I was hoping someone might be able to give some insight into a couple of tent options we are looking at. We are a family of 4 and would like a three room layout with bedrooms, large living / play area and porch big enough for cooking in. Initially we weren’t too fussed if it was steel poled or air, but have slowly fallen in love with the convenience of air (it does kind of feel like cheating though…).
We’ve ended up looking at three Vango models;
Taiga 600XL Air – cheapest option with one pole for the porch, 70D 400HH
Rivendale 800XL Air – middle of the road, nice size,150D 5000HH
Illusion 800XL Air – Most expensive, 420D 6000HH
With the 800’s we’d take out the extra bedroom in the living room.
We have also looked at a Kampa Croyde, but after seeing it and reading reviews, although it looks like a great tent I found it a bit low and there seems to be a distinct lack of ventilation.
In reality the Illusion is stretching the budget a bit too far for now, but I was keen to find peoples thoughts and experiences of the Taiga and Rivendale – is it worth the extra, is the is the Rivendale just a paired down Illusion with half the features missing? The Rivendale has more features, better material and zip up windows being big wins (also the SkyTrack – any thoughts??).
If the Rivendale is a better option than the Taiga then I can happily justify the expense and I’m erring that way anyway, but I’m worried I’ll feel like I should’ve saved a bit harder and got the Illusion….
Cheers,
Rob
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Hello Rob and welcome to the forum. Personally I'd avoid a 70 denier fly in a family tent because of UV degradation. You also need to consider pack size and weight - they tend to be monsters, so make sure you see them in their bags before you buy.
I don't know whether it's been studied experimentally, but logically a 150D fly would last more than twice as long - it's stronger in the first place and there's more than twice the thickness for UV radiation to penetrate. Anecdotally at least, a 70D tent is good for the bin after approx 10 weeks pitched, depending on latitude and altitude.
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I got the Illusion and love it, as has already been said check out the pack sizes as the Illusion alone takes up over half the boot space of a Mazda 6 estate.
I think you answered the question yourself. The Rivendale with a 150d fabric was as good as you could get polyester wise up until a few years ago. It is one of the best value tents on the market. Your best bet is to see all the tents you have listed on display next to each other. Where abouts do you live... there maybe a good display nearby or maybe it's worth traveling to see them all together.
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We have only had it pitched twice, both times when we packed it up we have managed to get it back in the bag with some room to spare.
However I know others have said they have struggled, I guess it comes down to the packing ability of the user.
Thanks Gary - Have I? lol, you might have to fill me in. I think, for me anyway, the Rivendale looks worth the extra over the Tagia. I'm just not sure if I'll regret not buying the Illusion. The larger pack may be the proverbial straw that broke the camels back in terms of capacity in the car.
Thanks David - that may be the main issue here lol :) I'l sure with a bit of practice (and youtube guidance) we'll get it in the bag somehow. I just wasn't sure if the quoted size was for it being vacuum packed in a Chinese factory...
i bought the Illusion - my dithering was down to color though.
color is personal and we all like different things.
i really really dont like blue tents - the blue especially on a sunny day gives me headaches and a sick nautious feeling. i dont know why, it just does!.
the rivendale would have suited my needs perfectly from a layout aspect but the blue was an absolute no no.
i would not spend that kind of money on a 70D tent which Tim correctly mentioned has a short service life but costs a lot.
a little extra gives much better value in a 150D tent which will last much longer ( therefore works out cheaper because the 150D tent does not cost twice the price of the 70D tent ).
that is, if you dont mind a blue tent.
that left me with the only option of going up to the Illusions. the better 420D fabric and 2 color options.
i do know that cotton or polycotton is always the preferable option - long lasting if cared for, very much more comfortable in hot weather.
but im not a fan of Vango s brown color. again, personal taste. so that left the green Polyester 420D verson which i went ahead and purchased and am delighted with it.
the 1st thing is the Fabric s is noticeably robust and thick. its green which i like. its got a great and flexible layout and although its heavy its not unmanageable.
the skytrack system is nice for hanging lights from -other than that i really cant see many uses for it so i dont place a huge value on it.
best thing though was the pack size - when i packed it away myself, it was tiny in its bag - i thought i must have forgotten something but nope, it really does pack away small into its oversized bag!.
if you can stretch to the illusion, you ll be buying a tent which will last a long time and therefore price of ownership per year is less than with the cheaper tents whic will suffer UV degradation much quicker.
its a very nice tent the illusion, if not then the rivendale is great tent and better than the 70D taiga.
good luck with your choice!
my illusion back in its bag after camping trip over!
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Living the Dutch Dream - Karsten 300 pod + extns in Sea Green and Pure Cotton
hi, we are a family of 6 ( kids ages 9-1) and just bought the Rivendale 800XL.
We used it for a weekend on the west coast of Scotland at the start of the month and it was amazing. My wife wasn't too keen on the split living area to start with (the front section does not have a built in ground sheet) but it works out better that way having kids and she loves the split living area now.
We used the front section as a kitchen/eating area (any mess and spills are contained there and the middle section as living space. We also bought the foot print (covers the front section) the sun canopy and carpets.
We had a 6 person table, food storage etc. in the front section, storage and enough space for 6 adults and 6 kids at one point to relax and socialize at night in the middle section.
Like you plan to do we also removed the 4th bedroom. We opened the room divider and had our double sim, a travel cot and a single in the 4 man section and a double mattress for the 2 older kids in the other bedroom.
I can 100% recommend the Rivendale.
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Topic: Which Vango Tent - Thoughts / Advice Plz
