Robens Elk River 1 Review
One of our favourite tents to use out in the hills, the Robens Elk River 1 is an exceptional 1-person shelter that performs well for its size and weight in UK 4-season conditions. Could this be the best one-person tent you have never spotted in the hills?
The Robens Elk River
Overall 9/10
Value for money: 4.5/5
Suitability for UK conditions: 4.5/5
Light, small and effortless to pitch and pack away, the Robens Elk River 1 is a fully free-standing tent that offers plenty of room for one person and kit. Due to the exoskeleton design, it goes up and down without a hitch, performs well in the wind, and is beautiful to look at to boot.
The Good
Lightweight
Packs down very small
Fast to pitch
Fully freestanding
Exoskeleton clip-on pole design
Enough height to sit in the door
Solid in the wind
The Bad
It's not suitable for the taller user
It is on the snug side
The Robens Elk River 1
Hailing from Denmark, Robens is one of the most established European brands in the tent space, and we’ve been lucky to have tested several of their lines over the years, including the Starlight 1 and the more recent Chaser 1. In our experience, Robens has consistently delivered nothing but reliable, meticulously thought-out and reasonably priced shelters — and the Elk River 1 is no exception.
Weighing in at 1.5 kg, this tent packs down almost as small as a Nalgene bottle and is probably one of the easiest and quickest tents we’ve ever pitched. In places like Eryri, Bannau Brycheiniog and Dartmoor, we’ve been able to pitch this thing in a number of minutes, even when the wind has been ringing in our ears. Over the years, we have also been able to use it in all conditions imaginable, including snow blizzards, driving rain and punishing winds. And the tent has been nothing but impressive the whole time. It consistently outperforms all expectations in regards to its size, weight and price – and has proved once again that Robens delivers nothing but quality tents at a more than reasonable price point.
If you shop around online, you can normally pick up the Robens Elk River 1 for around £250. Despite no longer being available directly through Robens, we’ve seen it on various e-commerce sites, such as Trail and Mountain and Trekitt, with prices ranging from £200 to £300. Naturally, then, for a tent of this style, that puts it at the higher end of the spectrum. The Alpkit Solosit, for example, costs £120 and is reasonably similar in its design. Due to the DAC poles and the exoskeleton design of the Elk River, as well as the quality of the taped seams and the YKK zippers, however, we think it’s an investment worth making if you can afford it.
Our experience using the Robens Elk River 1
To test this tent, we’ve used it dozens of times over the last 2 years. We’ve tested it against driving rain in the Lake District and in ferocious winds in Bannau Brycheiniog (Brecon Beacons). We’ve carried it for miles up and down the windswept mountains of Eryri National Park (Snowdonia), and we’ve hunkered down in it in temperatures approaching -13 degrees Celsius in Dartmoor National Park. And you know what? It’s performed remarkably well on every occasion, always being nothing but a cinch to pitch and pack away.
In fact, we’re struggling to highlight any cons as we write this review, as there really isn’t anything we’d like to see improved. Robens haven’t cut any corners in the design or the production of this shelter, resulting in a tent that delivers exceptional all-round performance in all 12 of the UK’s glorious seasons. The DAC 9mm aluminium Y-shaped exoskeleton pole is very easy to use and adds some serious rigidity to this thing in bad winds, and the double zip on both the inner and fly gives you plenty of ventilation for substantial airflow (or if you are using the vestibule as a kitchen). Inside the shelter, there are two pockets and an overhead line and loop to attach a lamp, and the webbing straps attached to the guy lines can be lashed around the exoskeleton for extra wind resistance and support in bad weather (which is a feature we highly rate on all Robens tents).
Coming in at 215 cm in length, the tent is a little on the snug side, however, which may take some getting used to if you usually camp in something much larger. But users of an average height will still have ample room in the Elk River to store gear, and we’ve found that the tent quickly becomes a cocoon of warmth from the harshest elements on the coldest winter nights. To maximise internal space, we’ve taken to storing our boots, stove and water in the porch overnight, and keeping our empty pack at the foot end of the tent. This means we can still spread out when we finally hit the sack, and have everything we may need through the night conveniently in reach.
Another thing we love about this tent is the fact that it’s rarely spotted out in the hills. And while we appreciate that this shouldn’t be a sticking point when reviewing kit, there’s something exciting about knowing a secret that nobody else seems to know. For us – with its exoskeleton frame that holds the fly in place and the gloriously earthy desert colour – it’s one of the most photogenic tents we’ve been out in, which makes the experience of sleeping in it all the more enjoyable.
Robens Elk River 1 FAQs
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The Elk River 1 performs brilliantly in the summer. For such a small tunnel tent, you have a lot of ventilation options, and if you’re travelling light without tons of winter layers, there’s more than enough room in the Elk River 1 to spend multiple nights inside comfortably.
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The Elk River 1 performs surprisingly well in the winter. Due to the exoskeleton pole structure, it’s able to absorb huge gusts of winds without any major issue whatsoever, and it can easily withstand UK-levels of snow load. Additionally, as it’s so compact, it retains your body heat very well, resulting in a reasonably warm and comfortable shelter, even when the weather outside is absolutely miserable.
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For such a small and lightweight tent, the Robens Elk River 1 performs very well in the wind. The DAC poles, guy lines and clip-on exoskeleton provide amazing support – far more than you’d expect from looking at it – and make for a tent that stays strong when pitched both sideways or head on into the wind. To provide extra support, you can also wrap the webbing straps that mount the guy lines around the poles before guying them out for extra stability.
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The Elk River 1 is very easy to pitch. In fact, it’s one of the easiest tents we’ve ever had the privilege of pitching and packing away. We’ve pitched this thing on chilly winter’s nights when wearing thick winter gloves, and we’ve put it up against galeforce winds numerous times. Each time, it’s been simple to put up – in all conditions.
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We think the Robens Elk River tent is still worth buying in 2023 – if you can get your hands on one. It’s worth shopping around online to find your best deal, with numerous retailers having the Elk River on offer for between £200 and £300 at time of writing.
Conclusion
The Elk River 1 remains a favourite here at the GBAC purely because of the convenience its design offers: It takes the chore of pitching out of wild camping. And, performing as well as it does in all weather, it also allows you to be more present after a hard day hiking in the hills and mountains. It allows you to get a better night’s sleep due to the confidence this thing instils in users, and it gives you the ability to set off quickly the morning after. All in, then, we think the Elk River 1 is a tough tent to beat, and we look forward to using ours for many more years to come.
