Tent recommendations please

[Alamo]

Hi All,

Thankfully my two young (4+6yrs) grandson's seem to have inherited a family fondness of the outdoors, so now the weather is improving slightly, I have decided to buy them a tent and doss bags etc to get them out as much as possible.

The tents I have in mind at the moment are the Vango Tempest 200/300, the North Ridge Torre and the North Ridge Sphynx. Does anyone here have any personal experience, good or bad, of either of these which they could share please?

Thanks in advance

Alan

[Martin]

Where are you planning on taking them and for how long?

Martin

[Adam Savage]

No personal experience with any of those, but I've been told the Tempest can build up a fair bit of condensation on the inside.

Like Martin says though, it depends where you're going, and for how long.

Sleeping bag wise, in mild weather, the tesco microlite and ultralite are fantastic bags for the money. They pack down really small and don't weigh much either. :)

[Adam Savage]

I've just noticed "Mountainous" looks a little like Martin, when he's wearing his bucket hat :p

[Martin]

Oi!! I don't wear a bucket hat. :p

Martin

[Adam Savage]

Ok, ok, it's a fishing hat :p

http://i1024.photobucket.com/albums/y304/crazysaint22/Ten%20Tors%20Challenge/02072011858.jpg

[Marvell]

I've not used with of the above but have a Coleman Phad x3 and have not a bad word to say about it. Three poles, six pegs and it's up. It has additional lines for when it's windy, as you'd expect, but I find it a good size, well ventilated and super weatherproof. There might have been models up from it since, but it suits me fine.

[jus_young]

Just bought 9 of the Vango DS Arks for the Scouts. There are different sizes available and the tents really look pretty good but won't get chance to try them in anger till later in the month.

[Kernowek Scouser]

I've no experience of any of those tents.

But, just to muddy the waters, I have got a couple of recommendations you might want to consider.

If you are looking to get your youngsters a tent each, then you may want to consider either the Gelert Solo or the Vango Banshee 200. I used to have a Banshee 200 and it was a cracking little tent, light, easy to pitch, low wind profile, could take a battering from the elements and roomy enough for yourself and a bit of kit inside and the rest stowed under the outer. Sadly it got damaged in storage. I fully intended to replace it, but stumbled upon a £10 deal for the Solo and thought I would have a pop. It is smaller, less technical tent and the stated hydrostatic head is a piddling 1500, but has served me as well, if not better than the Banshee. I have found the Solo to be the ideal tent, when I've been wandering between campsites on my lonesome, weighs next to nothing, easy to pitch, can take more of a bettering the the HH would suggest and packs up quick and easy. You can pick them up online for £20 and I believe it would be an ideal starter tent for a budding outdoors man.

If you want to intend to get the lads a tent to share, then you could again get them the Banshee 200 as it would comfortably accommodate two kids (or you and one of them - just about) but little else, or you could go for the 300 and get both lads and all there kit inside the tent (or you and them in the tent and you gear stowed under the outer). I briefly owned a 300 when I was courting and my ex girlfriend had no complaints about that tent (she complained about everything else, but not the tent).

If you are tempted by the Banshee 200, before you buy it, have a gander at the Gelert Mongoose. It is a lot less technical and the stated HH is again 1500, but you can pick one up for £30 - £40 and like the Solo, it can take a fair bit of battering. A mate of mine let me have a loan of his Mongoose and it is a cracking tent. If I buy another tent this year, it will be a Mongoose (and a big tin of Fabsil).

Anyway, that might help, or not.

Happy Camping :D

[jus_young]

Here is another thread looking at tent options including my view on the Banshee 200 that I was using before becoming a hammock convert.

http://www.naturalbushcraft.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?939-Two-Skin-Tent

[Alamo]

Hello again and thanks to everyone for the suggestions,

I'm not planning on taking the lads too far, nor for too long to start with. The idea is to wean them into things slowly so they (especially the younger one) get used to being away from mum. One or two nights in a large wood a few miles from home or a weekend here and there at a local scout camp should suffice until they are a little older.

There may be the odd time when I'll be taking both lads alone, but sleeping arrangements for 90% of outings are likely to be 1 x adult + 1 x grandson per tent. This arrangement could see the Banshee 200 and Gelert Solo being a little too small, but the Banshee 300 and Gelert Mongoose look like being worthy of further investigation, as do the Tesco Ultralite bags.


Thanks again.

Alan

[Kernowek Scouser]

No worries, I hope you find a tent that suit you :D

[Elektricgypsy]

Hi All,

Thankfully my two young (4+6yrs) grandson's seem to have inherited a family fondness of the outdoors, so now the weather is improving slightly, I have decided to buy them a tent and doss bags etc to get them out as much as possible.

The tents I have in mind at the moment are the Vango Tempest 200/300, the North Ridge Torre and the North Ridge Sphynx. Does anyone here have any personal experience, good or bad, of either of these which they could share please?

