Vango Helium F10 UL1 tent | Tested and reviewed

The Vango Helium F10 UL1 is a lightweight, affordable solo backpacking tent that balances weight, durability, and price.

Its tunnel-style design with a central hoop pole makes for a simple pitch, while the Tension Band System enhances stability in strong winds. During my testing in the Cumbrian hills, it held up impressively.

At 1.2kg, it’s a great option for those seeking a budget-friendly, weather-resistant shelter. While pitching can be a bit fiddly and space is limited, it remains a solid choice for backpackers prioritizing weight savings and performance without breaking the bank.

Shape, structure, pitching and internal liveability

The Helium F10 UL1 features all-in-one pitching, meaning the inner and flysheet can be pitched together. Alternatively, you can unclip the inner and pitch the flysheet on its own to create a tarp-like simple shelter.

This is a classic tunnel tent with a single central hooped pole, similar to popular, premium backpacking models from brands like Terra Nova and Hilleberg. The design is trusted by wild campers for its ability to put up with gusty conditions, while only having one central pole to keep the weight down – but the price for this type of tent can vary drastically.

The Helium F10 UL1 compares favourably with the Wild Country Zephyros Compact 1, for example, in terms of price and design, while weighing 370g less. Compared to the similarly-shaped Terra Nova Laser Compact 1 (£620) and Hilleberg Akto (£780), the Vango Helium F10 UL1 offers massive financial savings – although the former two are superior, more premium offerings.

In fact, on the note of value, I double-checked my old notes and when I last reviewed the Vango F10 Helium UL1 in 2021 it cost £260. Four years later, and after a major cost of living crisis, it’s now £45 cheaper at £215.

Initially I thought this was a mistake – over several years of reviewing literally hundreds and hundreds of products, I don’t think I’ve ever seen a price go down over time.

I asked Vango’s marketing manager about this and he told me the brand has “put a lot of effort” into cleverly resourcing materials, improving manufacturing processes and perfecting the “recipe” so they can “offer the best quality and best price” simultaneously, including even reducing RRPs over time, as with the F10 – that’s impressive stuff.

In principle, the F10 is a tent that’s easy to pitch, though I found there were a few faffy moments. The main central pole is pre-bent and sliding it into the flysheet sleeve was straightforward enough, as was securing it to the eyelets on each side.

To prop up either end, small strut poles slot into eyelets and webbing pockets at the front and rear of the tent. They’re then held in place by the tension created when pegging it all out.

Once the initial structure was erected, I next had to clip the inner to the flysheet, which involved lining up toggles and clips and was all a bit awkward – I found myself crawling around inside the tent on my knees, fumbling around and getting irritated.

However, once completed, you don’t need to do this every time. I’d recommend simply leaving the flysheet and inner pre-attached and subsequently pitching the tent all-as-one in the future – it will save yourself a big hassle.

Unique to Vango, the F10 also features the brand’s Tension Band System, which creates triangulation between the poles and the base of the tent. I also found this a little fiddly to get right but I got there in the end. Finally, all I had to do was peg out the two guylines and I was done.

As is often the case with one-person tents, particularly those with a tunnel design, this isn’t a particularly liveable space, though it’s admittedly better than some, such as the very narrow Alpkit Soloist XL. From head to toe, the sleeping area measures 210cm – enough for very tall campers.

The inner is both 95cm tall at its apex and 95cm at its widest, so it can feel a little cramped and the living space is certainly less comfortable than a dome tent. So, it’s fine for sleeping in but not a lot else.

Waterproofing

Any tent intended for use in often-soggy hills needs to be able to hold its own when the heavens open. One indicator of a shelter’s ability to achieve this is its hydrostatic head (HH) rating, a measure of how much water pressure a fabric can take before letting water seep through.

The Helium’s flysheet boasts a 3,000mm HH, putting it on a par with many 3- to 4-season tents – very impressive given its price point. The fabric in question – Protex 15.SRN – is a lightweight, 15-denier, silicone-reinforced ripstop nylon.

