Tent needed - don't know where to start!! Recommendations?
Discussion
Looking to do some camping with the family (2 adults, 2 young children), and difficult to know what tent to get. Not many places seem to have any/many up (albeit not made it to Go Outdoors yet), so can only see the boxes/bags they come in!
It's only really for occasional camping - say 3/4 days max at a time, maybe a music festival or 2.
Musts:
- dead easy (or as easy as possible) to put up.
- able to stand up in it.
- doesn't weigh a ton (was in Halfords today for bikes, and looked at tents while in there - a "pop-up" air tent was ridiculously heavy, and the bag was huge!!
- a reasonable amount of space for 4 people and "stuff" (see 2 kids comment above!)
Price isn't everything, I'd like something that ticks the boxes above, but ideally not needing a 2nd mortgage to buy it in case we (the kids really) don't "take" to it, and it becomes an expensive dust-catcher in the garage.
All advice appreciated! Thanks
It's only really for occasional camping - say 3/4 days max at a time, maybe a music festival or 2.
Musts:
- dead easy (or as easy as possible) to put up.
- able to stand up in it.
- doesn't weigh a ton (was in Halfords today for bikes, and looked at tents while in there - a "pop-up" air tent was ridiculously heavy, and the bag was huge!!
- a reasonable amount of space for 4 people and "stuff" (see 2 kids comment above!)
Price isn't everything, I'd like something that ticks the boxes above, but ideally not needing a 2nd mortgage to buy it in case we (the kids really) don't "take" to it, and it becomes an expensive dust-catcher in the garage.
All advice appreciated! Thanks
From the research I did you'll struggle to beat this as a halfway decent tent: Vango Icarus 500.
If you want a better quality one with similar design then get an Outwell (Nevada?).
If you want a better quality one with similar design then get an Outwell (Nevada?).
Have a quick read here which has a number of pointers. If you can't find one with enough internal space, consider a taking a pop-up gazebo for eating/cooking/relaxing and just leave the tent as a place to sleep.
I'd suggest looking at a vis-a-vis style of tent purely as I find them more flexible for family living. You can get a nice Sunncamp 6-berth for <£180 that should have enough space for you all. If you can drop the weight restriction, then I'd really recommend upgrading to polycotton as the tent material. Yes it's heavier, yes it needs drying out properly, but it is much cooler in summer, warmer in winter and you avoid the oven-like effect some polyester tents can give.
Things that make it more comfortable for us include putting rugs or tent carpets down to help insulation, getting an electric hook-up cable for lights or a little electric heater, and a good cooker/BBQ that can be used without bending down.
I'd suggest looking at a vis-a-vis style of tent purely as I find them more flexible for family living. You can get a nice Sunncamp 6-berth for <£180 that should have enough space for you all. If you can drop the weight restriction, then I'd really recommend upgrading to polycotton as the tent material. Yes it's heavier, yes it needs drying out properly, but it is much cooler in summer, warmer in winter and you avoid the oven-like effect some polyester tents can give.
Things that make it more comfortable for us include putting rugs or tent carpets down to help insulation, getting an electric hook-up cable for lights or a little electric heater, and a good cooker/BBQ that can be used without bending down.
The biggest trick to enjoying camping is an insulated mat underneath the airbed, otherwise the cold from the ground underneath comes up through the bed.
As regards tents whereabouts in the country are you? Someone may know where there is a site with many tents erected. Its certainly better to be able to see them all up. Some do weigh a lot but then you'll presumably always have the car to carry them in, and this being the UK if you have a storm when you are camping you'll be pleased to have had a decent tent.
I remember after one stormy night opening the door on our Outwell to peer out to total devastation with most people chucking their cheaper tents in the bin!
Consider whether you are going to want to cook inside the tent, if so get one where you can!
