Wild Country Halny Elite 2 review: an award-winning lightweight tent

First impressions leave you far from surprised that the Wild Country Halny Elite 2 won Best Lightweight Tent in the Out & About Live Camping Awards. Initially, the weight and its shape when packed down will catch you off-guard. At 1.59kg, you’ll be dubious that it even is a two-person tent – but after a short while, you’ll be both mistaken and slightly baffled. One long pole bends in the at the centre of the tent, providing enough height inside to sit up (just about, for this 6ft 3in writer). There are two additional poles at either end and walking poles can be fixed in place to open up the canopy, which is a great feature.

The Halny Elite 2 has all the qualities a wild camper thought they could only dream of. Setting up is a quick and simple process. One long pole bends around the centre, providing some height, albeit not much. The layout of pegs is standard and does the job; Wild Country hasn't reinvented the wheel here, nor has it needed to.

The Halny’s showpiece is its doors; but don’t forget your walking poles if you want to see their full glory. On one side, both walking poles are needed. Additional strings wrap around the handles of your poles before being pegged down as usual. This opens up one quarter of the outer shell, turning it into a canopy, perfect for removing dirty shoes under cover or to enjoy the view from within. The other side is held open in the same manner but only requires one pole as the hole created in your outer shell is approximately half. This opening is a great way for increasing ventilation at either the occupant's head or feet, and can also serve as a lookout spot if you want to stay cosy in bed.

After two nights of Scottish rain and wind, the first thing that springs to mind is this tent's durability. Tents that prioritise lightness often do so with lesser-quality materials. However, in the Halny, there is no sense of that. As we see with many modern tent designs, the outer shell is larger and therefore overhangs the inner. Any rain – and believe me this was tested under a considerable amount – simply trickles off the ends, leaving your interior warm and dry.

If you opt for no open canopy, don’t fear that your ventilation has gone, too. It’s still here, and here in abundance. At both the head and foot, you can find mesh instead of the 20D nylon elsewhere. Rain is kept out with two small overhanging canopies (one at each side) which prevent water from entering thanks to their own drawstrings and pegs.

From transporting, setting up, and sleeping, it is very evident why this tent is an award winner. At 1.59kg, and a very small pack size, you'll forget it's even in your bag. Setting up is as simple as it gets and taking down is arguably even easier. The bag is more than big enough to easily slide the rolled-up tent in with ease, something that is not often thought of during the tent design process. Inside your well-ventilated shell is where the lack of weight really comes from. It's certainly a snug fit for two people and their kit, so I'd recommend either using this tent as just a one-man, or making sure you're very comfortable with your wild camping partner!