Hi Mucker, hope you see this post. I've got a question regarding the canopy for Vango Icarus 500 - we haven't tested pitching the enclosed canopy because my husband is too busy at work so there is one question I hoped you could shed some light on.
When pitching the Icarus 500 tent, you'd usually peg the entrance guy lines out front - but this won't be possible to do from what I can see when pulling a enclosed canopy over it, the guylines would get in the way of the canopy's ground sheet.
What's your method been to overcome the problem?
Thanks for your advice.
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I may be wrong, and someone with an Icarus canopy will put me right, but I thought the canopy came with a separate groundsheet. My Asante does and all I do is peg the front guys so they hit the gap between the wall of the canopy and the groundsheet. there is usually plenty of room at the edges.
the tents front guys still peg out as normal inside the canopy. tight up against the inside so you don't loose any space if that makes sense (if it doesn't now it will once you get it up )
I don't own and Icarus, and I may well be wrong, however. I believe the purpose of the front guys is to prevent the front from being pushed back/sideways by the wind, and they are not main load-bearing guys.
If the front of the tent is going to be protected from the wind by an enclosed canopy, then I believe the front guys will be made redundant, and I would not bother pegging them down.
As I said, I don't own an Icarus, so I could be wrong.
DK
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dk the problem with the icarus is if you dont use the front guys then the front hoop isnt taught and the roof sags badly as the front guys are the only things pulling the hoop forward/stopping it falling backwards if you know what i mean
hope this works excuse the mess it was about 7am :p lol, the guys were only an inch from the inside of the canopy so you dont loose any space nor do they get in the way there is a small gap in the groundsheet you can peg through
JimCall I think you're right, I haven't checked the canopy yet, next thing on the list to do, but I recall someone mentioning this.
Easyt thanks for the image as well, that really helps a lot.
So the best way from what the picture looks like is to erect tent without positioning front guys, then get canopy up and guyed out, and finish by pulling out the tent's front guys into the gaps between canopy and groundsheet.
Awesome, thank you, that will make our job easier this week as we pitch our tent in the rain - one less thing to worry about!
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You already have your answer.
We folded our mud flaps inside, laid out the groundsheet centrally.... and there was a strip of grass still showing down each side,a couple of inches wide. Perfect for your front tent guys..... and yes, definitely put them in. As has been said, the whole tent is very saggy if you leave them out.
For some reason, I thought the canopy would "pull" the front part of the tent out to keep it taut.
Ah well, learned something new today.
DK
------------- Apple The Campervan - A Van For Work, Rest & Play!
- 2027: ? NL+DE+FR
- 2026: FR+DE
- 2025: 17/77
'24: 10/49; '23: 9/47;'22: 8/46; '21: 9/34
* Ex-tenter
* Treat life events like a dog: if you can't eat it, play with it or hump it, p1$$ on it and walk away!
So did I, DK, but it's not the case!
The main connecting straps (above the roof) attach to the middle tent pole, so the bedroom section is fine, but the front pole tends to just want to lean back, under the canopy, without those front guys.
It does, of course, mean that the front guys are cutting through your space, inside the canopy, and you have to set up tables etc around them. If one is setting up the kitchen in there, depending on how much gear one has, it can prove a little annoying, but hey ho!
Thanks for this, appreciate it! I guess this won't be our perfect tent as such, as we have a lot of kit and need the space but as I see from many of yourselves, you have more than one tent.
So if our holiday turns out to be a good one, I believe I'll be on the look out for a really good family tent.
I'll need all your advice on that - 4 of us, need living, eating and sleeping area, and probably one that's big enough without needing a canopy extension.
Thanks everyone :o)
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Good look maple tree haha. The missus and I are going away just ourselves this weekend and we're considering a last minute run to Go to buy the Icarus canopy. Just not sure whether to spend the money yet.
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Outfits:
Hi Gear Kalahari 8 (Plus porch)
Vango Icarus 500 (Plus enclosed front canopy)
Hi Gear Solus Horizon 4
Vango Banshee 200
Vango Dart DLX 350
Vango Alpha 250
Yellowstone Alpine 2
damian it does add a decent amount of space to the tent and with front open a great space to cook if its raining etc, suppose it depends on how many of you there are, the weather and how much kit you take or space you like,
for us a family of 2 adults and 2 kids (3 now but 2 when we last used the icarus) we would have struggled without the canopy tbh
we don't use the iccarus often but was at whittle bury park next door to Silverstone for last years F1
and having stayed at silverstone many many times we know how muddy and festival like everyone crams in like sardines so we wasnt taking our tt or frame tent suppose were just used to the space of them but the iccarus would be like a sardine can without the canopy to us
Quote: Originally posted by mapletree on 13/8/2013
I guess this won't be our perfect tent as such, as we have a lot of kit and need the space but as I see from many of yourselves, you have more than one tent.
So if our holiday turns out to be a good one, I believe I'll be on the look out for a really good family tent.
Lol, in that case, can I have first dibs on your Icarus if you decide to sell it?
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Topic: FAO Mucker - Vango Icarus canopy
