Breaking Down the 2024 OEX Ultralight Tent & Tarp: What's Different? Bobcat 1 Tent & Feral Tarp
In this video I take a look at the yet to be released OEX Bobcat 1 Ultralite tent and see what's different to the original wild camping favourite Bobcat 1. I also see how the new OEX Feral Ultralite Tarp fits works in tandem with the tent.
I have a GIVEAWAY for an Alpkit BruKit camping stove, as well as prize competitions for a Tent and a Gopro Hero 10 & Insta360 X3 Action Camera bundle. More info here www.messner.co.uk
The OEX Bobcat Tent can be found here www.gooutdoors.co.uk/15980942...
A few money savings discount codes
Flextail pump shrsl.com/44wsl GET 15% off with code PAULM15
Flextail R5 Sleeping Pad shrsl.com/4fikb GET 15% off with code PAULM15
ALL Terra Nova & Wild Country Tents Get 20% off full price tents with code PAULM20 plus
HELM10 further 10% off
SCROSS5 further 5% off
STARLITE5 further 5% off
GPacks Hoodie www.gpacks.it/products/explor...
Gpacks Backpack www.gpacks.it/products/altavi... use code PAUL10 for a discount
MASSIVE thanks to YOU. I couldn’t do this without your support.
As requested by many of you. Thank you, it's much appreciated...here's how you buy me a beer or a coffee www.buymeacoffee.com/PaulMessner
DISCLAIMER: This video and description contains affiliate links, which means that if you click on one of the product links, I’ll receive a small commission.
#wildcamping #camping #backpacking
These days i need a pop up premier inn.
With you on that mate.
Lol, I love the outdoors but camping, although I enjoy Paul's videos, isn't really for me.
Would probably prefer it in the green for stealth
Would be great to see the UL in green.
The original OEX Expedition tarp can take extreme wind. I've had one out in many storms. The ultralight range does look good, but I'd prefer green or lanshan brown.
I’ve never been able to settle in an ultralight tent in British weather. Even in summer for obvious reasons 🌧️ ⚡️my original OEX hyena always keeps me water and wind proof. Not sure something lighter, in every sense of the word is for me. It certainly seems like the new range is lightweight construction. I like the ruggedness of the normal OEX, even if it packs down like a breeze block. Great vid Paul, cheers!
Remember the Saunders JetPacker? Light as they come, and I used it as a base camp tent at Suila Grande back in 1985.
@@snooglyyep I had one of them, it survived a severe storm on the isle of sky at a campsite below the Cullins that flattened most tents and turned a caravan over. The only damage was two rubber tie outs had been worn through.
I hope Go Outdoors are seeing all the comments on getting this UL in the green
Love it my favourite 1 man tent was the Oex Bobcat for price.
Looks great for fair weather camping , love the tarp
Really enjoying these past two videos. Your attention to detail when reviewing products and experience really shows through.
Sounds like you fancy him
I've never seen or used an OEX tent or tarp and can't comment of quality on OEX products, but I have several tents with small or no vestibules and a couple of options for tarps. IMO combining a smallish tent with a tarp instead of a larger tent with vestibule give a lot more flexibility and space (depending on tarp size). It's also a lot less storm worthy but more than good enough for most below tree line use.
Glad you got to do this information video on the new tent. I like the look of it and the tarp to match. Be good to see the seam sealing being done as not everyone is confident in doing those sort of things and im sure you will make it look easy to do.
I had a tent like the "Ultra light" 40 years ago. It was a NZ brand called "Hallmark", Single pole, same dome shape, light blue in colour. Retired it just two years ago, it was still waterproof, but the alloy pole corroded on its last trip out, so I had to make a 'jury-rig out of a long piece of supple vine which did the job very well. The tent would yield in strong winds and would bend right over but was never pulled out or ripped. I suspect that the Ultralight will act in the same way. I might just invest in one. ATB Cheers from the mountains of NZ ☺☺
That tent and tarp combo has 'trip hazzard' written all over it!! 🤣 The tarp is a great addition though for summer/fairer weather trips
Good video Paul. OEX also makes the Expedition Tarp that does the exact same thing with the green Bobcat
Looks a decent tent, great to see we have loads of choice at different prices ranges.
I've just purchased a bobcat 1, and tried it out this weekend gone. It held out pretty good considering the gale force wind and rain. Not sure about the UL one to be honest. No doubt someone will try it out in some extreme conditions. As for the tarp, it does seem like a lot of faffing around . I bought a tarp from go-outdoors a few years ago. This tarp has an elasticated band that sits over the cross pole. You just pin it down at both sides and then use a walking stick to prop the front up, then peg each side of the front section of the tarp down. works for me 🙂
Brilliant Paul. Love these reviews you do. Thanks 👍
Great looking tent. I would prefer it in green as the blue would let to much light in for those early morning summertime camps when the sun gets up from 0500. Tarp looks like a very handy extension
Great video, very informative and helpful. Fantastic lightweight summer fair weather tent. Possible good for bike packing too.
