After spending the hottest week of the year in a friends static in North Cornwall we were looking forward to the second week under canvas in South Cornwall, unfortunately the weather turned and the campsite we chose was high on a hillside! Was somewhat nervous about the wind but the tent was usable after 25 mins (it was our first time in anger!) unfortunately the slope of the site meant we had to face the tent front on into the wind! Within no time at all it became obvious that the tent is not designed for this, the front pole was flexing about 8-10 inches into the tent (not joking!) We stood this for the first night but were becoming worried that the pole was going to give out, luckily it lasted but I decided on day two to use one of the spare guys I had taken. I made a hole on through the pole runner at the top of the arc of the front pole and passed the guy rope behind the pole and secured it with a bit of play with a large peg. It cured the problem but would add that the longer the guy is the better, if it is placed too close to the tent it will force the pole to flatten at the top in strong gusts. On the windiest day I tied it to the roof bar of the car so it was near horizontal, this was great but was worried about forgetting and driving off!! As the week progressed the wind moved side on and the tent was brill! we had a great time. The tent, even in the heavy rain and wind didnt leak at all. Please dont be put off, this tent is great value and with careful placement and a little mod here and there its well worth it. Will be placing a guy on the rear pole next time we erect it. Was also thinking of getting a couple of spare pole sections. Roll on next trip!! I Hope this helps.
Hi
The Vango Icarus 500 has been the best selling tent this season for many retailers. If you purchased your tent from a good retailer you will of been told that this tent is a great weekender tent and is only for fair weather, ie you look at the weather on a thurs/fri and think "great, the weather looks nice so lets go camping"
The Icarus is £120 - £130ish. If you need a tent to stand up to stronger winds then you will need either a small 3-4 season backpacking tent (£200 - £400) or you could go for a steel poled tent like the Kampa Lulworth 4 or the Outwell Minnesota 4 etc (£250 - £350).
The price of the Icarus 500 is only the same as 2 nice shirts. Im amazed Vango etc can make a tent as good as this, ship it all the way from China then deliver it to the retailer for anywhere near this sort of money.
Its hard when your new to camping to decide which tent is right for you and the sort of conditions you think you might be out in so thats why visiting your local camping retailer is so important...A tent at a low price may look inviting but in the long run will it be right for you.
Quote: Originally posted by Cross Camping on 18/7/2009
Hi The Vango Icarus 500 has been the best selling tent this season for many retailers. If you purchased your tent from a good retailer you will of been told that this tent is a great weekender tent and is only for fair weather, ie you look at the weather on a thurs/fri and think "great, the weather looks nice so lets go camping"
The Icarus is £120 - £130ish. If you need a tent to stand up to stronger winds then you will need either a small 3-4 season backpacking tent (£200 - £400) or you could go for a steel poled tent like the Kampa Lulworth 4 or the Outwell Minnesota 4 etc (£250 - £350).
The price of the Icarus 500 is only the same as 2 nice shirts. Im amazed Vango etc can make a tent as good as this, ship it all the way from China then deliver it to the retailer for anywhere near this sort of money.
Its hard when your new to camping to decide which tent is right for you and the sort of conditions you think you might be out in so thats why visiting your local camping retailer is so important...A tent at a low price may look inviting but in the long run will it be right for you.
Regards
Gary cross
Retailer.
Post last edited on 18/07/2009 09:45:31
Great post, Gary.
------------- Tackling life the Western District way
Don't forget to leave a review of all tents you've used, for a chance to win fantastic prizes
"That this tent is a great weekender tent and is only for fair weather, ie you look at the weather on a thurs/fri and think great, the weather looks nice so lets go camping"
Strange statement, most people plan their holidays/weekends away well in advance and cannot make the decision at such short notice. If I wanted a tent that was only suitable for 'fair weather' I would have bought a supermarket £5.99 special!
Experience tells us that our most recent Summers have been wet & windy (I'll leave others to decide if its Global Warming and who's fault that may be) so whats the point in retailing a tent that can't be used during a UK Summer? As already stated in my last post the Icarus 500 did see the weather off, and I re-itterate it is a great tent!
