I'm new here, but I've been camping ever since I was a little one :P I currently have a 8 year old Vango Gamma 350 that I use for shot trips however it's starting to show it's age. It's going to have a coat of Fabsil tomorrow to help preserve it and keep it going strong for a good while longer yet.
Still, I'm looking at getting something bigger that me and the girlfriend can go away in relative comfort. I've been looking in Go Outdoors at two different tents, the Hi Gear Rock 4 and the Vango Icarus 500 (both on offer in Go Outdoors within the next few weeks). Does anyone else have any other recommendations? I'm looking at something of good quality that going to last a while, 4/5 person, two external doors (one front and side), a single bedroom that can be split into two if needed, SIG and most importantly that you can stand up in. Any other features are just a bonus.
I hope somebody can help.
Dave :)
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Hi and welcome
You cant go far wrong with an Icarus only sold ours because we found the
Outwell Nevada M suited us better and was worth the extra money. Gary from Cross Camping really rates the Coleman Galileo might be worth looking at it on the Cross Camping website.
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If your going to Go I suggest a look at the High Gear corado 4. We liked the Icarus and that is what we set out to get but was swayed towards the corado because it seemed to have more living area for the 2of us although it seemed to have slightly less bedroom space. also the corado had a porch area and if you get the extra canopy you have a 7m tent with plenty of space to cook under cover. They are about the same price and don't think you will go far wrong with either tent. Good luck Geoff
Totally agree with geoff above.
We started with the Icarus 500, and it was fine, but personally, I'm now not keen on the sloping fronts, and knowing what I know now, or rather, knowing what I LIKE now, I'd go for the Corado (4 or 6), as I prefer the front open canopy design.
Either tent will suit you fine, and are different enough to give you options.
Go are not stocking the Corado 4 this year though. Our local Go confirmed this. There are still a few about on eBay though. We have one and its a great tent
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Thanks for all the response and the warm welcome, it's very much appreciated.
We have a local tent shop near me here that stocks and displays Coleman tents. I might pop in this week and take a look at a Coleman Galileo - I like the idea of having slightly higher sides :)
Am I right in saying that the Corado 4 uses fixed aluminium poles as opposed the the flexible fiberglass poles. I will probably find these difficult to transport at times as occasionally the tent may have to be carried in a Classic Mini.
This is all assuming that I don't win an Icarus 500 cheap on eBay in the meantime. Any advise on buying used tents other than putting it up before you hand the money over?
Morning. Yes the corado has rigid poles and yes they are quite heavy but they do have their own bag. Advantages thou it does seem to make the tent more sturdy. We pitched our montreal this week which we intend to use for weekend trips this Is shaped like the Icarus. Ifound both easy to put up. But one thing I noticed was if its a warm day theres not really any where to sit if you want a bit of shade. If you have a look in the tent reviews on here, theres some pics of both also on my profile page theres acouple of pics showing where we put the cooker. Hope this helps. Geoff
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Just an idea, but what about using your current tent along with a tarp and two king poles, and a windbreak or two to create yourselves an area to chill out in.
Quote: Originally posted by Campernic on 30/4/2013
Just an idea, but what about using your current tent along with a tarp and two king poles, and a windbreak or two to create yourselves an area to chill out in.
Good idea, although really I think a new tent would be a better all round option. I will take it on board though.
I'm hopefully going to look at a Coleman Galileo this weekend at a local camping shop that has a display of about 40 or so tents.
Another one to look at is the Easycamp Boston 600. It's got massive windows and a flat front if that's your preference.
The good thing about the Icarus is that those sloping ends are wind shedding and you could be really glad of that in some circumstances. A flat fronted tent needs to be pitched 'bum' into the wind but you can't always tell where the wind will be and of course it does change too.
My Icarus saw me through a gale and I spent a whole night 'tent watching' and not sleeping because I thought we'd need to get out of it in a hurry. It was noisy and worrying but the tent stayed put. Others in the same campsite were not so lucky.
But in very windy conditions there's other things to think about too like peg type and pitching direction and whatever shelter is available etc etc etc...a whole different thread (and much discussed on here if you want to search).
Quote: Originally posted by brooksuk on 07/5/2013
DSGoody - why not buy my Outwell Arkansas 5 from me?
Comes complete with carpet and footprint groundsheet and will stand up to almost any wind.
I'd snap your hand off, it looks like a really good quality tent. The problem is I just can't always transport the large steel poles as occasionally it might have to be carried in a Classic Mini.
I noticed the other day that Khyam are selling off some 'seconds' tents, which might be worth considering, as they seem to have the spec you're after and are a good price: Faro 5 (blue) £79.99
What is a Khyam Slight Second?
Occasionally things do go wrong but here at Khyam we try to make the best of these situations, by offering a large saving against the normal web price of the item. Items advertised as slight seconds may have some cosmetic defects such as:
Slight Colour Transfer on the Flysheet, Loose Sewing Threads or Seam Tape (which can be easily be cut off). You can be rest assured none of these issues will have any detrimental effect on the tent.
I have to be honest, I've never heard of Khyam. How do people on here rate them? The measurements seems to make it slightly shorter but wider than the Vango.
We've just joined this site, and about to start off on our first camping ever; so we've been doing the reading and research as well for a couple of weeks........
The first mistake we've made is " popping into " G.O just for a ' wee look' :-) We were interested in the Icarus 500, and while we were inside it working out how it all works, a small crowd started gathering round ! Turns out the Icarus 500 was the tent that they were doing the 'instore pitching demontration on'............ so you can guess I was the volunteer to help the staff blokey. I was very very impressed at just how easy and quick it was to put up; granted though it was warm, dry and midge free.
G.O. have kept the £150 price from the Bank Holiday for the next two weeks, and as all the ones on e-bay keep going for £120 ish, its a no-brainer for 'used v's new'.
The second mistake we made was NOT buying the carpet - GO have stuck a tenner onto it now :-(
First of no doubt many posts............ the rest will probably be questions ! :-)
Sorry about the slow reply, I've been away in London all weekend.
I ended up going out a picking up the Icarus 500 from Go. Just seemed like the best price and everything else was either a lot more expensive or nowhere near as good quality.
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: Looking for new tent