Excellent review and comparison Paul. I'll be looking out for it.....when it's in a sale though.
Neat, like it for summer camping 👍🏻
Thanks for this Paul, a great and fair comparison between the legend and the new. I do like the ul option not sure about the colour, do like the original green. Still enjoy my Bobcat 1 but also started bivy camping with a DD tarp so enjoying both. Thanks again for your videos very helpful and informative
Great video Paul...really interesting..both set ups have their merits..it's down to individual choice... which you put across spot on.
Great review Paul. Both tents looked good, but I did like the Ultralite in blue and went well with the tarp. Looked easy to set up too.
I have the original bobcat this new one looks like a good option especially with the tarp Excellent video looking forward to you resting it in the wild
Very impressive with the tarp.
I am looking forward to seeing the ultra-light version of the phoxx II. Great comparison vid. 👏
Soo Luv the light weight TARP..!!😻
I really like the idea of that tarp, intrigued to see what other brands of tent it is compatible with.
Just bought a terranova solar old tent now and discontinued and looks exactly like the bobcat so useful video thanks Paul
I’ve had a Terra Nova Solar since 1997. Brilliant solo tent. Never let me down.
I always prefer to have a green tent. The ultralite does look nice and ultra lite👌🏼
The blue one looks too translucent , I can imagine an early morning sun back lighting some "getting dressed" outlines, I wonder what a light inside at night would reveal too...
I own the 900 gramms Mountain Engineering Nimbus UL1 and am quite happy with it.
I like the new one. Like them both frfr.
That looks like a really nice lightweight fair/decent weather hiking/camping option. Combined with the tarp, you can choose a fast pitch or full fledged if you stay somewhere longer or want extra rain shelter. Also nice for long summer evenings, to relax outside (imagining just the right breeze/no midge or mosquito...). Not suitable for the 'storm chaser' hiker category/4 season hiking but nice for the other 75-80% of campers (my guestimation). And pretty affordable for what it offers. Looking forward to it's performance.
I have the original, might consider an upgrade. Cheers
Biggest problem with the original was lack of tension/the inner touching, it drove me crazy first few times I used the tent trying to get it taught & just realised it was bad design so I’m glad they’ve addressed it.
I've still got my OG Vango Banshee from 15? years ago. I'm on the lookout for a fastpacking tent and this could be the one.
I was a fan of the original and this looks a good upgrade to be fair.
For Dartmmor I realistically need to keep with the original but that tarp is looking pretty good for calmer days. Although I expect for price the DD ultralight will be better.
Go outdoors will be getting payed a visit at the end of April…..looks a great tent for summer months where most of the time we spend outside of the tent. Cheers Paul.
Seems quite nice.😊
I like the first one but would be good to see the improvements of the ul added ( clipping the inner and adjustable points to peg it out with) the bigger overhang on the front is better too
Thanks Paul, I really like the concept of being able to 'upgrade' the OEX texts into a larger size with the tarp. Personally I'd prefer the ultralight in a more muted colour for just blending in, and potentially stealth camping. Paul
Love the colour of this tent, and like the tarp. Great review. But I wouldn't want to go for a "P" in the middle of the night with all them tie out points lol
🐝Thanks for the great video🌻 owmy what a colour!!
Paul you are back to your best with your reviews...looking forward to seeing more..take care
Being a larger guy and a side sleeper, these tents look to be one step up from a coffin 🤣. I do love the tarp though and could really see ot used with a multitude of tents.
Picked up the original when it was £59. After the first time using it the inner annoyed me so added some pull out points in the inner and a couple of other external rear tie outs. The result is a much nicer tent to use - also replaced inner to out toggles with tiny clips so it stays put. In the North Yorkshire hills it got a proper test and neither leaked or even flapped in some pretty extreme winds - great little tent as long as you just want to sleep. I changed the side guys to be clip on so you can leave them off if you don’t need one or both sets..
I have a similar tarp for my old Vango Tempest. Bought that over 10 years ago and remember people saying it looked stupid, but I loved the extra room it gave me. Funny how tastes change! Not sure I like the Bobcat though. I like a bit of room in my tents so prepared for a little bit more weight. I need to get one soon though as the summer is swiftly approaching!
I'm getting one. Nice.
Looking forward to the, “seam sealing,” video.