Hi
Two shirts for £130... Ok this may sound a lot but it gets across what im getting at...
Keicar:- "Strange statement, most people plan their holidays/weekends away well in advance" this can be the case but its also true a huge amount of people just pick up and go when the weather looks good etc as this can be one of the big advantages of camping.
"Experience tells us that our most recent Summers have been wet & windy" Yes but we also know that the UK summers can have four seasons in one day so if you are the sort of camper that needs to "plan their holidays/weekends away well in advance and cannot make the decision at such short notice" i would advise you and anyone who came to my shop to spend more and buy a tent that can stand up well to 90% of what the British weather can chuck at us, and no this isnt just to get you to spend more...its just the truth.
Im very pleased your Icarus came out of a windy situation well but any glass fibred tunnel tent will have its limitations...
Regards
G Cross
Retailer.
Don't forget to leave a review of all tents you've used, for a chance to win fantastic prizes
Typical retailer answer! Sorry to sound synical but....
We have also had similar probleme with the Icarus 500 resulting in several broken poles and damage to the fabric,(Been pitching Vango tents for 9 years in all weathers and never had a problem before!) told by the retailer that poles and any damage caused by them are nothing to do with them!
Vango claim that they are not aware of any problems with this tent(?!) and suggest that I take the matter up with the reatiler that we brought it from - Great why didn't I think of that!
I think Gary makes very reasonable - and fair - points, as does Val. The tent is marketed by Vango in their "Weekend" range and at that price point may fulfill that role very well.
Their "lifetime warranty" excludes inappropriate use, and pole damage. Most car makers do the same with tyre damage. It's just too user dependant.
Unfortunately there's not many makers who do family size 4 season jobbies, at least, at prices any of could afford
Hi. We have both a Wynnster Pharaoh 4 and a Vango weekender ( Icarus) and like them both. But, the pharaoh is big and bulky, so we bought the weekender package. Like lots of people, we have to book our holidays well in advance, so can only hopr for good weather! We have just spent a week in Dorset, where we had strong winds one night. The tent stood up well, but the sun canopy came off, ripped and broke pole elastic! After initial thoughs of going home, we moved next morning to a less exposed pitch, and mended rips and elastic, and carried on for the rest of the week. I'm interested in what people say about pitching side on, as thought we should have pitched with the back to the wind. Thanks for all the advice.
Anne
Don't forget to leave a review of all tents you've used, for a chance to win fantastic prizes
Like you Anne was always told to pitch 'rear end on' but our recent experience told us that the tent was much more stable side on (with help of the TBS system) once the wind direction had changed. As explained the addition of an extra guy at the top of the arc worked for us, but be aware that this may invalidate your warranty. Its unfortunate as this tent is great and should be a winner, OK its not outrageously expensive, but for a lot of people £130 is still a lot of cash. One wonders why some bother camping when paying £65 for a shirt - a hotel should be the order of the day!!!
I wish I had never brought up the shirt example, it was just to say that although £130 is a lot of money itS not when you look at what you get..
karenada .... Re "Typical retailer answer! Sorry to sound synical but...." I would have to say yes you are synical and thats fine but I really think the 25yrs in the trade (living and breathing camping) and camping in all conditions gives my points some backing. Regular users of this site also know I give honest opinions weather it supports the trade or not...
Regards
G Cross
------------- Gary Cross - The masked camping guru.
Just to make you feel better, I'm not made of money, but my Gieves and Hawkes wedding shirt was £65 !!
And only wore it the once (once was enough )
Goose, no it's not "another one of the "Vango dome tents collapsing in the wind" threads?"
"Bottom line is you can only do what you can do, and your tent can only do what it's designed to. If you want a tent that will stay up in anything you need to look at 2-3 man mountain rated 4-season tents, at eyewatering prices."
The issues here were resolved with different pitching.
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: Vango Icarus 500 wind problem ?
Great post, Gary.
)
!