As regards tents whereabouts in the country are you? Someone may know where there is a site with many tents erected. Its certainly better to be able to see them all up. Some do weigh a lot but then you'll presumably always have the car to carry them in, and this being the UK if you have a storm when you are camping you'll be pleased to have had a decent tent.
I remember after one stormy night opening the door on our Outwell to peer out to total devastation with most people chucking their cheaper tents in the bin!
Consider whether you are going to want to cook inside the tent, if so get one where you can!
When a tent says it sleeps four it usually means four at a squeeze. We have an eight person tent for 2 adults and 2 children. It is big enough to stand up in and has a large living area we can use if the weather is bad. Also there is enough room for all the stuff a family needs. A porch is useful as a kitchen area and somewhere to keep dirty footwear.
Whatever people say a sleeping bag is much warmer than a duvet.
Make sure the tent you buy has a step over threshold as there is nothing worse than a river running through your tent in the middle of the night as we discovered with our first tent, which we quickly sold on.
Have a look at camping shops that have the tents on display then look at eBay and online as it is usually less expensive.
Whatever people say a sleeping bag is much warmer than a duvet.
Make sure the tent you buy has a step over threshold as there is nothing worse than a river running through your tent in the middle of the night as we discovered with our first tent, which we quickly sold on.
Have a look at camping shops that have the tents on display then look at eBay and online as it is usually less expensive.
Go big. I know tents can get bulky and heavy when packed up (mine weighs over 50kg) but when it tips it down with rain for your entire trip you'll appreciate the space, and having room to live and dumping space besides does make a world of difference. I'd be looking bare minimum a 6 man tent, preferably an 8 man though. Kampa, Outwell and Vango all do decent tents - the latter at the cheaper end, but on comparable quality to the others.
Whereabouts are you? There are a few independent camping shops that'll have a decent number of tents pitched for a good look around, and there are camping exhibitions are even better:
http://www.ukcampsite.co.uk/events/
Don't scrimp though, if you buy cheap and get cheap it could be enough to put your family off. Whereas a half decent tent (especially bought second hand) might cost more but hold it's value better.
Whereabouts are you? There are a few independent camping shops that'll have a decent number of tents pitched for a good look around, and there are camping exhibitions are even better:
http://www.ukcampsite.co.uk/events/
Don't scrimp though, if you buy cheap and get cheap it could be enough to put your family off. Whereas a half decent tent (especially bought second hand) might cost more but hold it's value better.
Look at the pitching sequence of anything you consider buying. You realise that 'inner-first' pitching is a s
t idea when the rain is pouring and your tent inner is sopping wet in the time it takes you to figure out what to do with the outer.
We've got a Coleman Waterfall 5 which sounds ideal for your needs, although my wife tells me you're not supposed to cook in it! (we also have 3 other tents and a caravan. We sold our trailer tent last year as things were getting out of control!). Anything in a similar format should be fine - space to sit and eat, decent space to sleep, carried in a bag like an oversized holdall, not too heavy or expensive. You haven't mentioned the age of your children - our waterfall 5 is great with our two youngest, but I'd want better seperation from our teenagers!
t idea when the rain is pouring and your tent inner is sopping wet in the time it takes you to figure out what to do with the outer.We've got a Coleman Waterfall 5 which sounds ideal for your needs, although my wife tells me you're not supposed to cook in it! (we also have 3 other tents and a caravan. We sold our trailer tent last year as things were getting out of control!). Anything in a similar format should be fine - space to sit and eat, decent space to sleep, carried in a bag like an oversized holdall, not too heavy or expensive. You haven't mentioned the age of your children - our waterfall 5 is great with our two youngest, but I'd want better seperation from our teenagers!
tenohfive said:
Go big. I know tents can get bulky and heavy when packed up (mine weighs over 50kg) but when it tips it down with rain for your entire trip you'll appreciate the space, and having room to live and dumping space besides does make a world of difference.
