Looking for advice on purchasing a big tent for my family of 5 + small dog.
Got a big car to cart it about in (Seat Alhambra), but with equipment I might be pushed to get everything/everbody in - so it may be required that I consider a trailer too.
Mainly been looking at Vangos range of AirBeams - if somebody could point me at the right sort of tent to aim for / not to aim for that would be greatly appreciated!
Current concerns are;
* if I go too monstrous will I pay more at campsites / find it difficult to pitch / limiting etc?
* relatively easy to dry out in a garage - make me think perhaps Technical Cotton is not ideal?
Current desirables;
* sitty outy porch with effective wind shielding.
* black out bedrooms.
* bedroom length and tent height is suitable enough for my 6ft 4 son.
* the bag for it actually fits easily - had tents before that will never get back in their bag!
Cheers!
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Welcome to the forum Spurtus, as you are new here and having mentioned inflatable tents, have a look at the Karsten range, they are the best tents that I have ever seen bar none, although being Cotton canvas they might not be what you are looking for.
Can’t help with the tent, I went to loads of tent display’s before I made up my mind.
From what you have described it looks like you may almost certainly have to think about getting a trailer, loads to choose from, but if you go for “A” Frame design with 13” Wheels you will end up with something decent, check out Red Cap Garage at Blackburn, they often have a bundle deal on the Lider Saragos, with double height sides and ABS lidd, decent size trailer for the money.
I have a Coleman with a black out bedroom that I really like. Easy to put up and pack away and seems well made, we've had no issues at all with weather and it survived yellow rain last time we were out (by yellow I mean weather warning not actual yellow coloured rain!!) Mine is smaller than what you need but they do have some which would be the right size for you.
Can't point you at any specific tents, but you sound like a novice/re-visiting camper, so a few tips maybe.
Don't take manufactures berth ratings too literally! If you get their number of people into beds, you won't get anything else like bags in bedrooms, and the people will REALLY have to like each other! Generally for adults, reduce multi berth bedroom occupancy by one.
6'4" son! Choose carefully or get him used to ducking all the time! Max head height will be only at apex of arches etc. and only on flysheet, probably not in bedrooms either, airtubes may substantially reduce that. Bedrooms should generally be OK length wise, but at their max size, so touching both ends if stretched out - sleep diagonally to get a tad more space! He's also going to have his head in the 'bug zone', no matter how vigilant you are at keeping flyscreens closed, there always seems to be a collection of bugs trapped near top of tent! - most of us even at 6' are short enough not to share that space!
Not many on market these days, but the 'lobed' style of tent with bedroom pods radiating off central living space take up a HUGE amount of ground space and really don't fit on a lot of site pitches. We had a 9 berth (3b x 3 pods) years ago and it was a monster! Tunnel tents are great, but can be a bit long for some pitches when it comes to getting guy ropes fixed - and good guy ropes are essential for tunnel tents. Tunnel tents are often very flexible designs with side porch and end extensions available.
Many tunnel tents, have a open porch area, or the better ones have a porch area separate from main body of tent but with a zip down door that (with accessory poles) can be turned into a canopy. Separate porch areas are great for cooking (not good to cook in confines of main tent), and storing/dressing/undressing outdoor clothes, shoes, boots etc., saves walking wet and mud into main tent space, also good for cleaning up the wet/muddy dog!
A tent carpet raises comfort levels significantly and improves warmth on chill evenings! Foam 'jigsaw' tiles make great floor covering in bedrooms, insulating you from ground cold. A tent footprint (even if it's only a cut down to size basic tarpaulin - cut/fold it to 6" INSIDE tent footprint to stop water wicking under tent!) improves protection for tent sewn in ground sheet, and makes packing up a dryer mud free tent easier.
Blackout bedrooms are quite a common feature, but lightweight non-woven garden weed reduction membrane (NOT plastic sheeting stuff) draped over ordinary bedrooms can be a good substitute, the right breathable material shouldn't be a condensation trap.
Look out for 'Oversize' storage bags with compression straps, the better brands tend to do these as standard, even more essential with air beams as always a little residual air left in tubes on initial packing.
If you can't find a basic tent with enough fitted bedroom berths, consider separate after market bedroom 'pods' that go in the living space. They are often 'pop up' types that can easily (theoretically at least!!!!) be put up for use and removed for daytime use of living space.
Seat Alhambra! Roomy car - BUT! I've got a fairly cavernous Citroen C4 7 seat Grand Picasso with roof box, with back seats down I can fill that to the roof with just me and a Border Collie, and a 5 berth frame tunnel tent, plus all the usual paraphernalia that goes with camping in a degree of comfort.