Clearly Vango have prioritised featherweight qualities over rugged durability for the flysheet, as there are certainly tougher tent fabrics around. The groundsheet ups the ante though – and I should hope so too – with a 70-denier ripstop nylon sporting a whopping 6,000mm HH.

There’s more to a tent’s ability to repel the drink than its fabric’s hydrostatic head. However, Vango seem to have got all bases covered. All the seams come fully taped, the main zipper has a chunky stormflap and its bathtub style groundsheet extends about 10cm up the inner tent, providing a shield against water ingress around the perimeter.

I found that the Helium provided pretty good protection during the test period, though it remains to be seen how its waterproof performance – as well as the durability of its face fabric – will fare in the long run. Time will tell.

I also found that getting the flysheet 100% taut wasn’t the easiest and instead it had a slight habit of being a little saggy and flappy, with excess fabric, which is a bit of a concern.

Condensation

The tent features mesh vents at each end of the flysheet, enabling air flow and reducing condensation. The inner’s mesh door also lets air in while keeping out the midges - anyone who’s been camping in the Highlands in the warmer months will know how desirable this quality is.

In my view, the venting is okay and does its job just about, but it isn’t a magic wand. In the wet and humid conditions of the UK, I still think condensation build-up will be difficult to avoid in the Helium F10 UL 1.

Wind protection

Thanks to its low-profile, tunnel design with an aerodynamic shape, the Helium sheds wind very well. If you pitch it so that its length runs in parallel to the wind direction and tension the guylines, you’ll have yourself a tent you can rely on in the high places.

The tent’s unique TBS Pro Tension Band System also reduces what Vango call ‘sideways deformation’ – basically the wind playing havoc with the structure of the shelter: something many of us have experienced in the wee hours on a mountaintop.

I had this tent pitched for three days in really quite atrocious Cumbrian weather, with gusts of up to 40-50mph according to the Met Office. The tent’s location had a bit of shelter and protection, and I didn’t specifically measure the wind speeds for that spot (so I can’t say for certain what speeds it endured), but regardless the Vango Helium F10 UL1 held firm despite some ferocious winds. I was very impressed.

Weight and packed size

With an official trail weight quoted by Vango of just 1.2kg, the Helium is, as its name suggests, on the lighter end of the one-person tent spectrum. This is particularly impressive given its relatively low price point, which flies in the face of the assumption that you need to spend big to snare yourself lightweight camping gear.

It all packs down into a very small (35x13cm by my measurements) stuff sack. This is more compact than most and, again, compares favourably with other tents in this price bracket. Vango have achieved this feat by shortening the length of the poles, resulting in a less lengthy stuff sack – perfect for bikepackers, as well as backpackers.

On my scales the Vango Helium F10 UL1 clocks in at 1,250g / 44oz, including: inner (406g), flysheet (417g), poles (230g), pole bag (5g), 10 V-shaped pegs with pull loops (114g), peg bag (3g), repair kit including pole splint and rip patches (15g), and main storage bag (60g).

Features

I found the O-shaped, wraparound-style inner door was nicely designed and easy to open and close, even with one hand.

At the door, between the inner and the flysheet, is a relatively narrow porch that’s fine for keeping your hiking boots dry but it becomes a bit of a squeeze when your backpack is also soaking after a day in damp conditions. I’d prefer to have seen a roomier porch, in all honesty.

In terms of internal storage, there are a couple of mesh pockets in the ceiling, handy for keeping valuables off the floor.

I liked the oversized top opening on the stuff sack, which made the Helium easy to stash away, unlike some. Compression straps enabled me to bring everything in tight and keep the pack size down.

Verdict

The Vango F10 Helium UL1 is a lightweight, tunnel-shaped tent with great waterproofing stats at a superb price, but it’s not as premium as more expensive options.

About the author

James Forrest is one of our key freelance writers and gear testers. He has undertaken many long-distance hiking trips around the UK and Europe, and is one of the most knowledgeable experts around on backpacking tents.

James regularly conducts many of our tent and camping gear tests.