One moto tent to rule them all? There’s no such thing: just like with motorcycle luggage and riding gear, what fits one rider may not work for another, and I’ve long stopped saying anything – from bikes to accessories – is “best”. What I can do, however, is share what’s worked best for me – so far.

我第一次进军摩托车露营开始回来in 2013 in Peru, where I switched from backpacking to motorcycle travel overnight (and haven’t regretted the decision since). At first, my moto tent was the most basic, cheapest option I could get – a supermarket tent for something like $20 or thereabouts, which has travelled with me from Peru to Argentina to Colombia. For the most part, it worked well, that is, it did its most basic function of providing a temporary shelter and staying mostly water-resistant, most of the time. It had the simplest pole system and was one-layered, which meant that whenever it got wet, I got wet, and whenever it was hot, I’d be boiling in it; but as I had a tiny budget and didn’t really know better, that basic mall tent worked just fine for almost two years.

After that, more nameless, brand-less tents followed, bought cheaply and discarded easily instead of shipping them with the bike. In North America, I had the opportunity to test one of the Big Agnes creations; it packed wonderfully small and light, but lacked space. Soon, it was back to basics, and then I went through a period of no camping at all.

This year, however, was going to be all about riding the Trans Euro Trail and wild camping as much as possible before shipping the bike to South Africa and continuing along much the same lines. A new tent was in order; this time, I wanted something a little more substantial, suitable for two people, lightweight and small, but definitely two-layered, big enough for all the gear, and easy to set up. Hilleberg looked mighty good, but the prices were way too astronomical for my budget; MSR is always a decent go-to, but more and more, I saw other travellers and friends using the compact yet spaciousLone Rider ADVtent. After a brief consult with Kinga On Her Bike Tanajewska and the ADV Travel Bug duo, I decided to give it a go: the ADV tent seemed to tic all the boxes for me. I spoke to Lone Rider, asked for the ADV tent to test it out, and took the tent for a spin from Andalucia, Spain, to the Balkans.

Right off the bat, I liked how small and light it packed for what it was. It easily fits into my Mosko Moto Reckless pannier – a fairly small and narrow drybag, compared to the Scout pannier line – and if you purchase additional compression straps, I suspect it may pack down even smaller. The weight seems about right – 3.35 kg (7.38 lbs); it’s dead-easy to set up with a simple, single-spine pole system, and the turtle shape makes it more spacious inside. The Lone Rider ADV tent is comfortable for two people and houses all our gear – helmets, boots, armour, jackets, plus the Mosko duffels and backpacks – quite easily, which is awesome when it rains. The inner layer has plenty of handy pockets for phones and other small items, and you can hang up a small camping light above.

I used the tent in dry desert conditions in Andalucia, cold nights in France, flooded riverbanks in Italy, and rainy, muddy mountains in Slovenia, and so far, so good. The tent seems resilient and sturdy enough for constant use, the waterproof outer layer keeps out the wet well (unless it’s torrential rain), and we’ve spent several days hiding in it watching Netflix waiting for the weather to clear comfortably.

Because we’re wild-camping more and more, we decided to purchase a tarp for longer camping stays; sometimes, we slip off the grid and wild-camp in the same spot for days or weeks on end, using it as basecamp so we can leave the luggage and tackle some more technical trails without the additional weight. In cases like this, the tarp provides extra dry space for all the luggage, and we have more space to cook or just hang out if the weather turns. Unnecessary if you camp less and don’t stay in one camp spot for long, but it works well for us.

Lone Rider ADV tent specs:

Fabrics

• Fly fabric: Ultralight UV-Resistant, Rip-stop, Fire-Retardant CPAI84, 10 000mm waterproof coating, 210T Polyester
• Floor fabric: Ultralight, Rip-stop, Fire-Retardant CPAI84, 10 000mm waterproof coating, 190T Nylon
• Inner tent fabric: Breathable Polyester, Fire-Retardant CPAI84
• Poles Material: Aircraft Grade Aluminium 7001-T6
• Pegs: Aircraft Grade Aluminium 7001-T6 (14 units)
• All seams are taped and coated to be 100% waterproof.

Construction

• Two-part quick setup design – Inner tent and outer fly tent
• One piece pole system – Solid structure connected together for fast setup
• Self-standing design – minimal staking needed and easy to clean out inner tent
• Double sewn seams

Tent Poles

• One pole spine connection setup
• All poles are connected together for easy setup and takedown.
• Singular pole system creates a stronger frame structure over independent poles
• Comes with an emergency pole breakage sleave
• Disassembled poles fit most major motorbike pannier luggage systems
• Aircraft-grade aluminum 7001-T6

Hardware

• Duraflex buckle family
• High-quality zippers
• High tensile military grade guylines

Inner Tent Storage

• Quick stuff door stack – stow door within seconds
• Roof Storage, find your stuff quick and easy, a great place for a light too
• Head and foot storage pockets
• Total 5 storage compartments

Packing Cases

• Stuff sack style for quick packing and setup
• Water resistant dry bag
• Compression straps
• Reflective strips
• Warning triangle system for roadside breakdowns
• Fits common pannier systems
• Space for groundsheet stuff sack
• Webbing for securing poles outside the tent bag
• Padded tent bag ends, prevents cable breakage.
• Pole bag webbing for securing poles on bike
• Peg pouch integrated into pole bag

Tent Pegs

• Aircraft Grade Aluminium 7001-T6 (14 units)
• Tri spiral aluminum alloy design to accommodate a wide range of soil conditions.
• Super light but strong (8.5g each)
• High tensile rope loops for easy removal
• Colored red to easily find in grass or mud

Quick overview:

• Packed size: 41x15cm (16.1″x5.9″)
• Tent inner size: 203x122cm (47.6″x80″)
• Tent with rainfly size: 275x225cm (108.2″x88.5″)
• Weight (poles, fly, inner tent, guy lines, stuff sacks): 3.35 kg (7.38 lbs).
• Fly fabric: Ultralight UV-Resistant, Rip-stop, Fire-Retardant CPAI84, 10 000mm waterproof coating, 210T Polyester
• Floor fabric: Ultralight, Rip-stop, Fire-Retardant CPAI84, 10 000 mm waterproof coating, 190T Nylon
• Inner tent fabric: Breathable Polyester, Fire-Retardant CPAI84
• Poles Material: Aircraft Grade Aluminium 7001-T6
• Pegs: Aircraft Grade Aluminium 7001-T6 (14 units)
• SOS ground sheet included

The bottom line? We’ll need to put some more miles on the Lone Rider ADV tent to see how well it lasts, but so far, it has been working really well – it’s got that good balance between being spacious and comfortable while packing fairly small and light, and I love the easy set up system (as well as, I admit, those world map prints on the entrances!).

Disclaimer: As mentioned above, this product was sent to us for review.