I am looking for new tents for the Scout Group. The large traditional tents are fine, but something with a sewn in groundsheet is much better for normal use.
I was looking at the Vango Alpha 400 for 3 Cubs and far too much kit which parents normally send. Anyone have any experience of them? The reviews of the 200 and 300 seem good.
Or can anyone recommend another tent we could use?
Thank you for your help
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I've had experience of something similar and I would say that, as an inexpensive tent to house three Cub Scouts, they would be fine. A big advantage is that overhang/mini-canopy that allows them to get in and out of the tent when it is raining without getting the inner-tent wet. They have a good internal height and are easy to pitch but the inner is pitched first.
The Vango Venture 500 are a popular choice amongst scouting groups, but could easily be any of the tent's clones .Also noted the increasing use of pop up tents , which could all be placed around a central awning or shelter.
I've also seen several Scout groups use tents like the Venture. But for the Cubs I think the head height is unnecessary, especially when you consider the price differential. To their advantage, however, they have a much larger porch/storage area.
As for the pop-ups, the basic ones can be obtained very cheaply but, because of the slant of the door, rain will get in the sleeping area as the Cubs go in and out and, in my experience, Cubs are too young to be disciplined about getting in and out in a manner that protects the inner from rain. Although you can get pop-ups with canopies over the door these are much more expensive.
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I agree I do not think Pop Up's are the answer, as I think we still need to teach the young people how to pitch a tent, and I want to make sure that their first experience of camping is a positive one. So the new tents must be stable and waterproof. I think I will go ahead with the Vango, as they are not too expensive. We do have the Cotton Patrol Tents, but they are very heavy for small people to put up.
The problem is that in our group the tents are used by , beavers, cubs , scouts et al. So we have too maximise the utility at minimum cost . We ended up purchasing a load of Gelert Rocky or Tornados . Ultimately, it also has to be something they can learn to pitch .
I agree, making a tent easy to pitch is a good thing. The other that I found after taking 100 12/13 yo on a school camping trip is teaching them not to pass between tents, and hence fall over guy lines. The layout of the camp helps that not occur.
Enjoy camping!
------------- Rich
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Topic: Vango Alpha 400 - Suitable for Cubs?