Absolutely, mine's not far off that weight, but having enough space inside to sit around a table, room for a camping stove and still be able to sleep comfortably on double airbeds is worth lugging a bit of extra weight esp when 9 times out of 10 you park next to the pitch.tenohfive said:
Don't scrimp though, if you buy cheap and get cheap it could be enough to put your family off. Whereas a half decent tent (especially bought second hand) might cost more but hold it's value better.
Yep, and also consider moving it on again if that particular layout doesn't quite work first time out.oldcynic said:
Look at the pitching sequence of anything you consider buying. You realise that 'inner-first' pitching is a st idea when the rain is pouring and your tent inner is sopping wet in the time it takes you to figure out what to do with the outer.
t idea when the rain is pouring and your tent inner is sopping wet in the time it takes you to figure out what to do with the outer.
you only make that mistake once....oldcynic said:
You haven't mentioned the age of your children - our waterfall 5 is great with our two youngest, but I'd want better seperation from our teenagers!
That's where a vis-a-vis style tent comes into its own, as the sleeping compartments are at each end of the tent. In my tent, that leaves me nearly 9 square meters of internal living space.*Edited as per the below brain fart.
Edited by jep on Thursday 7th May 09:41
jep said:
That's where a vis-a-vis style tent comes into its own, as the sleeping compartments are at each end of the tent. In my tent, that leaves me nearly 3 square meters of internal living space.
I must be greedy then...I've got 16 square metres of living space (for 3 people) or 12 if we bring another 1-2 people along and put the third bedroom up. And an external covered cooking area 
Back OT, I've not seen an inner first pitched tent in awhile - it's not uncommon amongst American designed backpacking tents, but all the big tents I've seen are outer first.
tenohfive said:
I must be greedy then...I've got 16 square metres of living space (for 3 people) or 12 if we bring another 1-2 people along and put the third bedroom up. And an external covered cooking area
Nah, that sounds just about right! Re-reading my post, I appear to have exhibited serious brain fade on my part, as I should have said a living space that's nearly 3m x 3m! Like you, it's more if I don't put one of the bedrooms up and it doubles when I bring the external pop-up cooking area. Sorry for the confusion chaps, there's just a slight difference in those measurements.... 
surveyor said:
As I've been telling a mate today Gumtree is lettered with tents only used once or twice.
For my Le mans accommodation, when I did not want to spend a fortune it's served very well and will be on it's 4th visit this year, albeit with someone else sleeping in it.
This, I bought this off ebay for a family camping trip last year to Normandy. Outwell family tent, used once and a fraction of the RRP and collected locally. Proved to serve us well as it lashed it down every day!For my Le mans accommodation, when I did not want to spend a fortune it's served very well and will be on it's 4th visit this year, albeit with someone else sleeping in it.
We as a family have started camping a couple of years ago when my youngest was 3 years old. As we didn't know if we would like it we didn't want to spend much.
We ended up going to our local Go-Outdoors and buying a Kalahari 8 as it looked to have plenty of space for four of us at a low cost, about £230. It is an 8 person tunnel tent with four two person bedrooms and a decent sized communal area in the centre.
We enjoyed it so bought a carpet, foot print ground sheet, electric hook up socket and a porch awning which made the experience better. In hind sight we should perhaps have bought a better quality tent initially, but the whole lot stands us at perhaps £400 so it has been good value.
We ended up going to our local Go-Outdoors and buying a Kalahari 8 as it looked to have plenty of space for four of us at a low cost, about £230. It is an 8 person tunnel tent with four two person bedrooms and a decent sized communal area in the centre.
We enjoyed it so bought a carpet, foot print ground sheet, electric hook up socket and a porch awning which made the experience better. In hind sight we should perhaps have bought a better quality tent initially, but the whole lot stands us at perhaps £400 so it has been good value.
Edited by PH5121 on Thursday 7th May 16:21
I can recommend a tunnels style tent with the sleeping areas at each end and living space in the middle.
