Quechua Arpenaz 2 Review: a Two-Person Tent, Not a Three
Decathlon's cheapest dome tent has nearly four thousand owner ratings behind it and two independent hands-on tests. They agree it is a lot of tent for £30 — and they agree on exactly where it runs out of room.
Two corrections before the review
It sleeps two, not three. Every first-party source — Decathlon UK, Decathlon US and the manuals — says two, and the bedroom measures 130 × 210 cm, which is a two-mat footprint. An earlier version of this page said three. It was wrong.
There is no "Arpenaz 2 TP". That suffix is not a Decathlon product code. The tent is the Quechua Arpenaz 2, which Decathlon now sells under the name MH100 2-person — the same tent across a rename and at least one design refresh, which is why published weights and heights differ depending on when the reviewer bought theirs.
Where the reviews line up
Three very different kinds of evidence here: 3,868 Decathlon customers rating the current MH100, Backpacker Travel reviewing it under its old Arpenaz name, and SkyAboveUs, who took one out overnight and scored it 4.1/5. They converge quickly.
All three rate it well for the money — 4.7 out of 5 across nearly four thousand ratings on a sub-£30 tent is a meaningful number, not a rounding error. Both hands-on testers found it simple to pitch and, unusually for a budget tent, it goes back in its own bag. It is freestanding, so you can lift it and move it once it is up. Ventilation works: one tester recorded no condensation overnight through a 25°F temperature drop.
They also agree on the limit, and it is the same one every time: there is no real porch. The flysheet does not reach far past the door, so gear sleeps inside with you — and inside is tight. One tester at 5 ft 8 called it just enough space for himself and his kit. Treat it as a roomy solo tent or a snug two.
The £30 decision: the standard MH100 is not blackout. The Fresh & Black version is, and costs £59.99. If you sleep badly in a bright tent, that gap is the whole review.
The three reviews this summary is built from
- Decathlon UK4.7/5 from 3,868 ratings. First-party, huge sample, not independent.
- Backpacker TravelIan Transue, hands-on under the original Arpenaz name. Undated.
- SkyAboveUsCharles Kikas, 4.1/5, an actual overnight field test. April 2022, updated 2024.
Specification at a glance
Where the figures conflict it is almost always the older Arpenaz generation against the current MH100. Both are shown.
| Spec | Figure | Confidence |
|---|---|---|
| Sleeping capacity | 2 people | Every first-party source. Best thought of as one adult plus kit |
| Type | Freestanding fibreglass pole dome — can be repositioned once pitched | Decathlon |
| Pitch time | Not published | Both testers say straightforward; one had it standing on four pegs. The "5-minute" claim on the old page traces to no Decathlon source |
| Packed weight | 2.6 kg (MH100) · 3 kg (Fresh & Black) · 2.4 kg (older Arpenaz 2) | Blackout fabric is heavier |
| Packed size | About 58 × 16 cm — a 57–58 cm tube either way | Will not fit inside most rucksacks |
| Flysheet | Over 2,000 mm hydrostatic head | An outdoor magazine testing the same rating across the range judged it fine for showers, not persistent rain |
| Groundsheet | Polyethylene, 120 g/m², over 2,400 mm | The 3,000 mm figure on the old page contradicts Decathlon |
| Bedroom | 130 × 210 cm, single room | Older generation measured 120 × 205 cm |
| Peak height | 106–110 cm depending on version | Sitting height. Nobody stands up in this tent |
| Doors and porch | 1 door, no real porch — an awning for shoes at best | All three sources raise this |
| Ventilation | 2 top vents + 2 side vents, mesh inner panel, mosquito netting | No overnight condensation in the one field test |
| Wind rating | Force 5 / 40 kph, wind-tunnel certified | Manufacturer's own testing; the highest independent gusts recorded were 14 mph |
| Blackout | Fresh & Black version only — claimed 99% darkness. Standard MH100 is UPF 30, not blackout | The 99% is a manufacturer claim; no independent test of it for this model |
| Warranty | 3 years (current) — 2 years on the older Arpenaz | Generational difference |
| Price and where sold | £29.99 standard, £59.99 Fresh & Black. Decathlon only | House brand, so no third-party price comparison exists |
Decathlon UK
Take the caveat first: these ratings sit on the page that sells the tent, and Decathlon is rating its own house brand. They are not independent. But 3,868 ratings is a sample no magazine test can match, and at 4.7 out of 5 it is not a close call — for a tent costing less than a takeaway, that is the single most quotable number on this page.
Decathlon's own claims are what those ratings are reacting to, and they are specific enough to check: a freestanding dome you can pick up and move once it is pitched, a flysheet tested above 2,000 mm and a groundsheet above 2,400 mm, wind-tunnel certification to Force 5 (about 25 mph), two top vents plus two mechanical side vents, seven pegs, four guy ropes and a three-year warranty. Two things worth knowing before you read too much into the score. Decathlon does not publish a star distribution on the page, so how many one- and two-star reviews sit inside that 4.7 is unknown. And the rating spans a tent that has been through at least one refresh, so some of those reviewers are describing a slightly different product from the one that arrives today.
