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Eureka Solitaire AL Tent Review

Eureka Solitaire AL tent Review

The Eureka Solitaire AL is a lightweight single-person bivy style tent that comes with durable aluminum tents poles. Weighing just 2 lbs 10 oz, the Solitaire AL costs $115 and provides backpackers with an interesting alternative to other solo backpacking tents costing 3-7 times as much. While the Solitaire AL does have some shortcomings, it also has a number of features that make it a surprisingly livable and versatile shelter, at a cost that’s hard to beat.

Eureka Solitaire AL Tent

Comfort
Ease of Setup
Weather Resistance
Durabilty
Weight
Packed Size

Excellent Value

The Eureka Solitaire AL is an upgraded version of the classic Eureka Solitaire 1 person tent that has more durable aluminum poles, instead of fiberglass ones which had a history of frequent breakage. This tent is a great value for the money.

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Specs at a Glance

  • Capacity: 1 person tent
  • Trail weight: 2 lbs 10 oz (minus stakes, the tested tent was 1 oz heavier)
  • Dimensions: 96″ x 32″
  • Peak height: 28″
  • Poles: 7000 series aluminum
  • Fly and Floor: 68D 185T Polyester taffeta 1500mm
  • Doors: 1, Front (it is also possible to exit via top zipper when the fly is rolled back)
  • Interior pockets: 2
  • Freestanding: Yes, but the tent must be staked out for maximum volume

The Solitaire AL is a double-wall tent with a mesh inner tent and a rain fly. However, the two are sewn together, so you pitch them both at the same time. This is handy if it’s raining because your inner tent won’t get wet in the process.

If you roll back the fly, there is a lot of ventilation
If you roll back the fly, there is a lot of ventilation

The Solitaire AL is a bivy-style tent, so the most comfortable position inside is lying prone with your head at the front door end. This also helps vent the moisture in your breath which can lead to internal condensation. While you can’t sit up, the tent has is quite wide (32″) and long (96″) so there is plenty of interior room to store your gear inside undercover, along the side of your sleeping pad, or in the back.

The poles slide into sleeves so you get a sturdy structure
The poles slide into sleeves, anchored by grommets,  so you get a sturdy structure

The tent has two poles that slip into poles sleeves for setup. These create the tent’s tunnel shape. While the Solitaire AL is technically freestanding, you will want to stake out its corners and sides to fully stretch the tent fabric and increase its usable volume. The guy-outs are elastic cord, so a hooked-style tent stake is your best bet. While the tent ships with steel tent pegs, you’ll probably want to replace them with something lighter weight. I’d also recommend replacing the elastic guy-outs with non-elastic cords so you can get a tighter pitch. If you want to get fancy, you can even use line-loc tensioners.

You can get in and out of the tent through the central roof zipper when the fly is rolled back.
You can get in and out of the tent through the central roof zipper when the fly is rolled back.

In clear weather, you can roll back the rain fly over the front door and the top of the tent for star-gazing and ventilation. There are toggles and velcro-strips that wrap over the poles at both ends to keep the fly rolled up. There’s also a center zipper that runs the length of the overhead mesh, which you can open to get in and out of the tent at night. This is really handy.

The Solitaire AL can become quite warm if you can’t roll back the front vestibule fly at night, at a minimum. Of course, this depends on humidity and precipitation, but if it’s warm outside and raining, the inside of the tent can become insufferably hot and humid. It is a double-wall tent so you won’t get soaked, at least. However, I wouldn’t recommend this shelter for areas with high humid heat and frequent rain.

You can completely enclose the tent in rain or cold weather
You can completely enclose the tent in rain or cold weather

The chief advantage of using a bivy-style tent over a taller or larger tent is the ease of finding campsites. The Solitaire AL is narrow enough that you can plunk it down just about anywhere that’s level and set it up. This is a huge advantage if you’re hiking someplace where dispersed camping is permitted, because you can hike until dusk, without having to stop at a pre-existing tent site or shelter and end your day early.

The chief difference between the new Solitaire AL and the older model Solitaire FG-1 is the use of aluminum poles. The Solitaire FG-1 had a long history of pole breakage because fiberglass is far less durable than aluminum. If you want to buy a tent that lasts, don’t buy the ones sold in big box stores that come with fiberglass tent poles.

Sleeping with the front entrance uncovered is usually enough to keep internal condensational a bay.
Sleeping with the front entrance uncovered is usually enough to keep internal condensational a bay.

Recommendation

The Eureka Solitaire AL is a great value, especially now that it’s available with aluminum tent poles. While sleeping in a bivy style tent isn’t for everyone, the Solitaire AL is surprisingly spacious inside with excellent ventilation if you can roll back the roof on clear and dry nights. It’s also quite a durable shelter, with a high, seam-taped bathtub floor and durable fabric, so you can use it without a tent footprint. Weighing under 3 lbs, I think the Solitaire AL is an awesome value for anyone trying to minimize their backpacking gear expenditures and proof that you don’t need to spend $300 and up for a backpacking tent. The money you save will buy a lot of ramen.

