You are lying in a solo tent at half past six in the morning, rain drumming on the fly, and you want to change into dry socks and get a brew on. Whether that is a two-minute job or a slow, awkward wriggle comes down to one number you probably never checked before you bought: interior height. Get it wrong and you spend every wet morning of the trip on your elbows.
The three tents in the Highlander Blackthorn Gen2 range are built from exactly the same materials, to the same waterproof ratings, in the same low-profile tunnel shape. What separates them is space: how high you can sit, how much floor you get, and where your kit goes when it is soaked. This guide breaks down those differences in real numbers so you can pick the one that fits how you actually camp.
What all three Blackthorn Gen2 tents share
Before the differences, the common ground. Every tent in the Gen2 range uses a 190T polyester flysheet rated to 2000mm hydrostatic head with taped seams, over a fully sewn-in 190T polyester groundsheet rated to 3000mm. That combination is comfortably enough for sustained UK rain, and the sewn-in groundsheet means no draughts or crawling things finding their way in at the edges.
All three run 6.9mm fibreglass poles with an eyelet-and-buckle fixing system, which is about as simple as pitching gets. All three carry an integrated bug net at the entrance, an internal hanging line for drying kit, and fire-retardant fly and groundsheet. All three come in Scarab Green and HMTC Camo, and all three carry a one year guarantee against faults in materials and workmanship.
So this is not a good, better, best ladder where you pay more for tougher fabric. You are paying for room. The only question worth asking is how much of it you need to carry.
The numbers side by side
| Blackthorn 1 | Blackthorn 1+ | Blackthorn 2 | |
| Capacity | 1 person | 1 person | 2 person |
| Inner dimensions | 240 x 85 x 68cm | 255 x 105 x 83cm | 210 x 150 x 93cm |
| Outer dimensions | 265 x 170 x 72cm | 280 x 180 x 88cm | 330 x 170 x 100cm |
| Inner floor area | 2.04 sq m | 2.68 sq m | 3.15 sq m |
| Sit up inside? | No, lie down only | Hunched | Yes |
| Kit storage | Side area by the door | Side area by the door | Front vestibule, 120cm deep |
| Weight | 1.71kg | 2.1kg | 2.72kg |
| Pack size | 29 x 14cm | 33 x 14cm | 48 x 14cm |
| Stuff sack | Roll-top waterproof drybag | Heavy duty stuff sack | Heavy duty stuff sack |
| MPN | TEN131V2 | TEN131XLV2 | TEN132V2 |
Height: the difference you feel first
Interior height is the spec that changes your day-to-day experience most, and it is the one people skip over. The three Blackthorns give you 68cm, 83cm and 93cm.
At 68cm, the Blackthorn 1 Gen2 is a lie-down tent. You can prop yourself on your elbows to sort a pack or light a stove in the porch, but you cannot sit upright. For a lot of people that is a perfectly good trade for the lowest weight and pack size in the range, especially on trips where the tent is somewhere to sleep rather than somewhere to spend time.
At 83cm, the Blackthorn 1+ Gen2 gets you sitting up, though hunched. That extra 15cm is the difference between changing clothes lying on your back and doing it sat on your mat. If you have ever tried to pull waterproof trousers on inside a low tent, you will know exactly how much that is worth.
At 93cm, the Blackthorn 2 Gen2 lets an average adult sit up properly. Combined with a 150cm width, that turns the inner from a sleeping tube into a space you can wait out a wet afternoon in.
One thing worth understanding about tunnel tents: peak height is measured at the highest point of the arch, not across the whole tent. The walls slope away towards the ends on all three, so the useful sitting-up zone is the middle third. That is true of every tunnel tent, but it matters more the lower the peak.
Floor space and what capacity really means
The Blackthorn 1 gives you 240 x 85cm of inner floor, or 2.04 square metres. Eighty-five centimetres of width is room for you and a standard sleeping mat, and not a great deal else. The 240cm length means height, not length, is the constraint here, so tall campers are fine lying down.
The Blackthorn 1+ opens that out to 255 x 105cm, or 2.68 square metres. That is roughly a third more floor than the Blackthorn 1, and the extra 20cm of width is the useful part. It gives you room for a wider mat, or to keep a dry bag and your electronics beside you rather than out in the porch.
The Blackthorn 2 is 210 x 150cm, or 3.15 square metres. Note what happens to the shape: it is the widest by a long way but also the shortest inner in the range, 30cm shorter than the Blackthorn 1. At 210cm, campers around six foot will still fit comfortably, but if you are much over that and you sleep with kit at your feet, check the numbers carefully.
Here is the part the capacity label hides. Split the Blackthorn 2 between two people and you each get 1.58 square metres, which is less floor space than one person gets in the Blackthorn 1. Two-person means two people fit, not two people spread out. If you are camping as a pair on a long trip and you both like your space, that is worth knowing before you commit.
Run it the other way and the picture flips. A solo camper in the Blackthorn 2 has 3.15 square metres, a 93cm peak and a large covered porch, for 2.72kg. That is a lot of living space for the weight if comfort matters more to you than grams.
Storage: where your wet kit actually goes
This is the difference the spec sheets bury, and for multi-day trips it might matter more than height. Compare the inner footprint to the outer footprint and you can see exactly where each tent puts your gear.
Blackthorn 1 and 1+: storage at the side
Both solo tents store kit alongside you rather than in front of you. The Blackthorn 1 is 170cm wide on the outside against an 85cm inner, and the Blackthorn 1+ is 180cm outside against a 105cm inner. In both cases the fly extends well beyond the inner on the door side, creating a covered strip of ground for boots, a pack and anything that came in soaked.
