I am reviewing my new Tarptent StratoSpire Li, a 2 person Dyneema tent with fabric inner and Dyneema ground sheet. The tent has been imported into the UK from America. I am interested to see how suitable the tent is for UK conditions.

My reasons for purchasing the StratoSpire Li
I needed a very light weight tent for my wife and myself – one that had enough room to sit out bad weather in relative comfort, and light enough for long distance hiking. It had to be as light as possible because we go camping with our two youngest children, and we have to carry a lot of their gear as well as our own.
For the last few years I’ve been using walking poles, so I no longer needed to carry the weight of tent poles. I could now use a tent that was supported with the walking poles instead. Initially I was worried about the StratoSpire needing 2 poles to support it, because if I broke one, I wouldn’t be able to erect the tent properly. But that’s only an issue if I’m using the tent alone. But it’s a 2-person tent and more often than not, my wife would be with me and she uses walking poles too. Breaking a pole therefore shouldn’t be an issue, as we’ve 4 poles between us. Another initial worry was, I walk with 120cm fixed length trekking poles. But thats not been a problem either, as they support the tent at a nice height off the ground.
Tarptent can supply tent poles for this tent if you don’t use hiking poles.
Ordering and Delivery
Tarptent have a good website and ordering was easy. I placed my order with 6 to 10 day delivery. After waiting for 10 days or so, I emailed Tarptent to ask when I could expect delivery. They were quick to reply that my tent was number 67 of the 70 and it was due in from the manufacturer any day now. Two days later I received an email saying the tent was packaged and waiting collection from UPS US.
Once the tent was through customs in the UK, Parcel Force took over delivery. It was Parcel Force who sent me a letter informing me of the import duties that I would have to pay before they would deliver the parcel. Instead of waiting for delivery. I went to the Parcel Force depot, paid the charges and collect the tent. This meant it was a total of 20 days from order to collection.
The tent arrived well packaged and in perfect condition.

Pegs

I’m impressed with the supplied pegs. They are 6″ (150mm) long, which is a good size for usual UK ground conditions. They are very light weight and feel strong. The tent is supplied with 6 pegs, which is enough for a good stable tent. If you use the extra guy lines, you will need to add another 2 pegs. Even with 8 pegs, it’s not going to weigh you down, and it’s not many for a tent this size. Some tents I’ve used have needed a lot more pegs and that adds to the overall weight.

Unexpected extras were a nice touch and appreciated.
First impressions

The design of the tent is surprisingly complicated, and has relatively unconventional contours. It has been inspired by interesting mathematical and geometrical concepts, such as prismatic shapes and catenary curves. It makes interesting reading on the Tarptent website.

Pitchloc

Tarptent have patented the end, Pitchloc. This is a foldable, structural component which is used across their product line and made of very light and strong carbon fibre tubing. The Pitchloc increases usable volume, structural strength and stability. It also eliminates multiple stakes and reduces setup and take down time.

Both end triangles can be opened up for ventilation and held open or closed with thin velcro strips.


Access

The walking poles are offset from the centre so they don’t restrict access to the inner tent at all. This is a very impressive design because this is usually a compromise on most walking pole supported shelters.

The doors are held open by a magnet tie-back, which works surprisingly well. (Such a good idea that all tents should have them). Great in cold weather, if you’re wearing gloves, no fiddly hooks. It’s so easy that its now a shame they haven’t got them on the inner tent doors as well. I have found that the magnets can be released when it’s really windy, but it’s pretty rare and a minor niggle.


Inside the tent

There’s plenty of room for two mats and you can sleep either way round. The inner is the same width both ends.


The tip of the walking pole slots securely into this, and it looks tough enough to last.

If you don’t use walking poles, Tarptent and others also sell tent poles to use instead.


The inner can stay attached to the fly sheet or be removed fairly easily.


Gap under the front of the flysheet with the walking poles set at 125cm

Gap under the front of the flysheet with the walking poles set at 120cm
The connection of the inner tent to the flysheet of the StratoSpire can be adjusted so the height the flysheet can be varied. The flysheet can then be set high or low depending on the amount of ventilation required. I use a 120cm long, fixed length walking pole that was fine with the tent, even though it’s suggested you use poles set at 125cm.

The waterproof zips are a nice touch, and there’s even a flap on the inside to stop any drips if any water did get through. The zips feel strong enough.


Dyneema
The Dyneema looks and feels very thin. But from my experience with the Dyneema stuff sacks that I’ve been using for the last year or so, it’s tougher than it looks. It’s extremely expensive stuff, so I’m naturally careful with it though.
One of the best characteristics of Dyneema is it doesn’t absorb water, so the tent doesn’t get saggy when it gets wet. This also means you can roll the flysheet and inner up together even if the outside is wet. it won’t soak through to the inner. If the flysheet is wet on the inside with condensation, it’s easy to take the inner down separately.
Just shake the flysheet to get most of the water off, which nearly dries it. This way I’m not carrying the weight of a wet tent around all day, or having to wait around for it to dry in the mornings. I get going a lot earlier than I might have done with my previous Silnylon tents.

