Now there's only me and the mister (and Bailey of course!)for most of our camping holidays we've decided to invest in a smaller tent. We absolutely love our Corvus and will continue to use that for weeks and longer but we've decided to get a small air tent so we can get away for more weekend.
The Airgo Solus is on offer in GoOutdoors for £300 as a bundle with carpet and footprint, so decided on that, order going in this week. Goes up in 5 mins and big enough to stand up in plus we'll take our day tent for kitchen set up.
We've already booked 4 nights at Spring Valley for August Bank Holiday weekend with friends, so will look forward to trying it out. Then we'll be on the look out for cheap sites for weekends away, Yorkshire, County Durham, etc.
Is this a natural progression? Have other people done it?
------------- May/June - Spring Valley
Aug/Sept - Leekworth
I think it is. We cut back loads last summer and had the best holiday in ages. As long as you've got comfortable sleeping and seating arrangements how much other stuff do you really need?
you see it frequently in here and i include myself on this...
start off with little tent ... ( mine was argos £49.95 lol ) ... go to campsite, see other peoples big comfy setups ... buy a bigger tent, more stuff to put in it... so buy a bigger car then a roof box then a trailer..
then they discover its all such an effort and takes forever to pack unpack... and then they discover whats it like doing it in the rain.
and then you see it all for sale - camping wasnt for us in the description. and they buy a caravan because " its easier ".
but actually if they fine tuned what was really needed for camping ... reduced the amount of stuff and perhaps size of tent, suddenly it all becomes fun again!.
its a familair pattern!.
the contents of my Bora Bora living area is most of the stuff ( apart from bed, recliner and bbq ) that i need to be comfortable when camping. there really isnt a need for much more than this for me.
i can now be ready to go in about 45 mins fully packed, and its all a pleasure.
your definitely doing the right thing. and that tent your buying is a breeze to put up / down and be comfy in.
------------- Facebook:- Tent Camping group
Living the Dutch Dream - Karsten 300 pod + extns in Sea Green and Pure Cotton
We just tend to use the same tent we've had for a while for short and long trips. Its a bit of a monster but we're so used to it and we're fairly fit so it goes up and down fairly quick (less 30mins)with minimal hassle. For shorter stays we just trim our stuff as I really think its not the pitching that takes the time its the setting-up.
I know its heresy around this forum but I don't think you need more than I tent for car camping in a proper campsite (different if you want to start lunging things round on your back or perhaps taking a tent to a festival).
When I read posts about people buying tents for different occasions and length of time inside I'm thinking stop kidding yourself you just WANT TO BUY A TENT. Now I'm not saying their is anything wrong with a little retail therapy (or I wouldn't own 100s of handbags) but perhaps we all should be a bit more honest with ourselves.
Now I know I'm going to get a storm of protest from this post but lets face it d'nile isn't just a river in Egypt
I have owned five tents over the years. The first I had to crawl into (ah, those were the days!), the second I merely stooped, third likewise but less so and it had nice windows in the porch (Peakland Monsall which I still have), fourth I could walk straight into but over-reached myself and found it too hard to put up after the first year (Vango Tigris 400)so my daughter and family have that now and, with a front extension, it's ideal for their short camping breaks. I can still walk into my Aztec Mardi Gras 3, but it's more lightweight and less of a wrestling match to put up. This one will see out my remaining camping years, I think! Since I changed from an Astra to my late father's Corsa last summer I've downsized my kitchen stand too.
Quote: Originally posted by Katieep on 11/6/2017
We just tend to use the same tent we've had for a while for short and long trips. Its a bit of a monster but we're so used to it and we're fairly fit so it goes up and down fairly quick (less 30mins)with minimal hassle. For shorter stays we just trim our stuff as I really think its not the pitching that takes the time its the setting-up.
I know its heresy around this forum but I don't think you need more than I tent for car camping in a proper campsite (different if you want to start lunging things round on your back or perhaps taking a tent to a festival).
When I read posts about people buying tents for different occasions and length of time inside I'm thinking stop kidding yourself you just WANT TO BUY A TENT. Now I'm not saying their is anything wrong with a little retail therapy (or I wouldn't own 100s of handbags) but perhaps we all should be a bit more honest with ourselves.
Now I know I'm going to get a storm of protest from this post but lets face it d'nile isn't just a river in Egypt
Believe me this isn't about buying a new tent, we only got the monster a couple of years ago and as I said we love it. It takes us about 30 mins to get the tent up but then a couple of hours to fill it, if we don't fill it it feels too big and empty! There's no way we would go away for a weekend in our Corvus and we'd simply like to get away more, so a small air tent that can be inflated in five minutes and with room inside for our beds and a couple of chairs to sit in is all we'll need. We have a day tent which will accommodate our kitchen set up.
