My family went on a long weekend camp last year and bought a Rage Narvik 700DLX, which we thought was a bargain for the size and space, but after one day of bad weather, it started leaking then collapsed with broken poles.
Not wanting to repeat the same mistake, we are going camping next weekend, two adults and three children aged 7,8 and 9. I've been looking for a replacement tent for a couple of weeks and after the bad experience last year and quite concerned about quality, but still want a reasonably priced tent due to our limited usage.
From what I have read the dome tents seem to be more wind resistant than tunnels, but tunnels offer more head room over a larger area and are easier to put up. I am quite taken with the Khyam Santiago, which I realise is only 4 berth, but with the kids the size they are may be OK for short trips. I have read on other posts here that it is not particularly spacious, though, so I am not really sure. The Khyam Yale seems like a better option, having more space, sewn in ground sheet and gators on the porch door, as well as larger windows, but being a tunnel design, will it be as wind resistant as the Santiago. I have also looked at the Wynnster Buzzard, Lichfield Arapaho, Easy Camp Rimini, Coleman Columbus, Vango Albany and many other but none of them seem to be as well spec'ed as the Khyams. The various reviews I have read here and elsewhere seem to suggest that the Kyams can cope with any weather and they seem ideal, but I really have no idea and there is far too much choice for me to decide without getting a little feedback from people with somewhat more experience than myself.
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Hi neofolis , I have to say that domes are deffo better in bad weather. We camped for the weekend last year and the wind and rain was horrendous!!! Our friends tunnel tent had the roof torn off !!..and all around during the night we heard people squeal when their tent collapsed!!! When we got up next day there were a lot less tents !!!
We have a sunncamp tourist plus 6xp for sale that we are only selling due to having 3rd baby and needing travel cot and pushchair etc so have bought a f/c.
Have a look at profile for a brochure piccie , the ad is on freeads if you are interested but this would be a fab tent with 3 older kids!!!
I have actually changed my thinking now. Trying to save money now is only likely to cost money in the long run, so I think we are better off going for something larger that will be a sensible size for a family of two adults and three children for a few years.
If anyone could make some recommendations based on the following spec list, I'd be very grateful.
Spec requirement/wish list:
Sufficient Space
Three Bedrooms, ideally with one larger room
Full SIG Including Living Area
5000mm HH Flysheet
Fly Pitch First
Reasonably Easy To Put Up
Reasonable Living Space and Head Room
Ideally Dome/Tunnel Hybrid Design (preferably Geodesic)
You would think with so many requirements, it would be easy to find the exact tent I want, but I'm still struggling.
Have you considered the Outwell Hartford XL or Vango Diablo 900, which seem to match your criteria with the exception that it has 3000mm HH flysheet, or the Vango Killington which does have the 5000mm HH flysheet?
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I've looked at the Hartford, which seems to only have 3000HH and is inner tent first, the same for the Diablo, but yes, the Killington seems to meet all of my criteria.
I've looked at the Khyam Kansas, I seem to recall it's a tunnel, rather than dome/tunnel, but there are others in the Khyam range which I need a closer look at. I like the idea of the Quick Erect Outer First, but not all of them have 5000HH.
I've also looked at the Gelert Geminis and the Wynnster Saturns, but I've not found anywhere with enough detail in the descriptions for either of these.
The Killington 600 seems to have larger than normal 2 person bedrooms, would this provide ample space for a double airbed and storage or would I be better off with the 900?
Yes, I think I would prefer the Vis-a-Vis style anyway, which generally have a smaller footprint, but not to the point that I would not get a tent if it wasn't that style. I think fulfilling the rest of my ideal spec list is already limiting my choice quite a lot.
Quote: Originally posted by Neofolis on 17/5/2008
I've looked at the Hartford, which seems to only have 3000HH and is inner tent first, the same for the Diablo, but yes, the Killington seems to meet all of my criteria.
Last year's model of the Hartford was inner tent first; this year's is flysheet first.
I think I've narrowed my choice down to either the Vango Killington 600 or the Wynnster Mercury 9 (2008 Model). Both are about the same price. The Wynnster is obviously larger and I prefer the layout, but I suspect it will be more difficult to erect and it is also proving difficult to find places online with the 2008 model in stock.
After all the deliberation, I've finally bought a tent. It's the Wynnster Saturn 9, which is similar to the Mercury, but pitched inner first. I would have preferred outer first, but I managed to find the Saturn 9 for £150 and couldn't justify an extra £150 just for the advantage of pitching flysheet first.
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Topic: Newbie Advice Please
