Hi Ben, I'm still in the process of watching your video, but I got to the bit where you're having problems with the inner. When I got my Tarpstar 1, it came with the instructions for the T2. So I had to adopt a 'use the force Luke' method for pitching. Also, my tent came with a total of 12 pegs. 8 for the fly and 4 for the inner. This is how I pitch mine mate... 1) Peg out each of the 4 corners of the fly (and groundsheet if you have one), tight enough so that the edges of the fly are taught with no slack and the pegs with their guidelines are tensioned at diagonals to the corners. 2) Then I crawl inside and stick the pole up as far as needed until I think that the fly looks okay (I've forgotten what Alpkit suggest height wise, and I've never paid any attention to it anyway as it was for the T2 lol). 3) Then I put the other 4 side pegs on the fly and tension any of the 8 of them as needed. 4) Lastly, I peg out the inner with the 4 remaining pegs (sometimes, I do use 2 of the existing fly corner pegs for this) and then I attach it via the hanging point thing and adjust it for tension on the buckle (my inner is more taught than yours is in the video). I don't get the inner touching the fly doing this. Anyway, I'm off to watch the rest of your video Ben and I'll pop back with more comments, if I think that they're helpful.👍 *Edit after fully watching: The loop for the door is a problem (all tent doors are for me lol), so I always carry some clothes pegs for this. Also, your thoughts on winter usage were spot on, that's why I've been using the Bobcat over the last few months. Looking at your video Ben, I'd say that the issue is your pole height. Don't do what Alpkit suggest for the height and ignore it, just use the Mk1 eyeball method instead and stick the pole up enough so that the fly looks taught (which I would guess, is probably higher than what Alpkit recommends).👍

I've had my tarpstar 1 out twice now during semi woodland wildcamps. I love how lightweight the tent is.. The issue with the inner and outer I simply undid the knots on the bungi cord at the top off the inner, made them slightly tighter, then knotted them up again. Seemed to make the inner more taught 👍 I also had condensation on one night/morning but although it had dripped onto the inner mesh it didn't come through, but yes, try not to touch the outer fly when moving about in the vestibule . It's great in windy weather can easily withstand gusts from 30-40mph . I've had my outer down to the floor around and with a gap like your setup.. Drafty yes.. more suited for late spring and summer wildcamps 😁 I would stick with your helm compact for the c2c despite the weight..

Well done Ben, you have a remarkably swift learning curve.

Always good to see the pros and cons of a potential tent. As you and others have said, once you’ve done it a few times, the faff will more or less disappear. As you now have the tent, you might want to bring along an extra bit of cordage and a couple of extra pegs to pull those sides that are too close to the inner. Won’t add much weight, and if you don’t have those clamps that some use, you could always pick up a couple of stones on site to attach the extra guylines to and peg them out? Just a thought. Thanks Ben 👍🏼

Thanks for another great video Ben. Always informative and entertaining. It seems that there is always a compromise with whichever tent we pick. You’re obviously not feeling it for this tent yet. Thank you for sharing your honest opinion as usual 👍

Great review Ben, your usual analytical self. I like it more than I thought I would, my only reservations being the pegs. I don’t feel they will take much wind at all. Thanks for the inner/outer regime, that explains the 4 extra pegs I had. Cheers. Hardy

I am an Alpkit fan and did buy the tarp star but I had a bad experience with trying to put it up in very windy weather on rocky ground and after finally getting it pitched a gust of wind pulled out a peg and snapped my tarp pole. Tried again with it but was too much faff. I have the Tetri now which suits me much better and is bulletproof.

Great video as always Ben! I've been thinking about this tent for a while for bike touring, great to see you do an in-depth review on it. 👍

Thanks for that Ben, as always a very honest and balanced review which is helpful when thinking about whether to splash the cash. I've looked at these but never took the plunge.

I like the lightweight aspect of it. I think your definitely get used to pitching it after a few more uses. I think however you should take the helm 1 or upgrade to the 2 lol for the cost to cost. Great video as always Ben.

I’ve used the Nearly Wild Camping Club for several years. Some great spots!

So nice to see you get some sunshine this winter. Love the location and views, better than being surrounded by bricks, concrete and traffic 👍🏻 Hope the planning for the coast to coast is going well - looking forward to that one 🤗

Ben unless you fall in love with that tent I'd recommend the helm 1 for the c2c - it's not going to cut the mustard in Cumbrian terrain and weather- too much faff and no extra guys and them pegs won't work -its not want you want after a day's walking over the fells

Practice makes perfect Ben, great review bet it would make a great summer tent, to much mesh for me at this time of the year 😂😂

Great video Ben. It reminds me of the DD pyramid tent which i bought last year but haven' used yet. I think the DD is slightly smaller, but it does have a vent at the top.

I have this tent as well,but my first usage time will be just after 3 veeks , will see how the going :) Thanks for some info about issues....

This is a great and honest first impressions.... To be honest, other than weight I don't see any other benefit trekking pole tents have over freestanding... I remember Ash Outdoors' C2C from a few years back, although his tent wasn't the only issue, he had a much better experience after he swapped it

Interesting video and honest review. Not sure I'd take that into the mountains or high moorland even in the summer if the breeze getting under is an issue. It's rarely not breezy higher up and can be cool through the night. Great tent for warm summer nights in the forest though I think.

