Hello,
from south of France, soon retired (I'm 62), I'm planning to camp a few weeks under one canvas Bell tent during spring/autumn, in the Cévennes/Ardèche (wild land close to small woods, small mountains, 1450m high on summertime)
now my questions:
- is the clear "off white" colour of the Bell tent easy to live with (I mean the stain can be visible quickly, earth with rain around bottoms)? may be one tan coloured is less fragile for that, and less visible in the landscape;
- which good company sell the good ones (and tan?)? (for that 2 months a year camping use); I read the heavier canvas gives longer life to the tent; in France, the makers (400/500g/sqm) I asked don't agree with zipped entrance since the cotton shreading when wet.
- one 4 meter bell tent with fitted innertent: is there enough place for a small wood-stove, besides the entrance? (or does it need to undo part of the innerbedroom when stove is on?)
I thank you in advance for helping a newbie...
Canvas and cast do the heavier cotton (350g) and they also do a tan colour (more of a grey though) You can buy it in green though if you contact them which may be more practical (you dont have to have the assorted colour panels, they will do the whole tent in 1 colour)
But the cream is nice inside, especially in the sunny weather
A 4 meter tent will have room for the wood stove (the inner fits half the tent, so the stove would just be positioned in the outer part - just make sure you clear the inner sufficiently)
this is my 4 metre with stove, it could have been moved round 1 more panel to the front to give better clearance if I use an inner tent
more obvious in this picture - the stove could go in the panel next to the main door, although it may need strengthening as there is a window positioned here
From your nice pics, I see the 4 meter Bell tent is big enough for two of us,
and can understand where to fit the stove when using an innertent: thanks!
(inner for bugs and mountain cold moments)
Nice coloured tent and inside equipment!
from which shop is your tent?
Stove: with the horizontal flue exit, could there be smoke coming back inside the tent?
I haven't had any problems with smoke drawing back in, but a chimney going straight through the roof is always going to be more efficient. This particular flue system was designed for a bell tent though.
The tent was an ebay buy, shipped from china no doubt and no particular make! Somebody bought 40 for a wedding party, then sold them after one use for £170 each. At that price I toook a gamble and painted it!
The inners do make a huge difference to warmth, but I like the tent without whenever possible
Don't forget to leave a review of all tents you've used, for a chance to win fantastic prizes
Thanks again Valbarley for your answers, it makes my choice going soon done (iner for warmth, vertical flue exit through roof)...
lovely paint work upon your Bell tent: a lot of kids should dream to be in such a coloured Bell tent, under birds and flowers!
I looked at Canvas and cast web-site, and picasa photos of their very nice Bell tents, looking heavy duty and well designed (2 entrance windows with interior and exterior rolling flaps/wooden tensionners, big ropes, 350g fabric flame retardant...)
I found the coloured tan model, which could be my choice for the planned "wild" camping besides forest!
only this point: has someone experience about their different A entrance, how it is?
I can't help but thinking about this different steel "A entrance pole" design there, where are two vertical parts versus the "A straight/oblical" pole that I can see in many other Bell tents... because it looks to make oblical wrinkles in the canvas at entrance angle, with cotton here that can't stretch the same way, giving tension along the zip.
my English is from school...don't know whether clear to understand!
Are you buying from the UK?
The reason I ask is that I've seen discussions on another forum about buying bell tents directly from the maker in the Netherlands for much lower prices. Apparently, Obelink has some agreement with belltents.co.uk that means they cannot sell them to the UK, but before that came into effect, people were buying them to save money.
Since you're already on the Continent, it may make sense to buy from them, directly.
I've a bell tent too and even though we finally gave in and added a campervan to our collection last year, the bell tent will definitely be coming along too. We bought ours from Bell Tent and although it was expensive (it's got a zip on ground sheet), it's fabulous and worth every penny.
There's loads of space for 2 of you Philoxene and I actually like the light colour as it makes it a pleasant environment, there are no large windows (just a few portholes) so I would imagine going darker could make it a little gloomy.
- BrandNewDay, interesting link to Obelink, where I found their less expensive Bell tents; could be a good choice...
- Valbarney: thanks, I'm waiting for Tina's comment...
- Sceptical Camper: yes Val is an artist!
- Peepdip: from your experience I like to hear there's loads of space inside the 4 meter Bell tent, as seen too in Val's pics!
I understand the nice environnment inside the light coloured you speak about;
...planning "wild" camping (friend farmer/or in the family old farm), since the off-white colour may be too easily seen from a small road in the wild landscape (through the evergreen oaks of the Cévennes small mountains);
so may be we'ld go to the tan colour, with the two small round windows, the sun of the south, and the stove... to be less gloomy!
Val... can you tell me where you got the main carpet in your lovely tent? I notice its wall to wall, but i can't find anything like it for our's.. also.. what paints did you so bravely use? Not sure I'm that brave!!
Hi campers,
from your forum I got the best informations to choose the Bell tent: so first of all thanks for your posts and PM regarding Bell tents
the 4m Bell tent arrived, first time erected in our small garden (south of France) and stove is running today:
- lovely colour for us, also with the morning/evening sun going through the tan canvas; white bedroom gives lightness inside; no sewn in groundsheet is okay when you have the inner and insects (anyway no draugh despite wind)...only some minor details to add (toggles, clips), easy un-hightech solutions for a Bell tent you can find how to do it by yourself with basic small rope or wooden pieces, some movement in the central pole assembly would be easily corrected...
- stove: Pipsqueak needs feeding more often with small logs (easy to find/cut seasoned logs in the forest), but quickly very hot and I like a stove running not slow, good draugh stove and flue, cast iron (20kg!) keeps hotness longtime after dying ambers (first paint fumes inside; flue system well engeneered.
Planning to wild-camp near the Loire River source (1500m high mountain on July), it'ld help not to be cold at evening, and for cooking/washing.
pics soon (when I learn how to put them)
Amazing family weekend with old steam engines, classic car displays, market stalls, and full catering and bar. And camping on site - Save £25 by booking in advance.
Topic: Bell tent
