Im possibly(more than possible, we are egoing but we just need to decide on a site) going camping this summer but ive no tent so ive been looking at sites but im still lost as to which 1 I should get, id be going car camping as opposed to walking to a campsite. I just need suggestions/ reccomendations for a tent and ill buy 1.
thanks for any replies
Post last edited on 31/05/2010 19:50:22
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how many people ? how much stuff (so how many home comforts do you need/want?)? how often do you want to go away (eg weeks away or short breaks)
just summer camping or all sorts of weathers ?
UK or further afield ?
How much have you got to spend ?
can you get yourself to a showroom or Yoeman tent show and have a look around and chat? Dont forget sleeping mat, bed, cooker, kettle, torch etc etc . . .
if it is a one off trip I might just borrow some kit or even look on Freegle for a small dome thing
Quote: Originally posted by Littleskink on 31/5/2010how many people ? how much stuff (so how many home comforts do you need/want?)? how often do you want to go away (eg weeks away or short breaks)
just summer camping or all sorts of weathers ?
UK or further afield ?
How much have you got to spend ?
can you get yourself to a showroom or Yoeman tent show and have a look around and chat? Dont forget sleeping mat, bed, cooker, kettle, torch etc etc . . .
if it is a one off trip I might just borrow some kit or even look on Freegle for a small dome thing
most likely just me but id like the possibility of at least 2 being able to sleep,
home comforts - do you mean stuff to keep in the tent or something else
most likely during the summer and bank holiday weekends,
id prefer to camp in the nice weather and not the rain
at the minute its just uk but there might be the possibility of going abroad(but again it would be by car so weight not too much of an issue)
id say £100 max or is tht too much for 1 that would get used 5 or 6 times a year
thanks, ive already got a roll mat and a sleeping bag but it wouldnt be a problem if a tent were to come free with a sleeping bag or a mat
are you close to any of the big retailers with tent displays ?
Close to us are Go Outdoors and Yoemans at Calver (I think) plus Decathlon
Online places we looked at were Outdoor megastore, World of tents, Camperlands, Marshalls, Charlies direct
Sounds like a 2-3 man dome would be fine, any smaller and it will feel claustrophobic. The choice under £100 should be pretty huge. I quite like Vango stuff though most tents are made in Far East and ok quality- seriously though, much easier to choose by seeing some
home comforts ? some people take toilet, TV, god knows what. We take a kettle, cooker and some tea bags
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Quote: Originally posted by Littleskink on 31/5/2010are you close to any of the big retailers with tent displays ?
Close to us are Go Outdoors and Yoemans at Calver (I think) plus Decathlon
Online places we looked at were Outdoor megastore, World of tents, Camperlands, Marshalls, Charlies direct
Sounds like a 2-3 man dome would be fine, any smaller and it will feel claustrophobic. The choice under £100 should be pretty huge. I quite like Vango stuff though most tents are made in Far East and ok quality- seriously though, much easier to choose by seeing some
home comforts ? some people take toilet, TV, god knows what. We take a kettle, cooker and some tea bags
only 2 stores near me that i know who sell tents are blacks and oswald bailey, yes seing some tents setup is a good idea, the sites ive come across are tiso and world of camping, yeh sorry i understand now, no we wotn be having a tv, toilet or a cooker, we will most likely take a small gas camping stove and/or a small barbecue to cook food on,
Hi. Probably a good little tent. But I would assume you would want to do more than sleep in it. I would be looking for one with a little more space to LIVE in. room to sit around. I'd also like a little more headroom so you aren't spending all your breaks bent double. Don't forget the tent review section at the top of the page. There you'll get an independent review of what actual users have thought of the tents.
Pete
------------- Have you hugged a greyhound today?
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Vango are great tents, I agree with Pete above though, something a little larger, maybe the Vango Beta 350? There's a bit more room in front of the bedroom
I have got the Vango Alpha 200, and it is tiny, I pitched it in my tiny living room!!! Too small even for myself and my 3yr old. It seems a good little tent for lightweight, one nighter solo camps, but in my opinion, it isn't big enough for 2 adults, and any bags.
Have you seen the Vango Sigma 350 plus? That is a fab little tent if you don't want to spend much. It's semi geodesic and has decent sized porch at the front and back. (The sigma model without the 'plus' only has one porch.) I liked being able to open both doors and let the breeze blow right through!
I took mine last year and kept the pram and bags in the back porch/storage area, and used the front porch as an entrance. There was just enough room to make a cuppa on the stove in the porch when it rained.