I did the 630 mile South West Coastal Path with the original Bobcat and it stood up great to the coastal blustery winds. Looking at the new one which is much lighter doesn't fill me with confidence to do the same. Two other negatives,one the fact I have to seam seal myself, two, the colour.
They need to re make the original, however make it 2 man size wide and longer for taller people. Similar to the Berghaus peak 2.1 pro tent used to be.
a decent little quick pitch ultralight tent ideal for long distance treks . would have preferred green or sand though 😏👍
good reviews, good camera framing ( for an action cam use ), good edit ;)
nice tent. the blue colour is still better than plain white most UL tents are
My back is bust pegging out my vern 1 with all the guylines it has lol , could not be dealing with that tarp setup combo, but the tent looks the job for reasonable weather when you want something fast to pitch and lightweight .
i really prefer the UL looks great
Looks good
Great video, if it was more stealthy i would go for it over the old version.
Same
A very informative review. I would add the original Bobcat to my collection, but sadly it is about 150mm too short for my liking and comfort.
Depends what price they discount it down to, but it looks like a good summer tent. Great expectations for the rest of the range... Love the new tarp, thats a winner for me. Not too hothered re the colour when you can soon wip it diwn, but a blue tent just doesnt work for me.
that's cute.... for calm weather, I reckon
Interested to see how interchangeable the inners are with these two? The Bobcat 1 does get a little stuffy in the height of summer, so a half mesh inner would be handy. Likewise on colder evenings, the full sided inner of the Bobcat 1 in the UL could provide extra warmth whilst lowering your overall pack weight.
I started off on this tent love hate relationship with it! With the ul version I dunno if I would pay that money for that tent when better tents are in that price range
I’ve been looking for a small tent tarp combo for bike packing. This looks perfect.
Get a Naturehike much stronger tent at similar price
@@SimpleHelp22 is it a similar size when packed up, that’s probably the most important bit to be fair
It looks interesting. I am a fan of green tents but that colour has a certain appeal, it does look a bit see through though. The price sounds reasonable (£175?) and the weight saving is pretty good. I've got a bobcat 1 and an expedition tarp and now I feel like they are obsolete. lol. I think mine will do the job for now but I'd definitely consider upgrading if I had the money and weight mattered enough. Thanks for making the video. :-)
Look good for the nights keeping light showers or damp off. Ultra light summer cruising 🍺
I'll stick with my original with the expedition tarp, my next tent will probably be a rakoon 2. ill be looking at the ul one in the sales though!
Very interesting paul. Not heard of you for sometime so hope all is okay there.
Can't help but think the x-Mid range is on another level to all three of these shelters, especially (admittedly, the very exy) x-Mid Pro 1 v2
Another level as X-mid have all been found wanting in their ability to handle bad weather, OEX tents under half the price and well known for coping with bad weather !
@Chris66able I've had my XM up at 2,200m in a severe, white out blizzard for 14 hours, with very heavy winds. Totally solid, and it didn't blink a proverbial eyelid. Noisy, though, in those conditions. But all dyneema shelters are noisy in high winds. If I could upload the pics and video here, I would.
Looks good but too small for me I think, I like the room in my Helm 2!
The colour has definitely changed 🫣
It’s nice in the flesh
"when there's two ways in you always get it wrong". Paul Messner 2024.
It would be clever if the ultralight tent has some clips on the pole sleeve and the tarp had matching clips on it for an easier pitch.
Another top video this Paul
Wonder what was the thinking of the colour choice. I get that not everyone wants a camoflaged tent , but something a bit more subtle, especially when camping somewhere that you might not be allowed to Or if you want to blend into the countryside and surroundings a bit.
I do really like the bobcat 2 light whiteness but I think they should do it in different colours
Good comparison. I love my Bobcat 1. Is it perfect? No. But is it great value? Well, at the £59 I paid for mine it absolutely is. I'm not sure the Ultralite brings that same value for me, even with the improvements, because of the price. The tarp looks good, might pick one up as a lighter replacement for my Vango tunnel tarp I use with the Bobcat currently. Not keen on the bright blue colour for wild camping though.
Well done for getting this first ! I was in Blacks in Hull on Saturday and saw a picture of it, they said they can order it. It looks very flimsy compared to the original Bobcat ? Cheers 👍
looks a good cheap option (assuming the usual price cuts of 50% of RRP) for 2 season fine bikepacking trips, for those not wanting to spend the eyewatering Enan price level's these days. Certainly a better option than the lanshan's should the wind pick up. Agree i think with a few more guylines on the light and a few mod's could be a solid choice for bikepacking and if you know the weather is going to be good for the next 4/5 days no point taking an expensive tent to just use its life up.
Please take that set up out on a camp too please. Would love to see what you think after using it. 👍
That's the plan!
