tent – mainly because it’s a freestanding, 2 person tent and I can fit all my kit inside. It’s obviously a heavier and larger tent – but I’m prepared to carry that little bit of extra weight. However, if I was hiking up a large mountain summit, for 1 night, then weight makes all the difference and I might just take the Zephyros instead!
To find out more about the Zephyros Compact 1 – visit Terra Nova’s website www.terra-nova.co.uk/all-tents/1-man-tents/zephyros-compact-1-v3-cactus-green/
Zephyros Compact 1 tent – lightweight, compact and great value |