Cost
Scary…. don’t tell my wife.
I justify the cost by mostly camping wild and reminding myself that it’s saving me accommodation costs. (Probably repaying for itself within about 10 to 20 nights). This year alone, I’ve spent 58 nights camping wild in my previous favourite tent, the Nordisk Telemark and about 10 nights in other tents.
$709.00 + $61.90 Delivery via Priority Mail International® (6 – 10 business days) = $770.90.
Paid via Paypal = £658.16 + (Import Duty £56.69, VAT £105.8, Parcel Force Handling Fee £12 = £174.50).
Total Tarptent StratoSpire Li cost = £832.66 in UK, which is dependant on the exchange rate at the time. It wasn’t good when I ordered because of BREXIT
This is a lot of money but still cheaper than anything available in the UK in 2019 that’s equivalent to this tent. There are some cheaper single skinned or smaller and lighter dyneema tents, but they are not the same as this tent.
I’m not an ultralight backpacker, always looking for the lightest and often smallest gear to move faster for longer etc. I just appreciate light weight backpacking, as I’m often out for weeks or months at a time. A bit of luxury makes all the difference to me, so I’m happy to carry more weight and be more comfortable.

Cheaper option: If you cannot justify paying this amount for a tent, you could consider Tarptents silnylon StratoSpire 2 tent which is 391g heavier, but only $379.
Using the StratoSpire Li

I am impressed with the quality of the tent, it’s been well designed and made. My first experience using the tent, was on my own walking around the Gower coast path for two days. The tent was light enough for me to carry solo, but I did feel I had too much space. I’m just not used to this kind of luxury! My usual solo, one person tents are a similar weight to the Stratospire 2 but a lot smaller.

The second outing for the tent was with my wife, walking the Boudicca Way. We both loved having a porch each, we could sort ourselves out at the same time, without clambering over each other. I sat in mine cooking tea, out of the wind and my wife was able to sort the bedding etc out from her side. Best of all, if one needed to get up in the night, they didn’t have to clamber over the other, waking them up.

The first night with 2 of us sleeping in it, we had to camp near a river and there was no wind, so we had a lot of condensation in the morning. (in hindsight we should have left the doors open or pitched the tent higher of the ground to increase the airflow through it) But the tent had stayed taut and the inner hadn’t sagged onto the sleeping bags as it would have done with our usual silnylon tents. The inside of the flysheet was running with water and had been dripping on the inner. If we had been using a mesh inner, this would have been a problem. It would have splashed through, possibly waking us up and would have definitely made our sleeping bags wet. This was the main reason we purchased a solid inner with the tent.
There’s enough room in the inner tent, for us both to sit up and get dressed without touching the sides or elbowing each other too much.
Dyneema is pretty see through, so can be very light inside if there’s a full moon. Also it’s worth remembering that when you’re on a campsite getting dressed inside it. But it doesn’t seem to be a problem with our solid inner.
Possible limitations
The Stratospire is taller and wider than my previous tents, so it catches the wind more than I’ve been used too. It handles the wind just as well but I’ve found I need to use larger pegs, or I have to put rocks on them to stop them pulling out of soft ground.
The size of the foot print, it’s pretty big, this makes finding a suitable wild camping pitch more difficult and it may also have a larger pack size than you’re used to, 41cm x 12cm (16″x 5″). This may not fit in or on your rucksack the same way as previous tents you’ve had. But, I suppose that’s the compromise with having all this space inside the tent.
Conclusions
The Tarptent Stratospire Li is so light weight that you could carry it when hiking on your own. It’s a great tent and obviously designed by people who go hiking. My wife loves the extra space and convenience of 2 doors (and the little magnetic tie-backs). She’s even admitted, under her breath, it may be worth the crazy price. Negatives – The tent is fairly large so needs pegging down well in windy conditions and can flap noisily. High cost of the Dyneema and its limited life span, it’ll do one or possibly two thru hikes.
*Update 2023. I will not be buying another dyneema product, it’s not cost efficient as they do not last long enough. If the other dyneema tent I have is anything to go by, this tent will last around 100 nights away camping – if you’re lucky and look after it well.

The Dyneema stretched oddly and holes opened up during my Cape Wrath Trail hike.

