I reviewed this tent’s bigger brother, the two-berth Power Lizard, in the August 2010 issue of Camping. That one tipped the scales at just one kilo; the solo Power Tokee UL is a mere 860 grams. The key to it is the incredibly lightweight 20D flysheet material, siliconised on both sides. In the normal run of things, siliconised flysheet fabric would have to be PU coated on the underside in order for the seams to be taped, but Vaude have developed the technology to make taping stick to siliconised fabric.

The Power Tokee is a simple pitch. Fly and inner are attached. Rather than threading the main pole through a sleeve, you simply attach each end of it on either side of the tent, and then fasten the Powerframe clips. The short uprights at each end attach in a small pocket at the top, and a ferrule at ground level, and with that you are two pegs away from having the tent standing, with just a few more to tidy it up. If you peg all the way round the fly, you will actually find you are a couple short for the side guys.

Unzip the side entrance, and it reveals a decent-sized porch which runs the length of the tent, giving you enough storage space for a rucksack without impeding access. Inside, there is a reasonable amount of room for a solo tent, and with the highest point in the middle you can sit up quite happily to cook in the porch. Mesh panels at each end of the inner provide ventilation, with corresponding vents under cowls in the fly, and in the top section of the inner door.

The guy lines tensioning each end have luminous sliders, and the attachments have reflective tabs. Strangely perhaps, there are no such advantages on the guys on either side of the main pole – indeed, if you want to make them adjustable, you will either have to buy a pair of sliders or tie sliding hitches. As well as the extra stability imparted by the Powerframe clips, the pole is also tensioned on the underside by a line which attaches at various points to provide additional bracing.

While I have quoted the packed size as 38cm x 12cm, that is allowing for a certain amount of expansion in a relatively generously sized stuffsack. Squeeze it all down and it will take up even less space.

Verdict: Amazingly lightweight, but not in any sense flimsy. Then again, for a tent priced at not much short of £400, you would expect performance, and the Power Tokee UL certainly delivers on that score.


More information

Dimensions Outer 245cm x 110cm Inner 225cm x 90cm (87cm)
Packed size 38cm x 12cm
Materials Outer ripstop polyamide 20D siliconised both sides, hydrostatic head: 3,000mm Inner ripstop polyester 15D Micro Groundsheet ripstop polyamide 40D 240T, laminated 10,000mm Poles AL7001 T6 Featherlite 7.5mm Pegs lightweight aluminium
Expect to pay £380


Sleeps 1
Packed weight 0.86kg
Pitching time 5 minutes
Style Side entrance tunnel


CONTACT

Vaude
Tel 01665 510660 for stockists Web www.vaude.co.uk


This review was published in the June 2011 issue of Camping magazine. Order our latest issue.