I love wild camping—and for many reasons, Scotland is one of the world’s best nations for doing it. I’ve camped in various parts of the nation, using countless different tents and equipment. So in this guide, I’ve brought you the best tents for wild camping in Scotland.

My favorite of all the ones I’ve featured is the MIER Lanshan Ultralight, which has taken the prestigious #1 spot on our list. But we’ll come to all that and much more soon.

In our list, we’ve covered budget options, high-end picks, nifty features, and everything in between. Looking for the best tents for wild camping in Scotland? Read on!

The Best Tents for Camping in Scotland

Up next, are our five favorite tents for wild camping in Scotland, along with one alternative option at the very end of our list.

1. The Best Tent for Camping in Scotland: MIER Lanshan Ultralight

Of all the tents we’ve checked, tested, investigated, and researched, this model absolutely takes the #1 spot for wild camping in Scotland.

It’s super versatile. Whatever you’re doing in Scotland and wherever you’re camping, this tent is perfect — and it’s not even particularly expensive.

You have both 1-person and 2-person options. Whichever you go for, it’s a relatively tight squeeze, but that’s always the case with wild camping tents. We’ve given you the 1-person details in this guide, but you can check the details for the 2-person tent by following this link.

Although the Mier Lanshan tent is marketed as a three-season tent, it can definitely stand up to a typical Scottish lowland winter. Though Scottish weather can get rainy and windy, it’s never ridiculously cold—so unless you’re camping in the highest parts of the nation, you can use this one year-round.

Best of all, it’s super sturdy and durable. It’s one of the most waterproof tents on the market, and it stands up excellently to even the heaviest of winds.

And as a nice bonus, it comes with lots of nifty features, including a ventilation window, a mesh storage pocket, a pair of hooks, and a quick assembly time of no more than 5 or 10 minutes. If you’re looking for a tent for wild camping in Scotland, it doesn’t get any better than this.

2. The Runner-Up (But Also Very Great!): Clostnature 1-Person Tent

Not quite as nifty as the MIER Lanshan Ultralight, but a lot more affordable, this is a good option if you want a reliable wild camping tent that won’t cost you very much. For value for money, lightweight tents don’t get any better than this.

Much like the MIER Lanshan Ultralight, the Clostnature is a two-layered tent, with a mesh inner and a great polyester rainfly. It’s not the most windproof and waterproof option on the market, but it does a pretty good job of both of those things.

If you’re going very rural and remote, you might want a better model—but if you’re gonna be camping close to natural shelter, this tent has all the durability and weatherproofing you need.

It’s very easy to assemble, and won’t take you more than 5 minutes to put up or take down. Like all the best lightweight tents, it has a two-pole structure. It weighs in at 3.7lbs (1.9kg), so it’s relatively lightweight. The inner mesh is designed to stop insects from getting inside of the tent; perfect for avoiding midge bites.

3. The Luxury Pick: Nemo Dragonfly Ultralight Backpacking Tent

You asked for luxury, you got it.

The Nemo Dragonfly has lots of great features, but it has a very hefty price tag to match. At the time of writing, it’s four times more expensive than the Clostnature 1-Person Tent. Is it better than the Clostnature 1-Person Tent? Yes. But is it four times better? No.

Anyway, if you do decide to invest in this one, here’s what you get: color-coded poles for easy setup, vents for releasing humidity and avoiding condensation, light-diffusing pockets for turning your headlamp into an in-tent light, and plenty more great stuff.

The tent doors are huge, and they open outwards instead of onto the floor, so they won’t get wet after rainfall. And best of all, the outer white mesh is see-through, great for lapping up all the sumptuous Scottish views.

On top of all that fancy stuff, you also get a very reliable build. This is as weatherproof, windproof and waterproof as tents get. If you want to be thoroughly protected from the weather, the Nemo Dragonfly is perfect.

And because it has a pretty high ceiling (measuring in at 36 inches/91.4cm), you can comfortably sit up in the tent. For that reason, it’s great for longer trips.

4. The Budget Option: Yodo Lightweight 2-Person Tent

Naturally, this isn’t the best tent on the planet—but if you want something reasonably reliable without spending much money, this is the best you can get.

Low-cost lightweight two-person tents aren’t normally this good. Weighing in at a measly 3.3lbs (1.5kg), it has a high-quality build, with a decent amount of durability—and it’ll stand up to some pretty robust treatment.