Watch: QUECHUA MH100 2 PERSON TENT from Decathlon Full Review | Cheapest Available Solid Quality Tent?!
A full review of the tent under its current MH100 name — the version those 3,868 ratings mostly describe.
Watch on YouTube ↗Backpacker Travel
Transue paid £25 for his and reviews it as what it is — a cheap tent that does the job. Pitching is simple with collapsible fibreglass poles, and he makes a small point that matters more than it sounds: it packs back into its own bag, which a surprising number of budget tents never manage again after the first outing. He calls the outer water-resistant and good for heavy downpours, and reports the flysheet handling morning condensation properly, with a mesh panel under the single zipped entrance doing the venting.
On space he is candid rather than kind: adequate for two people and gear, but two people inside will be crowded. His sharpest criticism is structural and it is the one every other source repeats — the flysheet does not extend far enough beyond the entrance, so there is nowhere outside the bedroom to put wet boots or a rucksack. He also finds it slightly long and heavy for serious backpacking. The verdict is a value one: low price, ruggedness and quality make up for it. His figures — 2.4 kg, 120 × 205 cm, 110 cm headroom, a two-year warranty — are the older Arpenaz generation, and differ from Decathlon's current numbers.
Watch: Test of: Quechua Arpenaz tent 2-man - DECATHLON
The tent under the Arpenaz name Transue reviewed, rather than the current MH100 badge.
Watch on YouTube ↗SkyAboveUs
This is the most rigorous account available, and the only one where someone slept in it rather than pitching it on a lawn. It is a US review at $39.99, so read the value judgement rather than the price. Pitching took only four stakes to get the tent standing, from a box containing six pegs, four guy lines, the rainfly and poles. The strongest positive is wind: barely a flutter through 11–14 mph gusts. Condensation never appeared overnight despite a 25°F temperature drop, which he puts down to the wind or the venting.
Be honest about one gap if you rely on him for weather: it did not rain during his test, so the waterproofing went unverified. On space he is the harshest of the three and it corroborates Backpacker Travel — at 5 ft 8 he found just enough room for himself and his gear, and advises taller campers to look elsewhere. His durability verdict splits usefully: fabric and zips good, but the guy lines and pegs are cheap and in his estimate last a couple of seasons. That is a five-pound fix, and the most actionable advice on this page. Other complaints: too heavy to hike with, awkward door entry, a tiny vestibule and a rainfly zip that is hard to reach.
Watch: Decathlon Quechua MH100 two person tent unboxing and review
An unboxing as well as a review, so you can see the pegs and guy lines Kikas complains about before you buy replacements.
Watch on YouTube ↗Strengths and weak points
What holds up
- £29.99, with 3,868 ratings averaging 4.7/5 behind it.
- Freestanding — pitch it, then pick it up and move it to a flatter spot.
- Simple to pitch, and it repacks into its own bag.
- Venting works: no condensation across a 25°F overnight drop in the one field test.
- Stable in the winds it was tested in, with a Force 5 wind-tunnel rating behind it.
- Three-year warranty on the current model.
What people complain about
- No usable porch. Wet boots and packs come inside with you — raised by all three sources.
- Tight for two adults; genuinely comfortable only for one.
- Cheap pegs and guy lines, good for a couple of seasons.
- 2.6 kg in a 58 cm tube — car camping and festivals, not backpacking.
- Awkward door entry and a rainfly zip that is hard to reach.
- Standard version is not blackout, whatever the Fresh & Black listing beside it implies.
Who it actually suits
Buy it if you want a cheap, dependable tent for festivals or the odd weekend, you are one person or two who do not mind being close, and you can carry it from a car or a shuttle bus rather than across a moor. Spend a few pounds on better pegs and guy lines at the same time and you have removed the only weakness anyone reports about the build.
Look elsewhere if you need somewhere dry to leave gear outside the bedroom, if you are much over 5 ft 10, or if you are walking any real distance with it. And if you sleep badly once the sun is up, pay the extra for the Fresh & Black rather than hoping the cheap one is dark — it is not.
What we could not check
- No UK outdoor magazine has tested this tent, and UKCampsite has no entry for the Arpenaz 2, the Fresh & Black or the MH100. We searched for both. The closest magazine test is of the four-person Arpenaz 4.1, a different tent, and we have not treated it as a verdict on this one.
- The 99% blackout claim is Decathlon's own. We found no independent measurement of it for this model.
- The star distribution behind the 4.7 is not published, so we cannot tell you how many unhappy owners are inside that average.
- Waterproofing in sustained rain — the only field test never got wet. The magazine judgement that 2,000 mm suits showers rather than persistent rain comes from a different tent in the same range.
- Whether it pitches inner-first or all-in-one is not stated in any source we could reach.
- Four claims from the earlier version of this page — a five-minute pitch, a 3,000 mm groundsheet, a 210 × 200 cm floor and three-person capacity — could not be traced to any source and are not repeated here.
Sources last checked 31 August 2026. Prices and stock at Decathlon move; check the listing in front of you.