I'm looking to buy my first tent for festival use (please don't hate me) and my research so far has left me a little bewildered.
I have no intention of discarding the tent; I'll be in the quiet camping area and will be packing it up and reusing it in future, so I figured a budget of up to £150 is reasonable.
I think I want a 3 berth tunnel tent with a porch and my main concern is simply keeping dry in bad weather (although I'll be alone on this occasion so I need it to be easy to erect). I really do not want it to start leaking in the rain if I can help it.
My research initially led me to a recommendation for the Coleman Coastline 3 Plus, but then I came across a considerable number of reviews which all said the zips on the porch doors leaked, leaving them with puddles in the porch, or that the poles snapped after one or two uses.
Moving on, I found that Outwell is often mentioned as a quality brand so I thought that perhaps their Earth 3 tent might be what I'm looking for. However, I've found conflicting reviews for it; some saying that it's fantastic and kept the owners perfectly dry in torrential rain; others saying that water not only drips, but almost pours in through the seams around the side doors.
I've also seen the Vango Beta 350XL but again, there are mixed reviews with some saying that it leaks from the door zips and others saying it's actually quite difficult to erect.
So, do I try my luck with the Outwell? Is there anything else that's comparable and worth looking at? Or would I really need to increase my budget to ensure dryness?
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As per my profile blurb, I have a Kampa Mersea 3 and it's done me proud.
I solo camp and it's plenty big enough for a bed, chair, table and a couple of boxes with clothes, toiletries and kitchen. It survived a smashing thunderstorm in Rutland last year (ie. didn't leak or let in water) and it's also low enough to cope with quite windy conditions. You can stand up in it stooped over (it's about 4ft high in the living area, a little less in the bedroom pod).
Anyway, I'd recommend it as something to consider
Quote: Originally posted by Soligavant on 07/4/2019
As per my profile blurb, I have a Kampa Mersea 3 and it's done me proud.
Thanks for the suggestion! That looks like it could fit the bill and it even has a higher hydrostatic head than the others. I can't find any bad reviews for it either.
In fact, I had seen Kampa mentioned as a good brand, but when I looked at their website I couldn't find anything similar to the others tents I mentioned. Having checked again though, it seems that to find the Mersea 3 you actually have to click the tiny "See all tents" link right at the bottom of their tents menu, which I hadn't even noticed before.
Quote: Originally posted by DeborahTurner on 07/4/2019
Have a look at the Vango Ark 300 currently £115 in the Millets tent sale.
(It is 135cm high, I am assuming that you aren’t looking for a tent you can stand upright in, because your other suggestions haven’t been that tall£
Indeed, I don't really need to be able to stand up in it. Unfortunately, that Vango seems to have more than one review stating that its difficult to erect and I've also seen someone comment that the groundsheet is a pain because it doesn't clip in, which concerns me a little. I think I might give that one a miss, sorry!
Any further advice and suggestions are welcome though!
Don't forget to leave a review of all tents you've used, for a chance to win fantastic prizes
I have a beta 350 xl which I use for car camping, does not leak and has survived more than one thunderstorm , one weekend camp it rained cats and dogs all weekend and we remained dry so no fears in that respect.
yes it can seem difficult to erect, and the first time you think it will always be hard, but I can assure you it is not there are some youtube videos about which show you how to erect it single handed, follow those and you can have the tent up in minutes.
Keep the fly and inner attached and that will save a lot of work all in all for the price its a great 3 man tent lots of room and perfect for 2 people.
if you can visit some shops that may have tents erected so that you can get a feel for the space inside and ask the question regarding how difficult it may be for one person to erect
I have a coleman darwin 4 plus for short trips - picked it up for £90 and it has been a great tent. Been in all weather, so far no leaks. My 10 year old son can put this tent up now, very straightforward.
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Topic: New buyer having some trouble
via mobile 07/4/2019 at 8:49pm
