I've been going round in circles at all different tent designs in the past few months from polyester inflatable, to pyramid (obelink etc) to outwell with steel poles and I've come across bell tents. They seem to offer a great space at a reasonable price and are 100% cotton (which I believe is much better than the polyester tents that I've bought in the past). Are there any other advantages and especially any downsides to this type of tent? Are they strong in winds and waterproof etc? Do they take days to dry? Are they too heavy? I know there are some excellent tents designs and brands out there like karsten and cabanon etc but they are just too expensive for me. Thanks :-)
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the only downside to a bell that iv experienced is that once inside, your view out is limited. ideal for sleeping in though or reading if you want to close yourself off from the world outside, perhaps meditating etc its ideal.
the canopies for them sit very low and so only really suitable for sitting under - but why not sit in the sun if its nice out.
perhaps with a separately erected tarp though they may suit your needs and pocket just fine.
the versions with walls whch can be disconnected from the floor and rolled up exposing the interior in hot weather look superb.
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I have the same issues with a bell tent as Hankakampa. But many people LOVE them. They are handsome tents and the space inside is lovely. But I can't be doing with stooping to go in and out all the time, and with one big open space, I think I am too messy: once the chairs are dragged ion out of the rain, and all the other gubbins: I like a porch and an inner. Which is available for a bell, but interferes with appreciation the lovely roof shape.
For about the price of many bell tents, what about the Oblelink Alaska? A Dutch Storm Tent, famed for being totally reliable in very high winds.
Heavy compared to a poly tent, and would need to be dried out if brought home wet.
The Alaska has more usable space than a bell and has an inner and you don't need to stoop.
A bell would need drying out too and the Alaska is probably better in high wind and rain- it's little porch avoids rain getting in when you open the door. It is also easier to add a tarp at a decent height and finally, weight wise is probably the same as a bell.
Bell tents and pyramids are extremely stable in bad weather, they are very wind-shedding shapes. I would second the recommendation for one of the less expensive Dutch pyramids by Obelink.
We landed lucky with a second hand Cabanon Guadeloupe at around £300: canvas has many more years of life than polyester so it's less of a gamble buying second hand. Bells and pyramids are extremely easy to set up too. I can do ours singlehanded, which matters to us as my husband is disabled and cannot always do things.
Yes they are heavy, but so are airbeam tents, and yes the canvas takes longer to dry, but the climate of cotton canvas is so gorgeous that it is worth the extra hassle of drying. It's warmer in cool weather and beautifully breathable in hot weather. It even smells better!
We had a 5m bell tent a few years ago but not for long...we sold it on for reasons already mentioned: the low doorway means stopping to go in or out, lack of windows makes it a very sealed-off sort of camping experience (IMHO). Mesh doors weren't an optional extra when we had ours and we didn't have a separate bedroom inner (it'd make the living space feel a bit cramped, I reckon). And, where do you cook? We had a kitchen tent back then, which wasn't ideal because if you wanted something and it was raining/night time, it meant unzipping, twice, to access the chocolate biscuits and make a cuppa (which is surely what everyone does, at midnight?).
We bought a tarp from Obelink for over the doorway but found it was really mahoosive and took longer to pitch than the tent itself, so that was a no-no for us. Big tarps have to be taken down if gale force winds threaten, so all in all it was too much of a headache.
That said, bell tents are easy and quick to pitch and pack sizes are very reasonable for the size of tent they offer. The pole bag is laughable (if you've ever had a big, family tent, you'll know what I mean).
If we ever have another, it'll have to be the one from Cabanon. I was - for some obscure reason, given the above reasons not to have one - looking at them at the beginning of last season, on the Cabanon website (when we could buy direct and the currency rate was quite favourable), had one in my basket to buy but dithered and then, the next morning, found there'd been a substantial price increase overnight. So, my euros stayed in ma poche.
Good luck, whatever you decide!
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Pyramids usually have full height doors, and often have a built in porch bit..... and windows! We love our Guadeloupe. I have a 3m bell for quick solo breaks and on a short trip I don't miss windows, but I think it would start to be a bit isolating on a longer break.
Bells are lovely, but for a family tent I would choose a pyramid (heard nothing but good things about Obelink stuff). This is mainly because of the bedroom inners, height of living space and the fact that we're generally a scruffy bunch!
If it were just me & my wife, then a 4m bell would be high on the list.
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Topic: Bell tents - pros and cons
