Terra Nova Starlite 2 - A lightweight adventure travel tent

After a number of years wild-camping during hiking trips, getting started with adventure motorcycling and staying in campsites during two wheeled road trips on my XT225 Serow, I made the fantastic decision to upgrade my current tent. These adventure activities that I was, and still am actively involved in: camping, wild-camping, hiking and backpacking. All those have common ground in that weight and size matters.

Whether I am carrying my backpack for many miles on the trail or packing my bike for a few weeks of camping and touring, space is vital and I need my bike and backpack to be as light as possible. These main points are the absolute basis of my decision to choose the Terra Nova Starlite 2 as my go to tent.

I also know that the humble tent is one of the most important aspects of any multi-day adventure. There are many other factors and features that can make or break your investment. Below I will quickly explain how the Starlite 2 excels over similar tents and why it absolutely needs to be your next upgrade.

As with all tents, the maximum number of sleepers is not the most ideal and comfortable setup. This tent is spacious inside, more so than my Vango Banshee, but the real bonus is the large porch area. By storing your kit in the porch area as intended, this tent will easily fit 2 for a good nights sleep, or a solo camper who needs to stretch out after the days activities. As I’ve hinted at already, the best feature of this tent is the size and weight. Packing down to just 30cm (and less when compressed!) the Starlite 2 can be stashed away on your bike or fit inside a smaller backpack. The days of having your tent exposed on the outer side of your pack are in the past. This means that you can better protect the tent inside the pack and better balance your pack weight.

That’s all well and good, but there are so many rival tents that can match this size and weight! What is the real kicker to the Starlite 2? Why do I personally promote this tent as my own personal go to choice? It’s the waterproof level.

Virtually no other tent manufacturer has produced at tent at this price range that can beat the Starlite 2 at both physical size/weight and provide the same waterproofing.

Let’s move away from the specifications and the technical information for a second. How does the terra-nova perform in the field, for that is where you will be using it. The first experience of using this tent was on a hiking trip to the Lake District. Perhaps England’s ultimate wild-camping testing ground. Firstly, the tent could be packed into the inside of my pack which was a nice bonus coming from my Vango Banshee days. This meant that in the rain and the mist, I could easily fit a rain-cover over my pack as it was designed to do.

Arriving at our pitch after a long drive and an even longer hike, the absolute last thing I want to do is struggle to set my unfamiliar tent up. Fortunately, the terra-nova is a delight to pitch. The design is simple, its put together as a single piece with two poles on the outside of the tent. The guide lines can quickly be put out and pegged into the ground (I used my titanium tent pegs for an even lighter pack weight).

The next outing with my Starlite 2 was a motorcycle adventure. This trip took in the best of the Yorkshire Dales and then up into the Lake District once more. Below you will find a picture from this trip where you can clearly see how I attached my tent to my bike. The short length of the pack (< 30cm) means that It will not protrude from my narrow seat. The pack will then easily strap down into place and held there securely for multiple days. Check out more pictures of the tent in action below!

If you haven’t gathered already, I have a lot of respect for this tent. It serves as a great, if not the best, upgrade from your typical starter travel tent such as the standard Vango Banshee. Packing down smaller, being half the weight of the Banshee yet still providing the outstanding levels of waterproofing. This tent keeps on delivering with smarter design and extra space than similar 2 man tents on the market.

You can actually purchase this tent right now from Amazon (click here!), with fast & free delivery, just in time for your next adventure! If you take the plunge and pick this great tent up, be sure to send me some pictures!

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