That said, the windproofing and rainproofing aren’t great, with a simple one-layer build. So if you’re expecting extreme weather, you might want to look elsewhere. And because you’re buying this for Scotland, you want to be slightly careful—even in the height of summer, Scotland gets lots of rain, so this isn’t a good option for camping in exposed locations.

In better news, the tent has some high-quality mesh… and though it’s not specifically built for keeping midges at bay, it does a pretty good job of doing exactly that.

Best of all, it won’t take you more than 5 minutes to assemble this tent—perfect for wild camping in Scotland.

5. The Best Tent for Families and Small Groups: Coleman Cabin Tent

Usually, for wild camping, you want something lightweight. But when you’re camping in a group, it’s difficult to find something suitably-lightweight, because traveling with a bigger group of people (of course!) means you’ll need a bigger tent.

So don’t expect a light build, a small size, or any of the stuff you usually expect from lightweight wild camping tents. But if you’re wild camping with several other people, this is about as good as you’ll get.

You can get this one in three different sizes: 4-person, 6-person and 10-person. For this review, we’ve brought you juicy details on the 4-person option, though all three are very good.

The tent is built with useful ‘dark room technology,’ which keeps the tent reasonably dark even when the sun comes up. This also reduces the heat in the tent (though admittedly only marginally), which is useful for camping in big groups. The airflow is also pretty good, which helps to keep the tent cool in warmer weather.

The windproofing is very good, but the rainproofing isn’t the best I’ve ever seen.

Best of all, here’s something super useful—in a feature that’s very unusual at this size, you can pop this tent up in around 60 seconds. Once you’re accustomed to getting this tent set up, it’s super easy to do so.

6. An Alternative to Consider: Get a Bivvy Bag Instead!

So, what exactly is a bivvy bag? If you’ve never before seen one or used one, they’re quite a confusing concept.

But in short, they’re a pretty basic thing. Imagine a lightweight, waterproof bag, made up of the same materials as a tent: you’re now imagining a bivvy bag! Typically, you put a bivvy bag around your sleeping bag (and sleeping mat, if you’re carrying one) for an extra layer of comfort and security.

If you want to be as lightweight and low-maintenance as possible, a bivvy bag is of course a better option than a tent—it’s light, it takes up very little space, and you don’t need to do any assembling or unpacking.

Though bivvy bags are typically seen as emergency shelters, they can be a suitable replacement for a tent if you’re camping in decent weather, you’re comfortable in the outdoors, and you’ll have access to some natural shelter (or a bothy).

This particular bivvy bag is very lightweight, weighing 4.8 ounces (136 grams). It’s thin, small, and easy to use, and it packs down into basically nothing. And as a lovely bonus, it’s 100% waterproof (and very windproof) so it can admirably withstand all but the most intense bad weather.

If you’re looking for a bivvy bag, you won’t find any better than this for the Scottish conditions.

The Best Tents for Wild Camping in Scotland: Frequently Asked Questions

Can I Pitch My Tent Anywhere in Scotland? is Wild Camping Allowed in Scotland?

Apart from a very small number of places in Loch Lomond & The Trossachs National Park, you can camp whenever and wherever you want in Scotland.

Because of Scotland’s excellent ‘Right to Roam’ act, you can camp on any land you like. Obviously, you can’t just pitch up in someone’s garden without asking permission. But you CAN pitch up on any fields, forests, hills, beaches, and mountains without having to do any planning.

Where Can I Pitch a Tent in Scotland?

As I’ve said, you can basically camp anywhere you like in Scotland.

But if you’re looking for specific recommendations, some of my favorite places to wild camp in Scotland are Rannoch Moor, the beaches on the west coast, and on any of the islands. My #1 spot is anywhere along the Quiraing (on the Isle of Skye).

I also love wild camping in Gairloch, and around Loch Lomond.

Can Midges Make Your Tent Deteriorate?

No. Midges like biting people (and they’re possibly the most irritating insects on the planet), but they’re not interested in biting fabrics, because fabrics don’t have blood inside.

So, no, midges aren’t going to destroy your tent. They might destroy your vacation, but at least you don’t need to worry about them biting through your canvas.

The Best Tents for Wild Camping in Scotland: Final Thoughts and Further Reading

So there you have it—everything you need to know about the best tents for wild camping in Scotland.

To round up, our favorite pick is the MIER Lanshan Ultralight.

If you want to know anything else about camping and adventuring in Scotland, check out our guides on the Right to Roam, the best campsites on the Isle of Arran, and the 15 best hikes that the entire nation has to offer.

Thanks for reading, and we’ll see you next time!