Nigor WickiUp 3 tent

Nigor WickiUp 3 tent

A lightweight, roomy tipi tent that is ideal for backpacking and multi-day trips.

The WickiUp3 from Dutch brand Nigor is a fairly unusual tipi-style design. In its most basic form it comprises a silicon nylon fly sheet and a single central pole, although different additional components can be purchased to enable a number of different pitching configurations. For example, you can also purchase a full mesh inner, a half mesh inner and/or a footprint for use underneath or instead of a groundsheet. It’s a versatile and practical design that has become our go-to option for wild camping and any trip that requires a lightweight tent.

When pitched, it is very stable too, thanks to the robust single centre pole, although in extreme conditions, it does benefit from adding a set of guylines (which aren’t included with the fly sheet). We have added a set of Dyneema guys and Clamcleats line-loks for quick and secure pitching in high winds. When it comes to space-for-weight, this is one of the roomiest tents around. It weighs less than 2 kilos and has a very small pack size, yet this is a genuine three-man tent. It’s also light enough to be a practical option as a two-man tent, which gives plenty of room for gear storage.

The WickiUp 3 has few major negatives, but there are a couple of drawbacks; principally that the design doesn’t afford any sort of porch or vestibule (though this can be obviated – at the expense of some interior sleeping space – by using the half inner). But this basically means that if it’s raining, you need to zip the door up, or you’ll get wet.

As a wild camping tent, it’s a great option, particularly given its inconspicuous ‘willow bough’ green colour. On the other hand, the tipi shape does make it a bit more noticeable than a lower-profile design, and the reflective tabs show up prominently in torchlight (I’ve often thought about covering them with black tape for clandestine camping). It’s also worth noting that the seams are not sealed, although it would be easy to treat them with a suitable sealant, like McNett SilNet silicone seam sealer. I even bought a tube of this with the intention of treating our WickiUp, but I never got round to it (adventure got in the way!). Despite that the tent has never leaked, which has meant that little job has gone to the bottom of the ‘kit prep’ list…

Despite those shortcomings – all of which are fairly easily remedied with some simple tent hacks or by using a different inner configuration – we’re fans of the WickiUp. Build quality is very good, and pitching is quick and easy once you get the hang of it (though it really only pitches inner-first, which isn’t ideal in torrential rain).

Admittedly, this tent ain’t cheap. Nigor sell the various components separately, presumably so you can only buy the bits you think you’ll use, but even the fly and pole are priced at around £300. If you purchase the full-size inner too, that’ll set you back another £200. However, if you’re a keen wild camper, it’s a sound investment that offers full three-season protection (and, though probably not recommended, we have camped in the snow with ours too). The ultimate backpacking tent is simple to pitch, weatherproof, roomy and light. The WickiUp 3 delivers on almost all counts, qualities you’ll really appreciate when heading out on multi-day backpacking trips.