Sorry, but use of the word "snobbery" brings a vision of a small 3 person Pro Action tent with a big sticker on it that says MY OTHER TENTS AN OUTWELL INDIANA 8 . <IMG alt=17 src="https://www.ukcampsite.co.uk/chatter/forum_images/smiley1.gif" align=absMiddle>
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Quote: Originally posted by Valk_scot on 18/6/2009
Quote: Originally posted by valbarley on 18/6/2009
i use the BL regardless of length of stay
i like the luxury of it and it wouldn't be the same staying in something that doesn't match up to it, just to save half hours pitching time
But would you use it if you were on a touring holiday of three weeks and say ten-twelve stops, a couple of nights per site? That's when all these half hours really mount up. I once moved eight times in one holiday (six weeks) and by the end of it I felt like burning the TT...!
I'm planning an eight week touring holiday for next year. We want to go down to the Pyrenees for three weeks of this and the TT would be our best option there, since it's cotton. But can I bear to put it up every three days or so? Don't think so! I'd rather take the Oregon. Hubby is on the other hand suggesting two pop ups for all the short stops. Five weeks touring in two pop-ups? Err, no! The quest for the perfect all-round tent continues....
I wouldn't do a 10/12 stop camping holiday in 3 weeks
I like camping because it is perfect to sit around and chill out with no pressure to do anything really.
If I was away for 3 weeks, chunks of 4 day stops would be fine. 5 different changes of scenery in this time is perfect for me, and it gives me a few days to explore wherever I am.
I think 2 days between pitching and pulling it all back up again consistantly for 3 weeks would be horrendous
You still have the kit etc to pack up regardless of the tent size. I can understand downscaling your kit for short breaks, but the tent doesn't make a huge difference
We have 3 tents now. A gelert lokon vario 6, gelert stratus 4 for weekender and a gelert tornado 3 for when we are on the motorbike. (struggle to get the lokon 6 on the bike )As for "weekender" we bought the stratus because we tend to start our weekend break on a friday afternoon after work and daylight is often dissapearing fast by the time we get to the site. Especially at the times of the year when it starts to get dark early. The Stratus 4 is so easy and quick to erect and is spacious enough for the 2 of us.
I think the OP was badly written - I love the idea of having multiple tents as snobbery, personally I think it's much more of a character weakness, after all why on earth do I need the vast number of tents that I have
I have two views on this subject though, as I like to get set up as quickly as possible on a short trip BUT mainly we need the same kit for a weekend as a week - the difference in our kit depends on the facilities on a site, so for places like Le Mans and other race circuits we'll take a portaloo and possibly the shower/toilet tent and a dayroom but on a site with full facilities we don't but the main bulk of the kit is the same.
Having said that I do think that often it isn't the tent that takes too long to put up it is the amount of kit that goes into it but if having a smaller tent forces people to take less then I suppose it works.
It's horses for courses though isn't it? The OP's Diablo will take as long to pitch as I take to set up in total so we could all criticise what others do if we wanted to!
------------- Piglet
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havent read all of the posts here yet but wanted to say we have 2 tents, not out of snobery but because we plan to camp in different ways at different times. Our big tent is the sunncamp global 600 (very similar to the montanna 6) its great and has loads of room etc and is perfect for a week away (have just returned from a week in dorset). However.. it takes 2 of us a good hour to pitch and with a toddler is a bit of a faff, it also takes up our entire car so to use it we need to take the trailer. it also wont pitch in our garden so drying it is a PITA and I wouldnt fancy having to do it every time we went away for a weekend. Our weekender on the other hand fits neatly in the car with our reduced weekend kit (meaning we dont need so much space in the tent too) and only takes 10 minutes to pitch. It also fits in our garden so pitching it to dry it when we get home is no hassle at all. My husband could pitch it on his own if need be so with a toddler its perfect for shorter trips. Its still plenty big enough for all of us. Technically we probably could use it for longer trips but it just wouldnt be so comfortable for a longer duration plus it def feels less sturdy than our bigger tent (has a lower hydrostatic head too). Also for us we like to camp in a range of locations, if I was heading to a real rural foresty type site I would probably take the smaller weekender tent with minimal kit, whereas a 'holiday park' trip like the week we have returned from we took the big tent, table and chairs, proper cooker and kitchen unit etc. I guess its a case of for a weekend we like to rough it, ideally with a basic site with minimal facilities and lots of nature, for a longer trip we like a few home comforts
Come to think of it, I've got ten tents. Snobbery? Well, I can only use one at a time so...??? Actually it's not snobbery. It's because I keep buying the damm things and never get round to selling the ones I've finished with. Lazyness, more like!
I think the "Weekender" is definitely a misnomer. It's rather a way of describing the bits of kit taken rather than the particular tent we take. I'm on my way to starting a collection of various tents, and they all suit a particular need, but it's the gear we take with us that's always going to take the time to set out and pack away.
If I was going for a week or more, I'd have the Minnesota 6 with extension, carpet, utility tent, cookers and cobb etc. For a weekend on the bike, it'd be the Biker (until my Djakarta gets here ), and with limited space to carry equipment, it's the bare minimum.
It's all about flexibility to pick and choose from your tent and gear for the situation at hand. When I was starting out, I fully intended to be able to fill the car for longer trips, go minimal on the bike, or anything inbetween. I like my creature comforts, but I don't see the need for a camp kitchen/utility tent setup, wardrobes, satellite dishes and tv's etc. for a 2 night stay when a tarp and a table is adequate. It all seems too much equipment to set out and takes time away from relaxing with a drink.
And that is the whole point of getting away. it's to escape and relax. Everyone has their own idea of comfort and what they want to take to achieve that. Each to their own, and that's the way it should be. We're all different, and all stuck in our own little ways, so what does it matter what anyone else thinks we should do, or should take away with us. It is our break/weekend/summer holiday after all.
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It's all about flexibility to pick and choose from your tent and gear for the situation at hand.
Yup, that's it in a nutshell. Not all weekends are equal after all. You can be going for some sort of event and intending to eat out all the time so the tent is really only just a bedroom. Or you can go for a weekend of not going off site, when the Saturday evening BBQ is THE event, so you take vast amounts of cooking gear.
Or you go away for seven weeks and do four stops (like me last year) or seven weeks and ten-twelve stops (like I'm planning for next year, madwoman that I am.) Different gear required! And if you're adult only, you obviously need a lot less kit than when taking toddlers or babies. Etc.
Ten tents, three different trypes of sleeping set up, three types of chilling device and five different cooker/BBQs, plus even a choice of cooking gear. The only things that go with me every trip are the bucket, the kettle and the chairs!
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Topic: Weekend tent - Are they really worth it?
)As for "weekender" we bought the stratus because we tend to start our weekend break on a friday afternoon after work and daylight is often dissapearing fast by the time we get to the site. Especially at the times of the year when it starts to get dark early. The Stratus 4 is so easy and quick to erect and is spacious enough for the 2 of us.
), and with limited space to carry equipment, it's the bare minimum.