PS I have different handbags for different scenarios, one for work, one for leisure and a couple of dressy ones
------------- May/June - Spring Valley
Aug/Sept - Leekworth
I have two tents, one poly, one cotton, just because I fancied a cotton tent.
But I could easily manage with one. It is a small tent, but if there is a threat of prolonged wet weather, and / or I have hordes of teens, I just add the seperate porch extension. Plus tarp if we need it. I have only actually used the porch once, though do regularly use the tarp.
Flexibility!
We don't do big tents at all. If it is fine we sit out til bedtime, if it is wet we sit out under the tarp.
I have three we use. The family one, the backpacking one and my solo tent ( F10).
My eldest has her own tent because she isn't taking one of mine. We still have the Royal Pescara because I haven't found a buyer.
I need those three tents. If I am on my own I don't need the Alaska. The F10 is a great winter solo tent and the cobra is our backpacking tent. If I only went with family by car I would only have the Alaska but I can't carry it on my back and I hadn't backpacked with a force ten since the 70s.
As a family we have two more teen-tents, one of which is a hand me down from the years when I downsized a bit too much and thought I could manage with one of the Quechua pop ups (2 secondsXXLllll ) but then couldn't' bear a 1.4m head height any longer!
So then I upgraded to the small Vango Kalu, a brilliant, so swift to pitch tent that was never popular and discontinued after a year.
Tent is ordered, complete with carpet and footprint, so soon we will be able to get away for some more weekends. It's first planned outing is August Bank Holiday but i'm sure we might manage another one in there before then.
The monster will be back out for Fforest Fields in July but looking forward to cosy weekends in this little baby tent!
------------- May/June - Spring Valley
Aug/Sept - Leekworth
We have 4 tents. A 2 man Wild Country Red Dwarf that was hubby's before I met him. A Storm Shield Extreme that seems to be an offering from Blacks that we used pre child. We now have an Outwell Trout Lake 4 which I love love love. Earlier this year we acquired an extension which has made it even better (beyond my expectations). I also have a Force 10 Mk3 Classic which I inherited from my Dad, I love that tent on so many levels! I can feel my dad there with me when I put it up and it is such a classic tent.
I am trying not to buy a little Wild Country backpacking tent (for no particular reason other than it is cute and may come in handy one day - I'm a bit of a tent nerd!). I suspect I will fail!
Hi Traceyd..We bought an Airgo Stratus 4 back in 2015 and have found it to be a great little tent. It has been well tried and tested regarding weather with no problem whatsoever.I think it would be worthwhile buying a set of kingpoles for the front door and perhaps using in conjunction with a windbreak.On my last outing I had invested in a tarp --a 4x4 dd tarp to be exact..amd with a couple of telescopic poles found an excellent set-up for sitting under and setting a kitchen up. First outing so with a bit of fine-tuning it should be great.The 5 minute pitching time is a bit ambitious..probably more like 10..including a glass of wine around the half way mark.(according to Mrs Mitch)..Im usually setting the chairs up and testing levelness whilst hunting bottle opener etc ..the important stuff!
Good choice for a reasonably priced--quick pitch--roomy airtent I think.Hic.
Quote: Originally posted by BRYANMITCH on 17/6/2017
Hi Traceyd..We bought an Airgo Stratus 4 back in 2015 and have found it to be a great little tent. It has been well tried and tested regarding weather with no problem whatsoever.I think it would be worthwhile buying a set of kingpoles for the front door and perhaps using in conjunction with a windbreak.On my last outing I had invested in a tarp --a 4x4 dd tarp to be exact..amd with a couple of telescopic poles found an excellent set-up for sitting under and setting a kitchen up. First outing so with a bit of fine-tuning it should be great.The 5 minute pitching time is a bit ambitious..probably more like 10..including a glass of wine around the half way mark.(according to Mrs Mitch)..Im usually setting the chairs up and testing levelness whilst hunting bottle opener etc ..the important stuff!
Good choice for a reasonably priced--quick pitch--roomy airtent I think.Hic.
Thanks for that Bryan, we were thinking of either using our day tent along with the tent or maybe investing in a tarp to cover the doorway. Really looking forward to trying it out now but that won't happen for a few weeks yet!
------------- May/June - Spring Valley
Aug/Sept - Leekworth
Amazing family weekend with old steam engines, classic car displays, market stalls, and full catering and bar. And camping on site - Save £25 by booking in advance.
Topic: Downsizing
