Yes it's been asked before but I'm still in two minds! We currently have a Coleman Coastline 4 with porch which is great for two adults and 1 small child. We use one double and one single airbed for sleeping arrangements and cook under the rather oversize porch. With this in mind would a Soulpad 4000 ease be a good buy for us? I'd really like a bell tent for me it's the ultimate. My concerns are: Is it big enough? What is the best solution for outside cooking/porch? Is the sleeping pod necessary and large enough for us? I know the 5000 is also a nice tent and spacious but we have been on a couple of sites where the pitch would be a bit tight to say the least. Some advice from people who own this tent (or any 4m bell) would be much appreciated.
------------- Where are we?:
Aug 2nd - Ty Creos, Anglesey
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Hi John, your little child won't always be so little, so cast your mind forward 4-5 years and think about the space you will all need then. Personally I would think a 5M would be better for you if funds permit, there is much more room and you won't be bumping into each other or tripping over stuff so easily! Bear in mind the walls are slopey so you may have to adjust your camping furniture for a bell (I did!), or think about moving things to a utility tent and keep the bell for living/sleeping rather than cooking, storage, drying towels, etc.
Some people here have both 4m and 5m bells so would better be able to give you advice.
A 4 metre would be fine if like humbird says, all you do in there is sleep/chill, I have both 4 and 5 metre and think in the long term the bigger tent would be a better option, I am only 5' 3 and I can only stand up straight in a very small area by the pole in the 4, bags of headroom in the 5. You need to consider where you will cook and store things too. For the difference in price I would recommend the 5m. Pitching time is about the same and while the weight and pack size is a bit larger you get the benefit of extra room and head height which makes it feel less claustrophobic , 1m difference may be small on paper but is a BIG difference inside the tent. If you look after your bell it will last for years so fast forward a couple and imagine what you will want from your tent then.
If you find the 4m isnt big enough and end up adding a utility tent, will all that fit on a pitch you think a 5m would struggle to fit on. It is really easy to rig up a tarp as a porch or cooking area for both sizes of bell so keep that in mind.
Just to give you an idea of space, the most we have had in the 4m was when my daughter and grandkids came along with us. In there we had a double air bed, single camp bed and a travel baby pod, plus clothes and 'stuff' for 2 adults and 2 little ones for a week. It all fitted in but it was just a 'bedroom' there wasnt room for chairs, cooking stuff, food etc that all ended up in with us!
It depends on your style of camping too, how much time you plan on spending in/around the tent and how minimalist (or not) you are.
I'd agree with OPs, if you can go large, the extra space will be really useful in future. Again as others have said, we use a tarp to cook under ( and brew up inside at night and first thing) I was also concerned about the pitch size and initially made a point of asking sites if they could accommodate our 'big' tent. When I saw the size of some of the gigantic tents out there I stopped worrying, but still do mention it out of courtesy. The pitch size on most sites should be fine for the 5m but it would be worth an ask before you book perhaps?
Good luck deciding, and enjoy whichever you go for.
Thanks for the advice everyone, looks like we will go for the 5m .
WIll probably have to wait until end of this season to buy as we have to save up. In the meantime we can spend the time choosing which make and thinking about what else we will need
I agree with what the others tell, 5m is more livable
(I made half a mistake purchasing the 4m; half only, since less height to warm)
Also the 1.75m entrance height should be comfortable in the 5m Bell (1.56m in top of the A entrance of the 4m may become a little boring along time... my two cents)
Post last edited on 04/04/2012 22:05:41
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Hi All,
Interesting to read all these coments......
I bought a 4m a few weeks ago but so far have only pitched it in the garden!!!!!!
We've got our Bear lake 4 for the longer stays but this is for those long weekends for the 3 of us.
This is going to be used for sleeping chilling in with a small cotton tarp at the door and a utility tent for cooking and storing all the extras.
I'll let you know in a few weeks how we get on!!!
As far as suppliers go, a big thumbs up for Karma........
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Topic: Buying a Bell Tent
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