Gossamer Gear's "The One" ultralight 1-person tent ($299) is an ultralight, single-walled trekking-pole tent that weighs 21.65 oz. It has a spacious interior that's a palace for one, with excellent ventilation to help prevent internal condensation. Factory seam-taped, there's no need to seam seal The One which is made with an ultralight PU coated silnylon fabric instead of cuben fiber to help keep its price competitive. If you're looking for an easy-to-pitch ultralight tent that's value priced, it's easy to like Gossamer Gear's The One.
Specs at a Glance
- Weight: 21.65 oz, includes guylines
- Fabric: high tenacity nylon blended sil/pu coating, waterproof to at least 1200mm (7d canopy, 10d floor)
- Dimensions: 36″ (head) x 24″ (foot) x 88″ (length) x 46″ (height)
- Seam: Taped, no seam sealing required
- Minimum number of stakes to pitch 6; 10 recommended
- Color: Green, translucent
Design
The One is basically a A-frame style tarp-tent with front vestibule and rear awning attached. The front vestibule is quite large with a zippered center opening which can be closed shut in inclement weather, or partially or completely rolled back for views and ventilation. It's also large enough to store your pack under one of the doors and get in and out through the other.
The wall facing the front vestibule is solid mesh, with an offset zipper so you can get in and out easily without knocking over the trekking pole. The rear vestibule is more of an awning than a full vestibule, designed to cover a large rear mesh vent that extends down from the ceiling.
The back wall below the vent is solid fabric and there is no access through it. When pitching the tent, you just need to be cognizant of the fact that one side has a door and the other doesn't.
There are also two vents in the bathtub floor at the head and foot ends of the tents positioned where people tend to vent the most moisture at night, by exhaling it or through perspiration. While you can't close these vents, you can block airflow by staking the exterior canopy outside them low to the ground or by blocking the vents with clothing or gear.
Setup
Setting up The One in good weather is quite straightforward. Simply find a fairly flat pitch and, stake out one side of the green canopy keeping the guylines very loose with lots of slack. Stake out the other side of the canopy the same way, insert the poles and stake them down. Walk around the tent and tighten the guylines until you get a taut pitch. With the yellow bathtub hanging from canopy, you'll need 6 stakes (10 if you also stake out the floor). If you want you can also insert your pole tips into grommets along the long side of the bathtub floor and attach the poles to tie outs along the side walls to help open up the interior space. There are a lot of variations on this basic recipe that will work.
In bad weather, you can adjust the amount of air blowing under the front vestibule by lowering the pole height and pulling the front vestibule canopy guylines as close to the ground as possible. Gossamer Gear also provides you with additional guyline and attachment points on the tent so you can further secure the tent to the ground. However, given the size of this tent and its wind profile, your best bet is to stay out of heavy wind and find a more sheltered tent site.
Livability
The interior of The One is spacious and well-appointed. A clothesline runs along the ceiling where you can dry your socks at night along with a hook so you can hang a light. There's also side mesh pocket where you can stow your glasses or phone so you don't roll onto them at night.
But the clincher is the amount of space in the interior of the tent. Measuring 88″ long, you an easily fit a 6 foot sleeping pad inside without your face or toes touching the ceiling at the ends where the roof slopes down. The bathtub floor is tapered, with a head end that's 36″ inches wide and a foot end 24″ wide, and there's plenty of extra space next to a 20″ sleeping pad to keep gear close at hand during the night. You can also easily sit upright inside the tent (the apex height is 46″) and get dressed or undressed without having to be a contortionist.
The only livability issue with The One is the translucency of the canopy fabric. While it is opaque enough to block anyone from seeing though the tent, the canopy lets a lot of light into the interior. This can be good or bad, depending on your to light sensitivity. If you like to wake up at first light and get an early start, the translucent fabric will be a win. But if moonlight lighting up the inside of your tent bothers you, you may be less thrilled. Just be aware that it's a potential issue with this tent. (I can't use most cuben fiber tents or tarps for just this reason.)
Recommendation
Weighing just 21.65 ounces, Gossamer Gear's "The One" ($299) is an awesome value if you're looking for a spacious and well-ventilated ultralight backpacking tent. With abundant floor space and covered storage, The One is long enough to fit tall backpackers as well as those who want more headroom and floor width. Factory seam-taped, there's no need to seam seal The One before use, which is a definitely improvement over other cottage tent makers who are still using all silnylon fabrics. But like most ultralight tents, good campsite selection skills are important to minimize floor abrasion and wind exposure.
Likes
- Factory seam sealed
- Roomy interior
- Easy to set up
- Lightweight
- Packs up very small
- Great value for $299
Dislikes
- Translucent fabric transmits light
- Limited wind worthiness, best used in sheltered locations
- 1200 mm waterproofing is at the low-end of the range
- Low denier floor requires extra care in campsite selection
- Tent stakes not included
Disclosure: Gossamer Gear provided the author with a tent for this review.
The post Gossamer Gear's "The One" Ultralight Tent Review appeared first on Section Hikers Backpacking Blog.
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