Gossamer Gear The One Trekking Pole Tent
The Gossamer Gear The One is a lightweight, spacious shelter that uses two trekking poles to set up. At ~22 ounces, including stakes, guylines, and stuff sack, it’s a go-to choice for backpackers seeking to lower their base weight yet still have an enclosed shelter with protection from rain and bugs.
Gossamer Gear The One Specs
MSRP: $299.25
Weight (tent body): 17.7 ounces
Fabric: 10D nylon ripstop sil/pu
Length: 84 inches
Head end width: 33 inches
Foot end width: 21 inches
Interior height at ridgeline: 45 inches
About The One
This is a shelter you’ll barely know is in your pack. The single-wall One goes in the bottom of my pack if the tent is dry, or outside in the mesh pocket if it’s wet. There are no poles to load into a side pocket, and I don’t bother packing the tent into the stuff sack. At night, if it’s raining, the one-piece shelter keeps water from getting inside the tent while setting it up. And the inside is big. I can stretch out without touching the end walls, and sit up without my head hitting the roof. The side-entry door means I don’t have to contort my body to get out like I have to do with my front-entry 1-person tent. The roomy inside of the tent, light weight, and easy setup are why The One has been an ultralight and lightweight hiker favorite for years.
Breaking Down The One
Fabric: The silicone-coated polyester used in The One’s tent body is waterproof and non-breathable, which accounts for the moisture that can build up on the inside walls. 10D fabric is very thin and lightweight, and a ground cloth is a good idea if you’re camping on rocky, gravelly ground. The fabric will sag during a rainstorm. (Gossamer Gear also makes a DCF The One, but it is not available because of supply shortages.)
Ventilation: The One has horizontal mesh vents inches above the floor at the head and foot ends of the tent. The fixed back sidewall has mesh at the top and an overhanging flap to keep rain out; the door side is all mesh with vestibule flaps that can open fully for maximum ventilation. Opening the vestibule flaps even slightly goes a long way toward preventing condensation inside.
Setup: Six stakes are the minimum needed to set up The One: four at the tent corners and two to pull out the sidewalls. Two trekking poles hold up the tent. (Gossamer Gear recommends setting the poles at 125mm, but I insert the poles and adjust them until I get the pitch I want.) The bathtub floor floats so I add four more stakes to pull down the floor corners, which keeps the ventilation ports wide open at either end of the tent. (The One comes with 8 stakes, so if you take this route you have to get four additional stakes.) Optional guylines pull out the ends of the tent, providing a bit more room inside and steadying the tent in a strong wind.
Stakes, Guylines, Storage: The eight stakes have looped string at the ends, making it easier to pull them out of the ground. (A nice feature because keeping the stakes firmly in the ground is crucial for holding the tent upright.) The reflective guylines have easy-to-adjust tensioners. Guylines at each end support the tent in heavy rain or strong wind, and there is an optional clothesline/headlamp hanger for inside. A large mesh pocket next to the door is big enough for a headlamp, phone, and more.
Vestibule: Large enough to store a backpack, shoes, and water bottle and keep them dry in the rain.
Waterproofing: All seams are factory taped.
Single Wall vs. Double Wall
I backpack in wet and humid New England, and have always used double-wall tents, which are considered better for ventilation and preventing condensation. But even with a double-wall tent condensation is possible, so I always leave the top of the vestibule door open slightly for ventilation. Preventing condensation inside a single-wall tent is no different. I leave the vestibule flaps wide open on dry nights, and a quarter open on cold or rainy nights. But it is important to remember that you will get wet if you brush against the inside tent walls during a rainstorm. It’s a good idea to keep an absorbent cloth inside the tent to wipe down the inside walls if they become damp.
Trekking Poles vs. Tent Poles
Did you ever set up your tent and realize your head was downhill from your feet? Or a rock was sticking into your back? I have. A semi-freestanding tent with poles is easy to move if you don’t like your first tent position. It’s not as easy to move a trekking pole tent, so making sure you have the right location the first time is important.
Front Entrance vs. Side Entrance
I’ve had front-entry tents for years, and they weren’t an issue until my most recent 2-pound, cocoon-like front-entry tent. Turning around inside is a challenge, mainly because I’m not as limber as I once was. Getting out of the side-entry The One is so much easier.
The One Pros
Size: Lots of room for one. I’m 5 feet, 10 inches tall and can stretch out without touching the walls. I can also sit up without brushing my head against the ceiling.
Weight: 17.7 ounces for the tent body alone. Carrying the minimum 6 stakes to set up brings the total weight to about 20 ounces.
Setup: The one-piece tent means the inside of the tent doesn’t get wet when setting it up in the rain. With a double-wall tent you set up the mesh body and scramble to get the fly on before rains gets through the mesh.
The One Cons
Condensation: It takes extra effort to keep moisture from accumulating on the inside of a single-wall tent, but in reality any tent requires adequate venting to prevent condensation inside. Gossamer Gear has these tips for minimizing condensation.
Overall Value
The nylon One, at $299.25 MSRP, is one of the lowest-priced lightweight, 1-person tents for backpacking, and The One should last for years based on Gossamer Gear’s reputation for quality gear.
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This product was donated for purpose of review.