I've recently had my Nevada M blow down in the wind, so i've looked at a replacement, but can't quite decide what is the best for me.
I've found a Vango Kasari 800 for about £300, however I've seen a Outwell Montana Lake for £600 ish.
My current tent isn't big enough, hence why i'm looking at something bigger, however my single most important criteria is being able to handle wind and rain, as three years on the trot i've had lots of strong winds and rain and had to put up with an unstable tent.
Therefore, standard polyester tunnels are out of the question.
What I would like to know however is if switching to a Polycotton tunnel tent with steel poles, or having a dome tent with fibreglass would be best.
I know that polycotton is supposed to 'sound' better, but is a dome with pods more stable, when the wind changes direction and starts blowing from the sides? If the dome is more stable, then a £300 difference for the 'sound' isn't worth it to me, as I can sleep through the noise.
Thanks for any advice you can provide.
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A cheap option maybe a repair depending on the damage. The Outwell Nevada M from 2010/11 had the wind stabiliser added (not sure how effective they are). Basically a Velcro tie that goes on the tent pole – is this on your model...?
However if you feel the tent is not stable in strong winds (I assume it was fully guyed down) then a new steel. /metal pole tent will be better. Polycotton tents are nice as they are a lot quiter in the wind. Not sure if they are more stable though..? Polycotton tents are also more expensive.
What sort of budget were you thinking...?
One other question obvoius I know, I assume you have all the guy line peg out...?
I thought about a repair, but the tent itself is too small when it's rainy to hold all of our gear, so unfortunately we need to get something bigger.
We had the entire tent pegged down, used Delta pegs too. When the wind was blowing, it was forcing the tent down, even though I had the wind stabilisers attached, which to me seems more of a gimmick and doesn't really do anything.
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We've recently switched from the montana 6 to a Montana Lake. We loved our old tent- was perfect for us as a family but had an unexpected windfall so decided to buy a new tent wilst we could.
Camped for the first time over the half term and we are extremely pleased with it. It withstood torrential rain and very windy conditions. We weren't camping in the worst of the weather though as we came home on Weds.
The Lake was far steadier than the Montana 6. No noisy flapping about. It was also warmer inside and less draughty. No leaks at all. The porch area was good too- bigger than th old tent so easier to use when it was raining.
I know it's quite a lot of money to spend but £600 ish is a good deal compared to what its's been. We payed £730 just before xmas. Very happy with it though. Wemnt up easily even in the wind and rain and packed away well.
I have just bought a Nevada M. From what I have read. They are stable upto a certain wind speed. Maybe you encountered up and above that wind speed.
Tunnel tents are usually perform the best in wind conditions, because of their design to shed wind. From what I have read.
Ordinary dome tents, may have the tendency of buckling, when the wind hits the sides.
That's why true geodesic tents, are better than the domes. The extra poles gives it more stability.
Large family tents are not designed to stand severe weather and strong winds. Many members on here over the years have advised to collapse the tents. Possibly pin it down with a car wheel.
When I take my tent down in the wind. I keep some of the pegs insitu, preventing the the tent turnining into a giant kite.
------------- New Year: Hesketh Bank
Feb/March: Red Squirrel
March: lakes
June: Morecambe
Aug: Lake District(not camping camping)
October: Red Squirrel
mcguire, I absolutely adore my new tent. I shalt not part with it, no matter what. I find it very sturdy. Performed well, reguarding torrential rain.
I hope it performs well against North Wales weather can throw. ( It has had one outing in Wales far) Like my old Vango did.
heath63
------------- New Year: Hesketh Bank
Feb/March: Red Squirrel
March: lakes
June: Morecambe
Aug: Lake District(not camping camping)
October: Red Squirrel
I went out yesterday and purchased a Montana Lake and put it up in the back garden. All I can say is WOW what a quality piece of kit. I've decided to go camping again this week, just to take it out, after giving it a good soaking yesterday.
Heath 63: It is supposed to handle up to force 9, however mine collapsed at force 7. From what i've been reading on here, the Nevada M is very good - I guess I was just unlucky and got a lemon, or it was perhaps weakend by the battering it got all week on the Cornish coast.
Macguire: I had to purchase mine at JR Camping in Leicesrer, as returned my Montana M under warranty. However, I was pleasantly surpised to see they had it on sale in store for £599, so only had to pay the difference of £350.
A tent is only as secure in the wind as its guy lines allow it to be. Correct pegging and adjustment of the guy lines is critical and the manufacturers claims are sure to be calculated from a tent that is pitched pefectly from the start.
The Outwell video clearly shows a tent that is pitched on a perfectly flat and solid base, unlike most site pitches.
However, we can only make the best of the pitch we are on so the guy lines need to be as perfect as is possible, ie: they must follow the line of the pole that they are suporting, they must be at about 45 degrees to the tent and they must be correctly adjusted, not over tight yet not too slack as it is a slack guy line that causes the most damage as it allows the tent to shift in the wind and then it is snatched back as the slack is taken up.
The guys on most factory supplied tents are ok for fine weather camping but it is well worth upgrading them and more importantly the lock plates as it is these that hold the line in place. Most factory lock plates slip, especially when the line gets wet, and a simple upgrade to ClamClaet Line Loks will make a massive difference to any tents stability.
It is amazing how much a guy line changes when it gets wet with the line becomes slack very quickly. Also when it dries out the same line can become over tight and pull on the flysheet and poles which again can cause them to bend, snap or tear.
In the winds that we have had just recently most tents will struggle to some degree but a bit of pre planning about where and which direction we pitch and some ongoing guy line adjustments will help ensure the safety of our tents.
Positioning, correct guying out, LineLoks and Deltas is a must in strong winds for any tent no matter what shape it is.
Having had a tunnel tent collapse in on me, they can suffer from wind. No matter what people say about pitching wind direction its a bit immaterial if you stay for 24hrs during a storm. You might pitch the tent in the right direction however look at the weather forecast maps when we have bad weather, its a circle ofswirling isobars. We suffer from cyclonic weather in the UK, meaning when a storm comes the wind does a full 360 degree shift so you need a tent that has strength in all directions. One tip I would say for the tunnels is the side guys need to be pegged far out so they give some outward pull rather than pulling down and a strategically placed car can really help. Tying the guys to the roof bars for me stopped some major damage!
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Topic: Dome or Polycotton Tunnel?
Very happy with it though. Wemnt up easily even in the wind and rain and packed away well.
what a quality piece of kit. I've decided to go camping again this week, just to take it out, after giving it a good soaking yesterday.
