Hi all - I recently purchased a second hand Vango Forceten Mk4 and am puzzled by the layout. I've had several Forcetens since around 1980 and consider myself well versed in their use. However, this one is different from other models I have. The flysheet seems normal, but the inner is odd. The back end (away from the door) is much more squared off without the normal taper - can I say bell-end?
This means the inner corners protrude slightly beyond the flysheet as shown in photos. When I first erected the tent the inner was far more exposed and it took some messing about to get it covered better. Still not ideal though - any assistance appreciated....
The fly is probably one of the more recent ones made in China, but the inner seems to be an older UK one - still never seen one like that before.
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First thought is, is it actually the correct inner for the fly? Being secondhand you have no idea of it's history!
Seems odd for the inner to protrude beyond fly, risk of water wicking up from exposed bits!
I've been given a number of s/h tents over the years and found them to be a bit of a mix and match set up cobbled together from barely matching parts!
To use your purchase 'as is', I'd suggest rigging up some sort of waterproof cover (tarp material, cut down plastic bottle etc.) to stop inner ever being exposed to rain, condensation, run off from fly sheet etc.
We used Force Tens for years and the rear side guys were never pegged out sideways. They should be pegged at about 45 degrees and the central rear guy should be pulled back, allowing the tent to maintain the correct shape. You can see from the ripples in the tent that it is being pulled out of shape.
The inner should have a bellend. My F10 is a MK3 CN though I now use a cotton fly. If you look at the pics I have for that in the review section, you can see that there should be a distinctive bellend (yeah, no sniggers at the back, it is the correct terminology)https://www.ukcampsite.co.uk/tents/p/Force-Ten-Classic-Mk3-CN/2265
It might be an inner for a crusader. What does the label say?
Thanks for replies - I think we're now getting somewhere. After a bit more googling and discussion with the seller, it appears he's sent me a normal Mk4 CN outer but with a Mk4 CNX inner tent, which has a different profile.
He's checking if he's got the correct inner, having got his tents mixed up, so hopefully an easy resolution.
Also attached a google photo of a CNX rear end, as opposed to a bell end
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