Nice and taught while it’s dry at least, be a different story when it’s wet being Sil Nylon! It also looks very transparent being only 10 denier lol, they should of made it 15 denier like the tarp which has double the HH rating…🤷🏻♂️ Plus colour all wrong for blending in out in the wild! Think I’ll just stick with my original Bobcat-1, which also can be made lighter and more spacious - simply by leaving the 600g inner out of it.. I’ve done a lot of mods to mine and with the inner in place it’s very taught at the back, aided by a strong neodymium magnet and a trekking pole on the rear guy, to pull it out horizontally creating much more usable space when zipped inside the inner tent. 👍🏻
If it comes out in green i'll defo invest in one, until then i'll stick with my original bobcat 1
I’ll 2nd that it’s the colour that’s a no for me
Blue really is a bad choice.The massive amount of inner mesh would make it a summer only for me as well.
Looking at the poles, pegs and clips I'd say this tent is being manufactured by the same company making Naturehike tents, same blue as the Mongar 15D too
Good to see OEX bringing out some new gear and going lighter again. I always thought it was a shame that they abandoned their EV range of tents.
What so you think about Bach Tents? Noone ist talkin about These Tents. I think, they are Amazing. The GorLyn30 it's Like Kerlon 1800.
Need to add the refinments into the standard tent with solid inner, like the inner clips and imo part of the originals secret bombproof budget effectivness is the sleeve material defusing the air flow over it rather than pushing it over. Dont fancy paying more for less and less performance. Only reason I never bought one is im 6ft 3 and there a bit cosy for me. Looks like a good tent for a sub kilo multi day job evem though you can probably score cheaper tents eg alpkit soloist that wont be far off weight wise, but carry better weather performance. Hate to say it, but stick to what your good at oex, just make the original better and slightly bigger and sub 150 price point and it would probably be the best tent on the market for beginners then.
Hi Paul, i have been watching quite a few of your videos recently. I plan to do some stealth camping along with car washing for charity. Obviously i do want to keep the cost down, although i would like gear to last and not have to constantly update. I would be happy to hear your or anyone's suggestions. I am based in Brighton so I will be mostly on the South Downs or coast. Many thanks.
On a budget there’s the original bobcat as shown. Maybe look at a lanshan style tent or a phoxx. They are quite stealthy.
Paul, the original Bobcat I had 4 door zips, allowing you to open the door from the bottom as a mini-tarp (and had eyelets at the bottom corners for king poles). Does the new Bobcat UL have the same feature?
Does the Ultralite come in green as well as blue? Blue not ideal for certain camping situations
It's a pretty looking tent. The big thing against it for me is that it's practically see-through. I think it would make me feel a little too vulnerable. Also I wonder, because it's silnylon, how much it will sag when wet and if the outer will touch the inner.
Thanks for the video. Apologies if you've already answered this but did OEX give you any idea when the ultralight version might be available to buy? Can't find anywhere on line. Cheers.
I love my little bobcat.. I olso love the expedition tarp that goes with it... the price was a big draw , but it's robust, tenacious spirit and performance are the real reasons its so good and aquire its cult status... obviously the ul version does not have those qualitys, so I do wonder how it will do.. worth keeping an eye on. Take care out there.
Very interesting little tent although I remember you once complaining about seam sealing and needing to do yourself 😂 now it’s ok 😊😂 be interesting how you do yours. Probably all smart pretty . I just whack it on from tube 😅
I’ve just watched your first Bob cat vid, and was thinking thinking it’s okay but it would do well with a tarp, now you come out with this, my poor bank balance. Won’t have get the ultra light thought there’s never a day without wind and rain.
The first Bobcat does have a Tarp !
@@Chris66able yeah I found that out after watching this one 🤣
I think the Tarp is the star of the show.
Me too 😁
Looks like a lot of decent upgrades TBF, plus they've listened to people about joining the inner to the outer half way up the back! One thing you missed though Paul is does that top storm cover/flap thingy protect the inner from rain? Ie does it extend out over the inner like the OG bobcat? I hope they've not sacrificed that to save 20g as being able to open the outer door without getting the inner wet is pretty much a necessity in the UK 🌧️
It does cover the inner mate. The original has the groundsheet which I assume they wanted to cover a bit.
@@PaulMessner good to know. You missed that bit out 👍
Adding 2 separate guy points each side and extending that door peak, would've added 30 grams. Little weight that would make a big difference in stability. In many tents, if there is something that puts me off in tents is lacking guy out points or pegging points around a tent. Not like its a summery country haha. Other manufacturers skimped and in a v2 added extra fundamentals, hope they will to, oh, and other colours! ;)