Thanks in advance

Alan

Vango Tempest 200; I have one of these, it is now my favourite tent. I have used it atop many a Welsh mountain. Slightly heavy but very robust. It will stand howling gales and driving rain, whilst you stay dry and undisturbed inside. Quick and simple to pitch. Will pitch fly first - IMO a must for UK weather - or inner and outer together. Talking adults - luxurious space for one, two have to be very good friends, but the smaller footprint makes it easier to find a "place" in tricky terrain.
Two main criticisms; 1. It was to well ventilated - so cooled to much in winter- I modified this by reducing the mesh area at the foot of the inner.
2. Adding a judiciously placed guy to the front peak, enables me to enter either side or the front - handy if the wind backs. It also makes it much easier to tension the tunnel if pitching conditions are less than ideal. This has been modified by Vango themselves on the 2012 models.

Personally I think this is the best tent in its class for the money - indeed the best in class for any money.

Again, personally - I find the drawbacks with side opening tents are - can't change things easily if the wind backs at sunset - difficult to cook under cover, especially if the wind changed. - If the zip breaks you are just about snookered.

[Alamo]

Been really busy at the salt mine lately so haven't got around to deciding which tents I'll be going for yet. The Tempest 200 is a definite possibility, so if I get chance this weekend I might just take the lads around a shop or two for a look.

Thanks

Alan

[Martin]

Why not take them to GoOutdoors? You can see all the tents erected there and get a good idea what you can get for your money then go and find it cheaper elsewhere? For your purposes, you don't need to look at high hydrostatic head figures or four season ruggedness so size, price and probably ease of erection are key factors.

I might add, possibly not the best time of year to be shopping for tents though. :(

Martin

[Kernowek Scouser]

I could make a joke about the ease of erection being an increasingly key factor, the older you get... but I won't :D

Totally agree with Martin, if there are any shops near you where you can see tents erected, they are definitely worth a visit. Then if you do see one (or a few) you like, check online for cheap deals before you part with your hard earned cash.

It is still a tad early in the year for stores to start going tent crazy, but (the excellent) Penrose Outdoors and (the extensive, but expensive) Cotswold Outdoor in Truro are both starting to clear space to put tents up for display, so I'd wager you will see most stores flip from their winter ranges into summer camping between now and Easter.

Good Luck

Colin

[Alamo]

Thanks guys - as you have both said, it is a tad early in the year yet (especially here in the north) for the majority of the outdoors type stores to have much of a choice of tents on display.

Martin - Yes I did take the kids to my local GoOutdoors, but as usual I chose the worse day to have done so. It seems we arrived on the very day they had decided to put their 2012 display together and there was an army of staff with half erected family sized tents in a taped off area of fake grass. Only one tent of the smaller variety in sight as far as I could see at the time, but I doubt I'd ever be desperate enough to spend a night in something like this (http://www.gooutdoors.co.uk/hi-gear-pitch-and-go-ss-2-berth-tent-flowered-print-p146912).

I received my new DD Tarps today from the group buy organised by sandbag so I may just look at doing something with those for now incase the lads don't quite take to it.

Alan

[Martin]

The main reason I think that this is a bad time of year to buy a tent is that most of the retailers will not be discounting yet. It is too early in the season and they all have shiny new stock to sell, proven by the fact the GoOutdoors were erecting their new displays. Most bargains are to be found at the end of the summer and into the autumn.

Martin

[Kernowek Scouser]

... but I doubt I'd ever be desperate enough to spend a night in something like this (http://www.gooutdoors.co.uk/hi-gear-pitch-and-go-ss-2-berth-tent-flowered-print-p146912). Alan


It would blend in if you decided to camp in a field of long grass and daisies ;) but I wouldn't want to be caught over night in the wind and the rain, in one of these either.





I received my new DD Tarps today from the group buy organised by sandbag so I may just look at doing something with those for now incase the lads don't quite take to it.

Alan


I've never done the tarp thing, hope to give it a go latter in the year, probably in conjunction with a hammock. But if I managed to find the kahunas, I want to give 'hardcore' wild camping a try, walk until I find a nice spot, lay down my bed roll and erect a tarp in a configuration that will provide some shelter but still be open enough to have a cracking view, good luck with your experiments :D



The main reason I think that this is a bad time of year to buy a tent is that most of the retailers will not be discounting yet. It is too early in the season and they all have shiny new stock to sell, proven by the fact the GoOutdoors were erecting their new displays. Most bargains are to be found at the end of the summer and into the autumn.

Martin

I agree that this is case where walk-in retailers are concerned, but I know from my own experience, now or soon is the time some online retailers with look to shift last years models as they themselves buy in this years stock.

This time last year I was looking to replace my damaged Banshee 200 for my forthcoming summer adventures. I found a site that was discounting the 2010 model down to £49.99 (oddly they were also doing the 300 to £49.99 as well) and was ready to order, then I stumbled upon a site that was doing the Gelert Solo 2010 at £9.99 and ordered that instead on impulse. As mentioned above the Solo proved to be a cracking little tent and was ideally suited to my needs when camping on my lonesome and my enjoyment was not hindered by the fact the retailer actually sent me the 2011 model, which retailed at £39, by mistake.

I did also get one of the Banshee 300 2010 models, discounted to £49.99, for those times I took my ex along with me on my adventures. And, the Banshee 300 also proved to be a very worthwhile investment, after the ex and I decided to go our separate ways, I sold it on for £75 ;)

So while you are unlikely to get anything other than a good deal now on 2012 tents, there may soon be some serious discounts available on 2011 model tents.

Good luck whatever you end up deciding to do T^