How did Decathlon get to THAT price on the Forclaz Trekking Dome Tent MT900?

You can always rely on global retailer Decathlon for a bargain – and the Forclaz Trekking Dome Tent MT900 is no exception. At just £160, it’s superbly priced for a lightweight one-person tent (1,302g) with nice features, a dome-style shape, good head height, solid weather protection and a compact packed-away size.

It’s not a bikepacking-specific tent and, in fact, it’s more tailored towards the trekking and long-distance hiking markets. But the short pole length, low weight and packable size all work well for on-bike stowage and, therefore, the MT900 is likely to be a hit with price-conscious bikepackers.

Our all-round impression is that this tent is a budget, no-frills, copy-cat version of the lightweight dome-style wild camping tents popularised by brands such as MSR, Big Agnes and Sea to Summit – just without the high price-tag. So, essentially, if you like this style of tent, but don’t want to fork out £500 or more for an MSR Hubba Hubba Bikepack or Sea to Summit Alto TR1 Bikepack, the Decathlon Forclaz Trekking Dome Tent MT900 does a similar(ish) job for just £160.

You can’t save on price without compromising on quality, however, and there are some obvious drawbacks with the MT900. Internally it feels rather narrow and cramped, and lacks the spaciousness of its pricier competitors. The build quality, hardware and materials feel a little cheap and basic compared to premium models, and then you get all the usual negatives of dome-style tents too: lack of stability in high winds, a cold and draughty mesh inner and inner-first pitching.

But all of this is just nit-picking. Why bother being pedantic about the drawbacks when the price is this good? At just £160, this tent is a gram-saving and money-saving revelation.

Bikepacking features & on-bike stowage

There isn’t much to say here. The Decathlon Forclaz Trekking Dome Tent MT900 is a not a bikepacking-specific tent and it doesn’t have any bespoke, specialised bikepacking features.

Nonetheless it works well as a makeshift bikepacking tent because its poles fold down compactly to a length of 38cm. This is slightly longer than bikepacking-specific tent’s poles, which often segment down to approximately 30cm, but 38cm is still an appropriate size for on-bike stowage. The whole tent packs down wonderfully compactly too, fitting neatly into a 41x 12cm carry bag. This overall package is short, compact and narrow enough for attaching to your bike.

With a bit of improvisation, you can attach the MT900’s storage bag to your handlebars or bike frame, but it doesn’t feel that secure and stable. A better option is to simply ditch the existing carry bag and instead find space for the poles, flysheet, inner and pegs within your existing bikepacking storage options, such as your frame pack or handlebar bag.

Shape, structure, pitching & internal liveability

This tent is easy to pitch. Simply lay the inner out over the ground and peg out the four corners, the integrated porch footprint, and the central peg at the rear of the tent. Next assemble the hub-connected pole, which has one long ridge pole along the spine of the tent, a wishbone Y-shape at the head end, and a transverse cross pole in the middle. Next the three pole tips – one at the foot end, two at the “Y” head end – are secured into eyelets, thus creating the skeletal frame of the tent. Next the inner is clipped onto this frame in a “suspended” style. All that is left to do now is throw over the flysheet, secure it in the correct place over the inner with little clips and straps, and then peg it down to the ground with the provided pegs. Job done.

The shelter created has some big pros and cons. The cross pole and long ridge pole form quite a high, dome-style structure, which delivers good headroom, near-vertical walls and the steep architecture you need for a sense of comfortable internal liveability. It works quite well, albeit a step or two below the standard set by MSR, Sea to Summit and Big Agnes. The 210cm length of the tent’s inner is absolutely fine too.

The bigger problem is the inner’s width of 60cm at the head end, with a slight taper to 50cm at the foot end. It is so narrow that it feels quite cramped, and you’ll inevitably find yourself wishing for a bit of extra space in the width. For some this may be a deal-breaker; for others it might not matter. In our eyes, it works ok for smaller-framed bikepackers, but anyone who is tall or plus-sized might be better served looking elsewhere.