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Disclosure: The author purchased this tent.

14 comments

  1. A bit late to the game here.
    Bought the original many years ago and, after years of occasional use and the purchase of a Tarptent, I went ahead and cut off the rain fly, reducing the weight of the tent and effectively created a lightweight bug bivy. For one or two nights max, I can enjoy a bug-free shelter with great star gazing. Just be sure to check the weather forecast or bring a very lightweight tarp just in case.

  2. Thanks for the review! I own this tent but seem to have lost the poles. Can someone supply the lengths/specs of the two poles? Are they available to purchase somewhere or should I just buy similar sized generics?

  3. What sold me on this tent was the roof zipper. It is awesome to me able to access and egress the tent from above (with the fly retracted of course), or be able to stand up and get dressed/undressed – you’ll appreciate this on a late night bio break.

    I am 6’0″ and there is plenty of head/foot and lateral space for me – even enough at the foot for storage of gear, jackets, etc. On a warmer, clear night one can retract the fly and ponder the universe. The fly is not separate, so if you’re an ultra-light hiker, you’ll need to cut it off.

    Last Fall I mistakingly pitched in in a low spot. It rained all night and into the morning, and I was in about a 1/2″ – 1″ puddle, but it was bone dry inside. This is a two layer tent, so condensation was minimal.

    I appreciate the mesh equipment pockets on both sides of the head – perfect for storing iPhones, cables, etc.

    It’s hared to say if this is a stand-alone tent. If they guys are not used, it will stand on its own but to get the full shape and size you’ll need to use them.

    I bought mine in 2020 for just under $100, and it came with aluminum poles. I created my own footprint from plastic sheeting from my local hardware store.

    Overall, I can’t think of anything I don’t like about this tent, except possibly for the freestanding issue. For around $100, I think it’s a great value and I would purchase again.

  4. I picked up the latest version of this tent to go along with a larger tent (for my kids) when I took the kids camping for the first time in mid-April. We stayed in a campground a few miles east of Lake Okeechobee in south Florida with hot weather by day and cooler (lower 70s), humid temps at night.

    First and foremost for me, it’s was great shelter from the mosquitoes and super easy to set up. With the fly on, and the entrance fly rolled back, my wife and I (yes… both of us) got a good night sleep without a single mosquito bite (I could hear them buzzing inches from my head on the other side of the net). There was room for our shoes and personal items inside, as well. I’m 5’9″/172 and she’s 5’7″/120. A single person with a pack is do-able.

    If it rained all night and we had to completely button up…no way. It would have been too hot and humid for two and probably for even one. Pair it with a poncho (tarp) suspended low overhead, however, with the fly open and you’d be better served where prolonged rain is likely. It’s a Florida three season tent – fall, winter, spring – not the summer rainy season.

    Build quality is nice, especially given the price point ($99 here). Super easy to set up and light weight. A nice tool in your camping toolbox (for the right conditions).

  5. I am 12, and I go on a lot of BSA campouts. I’ve been using this for a few years now, and it is still like new. Incredibly light, just under 2 pounds, and there is just SO much space inside. I would recommend it to anybody, anywhere.

  6. Taking it back to store, it’s Not Rain Proff. It got all my gear wet, and it was only dew, no Rain.

  7. I picked up one of these for 50 euros (53 dollars) a few years ago. One of the al? Poles has a slight bow in it but it still works. I think someone leant on it when it was up for display
    I’ve used it in the Wicklow mountains of Ireland and was surprised at how little condensation there was. I fit myself, exped downmatand a 60 litre pack in it but I don’t mind a squeeze.
    I’m not aš flexible aš I used to be so the top entry is very useful. However, I prefer the fly zipped up so enter via the front door.
    It is OK for 1 or 2 nights but I would hate to use it for an extended period of time or to be stuck in it for 12 hours in a rainstorm.

  8. I haven’t backpacked in about 15 years. Do people still need ground cloths with these one person tents? I just bought the Eureka AL. Should I get a groundcloth?

  9. You mention that it is semi-freestanding but needs to be guyed out for maximum volume. Would it be possible to deploy it in an Appalachian Trail shelter, just laid out on the floor, since it’s not much wider than a sleeping pad, without any means to make it more taut with tie-downs?

    • It is much wider than a 20″ sleeping pad and would really piss off any other shelter occupants. Pitching a tent inside an AT shelter is considered very inconsiderate and rude. Just saying. Set it up outside.

  10. This is an attractively designed product at a great price. However, the center roof zipper, one of its nicest features, cannot be used if the fly is installed. At that point, one must do the front entry clown-crawl which’ll be a lot of fun for a midnight pee run in the rain with your bag right there. Perhaps a slight redesign with an L-shaped side net zipper with the ability to disconnect the fly at the front hoop would help that somewhat.

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