Hi all,new to the forum and new to camping really,i have a vango Marista 700,and used it on my first camp last week,was dreading pitching it as obviously never done it and never even tried it before we left.the thing is it was really easy after all but i want a air tent now,as this was secondhand anyway,but great.Would like some input in getting 1 of 4 tents.
1 Outdoor revolution airdale 6
2 vango annecy 600xl
3 revolution ozone 6.0
4 quechua air seconds 6.3
would be grateful for any of your input,cheers
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this is down to personal choice, as the tents are much the same thing, one question, can you lift 33kgs on your own? thats how much these tents weigh, which is a lot for one person, even if the vabgo was the same weight it could be divided into 3 blocks, of poles , outer and then inner bedrooms making packing and unpacking much easier.
im guessing your a family of 2 adults and 2 kids? a 6 berth tent is your minimum size really, you need the space for when it rains for the kids to play inside. for the difference in cost i would even say aim for an 8 berth tent.
repairs - a poled tent should you have a problem with it, can be repaired very easily on site, if a pole splits then you can generally just tape it up and carry on with your holiday, an air tent is a totally differnt animal to repair, often leading to having to pack up and come home.
Quote: Originally posted by marg6 on 03/9/2025
repairs - a poled tent should you have a problem with it, can be repaired very easily on site, if a pole splits then you can generally just tape it up and carry on with your holiday, an air tent is a totally different animal to repair, often leading to having to pack up and come home.
I totally agree, just look at previous posts from people attempting to obtain replacement air beams. Replacement poles are readily available and if necessary can be cut to the correct length.
I also agree with the comment about the bulk and weight of air beam tents, too heavy for a roof rack and too big for many cars without folding down the rear seats.
A mate had the Outdoor Rev Airdale 6 and now has an Airdale 5, both very good tents.
The Quechas tents have the air beams on the outside and this to me could lead to possible damage to the beams more than the other manufacturers that have them on the outside.
The Vango Annency has a fiber glass pole at the front, if that snaps while you are away in strong winds then the front of your tent is knackered
I would agree with Marg, they are heavy, ours is close to 50kg and yes its a big sized bag but I would never go back to a poled tent.
The tent has stood in very strong winds when other tents and awnings on sites have been destroyed.
The comments about spare beams, I bought 3 extra beams, just in case
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Quote:
The Vango Annency has a fiber glass pole at the front, if that snaps while you are away in strong winds then the front of your tent is knackered
a pole can usually be replaced very easily, most camping shops have replacements available, and most skips on a campsite will be full of them!
a roll of duck tape taken with you would enable a repair too, even if it meant using a garden cane as a temp splint. so apart from finding the puncture and getting the duck tape to stick to the beam, how are you going to repair that? yeah you may have bought some spare beams but i will wager £100 you wont have the correct beam with you.
Going to agree with what has already been said.
Air beams are great in a way, ease of erecting, durability against wind etc., but the 'BUTS' are significant!
They are heavy and bulky when packed, which can be beyond some people to handle, and there is NOTHING you can do about that, it's all in one and stays that way - poled tents can be split into more manageable packs of flysheet, poles, bedrooms, even if the overall tent weighs the same as a similar airbeam version. The handpump can be hard work! - Electric pumps available as an extra (not any old pump will do - it needs to be for airbeam tents/awnings to get right pressure and volume), but you need the power supply for them (240v or 12v) to be available where you erect your tent! - pump/valve fittings are also NOT universal, with each manufacturer often having their own version, adaptors are few and limited to make mismatched couplings work together!
Airbeams fail, and replacement bladders can be VERY hard to source, as soon as a tent is no longer current stock, spares vanish in many cases, and the beams are NOT universal, so you are looking for beams specific for a model of tent. Buying spare beams (if you can get them - they always seem to be rare!) ASAP after buying tent is a wise precaution. Poles, at least in diameter sizes are universal, and at worse may only need cutting to suitable length, and are widely available from multiple sources.
Check if airbeams are isolated from each other, either inherently as separate entities, OR can be isolated by way of valves. If they are all permanently connected, a simply leak renders the whole tent unusable! An isolated failed airbeam often doesn't render the whole tent unusable, and improvised means can allow you to carry on using it.
I've got an Airbeam awning for my caravan, and in many ways it's great, but I wouldn't buy another one because of the weight/bulk and risk with leaks and replacement bladders.
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Topic: Air tent choice