You can also get the Vango adventure tarp, which attaches over the porch and extends it, giving you a large covered area outside the tent for cooking or sitting outside.
The inside is big enough for a double/2 single mattresses and space for a few bags too.
It withstood some strong winds and rain last year, I was impressed with it's performance considering its relatively low price. It is easy to pitch singlehanded too.
I also have the Vango Omega 350, which is a really lovely and really spacious tunnel tent. It's the same as the Beta model, but more waterproof and stable due to more guy lines and the internal tension band system. It is lightweight,easy to pitch, has decent headroom and has a good size living area big enough for a camping chair and plenty of storage for bags etc.
The bedroom is also a good size, room for a double mattress and a couple of rucksacs.
It shrugged off 2 days of heavy rain in April with no problems at all. Although due to the tunnel design, when you open the door, the rain tends to roll off the roof and into the living area!
I didn't cook in the tent, so took the adventure tarp, which can be pitched as a stand alone shelter (get an extra pole) for cooking/sitting under etc.
If i were going to use a tent 5 or 6 times a year, and wanted one that would be comfortable for 2 people, as well as one, I think I would go for the Omega. Its about £130, so just over your budget, but you'd be safe in the knowledge that it wouldn't leak, blow down and it would last for years. There is a video clip on youtube, search for Vango Omega 350 and it should come up, standing firm in a storm.
Hope that helps
I've just bought a vango beta 450 and its brilliant, not quite enough room to stand but then if you get one bigger it tends to need two people to put up (hence buying the beta 450) and I find the lower you can go the better in bad winds, unless you have a steel frame such as most outwells. The great thing with the beta is its great for last minute camping when the weather is just too good to stay at home. No time at all to pitch. Saying that I was dissapointed with the quality once I'd opened it so if your buying go to a shop and check out before you buy.
------------- Loving spur of the moment camping but starting to get worried that my skin is going to turn to leather!!
I'm quite fancying one of these although goodness knows I don't really need yet another tent, It's basically a one-pole structure with two fibreglass poles making the structure a little bigger. I should imagine even single-handedly it would be a doddle to erect.
Quote: Originally posted by hlk01 on 05/6/2010Vango are great tents, I agree with Pete above though, something a little larger, maybe the Vango Beta 350? There's a bit more room in front of the bedroom here
Post last edited on 05/06/2010 21:41:49
Post last edited on 05/06/2010 21:42:04
i wasnt planning on doing alot of standing in it as i was thinking of buyng something to sit on but yes the vango beta 350 is better than the 1 i posted and the vango omega 350 is also a good tent as well, i did have a look at some tents yesterday at oswald bailey and attwools, i was thinking about getting 1 from attwools as I can get a discount there
Quote: Originally posted by sepen69 on 05/6/2010I've just bought a vango beta 450 and its brilliant, not quite enough room to stand but then if you get one bigger it tends to need two people to put up (hence buying the beta 450) and I find the lower you can go the better in bad winds, unless you have a steel frame such as most outwells. The great thing with the beta is its great for last minute camping when the weather is just too good to stay at home. No time at all to pitch. Saying that I was dissapointed with the quality once I'd opened it so if your buying go to a shop and check out before you buy.
think i need to go and have a second look and make a note of models etc that i like, wish id done that yesterday actually,
I spent last night solo camping in a two man pop up tent and it was the most miserable night of my life. It just brings it home to me that a solo camping trip needs at the very least a three man tent, but preferably a four man.
Have you had a look at the Khyam Freelander? It's got an easy put up system where the poles are already in the tent and it's got quite a big living space, the smaller sleeping space then can be closed up all day to keep the wildlife out. On ebay at the moment there's on for £139 which is a bit more than you hoped but you might feel it's worth it.
The other thing is that Decathlon have a new four man xl pop up tent coming out in the next couple of weeks which has a bigger living space at the front. I don't know how much it's going to be though.
Quote: Originally posted by Safeway56 on 06/6/2010
I'm quite fancying one of these although goodness knows I don't really need yet another tent, It's basically a one-pole structure with two fibreglass poles making the structure a little bigger. I should imagine even single-handedly it would be a doddle to erect.
Safeway, the 300 and 400 version of that tent has a better design of door as that door of the 500 is so sloped that to open or close it you have to get on your knees and even then you'd keep touching the fabric with your head, affecting the waterproofness of it.
I agree, a nice looking tent and I like the single pole construction too. It's a pity about that door.
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Topic: First time for camping