Luckily Tarptent supply patches to stick on and hold it from getting worse. The tent bag has also got small splits/holes in it where the dyneema has creases.
A tent is an essential piece of kit that you need to trust when camping is the only option for long periods. It’s a great tent but I don’t trust it’ll survive another thru hike so dare not take it again. I can’t afford and don’t think it sensibly to buy a new tent at the start of every thru hike. I would consider buying the heavier and cheaper polyester (“silpoly”) version.
Possible Alternative Tent
I would consider the Nordisk Telemark 2.2 tent as it’s easier to pitch, much more wind resistant and still has the two entrances. Also the Nemo Hornet tents for the weight and inside space. The MSR Hubba NX tents for the space inside and lower price. Read My best tents for wild camping.

Weights on my kitchen scales
Tent Flysheet and Solid Inner 793g (28oz)
2 x Apex Guylines 14g (0.49oz)
Dyneema Tent Bag 16g (0.56oz)
6 x Pegs in Dyneema bag 48g (1.7oz)

What Tarptent say:
- Dyneema® fabrics for the ultimate in strength and weight savings
- Bomber performance in high winds
- Fully taped and waterproof: 8,000mm+ hydrostatic head pressure rating
- Dual trekking pole support; no poles in your living space
- Double wall, dual entry, and dual vestibules
- Interior is completely removable and can set up independently
- Interior never gets wet during entry, exit, setup or take down in storms
- Generous vestibules for excellent gear storage space
- Optional SideCar sleeping compartment for pets and children fits into either vestibule.
- Excellent ventilation, views, and moisture management
- Taut pitch with PitchLoc™ foldable corners and integrated line tighteners
- Pole handle side up possible with optional adapters
- Reflective spectra cord guylines
- Fast setup — under 2 minutes from sack to pitched
- Catenary ridgelines for shape and performance
Tarptent’s StratoSpire Li spec
- Sleeps: 2
- Seasons: 3-4
- 26 oz / 738 g tent body (fly and mesh interior) + 1.7 oz/ 48 g stakes (included)
- Interior Height: 45 in / 115 cm
- Floor Width: 45 in / 114 cm
- Floor Length: 86 in / 218 cm
- Stakes: 6 x 6 in / 15 cm Easton Nanos (included)
- Packed size: 16 in x 5 in / 41 cm x 12 cm
Note: Tent body weight includes guylines, struts, and stuffsacks.


Further reading
Tarptent StratoSpire Li website link. (Scroll down for the Set Up Video)
My best tents for wild camping
My favourite piece of hiking gear for navigation and safety, the waterproof Ulefone Armor tough phone reviewed here.

