Vango Air Beam

[eric twinge]

http://youtu.be/hCHa8osE-kU

What do we reckon to these then?

They appear to be really simple and quick, i really don't like putting the tent up, one way to earn a beer or 4 i guess.

Any experiences?

[TimJMS]

I have an Infinity 800 2012 model.

Goes up quicker than a rat up a st house door. I leave the bedrooms in place, so no messing around with those either

The thing that really surprised me that even if you're only inflating the beams to 3 psi they feel thick and solid.

Massive thumbup to Vango for actually making the bag big enough to house the tent so that when you drop it you don't need to steamroller it to pack it away.

Up or down 'tis only the work of ten minutes. I very much doubt I'll even need to guy it at Le Mans, just 10 rock pegs around the base should do it.

[YorkshirePudding]

We've thought about upgrading to one of those for next year due to ease of use.

[TimJMS]

They're not for everyone. The new panoramic Outwell's for example are fabulous things and I'd have gone for one if the thought of packing it all away hadn't filled me with dread. Karsten's do some fabulous air beam tents in cotton. Serious money though and you need a compressor for the high rather than low pressure beams.

[FastNReliable]

I like it. Were thinking of buying another tent since selling the caravan, this might be the one.

[LouD86]

That, is a damn clever idea! I like that. May have to go and investigate in one, seems very simple for such a large tent, and I like the idea of keeping the bedrooms in it too, minimal fuss to get it up!

[Mykap]

I bought a standard tent for this years' trip following an avalanche of negative reviews and reports of leaks/quality issues here...

http://www.ukcampsite.co.uk/tents/p/2/Vango-Airbea...

[TimJMS]

There were issues with the 2011 tents.

Mine has done two trips now totalling 8 nights without a problem.

[Balmoral]

I've had an inflatable 'Airzone' tent for a number of years. It goes up and comes down very easily. I usually just stake it out at the corners, then plug the compressor into the ciggy lighter and carry on unpacking whilst it puts itself up, It's self supporting and doesn't need any guy ropes. It's only a faff if I want to be fussy about putting it away neatly, as the airtubes wouldn't be out of place on a RIB and can take some effort to fold up and fit it all back in the bag.

[papple]

I bought one last year and only used it a couple of times before selling it recently.

On the nights I used it, the weather was horrific and I'm pleased to say it didn't leak at all. It was from the second batch produced so I guess that made a difference. The very early ones did have leakage problems.

I sold it not because of the tent, but because we decided not to bother camping again for a while.

However the problem with the Airbeam to me is the design - the door is on the side and offers no weather protection - when it rains you have to close the door - no exceptions. It would be better if it had a porch so you could leave the door open. Even the expensive add-ons simply move the door but it keeps the same fatal design flaw. If you open the door, because the roof is curved, you can draw a vertical line from the top of the door INTO the tent..... so if it rains with the door open the tent floods !!!