Lightwave t30 Trek Tent Review

Lightwave are a small British company who specialise in lightweight mountaineering gear. When we were looking for a small, light tent we were drawn to the Hilleberg range, but put off by the price tags. The t30 seems to be inspired by some of the design features of Hilleberg, is well made and a lot more affordable.

The Third Man

The t30 is a three man tent, though in reality it would be an uncomfortable squeeze for three. It supports two easily with plenty of room inside to stow important bags, sleeping bags and the all the other detritus which you accumulate over the course of a night’s camping.

Extendible

The “XT” version of the tent comes with an extra large vestibule extension. We didn’t go for this, mainly to keep the weight down but the vestibule it comes with is quite big enough to store 8 pannier bags and still have room to get in and out.

Weight

At a little under 3kg I think the weight to size ratio is very appealing. Packed up, it’s easy to stuff into a dry bag and mount on top of the rear panniers. With considerable practice, I’d say we can get the tent up in 10 minutes now, and down in probably less time.

Build Quality

I’m really impressed with the build quality of the tent. We’ve been using it extensively and not particularly carefully for 6 months now and I’ve not noticed any loose seams, threads or tears. It stands up well to the weather, keeping us bone dry inside during even the heaviest storms. The only internal moisture problems, as with all tents, comes from condensation. The ventilation gaps at the front and back aim to address this but these really need to be closed on colder nights which results in a damp fly sheet the next day.