Spec me a tent

Jay794

Jay794

Jay794

Soldato
Joined
27 Aug 2011
Posts
5,308
Location
Sheffield, UK
Ok so does camping count as a sport? I figured its outdoorsy so it kind of does, plus I didn't fancy getting destroyed by GD, anyway, if it needs moving please feel free.

Requirements:

Under £250
Must be light, I'm thinking under 7kg
Must be easy to put up/take down due to potential weather conditions
Must not be Pink, but I'm not too bothered about the colour
Up to a 4 man (needs to be split into 2 seperate sleeping quarters if possible, only 2 people will be sleeping in it but it's 2 people plus gear so the extra space is a must.

Aaaaaaaaaaand....... GO!
 
Pretty sure you won't get a 4 man 2x2 split tent under 7KGs and under £250.

Split sleeping area tents usually start at 15kgs upwards really especially in this budget.

Best lightweight 4 man I can think of is the 2011 Vango Omega 450 @ £135-£200 (were £250 at launch) depending on where you shop.

http://www.outdoorworlddirect.co.uk/vango-omega-450-tent.html it comes in at a healthy 6kgs. This is well worth the additional £100 over their beta 450 series although they look the same in shape that is where the similarities end. If you can live with in the red (deffo red not pink, I have seen these up) it is on sale at £135 here http://www.marshallleisure.co.uk/in...tm_medium=cse&utm_campaign=export_feed#google which is a total bargain.

This will give you plenty of space for gear and you as it has a good enclosed porch area. The 2011 has a raised groundsheet so it offers a bit more protection than the flat ones but not quite as good as the sewn in ones.
 
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Thanks but the reason for the seperate sleeping quarters is that I'll be sharing it with a girl, I'm trying to give her some privacy, not that I mind her getting naked in the tent with me, but I'm sure my other half might have something to say about it
 
Ok well you need 2 tents then. 2 of these http://www.outdoorworlddirect.co.uk/coleman-avior-x3.html would be a good choice.

A Robens double dreamer which is probably the lightest 2 bedroom tent near your budget and it still comes in at a unhealthy 13kgs and £300 http://www.cotswoldoutdoor.com/inde...c=Google-_-GoogleBase-_-GoogleBase-_-74110096. Cotswold will also price match if you find a genuine online/retail store stockist and not some selling tents out a garage seller.

Robens are awesome tents but you will need to weather test them and possibly seam seal.
 
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Jay794 said:
Thanks but the reason for the seperate sleeping quarters is that I'll be sharing it with a girl, I'm trying to give her some privacy, not that I mind her getting naked in the tent with me, but I'm sure my other half might have something to say about it
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threesome :)?
 
Definitely possible, you should have bought before Christmas tbh, prices are going back up again.
In December I bought this for £99.99.
Shame it's 15KG, otherwise it would have been perfect :P
I put it up first time in under 10 mins on my own.
 
Went tent shopping last night ended up buying a Hi Gear Electron 4

Although it's not exactly what I was after it is a decent size and the seperate part for baggage is going to be useful, unfortunately it doesn't have the seperat sleeping quarters, suppose thats just an excuse for me to find a lady to warm up with lol

I've got my eye the Hi Gear Sahara 6 in the future, definately worth the price considering even if it rains we'll all be warm and dry in there. Since there's usually about 25 of us that going on a yearly camping trip (Download Festival) it would be awesome to get 2 or more of those and a massive sheet to cover it
 
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mistercrabb said:
Definitely possible, you should have bought before Christmas tbh, prices are going back up again.
In December I bought this for £99.99.
Shame it's 15KG, otherwise it would have been perfect :P
I put it up first time in under 10 mins on my own.
Click to expand...

With a HH of 2000mm, you will be ok in summer camping unless you get hit with heavy rain. Hydro Static Head is not the be-all and end-all but coupled with an average build quality a low HH is a recipe for disaster.

Jay794 said:
Went tent shopping last night ended up buying a Hi Gear Electron 4

Although it's not exactly what I was after it is a decent size and the seperate part for baggage is going to be useful, unfortunately it doesn't have the seperat sleeping quarters, suppose thats just an excuse for me to find a lady to warm up with lol

I've got my eye the Hi Gear Sahara 6 in the future, definately worth the price considering even if it rains we'll all be warm and dry in there. Since there's usually about 25 of us that going on a yearly camping trip (Download Festival) it would be awesome to get 2 or more of those and a massive sheet to cover it
Click to expand...

