Hi all, i am new to this site but looking to buy my first proper tent for use in the uk (hoping to get one cheaper at the end of the season). i am torn between the two mentioned above but concerned about the size of them. We are 2 adults and a small baby but wanta tent big enough that we can grow into it...but not too big that we will be put off going away for a weekend. i have also been looking at the minnesota or the weathermaster l which is a 4 man but could it be big enough. We would also like a porch area and i know that you can buy add ons but were looking at the vango amazon 600 but not as great reviews as the outwell or coleman....any help/tips would be much appreciated as i am a bit lost
thanks,
Anna
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Hi. If you are two adults and a baby it might be worth bearing in mind that for some time come it is likely that your tent will be being put up singlehanded by one adult while the other is occupied with childcare. So, you do right to look at tunnel tents, which are generally easier than domes.
Are you looking for a tent for mainly weekends, or longer trips?
I also wouldn't get too hung up on future proofing your tent: its hard enough trying to work out what you and yours want from a tent now before you've been camping a few times! Most of the setting up costs will go on buying kit rather than a tent, and kit can be transferred from tent to tent.
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hi thanks for the reply, we are intending to use the tent for longer trips but would also want to use it for weekends as well and it needs to be tall enough for us to stand up in and have a table if weather is bad..
the only tent we had before was when we were travelling around australia and it was very small so wanted something bigger
I am new to camping too and after much research we have just brought the Outwell Monty 6 with front extension.
There is me, my husband who is 6.2ft, our 3 year old Harry, 10 week old brother Baby Archie and Paddy our black lab.
We choose the Monty 6 with front externsion for the following reasons:
It has seperate bedroom pods which can also be opened up to be one big bedroom (Brillant for Harry now and Archie in a few months as we can eaily get to them for toilet trips, nightmares etc. But then in a few years - they can have there 'own' room - Also brought the Dino room to go in it!
It has a side porch for all the muddy shoes and the dog for at night
The living area is big enough for Harry and Archie when he is crawling. We borrowed a tent for our first few times to make sure we liked it and it had no living area and it was a nightmare with Harry specially when it rained as he had nowhere to play diggers! WE also know that when Archie is crawling we will need someone to keep him in!
The front extension is fantastic for cooking and sitting under in the rain.
We also only heard positive things about the tent! Yes it is heavy - but then it is a big tent!
My husband and I (who are new to this camping!!) can get it up in 30 mins by doing it the way the man on U Tube does and then down and packed away in 40 mins!
We really like the Monty!
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I can only comment on the monty 6 but you only have to look around your average campsite and there's usually at least one pitched somewhere and most folk on here rave about them including me.
The front extension is a fab extra bit of kit and we wouldn't be without ours. Many people have posted that the sloping doors on a lot of Outwells (not just the monty) mean keeping the door closed when it rains to prevent the rain entering the tent so the front extension does help this. As a weekend tent, we opted for something smaller but for longer trips the monty is the perfect all rounder. The only criticism is that the doors have velcro tabs at the bottom as the zips don't go all the way round which means it does get a bit drafty there although easily remedied with some extra velcro. Wouldn't swap ours for the world.
------------- If you have a problem stressing you, sort it. If you can't, there's no point worrying about it coz it won't make a blind bit of difference!!!! Jules
Most people on here really rate the monty and they do look a nice tent. We use the Weathermaster XL and love it. If you are loking for a very good price, WildDays are offering the Weathermaster XL for £299.99 delivered with a free windbreak (we hook this to one of the covered doors and tie a tarp over the top, makes a great area to cook in).
Since I posted my review we have had another two seperate weeks and a long weekend away. Some horrible weather in amongst those trips and no complaints.
Speaking as a Weathermaster L owner I can highly recommend the tent.
Good quality construction, with above average HH at 6000mm. Loads of space (this is a big tent) which handles 4 adults, large table, chairs, cooking, kitchen and storage kit no problem (you can walk around without people having to move out of your way). Good door options – 2 doors either side and a “front” door that can be set as a basic canopy in good weather (we hope ). Windbreak, which clips to the main poles, is included and can be set up in numerous ways.
Of course the downside of all this is pitching and weight. Chances of a single person pitching it are slim; you do need an “assistant”. It’s very heavy at 43Kg, but keeping the steel poles separate from the main tent makes lugging it around easier.
Try to find one setup on display and take a look. I bought ours from Go Outdoors in Pudsey for £249.99 (cheaper than the “sale” price at present on their web site).
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We also have the weathermaster xl, I would say it does need two to put it up. The amount of room is great, however, the monty 6 I think would be good for your circumstances.
If you are looking at a Monty 6, but you would prefer a cheaper price for just about the same tent, look at Go Outdoors at the Corado 6. (Basically £100 cheaper).
It is basically the monty 6 without the side canopy door thing, but it has a built in front canopy and you can buy an extra canopy to make it doubly long.
We have just had just under a week away in it (myself, DH and 8mth old DD) and we thought it was great (check my review out on the tent review). The only problem is that the front door doesn't have a fly netting screen to it, but I'm going to look at attaching some with velcro the next time it is up so that we can remove it if we don't need it, but it is there if we do.