Things like bedding (sleeping bags, duvets or whatever) tend to be really bulky and take up lots of space. Specialist camping pots and pans that all stack within each other, collapsible washing up bowls and buckets etc. can be a space-saving godsend. To be fair, the dog occupies a full seat, and her crate and other baggage like food, bowls, dog towels etc. are the equivalent of an adults baggage! I do also take a camping fridge, most of my week's food provisions, and good cooking equipment, so it's not minimalist by any means. That said, by the time you've packed in camping lanterns and torches (You can never have enough torches!), and all the extras that you wouldn't need in a holiday apartment or hotel, it all adds up, don't underestimate it, do a dummy packing run on the car before your holiday departure!
Good luck, enjoy, it's a great lifestyle.
PS When packing car - the tent and EVERYTHING necessary (footprints, pegs, mallets etc.) to erect it goes in LAST, so that it comes out first and you can get some shelter up BEFORE unpacking everything else from car, otherwise you'll have all your worldly goods sitting in the rain whilst you try and erect tent! - It's a mistake you tend to learn from!
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Something like this will probably give you the best space for a lightweight and small pack size. It will make a good 6 berth and you can cook in the porch if needed. Good headroom in central area too.
Go for too huge a tent and you'll potentially never go away for short-breaks because the pitching and setting up will put you off. Go too small and if you have cold and wet weather you'll be too cramped. I'd go for a large but regular-shaped (definitely not a spread dome!), balanced with easiest possible to pitch.
An Alhambra will struggle to cope with it already seating 5 occupants plus dog. It's not just the tent but all the other stuff which adds to the weight and volume. Beds and bedding, pillows, towels and clothes for 5 will be considerable. Unless you enjoy camping light, you'll probably need a trailer and/or a roof box (at least you can put a big one on an Alhambra), and -as has already been mentioned - strategic packing is important.
Personally, if budget allows, I'd go for either a Karsten 380 (3 bedrooms, not blackout but fabulous tents and pod can be up very quickly and easily) with awning add-ons to suit your longer stay requirements, or else a Cabanon Biscaya 440 with optional sun canopy (the latest blue model has blackout bedroom inners).
I know both my recommendations are high-end and cost big bucks, but both also hold their value very well as can last for 20+ years if well cared for. The Karsten 380 is a recent model so I've never seen a used one for sale but it's possible to pick up a good used Biscaya at a much-reduced price once the season gets going.
The Karsten is cotton canvas and the Biscaya all-season polyester. Both are fantastic. The all-season polyester (nothing like usual synthetic tent fabrics) is easier to handle and care for but the Karsten is simply amazing quality and easier to pitch.
Both are superb investment tents which will provide your family with trustworthy and comfortable holiday accommodation for many years to come.
Best of luck with it.
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P.S. IMHO it's a much wiser and safer bet to invest £1000 - £1200 in a used Cabanon Biscaya than a new Vango. The Biscaya doesn't need rear or side guys so takes up less pitch space, whilst still being a sizeable tent.
You can't really go wrong with them, if you've got space to carry and store. Half an hour to pitch is reasonable for such a large tent.
If budget allows, the Karsten 380 beats it because of ease of pitching, versatility and sheer luxury of materials and workmanship. But, it comes at a price.
Thanks for the suggestions I do like the look of the Cabanon Biscaya - luxurious! Still have a leaning towards a tunnel tent - although I want to moderate the size a bit and the number of guy ropes necessary.
No guy ropes as such with the Biscaya, we got the 370 (Cotton) back in 2008, superb tent in every way, although we only go camping in the South of France during June/July.
The rest of the Cabanon Biscaya range use “All Season Polyester” which at a glance resembles “Polycotton” but is much longer lasting, and far better suited to the U.K. climate than “Cotton” canvas.
In fact Cabanon also did a Rip-Stop nylon version of the Biscaya 370 only, quite a rare tent I would imagine.
The newer Biscaya range benefit from improved poles (hoops) which went from 1mm to 2mm wall thickness, as used in the Awaya range.
Something to think about if your buying a large older Biscaya, as there was reports of poles splitting with some of the earlier models.
Our old Biscaya uses steel poles, no problem there apart from the pole bag weighs 25kg.
Sounds to me like you would like a easy to pitch one bag tent solution, and the vango range would certainly fit the bill, also the berghaus range could suit.
Going for cotton could be a pain to dry if you are limited, some great shouts for the biscaya and the karsten, but these come in several bags, zip on extensions on the karsten( I think), all this will add to pitch, pack and dry times.
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Topic: Big tent advice sought
via mobile 06/2/2021 at 10:12pm