I assume you are only going camping in the summer? I have seen these up and they are not good tents and certainly not a £160 rrp tent. pitched in the field, they have a large gap between the flysheet and the groundsheet in the porch letting rain splash in, mud in and plenty o critters. Considering the Omega 450 could be had for £135 which is a high quality all year technical tent you are nuts to go for that hi gear.

I rarely get this frustrated when people ask for advice then do the opposite but this is one of those times. Not only have you gone against what you wanted, you ignored the quality tents suggested and bought cack.

And if it rains, you won't be warm and dry in there. I saw enough people washed out in the hi gears this year when camping in the summer with what I would call moderate rain. That is only suitable as a summer tent when it is dry, Not great build quality. Heck even a Vango Beta 450 which is the same price is significantly better than that.
 
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djcj said:
I'm just about to buy this: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/VANGO-SAM...re_HikingCamping_Tents_JN&hash=item5892042827

Seems a very good size/price/quality
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Vango make good tents. However, that tent uses fibreglass poles and for a tent of that size, it makes it very vulnerable to wind and pitch conditions even with the tension band system. The only reason I had linked to the Outwell Nevada Xl in my last post which is a 6 man with fiberglass poles is because the Outwell fiberglass pole system is notably better than the Vango imo.

To be fair though, it is much much cheaper to get spares for Vango tent poles and you should carry a few spare pole sections and shock cord with you. You will also be able to pitch it pretty quickly with 2 or 3.

If you know you won’t be in very exposed areas and can peg your tent out very well with the right sort of pegs then the Vango is a good buy.

An even better bargain is this 2011 Vango Tigris 800 @ £239 http://www.marshallleisure.co.uk/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=250&products_id=151774
 
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Thought I'd be best bringing this back from the dead, rather than stanrting a new thread.

Looking for a tend for me & the Mrs with space, also prefer the look of a tunnel tent.

Don't have a budget really, but a bargain would be good...

Any suggestions?
 
Car camping? Backpacking (so weight is important)? Just in the summer?

We use a Vango Beta 350 for summer car camping. This is probably the current version. Plenty of space inside for two people + gear and two people can comfortably sit in camping chairs in the porch when it's chucking it down.
 
#Chri5# said:
Car camping? Backpacking (so weight is important)? Just in the summer?

We use a Vango Beta 350 for summer car camping. This is probably the current version. Plenty of space inside for two people + gear and two people can comfortably sit in camping chairs in the porch when it's chucking it down.
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It'll just be in the summer, yes, cheers, and we won't be backpacking so weight not that important.

Looks like it might be between the Vango Beta 350 and Vango Omega 350.....
 
I'm looking for a tent seems as I left my Galert quick pitch SS at Leeds festival. It was pretty waterproof to say how much it rained, there was a problem with condensation and some water inside though.

Looking at buying one for winter as well as summer camping (festivals and maybe trekking)

Must be fairly light (around 6kg)
Small pack size the better
Size - A large 2 man, 3 ideally or small 4

So far I am looking at the Vango Omega 350 or the one above - Coleman Backpacking Avior X3 Tent
 
I have felt the weight of a few and 6kg is pretty beefy.

The Omega Banshee 300 comes in at 2.7kg and Banshee 200 at about 2.1kg. This seems like a pretty decent buy
 
Guest2 said:
I have felt the weight of a few and 6kg is pretty beefy.

The Omega Banshee 300 comes in at 2.7kg and Banshee 200 at about 2.1kg. This seems like a pretty decent buy
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I have a lichfield treklite 200, which i think is the same as the older models of the Banshee 200 (the new Banshee can pitch the outer skin first to keep the inner dry if you're setting up in the wet - the older one had to pitch the inner first then the outer over the top.)

I'm 6ft and its a bit of a squeeze. On my own i can fit diagonally across it but if i needed to use it for 2 people, my feet would be pressed against the end.
It's fairly light though, considering the price.

For your situation, i would want to get a decent lightweight tent for trekking and a cheap tent for festivals.
 
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