Wild Country Helm Compact 2 Tent RRP £260

Product Information

It was only a matter of time before inflatable tents made their mark in lightweight camping, just as they did with family tents a decade ago. This design gives a relatively large sleeping area, with 1.2 metres of height and 2.4 square metres of sleeping space. On top of that, you’ve also got the benefit of a 0.8 square metre porch, providing plenty room to cook and organise your kit – something we feel is an essential feature in single skin tents to avoid touching the potentially damp walls of the main compartment. The Aurora is also fitted with clips for Nemo’s Pawprint liner – a neat optional extra that means you can take your dog with you without worrying that he’ll damage the tent floor with his claws. Speaking of protecting the tent floor, the Aurora comes with a footprint to form a barrier with the ground below the tent. Inside, there’s an impressive amount of headroom and floorspace, plus two decent sized porches for storing gear.

Pitching is fairly easy, with interconnecting aluminium poles forming a freestanding frame which you clip the inner onto, before attaching the flysheet on top. But bear in mind this is an inner-first tent, so you do run the risk of everything getting wet if it’s raining. The tent has a single main pole, which forms an arch towards the front, while two short, upright poles create the rigidity at the front and rear. Both the aluminium poles are strong but flexible. The flysheet and inner go up together, and after a practice run in the garden, I found pitching straightforward and really easy. Despite their outstanding design and obvious quality, American tents tend not to be as popular on this side of the Atlantic as they are at home. And one of the main reasons is that the needs of campers in Europe – and specifically the UK – are poles apart (excuse the pun). That’s thanks in large part to the differing weather conditions.I’m 6ft 0ins tall and this is not really long enough inside. My feet touch the end whilst my face is uncomfortably close to the wall at the other end, remember that the walls are not vertical – they slope towards the centre of the tent, so whilst the footprint appears on paper to be adequate, the full length is not useable. If you are say, 5ft 10ins or less, it would be fine. Other key updates include a new orientation of ventilation panels on the front and rear inner doors, improved yellow reflective guylines with cleat-style runners, and a lighter green shade on the flysheet. It all adds up to a very positive revamp of an already successful design. We tested out the new Helm Compact 3 in the Lake District and this is what we learnt:

For lightweight campers more used to cramped conditions, the amount of space will be the thing that immediately jumps out – at 1.85m, there’s plenty of headroom inside for most people to stand upright without stooping and that makes a huge difference. Comfort: The most comfortable tents have roomy interiors with vertical walls and ample head and shoulder room. It's not necessarily essential, but the ability to sit up and move around without touching the inner is desirable. Lower profile tents will have aggressively tapered walls, which can feel cramped and claustrophobic. The Helm Compact 3 is affordably-priced, providing near-premium performance for a less-than-premium price.” Ventilation: Condensation can be difficult to avoid in the UK's wet climate, so good ventilation is key. Mesh vents on the inner and vent windows on the flysheet will help increase airflow, as will mesh panels on the inner walls. Good clearance between the inner and outer is very important too. MATERIALS Outer 70D polyester, hydrostatic head 6,000mm Groundsheet 70D polyester, hydrostatic head 6,000mm Poles PowerLite alloy

In a hot, dry Californian summer, an inner tent made primarily of mesh would make perfect sense for keeping cool. In the north of Scotland it would be guaranteeing you nights of shivering. We recommend using a footprint which sits under the groundsheet and porch area to help prolong the life of your tent. A footprint for the Helm Compact 2 is available." The hubbed poles and colour-coded clips make pitching straightforward, although consulting the instructions for the first pitch would be advisable. Weight: If you're carrying a tent up a mountain, you'll naturally want it to weigh as little as possible. But, the lighter a tent is, the more expensive it'll be. For a good quality, 3-season tent for UK use, 1kg or under is extremely light, 1.5kg is good, and 2kg is a tad on the heavy side.