Topeak Bikamper EXP

Camping off of your bicycle is a lot of fun.  Whether you are touring in a conventional sense or bikepacking in the new style of ultralight travel, it typically involves carrying your sleeping accommodations with you.  For shelters, I happen to find it a bit of a challenge to get the right balance of protection, weight, footprint, ease of use, and pack-a-bility.  There are many approaches to getting some ZZZss out on trail.  The spartan traveler may make do with a bivy and a light bag, sacking out under the open skies or finding a lean-to for the night.  A tarp and ground cloth is another approach that many favor, and then, of course, there are the full tents.

A tent can really vary as far as weight and complexity.  Double wall, single wall, tarp-tents, ultralight one man tents, with poles, no poles (using hiking staffs)...there are all kinds of tent shelters that allow complete protection from crawlies, rain, wind, etc.  The trick is finding one that meets your needs, budget, and can be carried effectively on a bike.  Lighter is better and so is a smaller package when it is all ready to be stowed. 

When I saw the Topeak Bikamper EXP I was intrigued by the way they had designed it to be a bike specific shelter, in that it actually was intended to be used by cyclists.  In fact, this single wall, minimal sized tent actually makes use of bicycle innertubes and/or the front wheel of your bike as a substitute for the more traditional tent poles.  This would seem to make sense in that, if you could make use of things you are carrying anyway, like tubes and wheels, then you can do away with the tent poles and save weight and space in your packs or bags.

I favor the bikepacking approach rather than racks and saddle bags, so I am keen on slimming down my kit in any way I can and still be sheltered.  The tent I use now, an REI Chrysalis one man UL tent, is a pretty decent set-up for a double wall tent (meaning it has a main ‘canvas’ and mesh inner tent and a storm fly that covers this in poor weather).  Still, the tent poles are a bit gangly and if I want wind and all weather protection, I am required to carry the storm fly with me.  It still all fits into my seat bag (less the poles which I roll up in my mattress in the h-bar bag), but if I could get a single wall tent that worked for me, it should pack pretty small.

The Bikeamper EXP seems to offer efficiency and promise a smaller package uniquely suited to cyclists.  Does it deliver on those promises?  Let’s find out.

First off I set it up in my front yard to see how it worked before I got out on the trail.  Set up is fairly easy.  There is a bit of assembly and care regarding the tubes and such, but a bit of reading got that explained well enough.  First off, it comes packaged in a tidy stuff bag that could be attached to your h-bars or strapped to a rack.  Inside that outer bag is another stuff sack that organizes the tent stakes (included) and the assorted inflation aids. 

It requires staking and guy lines to be taught and steady.  The inner tubes, a 26” schraeder valve in the front section and a 16” schraeder tube in the foot section, are kept in their own sleeve compartment that also uses a center pole for support.  There is a blow-off valve that goes between the tubes and your pump so that you do not over-inflate and damage the tube.

Once set up, it seemed pretty solid and vented well enough. There is a side panel that can be staked out and opens a screen vent to aid in this.  It is not big in there.  There is a lot of footroom/length and the width at the shoulders is fine, but the height is limited.  The entrance is at the side and requires a bit of a lay-down and stuff your self in feet first approach.  Having a small ground sheet on the side of the tent at the entrance is not a bad idea.

I was curious to see how it worked with the front wheel replacing the 26” inner tube and sleeve/pole deal.  I grabbed an old 26” wheel and tire and it worked just fine.  The tent can be used as well with a 700C wheel and tire, but unfortunately a 29er set up is a no go.  I did get it to fit under there, but it was so taught that it was lifting the corners of the tent off the ground.  That would have stressed the material and seams when I laid in the tent.  Not good.  Bummer!

OK, off to the trail.  I planned a s24o trip to check out the Bikeamper EXP and managed to get it stuffed into my Carousel Design Works seat bag.  I had anticipated that I would save room over the REI tent, but once I added in the tubes and sleeves for the tubes, it was a wash size wise.  Weight wise, it was a wash as well.  The Bikeamper was 3lbs 10oz in its bag, stakes, etc, and the REI Chrysalis was 3lbs 14oz in its stuff bag. I actually do not use the stuff bags for either tents when traveling with them, but it made it easy to weigh them.

It set up well enough, although, since it requires guy lines, you need to be able to drive some stakes or get creative with shrubs or rocks, etc.  The stakes it comes with are so-so in quality, but got the job done.  It was a breezy and warmish night, maybe into the 50s temp wise.  I had no issues with condensation, something that can be an issue with single wall tents.  It is not real big in there.  Did I say that already? If you are claustrophobic, or a big guy (I am 6’2”, but not that broad in the beam) it may be too close for ya’.  I found it cozy, actually, but you are not going to easily change clothes in there and reaching something that is at your feet is a contortionists dream.

