One Man Tents

Camping guides

Straight answers for camping alone or in twos in the UK: where you're allowed to pitch, what kit to carry, and how to make the first night go well.

Wild camping in the UK

You can wild camp without asking anyone on most unenclosed land in Scotland and on the Dartmoor Commons in England. Everywhere else in England, Wales and Northern Ireland you need the landowner's permission, so for most people the first wild camp happens in Scotland, on Dartmoor, or on land where they have asked.

  • Nearly wild camping

    Nearly wild camping is a night on a small, quiet site with few or no facilities, where the landowner has said yes: the closest you can get to a wild camp in most of England, and the best place to try your kit first.

  • What is a bivvy bag?

    A bivvy bag is a waterproof, usually breathable cover that goes over your sleeping bag, so you can sleep outside without a tent. It is the smallest and lightest shelter most campers will carry.

Solo camping

Camping alone is mostly camping with fewer people to ask. Plan the first night as one night, somewhere you know, with someone at home who has your route and return time, and the rest is the same kit and the same skills as any other camp.

  • Your first solo wild camp: a step-by-step plan

    Plan your first solo wild camp as one night, within two hours' walk of a road, somewhere you've walked before in daylight and where camping is allowed, with someone at home who knows your route and return time.

  • Is solo camping safe?

    Solo camping is safe when you plan for the things that actually go wrong: getting cold, bad weather, losing your way and pitching in the dark. Each one has a simple fix, and the most important is telling one person your route and return time.

  • One man tent vs 2 man tent: which should you buy?

    A one man tent is the better choice if you camp alone and carry everything on your back, because it is lighter, packs smaller and fits on tighter pitches. A 2 man tent suits solo campers who want room for kit indoors, are tall, or will sometimes share.

Choosing your camping kit

Choose your camping kit in this order: sleeping mat and sleeping bag first, then the shelter, then the rucksack that carries it all. The sleep system decides whether you sleep, the shelter decides whether you stay dry, and the rucksack only has to fit what's left.

  • Wild camping kit list for one night

    A wild camping kit list for one night comes down to four jobs: a shelter that keeps rain out, a sleeping bag and mat that keep you warm, a way to cook and drink, and enough clothing and safety kit to walk out in bad weather.

  • Hydrostatic head explained

    Hydrostatic head is the height of a column of water, in millimetres, that a fabric holds back before water pushes through it. A higher figure means the fabric resists more water pressure.

  • Sleeping mat R-value explained

    A sleeping mat's R-value is a measure of how well it resists heat flowing from your body into the ground. The higher the R-value, the warmer the mat, and since 2020 most major brands test it the same way under ASTM F3340.

Camping skills

Most of what makes a camp go well is a handful of camping skills you can practise before you go: pitching the tent quickly and tight, staying warm through the night, keeping water safe, and knowing where you are on a map.