It works well and it keeps the wet stuff out of your sleeping space, which is the main job. The limit is depth. There is enough covered ground for boots and a rucksack, and enough shelter to run a stove carefully at the entrance, but it is not a sit-in porch. In prolonged rain you are cooking with the door open and your arms outside, not sitting under cover.
Blackthorn 2: a proper front vestibule
The Blackthorn 2 works completely differently. Its outer is 330cm long against a 210cm inner, which leaves around 120cm of vestibule in front of the door. That is over a metre of covered ground, and it changes what the tent can do.
With that much space you can store two packs and two pairs of boots and still have somewhere to crouch and cook out of the weather. On a wet multi-day trip in Scotland or Snowdonia, having a dry area you can actually use rather than just stash things in is the thing that stops a trip feeling grim. The trade is width at the sides: the Blackthorn 2's outer is 170cm against a 150cm inner, so there is very little side storage. All the covered space is at the front, where you can get at it.
The short version: the solo tents keep your kit dry, the Blackthorn 2 gives you somewhere to use it.
Weight and pack size
The spread runs 1.71kg, 2.1kg and 2.72kg. All three pack to the same 14cm diameter, so what changes is length: 29cm, 33cm and 48cm respectively.
That diameter matters more than the raw weight if you are bikepacking. A 14cm roll fits most handlebar harnesses, frame bags and pannier setups, and the 29cm and 33cm lengths sit neatly across bars. At 48cm, the Blackthorn 2 is getting long for handlebar carry and is better strapped to a rear rack or split between two riders.
The Blackthorn 1 also ships in a roll-top waterproof drybag rather than a standard stuff sack, which is a small detail with a real benefit: you can strap a wet tent to the outside of your pack without soaking everything through it. On the 1+ and the 2 you get a heavy duty stuff sack instead.
One more angle on weight. Two people carrying the Blackthorn 2 between them are hauling 1.36kg each, which is less per head than one person carrying the Blackthorn 1. Splitting a two-person tent is nearly always the lighter way to camp as a pair, even before you count the second set of pegs and poles you are not carrying.
Pitching, wind and seasons
All three are tunnel tents, which means they need pegging out at both ends to stand up. There is no freestanding option here, so soft ground or good pegs are part of the plan, and rocky pitches need a bit more thought. In exchange you get a low, aerodynamic profile that handles wind on open ground better than a tall dome of the same weight. Pitch nose into the prevailing wind and all three sit remarkably steady for their weight.
The 6.9mm fibreglass poles with eyelet-and-buckle fixings go up quickly and forgivingly, including in the dark. Fibreglass is heavier and less resilient in hard frost than alloy, which is the honest trade at this price. On the Blackthorn 1, guylines come pre-attached out of the bag, so there is nothing to thread when the weather has already turned.
Treat all three as three-season tents. The 2000mm fly and 3000mm groundsheet handle British rain well, and the low profile copes with wind, but none of them are built for heavy snow loading or sustained winter mountain use. For spring through autumn wild camping, backpacking, expeditions and cadet weekends, they are squarely in their element.
Which Blackthorn Gen2 should you buy?
Choose the Blackthorn 1 Gen2 if weight and pack size are what you are optimising for and you are happy sleeping in your shelter rather than living in it. At 1.71kg packing to 29 x 14cm it meets the one-person tent requirement on most DofE and school expedition kit lists, fits a 65L pack alongside everything else, and works well for bikepacking. Accept the 68cm ceiling and it is the easiest of the three to carry.
Choose the Blackthorn 1+ Gen2 if you are taller, carry a bulkier sleeping system, or simply want to sit up. You gain 15cm of height and 20cm of width for 390g and 4cm of extra pack length. For most solo campers on trips longer than a night or two, that is a trade worth making.
Choose the Blackthorn 2 Gen2 if you camp as a pair, or if you camp solo and want a usable porch and room to sit out bad weather. The 120cm vestibule is the standout feature in the range and the reason to pick it even for solo use. Just go in knowing the inner is 210cm long, which is shorter than both solo tents.
Common questions
Can two people fit in the Blackthorn 1+?
No. At 105cm wide it is a roomy one-person tent, not a squeeze-in two. Two standard sleeping mats sit at around 120cm side by side, before you allow any room to move. If you need to sleep two, the Blackthorn 2 is the only option in the range.
Is the Blackthorn 1 too small if I am over six foot?
Lying down, no. The inner is 240cm long, so length is not the issue at any normal height. The 68cm ceiling is the constraint, and it affects everyone equally. Tall campers who want to sit up should look at the 1+ or the 2.
Can I cook in the porch?
In the Blackthorn 2's 120cm vestibule, carefully, yes. On the solo tents the covered area is shallower and better suited to a stove right at the entrance with the door open. Whichever you have, keep the stove away from fabric, never run one in a sealed inner, and make sure air can move. Fire-retardant fabric slows a fire down, it does not prevent one.
Which is best for DofE?
The Blackthorn 1 Gen2 for a solo pitch, or the Blackthorn 2 Gen2 shared between two on a group expedition. Both come in HMTC Camo as well as Scarab Green, which also suits cadet detachments and field use.
Do they need seam sealing?
No. The seams are factory taped on all three, and the groundsheets are fully sewn in.
The bottom line
Same fabrics, same waterproofing, same poles, three amounts of room. The Blackthorn 1 is the one to carry, the 1+ is the one to be comfortable in on your own, and the 2 is the one to live in or share. Work out whether you need to sit up, and whether you need somewhere sheltered to cook, and the choice makes itself.
See all three alongside the rest of the range in our Tents & Accessories collection.