So, what do I think overall?  Well, I have some suggestions. While at first the idea of using inner tubes is appealing, saving on tent poles, it works out kinda awkwardly.  First off, the inner tubes are enclosed in a bulky fabric/zippered thing.  That material is heavy and hard to stuff.  The tube is a schraeder.  Most serious cyclists use presta valve tubes.  If you consider that the 26” tube can do double duty as a spare tube for your bike, saving weight there, what do you do when you get a flat and need that spare tube (assuming the tube is not able to be repaired)?  No tent for you that night.  And the 16” tube and enclosure...what good is that to anyone?

Using the front wheel makes more sense.  Even if you want to go ride after setting up camp, you can pull the front wheel and replace it easily enough.  But no 29er sized wheel?  Leaves me out.
And, there still are tent poles, even if they are tiny ones helping support the inner tubes.  Frankly, I would just as soon have poles only and leave the whole tube thing for keeping your tires inflated (unless you are running tubeless!).

Other than that, I think it is a reasonable package.  Cutting out the tubes and the sleeves they fit in would drop a lot of weight and make it easy to stuff the tent into any bag.  I would love to see a flexible ‘U’ shaped pole setup that dumps the tubes.  I did not camp in any rain, but a hose down on the front lawn did not seem to show any immediate leaks.

As it is, I do not think that a serious bikepacker would use it, but it does offer enough to be of use to a more casual camper or touring cyclist, especially if the 26” or 700C wheel option works for ya.

Guitar Ted's Thoughts: I was able to check out the BiKamper tent after Grannygear was through with it. Here are my impressions of the tent.

The overall size of the packed tent was okay in my view. I thought it was a bit on the heavy side, but I must say up front that I have never used anything this small in a long, long time. In fact, my main tent for the past 20 years has been a six man dome tent! So, I am used to a lot of room.

Setting up:I had no instructions in front of me when I first broke out the tent to have a look-see, but it wasn't too tough to figure it out. I probably took about 20 minutes to get it erected, and now I probably could get it up in half that time, knowing what I know now.

The tent must be pegged out and there are two main guy lines that require pegs. Here in the Mid-West, the soil can be easy, or rock hard. Fortunately it was wet when I set up the tent. The minimalistic aluminum pegs would be no match for a dry, hard dirt though, and if I were to get this tent, I would definitely look into some sturdier pegs for it ASAP. Other than that, I had zero problems getting the tubes to inflate with a hand held bicycle pump.

Size And Layout: The tent is basically a bit more than a bivy, but not much. Inside, you can roll over, but sitting up, or bending down to scratch your feet, is near to impossible. This is about as small as a tent can get. It definitely is a one man deal, but if you were married, and a "champion spooner pair", well.....maybe! Not I though. I am 6ft 1 inch and I needed every square inch of room just to be comfortable inside, and I was comforatble, but just barely. I might be able to get a small bag in there with me, but storing your gear inside with you would be a real challenge with this tent.

Features: The BiKamper has an overhead vent, vented ends where the tubes reside, and you can open the outer door with a closed inner netted door for another venting possibility. There are no hangers, pockets, or other ammenities inside. The ends are canopied a tiny bit, but I wouldn't call them vestibules. Still, you could park a small bag underneath and keep in reasonably dry in a gentle shower, but not much more than that.

Thoughts On Using The Tent: I found the tent to be a reasonable, dry shelter. We had a shower pass through and all remained dry inside. The venting is "okay". I didn't feel that the humid nature of the Mid-West was very conducive to staying completely dry and condensation free with the BiKamper though. I needed to have the outer door opened all the way on a sub-60 degree night and was barely able to keep things dry inside. I don't feel that a summer's night in the Mid-West would be very comfortable in such a tiny, enclosed space. Cooler weather camping probably would suit this tent fine. It doesn't have a lot of volume, so your body heat can really stay close to you. As long as you can manage sweat well, this tent would probably be the bee's knees in fall and early spring.

Finally, I agree with Grannygear that the bicycle tube idea, while novel, is a weight that is unnecessary. Especially considering the sleeves the tubes must fit into, and the aluminum poles used to help keep the tubes upright. I would think that two flexible poles in place of the bicycle tubes would save a lot of weight, (certainly over a pound), and also allow for better venting at the ends. You also could eliminate the support poles, saving further weight.

Conclusion: The BiKamper tent is a novel, minimalistic space for sleeping only that would really be interesting with a few refinements. As it is, I would merely say it has some possibilities as a cool weather tent for occaisional users.