It was really easy to pitch and take down, but like all tents, a sod to get back into the bag!
Can't say about the weathermaster but I did have this on my list of possibilities when we were looking at bigger tents. Our previous one was an Outwell Oregon 5, a great tent, but a tad too small for a long holiday with DD and all the kit required and it didn't have SIG, so easy to half escape when crawling!
We love our Monty 6 - partucularly with the extension.. we can sit under it and even cook when it rains.. it has a massive living area which is a god send when it rains as normally everyone piles into our tent! We are however looking for a smaller tent for the weekend as the living area is really massive (Looking at the Minnesota 4 - which I think used to be called the Montanan 4 ) but saying that, i love my Monty so its a hard choice..
We can pitch it in just under 15 mins.... unroll, peg the back down , thread the poles and lift - voila! We can also pack it up in under 30 mins now.. Deffo need 2 people though
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After owning both the Montana 6 and now the Minnesota 4 I can recommend either but will give you my own experiences.
The Montana 6 we had for a year, it is a very very nice large tent, but impossible to put up on your own, despite the chap from Yeomans putting a video on youTube of him doing it. Again, because it is so big drying it out when you get home is a major problem unless you have a very large garage you can stick it in. Bag size - it took up most of the boot of our car with one large bag for the tent, one for the poles and another for the front extension!
The Minnesota 4 - has all the same features as the Montana 6 except the side porch is basically just a roof, it is not "contained" with a zip up door. That said, its has the same interior layout with the zipped partition in between the bedrooms.
We decided to sell our Montana earlier this year and get the Minnesota because for the 2 of us (plus 1 dog) it was just too big and too much hassle to put up and take down. With the Minnesota it takes me 15 minutes to lay down the footprint, erect the tent and get all the guys pegged out!
Whichever you choose they are both outstanding tents and will suit you fine.
thank you for all your comments - if the minnesota is going to be easier to put up and with there being only the 3 of us i am leaning towards that tent with the extension. we can take the extension for longer trips and for weekends perhaps just the tent...its a really hard choice as i really like the monty and it is not much dearer
The monty 6 (imho) is too much of a kerfuffle for a weekend tent, even if you only take the tent and leave the extension at home so that's why we bought a vango tamor 500 with large front extension and I alone can put that up and it has a surprising amount of space for a tiddler. The monty is REALLY quite heavy to erect and don't take a blind bit of notice of the guy on you tube doing it alone. I think the way he pulls all that weight up by the fabric may mean you'd ultimately come to a sticky (torn) end. Do you know someone locally who has one that you could have a go at pitching? It's all well and good judging a tent by it's size but if you are put off everytime you have to erect it then it's not the tent for you. (innuendo abounds there lol!) That said, in a storm you'll NEVER regret the monty 6, it's a good old sturdy tent.
------------- If you have a problem stressing you, sort it. If you can't, there's no point worrying about it coz it won't make a blind bit of difference!!!! Jules
We started last summer as 2 adults and a baby with an Outwell Oregon 5- this summer we are 2 adults and a toddler and have upgraded to the Corado 6 (we nearly bought the Montana 6 but the Corado was a better deal at £249 with integral porch included and in the same bag so saving space) and we are really pleased with it. It is probably not quite as heavy as the Montana 6 to erect as the poles are part fibre glass. It doesnt take us much longer than the oregon 5- but it is admittedly a bigger heavier tent and with 6 man tents you sometimes have to pay extra to pitch it. As the porch is attached you cant take it off to make the tent smaller if sites are charging extra (not that I would as I find the porch essential for cooking when its raining, and keeping stuff in). The bigger the tent the more room it takes up in your car too and space is precious with all the baby clobber too! However, we have found I would rather spend a bit longer putting it up and be really comfortable. It is a faff erecting any tent with a toddler tearing around or a yelling baby (when she was little we put the phil n teds travel cot up on the grass and put her in it whilst we put the tent up but now she moves!) so that is not my favourite bit but its worth it!
Post last edited on 25/08/2009 18:46:03
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Quote: Originally posted by annamorgan247 on 25/8/2009
thank you for all your comments - if the minnesota is going to be easier to put up and with there being only the 3 of us i am leaning towards that tent with the extension. we can take the extension for longer trips and for weekends perhaps just the tent...its a really hard choice as i really like the monty and it is not much dearer
well like somebody else has already said, if you hate the thought of putting the tent up its not the tent for you, well I despised the thought of erecting and putting away the Monty, it is a giant pain in the ass to be honest but once up it somehow nearly seems worth the effort.
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Topic: Montana 6 or Weathermaster xl?
WE also know that when Archie is crawling we will need someone to keep him in!
). Windbreak, which clips to the main poles, is included and can be set up in numerous ways.
but if you are put off everytime you have to erect it then it's not the tent for you. (innuendo abounds there lol!) That said, in a storm you'll NEVER regret the monty 6, it's a good old sturdy tent.
