OK I used to camp as a teen when my parents went caravaning and a few times since as a drunken adult but that was many years ago! I now have three young children (2.5, 5 & 7years) in tow so will need more than a dry place to sleep but on a tight budget so have looked long and hard at what to buy. I have bought the basic blow up beds, sleeping bags, folding table & chairs, picnic rugs, large tarps, fleeces & windbreak and I'm happy with my choice of these but the most expensive part of the kit keeps changing as I'm never happy once I test run them in the garden!
I first bought a secondhand 9 man leben dome but didn't like how low the sleeping areas were and the pitch size was too big. I then bought a secondhand Campus Arizona but again the pitch size is quite large so decided I quite liked the idea of retro camping in canvas so bought an old Relum Canaria then had my eye on a marechal chalet 6 on ebay but resisted as it went over my remaining budget only to be tempted into buying a secondhand Gelert Atlantis 5 with canopy as originally I had been looking at an Icarus 500 but even secondhand was well over my budget and this seems just as good from reviews. My plan is to keep the Relum for long holidays and use the Atlantis for weekend breaks or if I decide to go without OH, am I being OCD or is this normal?
Your post has left me breathless, how many tents? Over what time frame? Wow! We only have one and I'm dithering pathetically over which weekender to get, very impressed with you just going ahead and buying so many! Sounds like you've got it completely sussed, good for you!
Mairi
------------- April/May - Georgia destroyed in high winds sob
May - Loch Ken, 1st outing for the wolf lake
July - Waterside House, Lake District
July - Inside Park, Dorset
I think you're completely normal - at least I have to say this because I myself have 4 tents (plus my kids have 2 small ones for garden camping...).
You simply need different tents for different occasions and moods!
------------- Proud owner of a 1987 Sprite Alpine 370 EK, a cheap popup tent and a beloved retro Trio frame tent from the early seventies, called Giraffen.
Most of us on here have an array of tent's to suit our moods!!
I myself have 4 tent's and there's only 3 of us!!! An Outwell Utah 4 for longer than weekend stays, a Hi-Gear Atom for myself and my son to get away without the OH. A spare 3man done tent and my newly aquired Eurohike Backpacker, for, err when I backpack!! So, all in all, I think campers like to be flexible, and you choose your tent to suit the trip!!
So, good on yer! When you find the right kit to suit your needs, then you can always sell your other's on, simples!
Wendy :o)
------------- Wendy :o)
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Longing to be camping somewhere......anywhere...
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Topic: family camping virgin but tent whore!