The Decathlon Forclaz Trekking Dome Tent MT900’s shape has one side-entry door. This door has a D-shape. Underneath it is a small triangular-shaped porch that is handy for stashing a hiking daypack and shoes, and there’s a nice design touch here too. An integrated groundsheet footprint provides some added weatherproofing protection for your kit.

Waterproofing, wind resistance and breathability

It is a mixed bag when it comes to weather protection for the Decathlon Forclaz Trekking Dome Tent MT900, with performance varying across the three metrics of waterproofing, wind resistance and breathability. This is our take: waterproofing is very good, wind resistance is average to poor, and breathability is decent. Here’s our reasoning.

The waterproofing is pretty solid and the tent can withstand heavy(ish) downpours without difficulty. The flysheet has a 2,000mm hydrostatic head rating, while the groundsheet is 3,000mm rated. Despite only costing £160, these ratings are higher and superior to the ratings of pricier models from MSR, Sea to Summit and Big Agnes, for example.

You also get taped seams (taped with heat-sealed strips), a flysheet that pegs out quite flush to the ground for a sealed-in structure, and reasonable clearance between the fly and inner to avoid the pitfall of the two touching. So all-round waterproofing is rather impressive for the price point.

Wind protection isn’t as positive. Decathlon says the tent can resist winds of 60km/hr (force 7), as validated by tests conducted in a rotating wind tunnel. We have no reason to question these results. However, in real life conditions, we’d suggest the thin yet tall profile of the tent has a tendency to “catch” the wind. This is because the walls are quite high and lacking in any form of low-to-the-ground, wind-streamlined, aerodynamic profile.

If the wind comes from one direction only, and you’ve pegged-out firmly in the correct orientation using all guylines, you should be absolutely fine. But we’d be a little worried about camping in this tent in very windy conditions. It’s not the tent’s strong point, that’s for sure. But if you do take the risk, follow our guide to wild camping for the best chance of making it work.

Breathability is more of a middle ground between the other two metrics. It’s decent, but not spectacular. Ventilation is encouraged via a large vent at the rear of the roof, which can be kept open with a little Velcro tab. The inner is mostly fabric in the lower half and mesh in the upper half – the latter encourages airflow. This is handy for combating condensation, but it can mean the interior feels cold and draughty in gusty weather.

Weight & packed size

On our scales this tent weighs 1,302g including the carry bag. This is split up as follows: flysheet and inner (775g), poles (298g), pole bag (16g), 10 basic pegs (106g), peg bag (6g), four spare guylines and pole repair splint (35g), and carry bag (66g).

This probably doesn’t quite class as ultralight, but it’s definitely lightweight – and certainly for the bargain price of £160, the weight is impressive. Usually the lighter a tent is, the more expensive it will be, so this tent’s price-to-weight ratio is excellent.

Overall 1,302g isn’t the lightest one-person tent we’ve ever seen, but it’s certainly not the heaviest either. For example, the Decathlon Forclaz Trekking Dome Tent MT900 (1,302g) is considerably lighter than the Wild Country Norte Compact 1 (2,117g), but it’s a few hundred grams heftier than the Big Agnes Fly Creek HV UL1 Bikepack Solution Dye (1,100g).

Features & sustainability

The inner has one mesh pocket at the head end for gear organisation, while the roof has multiple hanging loops for drying out kit or attaching a headtorch.

Several different materials are used in this tent. The flysheet is made from a 20-denier polyester and the inner from a 40-denier polyamide. Both have a polyurethane coating on the inside and a silicone treatment on the exterior for added weather protection. The poles are made from aluminium.

None of these materials are recycled and the overall eco credentials of this tent are not particularly impressive.

A two-person of the Forclaz Trekking Dome Tent MT900 costs £220 (1,950g) and a three-person version is £280 (2,700g).

Verdict

A superbly-priced dome-style tent with good hydrostatic head ratings and some nice features – but its narrow width feels cramped.

About the author

James Forrest writes regular features and route guides for Trail and has been one of our main gear testers for the last few years. James is based on the edge of the Lake District so when he isn’t off on his latest crazy adventure or challenge, he’s walking in his local fells.

Don't forget to subscribe to the Live For The Outdoors newsletter to get expert advice and outdoor inspiration delivered to your inbox!