Wild CampingOEXBackpacking Tent

OEX Bobcat 1 Ultralite review: a UL version of a British classic

With an almost cult-like following among UK wildcampers, the original OEX Bobcat has long been a staple of our hills. But with this latest ‘Ultralite’ iteration promising the same performance for almost half the weight and a fraction of the pack size, could it be about to get even more popular?

✓  RecommendedOEX Bobcat 1 Ultralite Weight958 gRRP£189Hydrostatic head1,500mm HH The good✓  Surprisingly good performance in the wind
✓  Easy to pitch
✓  Tiny pack size
✓  Very lightweight
✓  You can sit up inside
The not-so-good✗  Very small interior
✗  Tiny vestibule
✗  Material is fragile — needs careful handling
Buy from Go Outdoors →

At a glance

Buy from Go Outdoors →

OEX Bobcat 1 Ultralite review

If you head to any notable wildcamping spot on a Saturday night, the chances are high that you’ll spot a Bobcat. We’re talking about the OEX Bobcat 1, a popular and surprisingly decent budget wildcamping tent sold through the likes of Go Outdoors, Blacks and Millets. This little shelter is loved and loathed in equal measure amongst our hills, with the only major complaint being that the pack size and weight are simply too much for the space you get inside. Well, not any more. Say hello to the Bobcat 1 Ultralite.

Costing £79 more than the original iteration (£189 versus £110), the OEX Bobcat 1 Ultralite comes with a slightly tweaked design and optimised materials, resulting in a substantially smaller and lighter shelter. These simple design changes have halved the weight of the original version, with the Ultralite weighing in at 958 grams. The tent’s pack size has also been cut in half, taking up about 50% of the space as the Bobcat OG. And all for an extra £79.

If you’re looking into buying an OEX Bobcat 1 Ultralite, you might stumble when you see the two prices displayed at Go Outdoors. Right now, ‘members’ can get the tent for £189, whereas the RRP is £350. But don’t worry — to become a member of Go Outdoors, you merely need to sign up in-store and pay £5 for a 12-month membership.

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Our experience using the OEX Bobcat 1 Ultralite

As we were loaned a sample by the good folks at Go Outdoors, we only had a 5-day window to test this shelter before we had to send it back. As is often the case in the UK in May, our brief testing window delivered a ton of wind and rain, with only a few short moments of sunshine, so we were still able to put it up against it.

Features and performance

Weight and pack size

The first thing we really appreciated about the OEX Bobcat 1 Ultralite is its pack size and weight, which both outperform the tent’s £189 price tag. Out of the box, it weighs in at 958 g — roughly the same weight as two normal-sized footballs. When packed away in its bag, this tent is also laughably small. When you remove the pole, you can easily squash it down to something that resembles a small loaf of bread or a bunch of bananas, or you can roll it up to get it even smaller than a bottle of wine. On our testing trip, we had it at the bottom of a 40-litre pack, and we barely even noticed it in there.

Pitching and packing away

Pitching the OEX Bobcat 1 Ultralite is super easy — even easier than the original Bobcat. To get it up, all you need to do is slide through the central pole which serves as the Bobcat UL’s spine and peg out the corners. In still conditions, four pegs is all you need. To batten down the hatches, it comes with 5 guy lines that allow you to strengthen the shelter against winds from all directions. Unlike the original OEX Bobcat 1, we found that it was really easy to pull the fly sheet tight, and were pleased to see that it was easy to fully set up in around 7 minutes.

Livability

The livability of the OEX Bobcat 1 Ultralite is the only feature of this tent we were not blown away by. Inside, you really don’t have much room — about the same as you got in the original Bobcat 1. What’s more, due to the aggressive angle at which the back side of the tent rises up, it was impossible to prevent our sleeping bag from touching the inner on all 3 occasions we slept in this tent.

Next to the sleeping compartment, the Bobcat 1 UL comes with a small vestibule that’s more than big enough for a lightweight backpacking set-up. In it, we were easily able to store boots, wet kit and stash our pack, and we had plenty of room left over to cook. Which brings us on to what might be our favourite feature of the whole tent: the window. During cooking, the door can be opened fully from the top down, giving you a little window that you can enjoy the view from.

“At £189, there are not a lot of other options that deliver the weight, pack size and performance of the OEX Bobcat 1 Ultralite.”

Wind and rain performance

The flysheet of the OEX Bobcat 1 Ultralite comprises silnylon. That means that seam tape won’t stick to the material, and you often have to seam seal it yourself — OEX supplies a tube of seam sealer in the box. As we were testing a sample on loan, we tested it unsealed and didn’t notice any water ingress at any point during two nights of round-the-clock rain. We’d still encourage you to seam seal it before you take it out.

When it comes to wind performance, this is another marker that impressed us. It held up really well in gusts of 30 mph, and despite the outer pressing into the inner when the wind hit the back wall, the shelter remained strong and intact and was remarkably quiet all night. Due to this tent being so light and small, we would err on the side of caution and only continue to pitch it in sheltered locations reliably out of the wind.

Durability

The flysheet is made from a 10D N-Liten Sil/Nylon with a 1,500mm hydrostatic head rating. In layman’s terms, it’s thin. Very thin. And even though we didn’t experience any damage ourselves, we’re under no illusion that this tent will put up with years of abuse if you treat it like a heavier tent. If you pull the fly too much or pitch it in a rosebush, you’re almost certainly going to cause some damage. You may also consider pairing it with a polycro groundsheet for added protection.

Buy from Go Outdoors →

Our verdictExceptional value for a sub-kilo ultralight shelter.In a nutshell, we really like the OEX Bobcat 1 Ultralite. Weighing in below 1 kilo and packing down to a tiny size, it’s a phenomenal option for anybody heading out on an adventure where weight takes precedence over luxury. For £189, there are not a lot of other options that deliver the weight, pack size and performance of the OEX Bobcat 1 Ultralite, with equivalent shelters such as the Big Agnes Flycreek or the Robens Chaser 1 costing up to two or even three times as much. Coming with a small narrow inner that rises aggressively over you from the backside, this tent is definitely not for the claustrophobic — but for fast-and-light adventurers who know what they want, it’s a brilliant package.Buy from Go Outdoors →

FAQs

How does the OEX Bobcat 1 Ultralite perform in the summer?Well. The lightweight silnylon fly and mesh inner provide reasonable ventilation in warm conditions.

How does the OEX Bobcat 1 Ultralite perform in the winter?It’s not suitable for winter camping or mountaineering. The 10D silnylon fly and mesh inner provide limited insulation for serious cold-weather use.

How does the OEX Bobcat 1 Ultralite perform in the wind?Better than expected. It held up well in gusts of 30 mph. Five guy lines allow you to batten down the hatches in more exposed positions.

How easy is it to pitch the OEX Bobcat 1 Ultralite?Very easy — easier than the original Bobcat. Slide in the central pole, peg out the corners, tighten the fly. Fully set up in around 7 minutes.

Is the OEX Bobcat 1 Ultralite worth the money?At £189 with a free Go Outdoors membership, it’s exceptional value. Equivalent ultralight shelters from Big Agnes or Robens cost up to two or three times as much.