This was/is Heather's and my first tent. I think I bought it from a girl at work around 1997, but can't quite remember. I do remember the first time we camped in it, though. It was at Scarborough and we had little to no equipment and it was freezing. The stove we had didn't work, so we had to buy a new one. We had nowhere to sit and our sleeping bags were old and not very warm. Did anyone else start under such circumstances? We now have loads of equipment and a Montana 6. But don't be fooled by the equip, I'm still jenny from the block!
------------- The true test of fairness is how fair you are to those who are not
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My wife and I started in our early twenties with a backpacking tent, a trangia to cook on and two decent sleeping bags (still use them!).
For budgetary reasons, and because we wanted a certain type, we decided to go without any sleeping mats. We bought them on our second day (for a lot more than we could have got them for elsewhere!).
We enjoyed it - We were young foolish and in love. I guess, aside from being a bit older, not much has changed...
I started camping in 1976 in a Vango Force 10 mountain tent which belonged to my then very new boyfriend. Baptism by fire in many ways, both for the camping bug and our relationship. We had a paraffin stove that I was terrified of, I had to eat some disgusting mess that he created involving Smash and the sleeping bag he'd borrowed for me from a mate smelt of beer and sweaty feet. Still, we were young and resilient and I fancied him rotten so I smiled and put up with things while privately thinking there had to be a better way of doing most of this.
We got married eventually, it was our 21st wedding anniversary yesterday. We still have the Force10, it's still in use. The paraffin stove sulks in the attic, OH refuses to throw it out and I refuse to use it. Oh, and he bought me a down sleeping bag for my 21st birthday. I knew he was the one for me then.
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I love mine but yours is a bit tidier looking than mine. My label is all messy. You might just about see that it's my avatar. I used my Lichfield for a four day stay at a site in Tralee, Ireland earlier this summer. There were three of us in it (me and two man sized teenagers) I thought it would be a squeeze, and it probably would have been in the rain. But we were lucky with the weather and pretty much only slept in it and we were fine.
Mine is on the verge of delamination, it's got faded bits on it and the inner has some marks on it. I call it character. The sign of a tent well loved.
No tent I have ever owned has got the 'camping smell' just like my Lichfield does. I do not have a clue why, it's not an unpleasant smell. It smells a bit like a newly cut lawn. Maybe it's because it's been on many newly cut bits of campsite.
There's been some lovely stories, so thanks for sharing. All this talk of young love, I just wanted a mucky weekend!!
I love the mattress, FOO, there was none of this posh equipment we get nowadays. (My parents took us away in a ridge tent during the 70's)
I haven't used it in years, Volk Scot. In fact, I didn't expect it to be in one piece. The cross bar needs fixing and it would be fine after that.
My tent has marks on the inside and it does have rather a unique smell, Campernic. After putting it up after so long, I had forgotten how you have to mess around getting it all straight, and the back of the fly sheet rides rather high. Oh, and knocking the poles all the time! Still, it was all great stuff.
------------- The true test of fairness is how fair you are to those who are not
Up until 3 weeks ago I had one of these but it was chocolate and lime green....not sure if the picture is still in my gallery but it's been posted on here under a different challenger thread. I gifted it to my children's friend's.....they'd borrowed it loads, looked after it well so I let them keep it. I got it through the free ads on here after seeing Victoria1's pictures!
------------- I am who I am
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Aw, it was this tent (borrowed from my big sis) that got me back into camping 7 years ago.
We took it to Dorset, Durdle Dor campsite, but the ground and weather was so wet we ended up in a B&B, put off by the manager's "don't go there, we've been pulling em out with the tractor".
So we came home, and I put it up in the garden (foolishly I'd not even tried before and about 18 years since I'd pitched a tent) but it was a cinch to pitch solo.
We had dinner in it, cooked on my sister's suitcase stove: bacon sarnies and a nice cuppa.
Since then, I've been buying and selling tents like a Lloyds trader. Oh, and using them too on occasion
FoO and Val - I loved your tales of young love, canvas style.
------------- Camping - emotional resilience in action, a triumph of hope over adversity and antidote to virtual reality.
My first tent, bought specifically for a 7 night stay in Cornwall with my girlfriend at the time back in the mid 90's.
Great little tent.
Unfortunately, not with the girlfriend anymore but we do have a fantastic son who has just turned 16 and we are very proud of. He has a very kind, loving heart.
So it still worked out well in the end. :)
------------- (Quechua popup addict!)
Planned for next year, hopefully!
Summer Solstice wild camp.
Chilled in a Field, July.
Crantock, August. Fouth year with the fantastic Quechua Base Seconds 4.2!
..... and the odd night wild camping in my Argos 1 man tent...
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Not sure where mine came from but was my festival tent all through the 90's until some bastard slashed it open at Glastonbury inside were three pairs of muddy trousers, a few other bits of dirty clothing, wash bags and 3 cheapo sleeping bags. Always left the doors open at festivals after that as we never took anything worth stealing with us anyway.
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: An Old Friend Lichfield Challenger