Great video Ben. It is always a case of simplicity v weight v price v unforeseen circumstances. Something has to give somewhere. Some on here have mentioned the X-mid which is a great tent, but it comes at hefty price tag when you add-in shipping/taxes. The Cloud up 1 10D is lightweight and easy to pitch, but it won't give you much spare space; which is not an issue if you are lucky with the weather, but otherwise there's not much room inside. The Sierra Designs high route 3000 is quite an interesting proposition on paper (similar-ish to the Xmid and just under 1kg), Decathlon also have a decent trekking pole tent (you will need 2) if you can get past the colour (white overall). It is worth practicing your pitch a few more times, changing your pole height etc. before making your final decision. The Tarpstar ticks a lot of boxes. I would not worry too much about the wind sweeping underneath as you may need it in the summer if we have another crazy heatwave. All the best.

I was looking at the Tarpstar 1 but it seemed a bit redundant when I already have the DD pyramid tent. Thanks for the review. I think the Tarpstar looks more practical, but I'll stick with what I've got for now, atb, Graham

Hmm jury is definitely still out at the moment! Did love the look of the tent from the outside, and very roomy inside. But faffy tents just aren't for me. It may well get easier with more practice, and you may iron out the inner outer issue, but this just isn't what you want after a long hard day trekking. Loved the campsite though, and the rocking fire 🔥😊. Bring on the camping season! Thanks for your honesty as ever Ben. Have a goodun Pete and Shell 😊👊👍

Thanks for the tent demo 😊

Always wondered how these style of tent compared to the TN Lazer comps, mainly in terms of wind, obviously they have loads more room inside! Also on the lookout for a high end 2 person + kit trekking pole tent to be a lightweight alternative to the Hilleberg Allak, ideally sub 1.5kg.

Looking good buddy! Hope you’re well Ben.

Looks pretty similar to the DD tarp tent. Pretty cool it has an inner though!

Thats why I sold my Hex Peak v4a and Mini Peak II, just way too much faff and time to set up and to pack up! I took it on my 220km John Muir Way hike and 5 days later bought X-mid and never looked back lol Maybe not soo roomy inside but its way lighter and it saved my ass on West Highland Way and Great Glen Way when was raining like crazy, windy as hell and I was soaking wet and I can pitch it in max 2 or 3 min probably with my trekking poles etc. and to hide inside quickly. Any tents that takes longer to set up are no go when you are exhausted at the end of the day and its getting dark fast + bad scottish weather lol Anyway hope you like yours😊

I'm still only half way through the video but I think adding lines to the corners will probably help with the outer touching the inner. Nearly got one of these but ended up getting an xmid which I haven't tryed yet still using my lanshan🤣 good video tho mate as always keep up the good work

Great write-up. One thing to note is you have those Alpkit pegs the wrong way round so that the cordage can slip up and off them... they need to be the other way so the cordage under tension would stop at the notch.

I bought mine as a shelter only, for daytime use, not for sleeping in. But they don't sell it without the inner, which I thought would be useful for sleeping in on really hot nights just as a bug tent. As soon as I use both outer and inner at the same time, the weight approaches that of a "proper" mountain tent. I have no intention of using outer and inner together.

Interesting review Ben. Having mastered a pop up tent, I felt sure the Alpkit wouldn't be a challenge to you 😉😁 My mobility is a bit limited, so I don't think I could cope with that pole in the middle of everything 🤔 I love the idea of a simple tent for the 'purists'...but I don't think it actually exists?!🤷

Landed? 😅🤣😅 you make it sound like you just stepped off a UFO! 😉 never change Ben

Awesome view my friend

FairPlay to testing it out , looks way to much faff to setup , Lanshan much easier but to be honest semi / freestanding for you trip maybe a better option especially after a long day , Cloud UP 10D 💪👌

Absolutely stunning video

Take two more pegs, separate completely and use a bit more of porch space to create a better gap?

Looks ok with a decent amount of living space but my lanshan 1 pro pitches literally in a few minutes and looks similar so not one for me. I have my lanshan setup as the inner on this with the pegs pre-attached with small bungee loops. All of them included the guys. I find the bungee gives a little bit and helps it cope with poor conditions. Plus it makes pitching super fast.

Great video Ben, have looked at the Tarpster myself very interested in how you get on with this one. I just got a Nemo Hornet to do the Cumbria Way. Also what’s the campsite called, looked good. I live in Notts, might go try it.

Raise the tent outer to 130 and that will create the gap between the outer and the inner I have a similar tent and that solves the gap problem

Great job pal what site are you on mate

Beieve me that looks a massive improvement on my luxe hex peak, which is a total faff and not waterproof as the seams need sealed

How is it now 2 months down the line?

Hey Ben 👋 Can you leave the inner attached and pack it up as one?

avoiding any baffle top ventilation like in the onetigriss stops any natural ventilation by " chimney" convection..; Sometimes I wonder...c:(

Ok so is it the same flysheet for the Tarpstar 1 and 2? Just a smaller inner for the 1?

Aren’t the line points half way up the tent able to pull the outer away from the inner?

Are there tie outs on the tent Ben.

Maybe ..use a couple of added buttons on the outer and use guy lines

What if a person were to put the "sticks" on the outside? Or a "Pup Tent" ("A" Frame.) that has no poles in the kit. Light? Criss Crossed in front... X situation? No bumping into things! Could you hang a mosquito netting from the situation in the peak of your situation...

Nice vid- where was the campsite please Ben?

Just get a nightkat trekking pole tent job done

Tbh, I think the instructions for the tent are just for the 2p inner: I don't think you can pitch the 1p inner only, and the fly goes up 1st if your using the 1p inner. I also think it needs pitching at 130cm to get a truly decent fly-Inner gap. If I had it pitched at 120cm bolted to the ground, I wouldn't bother with the inner tbh. And it'd be about 45 seconds to pitch the thing, too. But yeah, its pretty good for the cash but it definitely isnt a eureka! tent. I think mine came with 4 extra pegs for the inner (or ground sheet).

Thats a tarp basically..

Nice one 🫡 looks like you had a good time up norf 🤓