Tell me about Tents

[Kestevan]

First things first - I know absolutely nowt about tents. Not been camping since I was doing the festival circuit 20yrs ago and I was too young/stupid/stoned to care then...

I've now acquired 2 kids and a wife and the lure of the campsite for reasonably cheap holidays is looking increasingly attractive.

Does anyone have any recommendations on what to look for in a tent/tents and associated gubbins.
Expected use is for 2 adults/2 kids on Uk/European official campsites, transported by car. Not planning on lugging it half way up an Alp, or venturing out when its -20 and blowing a gale...

Where do I start?

 

[summerdays]

Think about what you want of the tent. For example ... to be small in the boot of your car or put up by only one person. I can't put up our large tent on my own, and to be honest if it gets wet it is too big to put up properly in our back garden to dry properly, however if we are staying somewhere for a week and it could be wet then its brilliant with windows (clear bits to see out of), and big enough for us to put up a table inside and eat in. However it takes about 45 mins to put up (partly Mr Summerdays trying to be a perfectionist when putting it up. It's also got a Sewn In Groundsheet (SIG) which keeps out some of the draughts and insects (kids like that bit). And probably another 30 mins unpacking everything.

We also have some quick pop up tents as well when we just want to chuck it in the car and get away quick. But then unless we take the communal bit as well then there isn't a dry space for us all to share together since the tents are basically sleeping bag size. This did cause us a few problems one time when it was literally tipping down in Scotland on route to the ferry.

What would you do if it says its going to be damp/wet/windy ... sit it out or head home early.

In Europe if you are intending to camp in hot weather then a SIG actually traps the heat in and you would probably prefer to be without it.


You don't need to buy all the kit the first time you try it... we didn't and gradually added to it as we went along. We looked at the tent purchase as the price we would have paid to go B+B or Self Catering and that if we hated it we would sell it after that first time (that was 10 years ago) and recoup some of the money. Our first tent lasted for about 4 or 5 years before we were tempted by the 2nd one. The material does gradually degrade in the sun.

 

[Adasta]

You should really take a look at the Touring forum!

 

[BigSid]

Hi

Have a look at http://www.ukcampsite.co.uk/tents/ Lots of reviews by users there.

I prefer a tent with one more berth than the number of people using it if I'm camping for more than a weekend.

I have an Outwell Carolina M which has plenty room to sleep two adults for a week or more (sold as three berth) and a large sitting/eating/storage area with windows and two doors, big enough for a table and chairs. The sleeping area has sewn in ground sheet but the communal area has groundsheet and carpet as optional extras.

I also have a two man Eurohike dome tent for the one/two night trips which just fits a double airbed with a very small porch area for storage.

If your kids are old enough they could share a small tent for sleeping and you and your wife have a larger tent with storage space. It makes it more of an adventure for the kids and it also means the two of you could go camping without the kids and don't have to lug a four/five berth tent with you.

Have fun.

Big Sid

 

[HelenD123]

You should really take a look at the Touring forum!

That was my first thought, but I suspect he wants something rather bigger than would fit on the back of a bike!

 

[summerdays]

Our main tent is an Outwell Montana which sleeps 6 for the 5 of us. So I second his comment about number of people plus one. I like the rectangular tents as then the sleeping quarters are all facing the same direction normally making it easy to decide where to sleep if on a slope. Some of the tents with sort of satellite sleeping pods end up taking the ground area of the tent into the very large category and then some campsites make an extra charge for this I think.

 

[fimm]

+1 to the "more berths than people" suggestion. We did all our camping as a family of 5 when I was a child in a 6-berth tent, and that extra berth was very useful. I think everything else I would add has been said above.

(My boyfriend and I have had a reasonable amount of use out of a £70 4-berth tent from Halfords! I was highly sceptical when it was bought but it has been quite good for the money. I would encourage you to spend more if you can, though - my parents paid £170 for their tent which must have been a reasonable sum in 1979, but it lasted 17 years and more...)

 

[PpPete]

Outwell & Vango are both good brands to look out for in the sort of market you are looking at.

I know you are not planning to camp in a gale, but a biggish tent in any sort of wind is a quick way to snap glass fibre poles. I would definitely opt for aluminium poles - look for the same alloys as you would on a bike frame: 6061 or any of the 7000 series alloys.

 

[Hicky]

+1 for ukcampsite.
If youre going to europe then consider canvas or polycotton.
Budget, I'd say two births more than people.

What do you have to transport it??

We have a 407 est and have a ESVO Walnoot tent for the four of us it is just right.
We go France for three weeks in summer and wouldnt want a nylon tent......even here when the weather is good its almost unbearable.

NEVER underestimate the amount of shite kids and wives consider is essential when camping, the packing list is endless.

Oh....forgot to mention, in France 9 times out of 10 speedos are the rule

 

[Adasta]

[M]y parents paid £170 for their tent which must have been a reasonable sum in 1979, but it lasted 17 years and more...)

According to thisismoney.co.uk, that tent cost the equivalent of £736.02 in "today's money"!

 

[subaqua]

Outwell Vango are all good. and some of the bigger tunnel tents are expandable if you need to do this. makes a nice porch for bikes to live in

only downside to sewn in G sheets is drying the tent out if it has got wet. a little bit of work with some tarpaulin and velcro solves this .

Go outdoors have a great choice in tents and will price match too.

best bit of advice i got was to go and look at it when its up , before you purchase it.


I have a decathlon Quecha 6.2XL http://www.decathlon.co.uk/EN/t6-2-xl-b-117145865/ but didn't pay as much as it is currently for sale at.

easy to erect and strike . loads of room and if you use a tarp or two from decathlon you can make a large covered area in front.


for UK camping join http://www.campingandcaravanningclub.co.uk/ lots of good advice and thje sites are great. Thetford Forest is stonkingly good and had lots of great riding nearby. makes justifying a new MTB easy

 

[Broadside]

We bought an 8-man Gelert tent to use for family camping trips (there are 5 of us). Having lots of space makes a holiday all the more enjoyable so you can eat inside if it is chucking it down. Sewn in groundsheets do make the tent very snug and they keep the tent bone dry even if puddles develop around you. In 3 weeks of camping over the summer we had 10 days of gale force wind/rain and had no problems.

Outwell are a great brand but we found campingworld.co.uk doing great deals on Gelert tents so bought one, I have been very impressed with the quality.

Bear in mind that some tents need to have the inner tent pitched first and other are outer tent pitched first. If you find yourself erecting in the rain you will be very grateful if you chose a tent where the outer goes up first as it saves everything getting soaked. I would recommend you get an outer pitch first.