Means if your guests snore like a trooper you are as far away as you can be
The mistake we made is buying the wrong car to go with our tent. We bought a 8 man poly cotton tent, which comes in 2 big bags. Mainyl as one campsite we go to is ontop of a hill and it has killed cheaper tents in the past. Our tent poles are also pretty thick for the same reason.
But the addition of a small child means the boot on out car isn't actual big enough for everything. So my tip would be make sure you have a big boot or trailer of roof box available!
Means if your guests snore like a trooper you are as far away as you can be
The mistake we made is buying the wrong car to go with our tent. We bought a 8 man poly cotton tent, which comes in 2 big bags. Mainyl as one campsite we go to is ontop of a hill and it has killed cheaper tents in the past. Our tent poles are also pretty thick for the same reason.
But the addition of a small child means the boot on out car isn't actual big enough for everything. So my tip would be make sure you have a big boot or trailer of roof box available!
A lot of this has been said before, but with my experience of about 8-9 tents over the years (gradually upgraded/replaced):
Get a bigger tent than you think you need. They look massive when empty, but by the time youo get a table, four chairs, four beds, sleepign bags, cooker, cold box, clothes etc they soon fill up
Go at least 50% more "man size" - for two people, get a three man tent, for four, get a six man etc
Sewn in groundsheet is worth its weight in not letting water run through the tent in a cloudburst
Unless you are hiking, weight isn't really an issue as you will pitch it about 10ft from your car.
Metal poles will last longer than glassfibre and stop the tent moving around so much in windy conditions.
"Quick erect" is usually cobblers. They seem to take ages to take down again.
Look on http://www.ukcampsite.co.uk/chatter/display_forum_... for lots of chat about various makes and models
An awning/porch area to put wet shoes before going into the tent keeps it cleaner
If you can cook in the awning area, better still as it keeps hot pans out of the tent and eliminates condensation issues (Camping Gas produces a lot)
Look for plenty of through ventilation - vent flaps/windows in the bedrooms opposite the door. It can get very hot in a tent in the sunshine.
I've currently got an Outwell Montana 6 which I've used for the last four years and it is a really good, well thought-through design, and it has been completely waterproof so far. Bought secondhand in used-once condition for £200.
Get a bigger tent than you think you need. They look massive when empty, but by the time youo get a table, four chairs, four beds, sleepign bags, cooker, cold box, clothes etc they soon fill up
Go at least 50% more "man size" - for two people, get a three man tent, for four, get a six man etc
Sewn in groundsheet is worth its weight in not letting water run through the tent in a cloudburst
Unless you are hiking, weight isn't really an issue as you will pitch it about 10ft from your car.
Metal poles will last longer than glassfibre and stop the tent moving around so much in windy conditions.
"Quick erect" is usually cobblers. They seem to take ages to take down again.
Look on http://www.ukcampsite.co.uk/chatter/display_forum_... for lots of chat about various makes and models
An awning/porch area to put wet shoes before going into the tent keeps it cleaner
If you can cook in the awning area, better still as it keeps hot pans out of the tent and eliminates condensation issues (Camping Gas produces a lot)
Look for plenty of through ventilation - vent flaps/windows in the bedrooms opposite the door. It can get very hot in a tent in the sunshine.
I've currently got an Outwell Montana 6 which I've used for the last four years and it is a really good, well thought-through design, and it has been completely waterproof so far. Bought secondhand in used-once condition for £200.
Lots more to consider, which I will follow up. Thanks
Was looking at this last night, http://www.jacksonscamping.com/the-wichenford-2-0/... , based on comments re easy to put up (not having to put inner up first), tunnel tent, vis-à-vis, getting it oversized etc.
Thoughts good or bad on this?
Was looking at this last night, http://www.jacksonscamping.com/the-wichenford-2-0/... , based on comments re easy to put up (not having to put inner up first), tunnel tent, vis-à-vis, getting it oversized etc.
Thoughts good or bad on this?
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