Wildwalkinguk is a blog run by myself in spare time, and I pay for its running costs myself. I do have some Amazon affiliate links and adverts on the site. If you click on these adverts or links and buy what you need (it doesn’t have to be the item I’ve linked to), the company will pay a small commission to us. This money goes towards the costs of hosting the blog. I would be extremely grateful if you could consider using our links when you next need to buy something from our advertisers. Alternatively, you can buy me a coffee here. Thank you so much for your support. Mark.
Excellent review very informative.
Many thanks, I am seriously considering purchasing the Notch Li for multi day hike this year.
Many thanks for your message, your feedback is greatly appreciated. Good luck and please let us know how you get on.
Great review, I have one too & UK based tho haven’t used it much as yet. It’s a brilliant design.
Like you, I did find lots of condensation on outer in Scotland last winter, it was prob 0 – -5c / no wind. And you’re right it’s bulky compared to silnylon.
I’m interested how stormproof it’ll but so far been lucky with weather.
Hi Richard
Thanks for your message. For other readers of the message that may misunderstand it I should say. The dyneema StratoSpire tent does not suffer from condensation any more than a silnylon tent, probably less. It also doesn’t sag and reduce the internal volume like a silnylon tent would when wet. Because of the two doors the Stratospire design is easy to vent and most of the time never have any issues with condensation anyway.
As for how well it will stand up to storms, like you I’ve also been lucky not to have tested that fully yet. I can say it’s not designed to be a full 4-season tent but will take a slight snow loading and the material is extremely tort and slopped so it doesn’t catch the wind too bad at all. I feel extremely safe in it and happy it’ll handle most of what the usual UK weather can throw at it.
I hope this helps.
Mark
Thanks for such an in-depth review. How did you find the floor size for 2 people? I’m considering getting one but am worried it will be too snug for 2x adults
Hi Sandy
I have the Tarptent StratoSpire Li 2 person tent and find there’s plenty of room for 2 adults. It helps significantly that there’s 2 doors and porches, so you’re not climbing over each other getting in and out. Love the tent, amazing space inside for it’s low weight and does have a fairly big footprint. It’s so good that I had to buy the Tarptent Notch Li to use when hiking on my own, great space for 1 and still 2 doors and porches.
Thanks for message
Mark
Excellent review, I am looking at getting the stratospire for myself but I will only ever use it on my own, wondering why you bought the notch for yourself on your own and did not just use the stratospire.
Hi Jonathan
Thank you for your message. The Stratospire tent is light enough to carry as a one person tent but it is pretty big. I found it took up a lot of space in my pack and I purchased the Notch mainly because it’s got a lot smaller foot print so it’s easier to find wild camping spots to pitch it. The Notch is still plenty big enough inside for me and my gear and still room to cook if needed.
Both tents are great.
Mark
Hi all at wildwalkinguk great review on this tent, I was wondering if you have used it in high winds since this review? I’m very interested in this tent as I’m just getting started into hiking/camping all over the uk and am looking for a tent, I’ve considered the hilleberg option but is a lot of weight but I hear they are solid in any weather. I’m looking to go once a month hiking/camping so may only touch on bad winter conditions afew times but it is the UK so anything can happen lol and would like to know if the Tarptent StratoSpire li would be a good choice. Many thanks stay safe.
Hi Sam
The StratoSpire is a great tent and stable in the wind. There’s very little flapping and it will stand up in some pretty strong winds. I’ve been out in some fairly strong winds and I felt very safe in it. Make sure you peg the guy lines out if it’s windy or if you want to leave all the doors open for ventilation in hot weather.
Thanks for your message
Mark
Hi, thanks for your review. I considered to buy one for myself, but I saw that you found it too big for one person. I have a Notch Li too, but I wish I had a little bit more room inside and in the apsis. I guess a Stratospire 1 Li would be the perfect solution. Hope Tarptent will make one in a not too distant future. 😉
Appreciate the detailed review and photos of this tent and the Notch Li – I’m currently trying to decide between the two. I have two main questions – I’m 6ft tall and use a large (wide and long) neoair xlite and wondered if you had any thoughts on if it would fit ok in the Notch? I was also wondering if you’ve had problems finding suitable places to pitch the Stratospire here in the UK because of it’s large footprint? That’s the main thing that’s putting me off opting for the palatial space of it at the moment. Thanks for any thoughts you can give and all the best.
Hi Paul
You and a large mat will fit in the Notch Li but that’s it and it will feel cosy, which personally I like no waisted space. The Stratospire 2 is a lot more spacious but it is a little harder to find big enough flat areas to pitch it. All depends where you usually hike. Both great tents.
Thanks for your message.
Mark
Hi, I found your blog while searching Stratospire li, UK, Winter.
Very in depth article. I live in Maine, USA. I recently ordered this tent, 3 days ago in fact, waiting for it in mail. I am very excited to use it. Planning a short 4 day Appalachian Massachusetts section hike in a week or so, Oct 2021.
I am also hoping to hike your Country next year 2022, if the world gets back to normal, kinda.
Maybe do 3 months there, Coast to Coast, Highland way, Cape Wrath…???, dunno.
Thanks for sharing all that awesome info, your family adventure, and etc. Well done.
Steve, Maine
Hi Steven
All them walks would be good and reasonably easy to wild camp. You could also consider walking the length of the UK in 2 or 3 months, this way you would see much more variety. Have a look t my Dover to Cape Wrath route. I loved it but you may need to think more carefully about camping on the early part of the walk.
Best of luck and thanks for your message.
Mark
Hi, thanks for your review, very informative!
Regarding costs, how much you’ve paid for import taxes?
Hi Simon
I cannot remember the import costs for the StratoSpire tent but it was well over £100. Read my Tarptent Notch Li review and that will give you a better idea of the cost of importing to the UK.
Thanks for your message.
Mark
Hi Mark. A fantastic review which persuaded me to buy a Stratospire Li in 2020. I love the space and have managed to get to grips with the quirky shape and working out how to orientate it when pitching. However, I had a terrible time with it on the West Highland Way last year. Admittedly it was rather wet and windy. Some nights the pegs just pinged straight out of the ground and the tent collapsed around me. Because of the design of the tent, they have to deal with a lot of pressure and just could not be relied on in wet ground. All the other campers had tents with poles which stayed solid. I had to hunt around every night to find large rocks to weigh down the pegs at each corner. Not a great look for a pricey tent. I have bought longer pegs now but I am reluctant to risk using it again. Did you have a problem with the tent in typical Scottish wet and windy weather? Do longer pegs solve this issue?
Hi
Steve.
It’s a shame you were unlucky with the weather on your WHW walk. Which tent to take on a trip is definitely a difficult choice and a compromise. Bigger and hance more space to sit out the bad weather or smaller for less wind resistance and easier pitching? My review does mention carrying extra and larger pegs for windy conditions. I always carry some extra large pegs and have needed them even with my smallest tents. I like the pegs that are supplied with this tent but would always carry spares as well in case I lost or broke some during a trip.
Thank you for your message and I hope you’re luckier with the ground conditions and weather next time.
Mark