Which tent

traceyr

I am looking to buy a tent. I have never been camping before so would appreciate some advice and recommendations. We are a family of 3 who would use the tent for the odd night away. I dont want to spend too much money on it just in case I dont enjoy it. Probably no more than £90 for a starter pack and about £60 for a tent on its own.

Is it better to buy one of the starter pack which includes airbeds, sleepingd bags etc such as this one in argos

http://www.argos.co.uk/static/Product/catalogId/1500001501/partNumber/3409158.htm


or do you think either of the ones below are up to any good

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Confidence-Holiday-room-tent-BLUE/dp/B000QV1ATS/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=sports&qid=1240829740&sr=1-1

http://www.argos.co.uk/static/Product/catalogId/1500001501/partNumber/3409770.htm

Thanks in advance guys I appreciate your help and advice as always.

tiff

How waterproof a tent is is measure by hydrostatic head (HH), I was advised to not go lower than 2000 HH. I was also told Argos tents werent that great but I appreciate you have a budget to stick to. Loads of advice on the forums at ukcampsite.co.uk.

Rikki

I think the first one would be better. Everything is there ready for you.

Also you have a dry communal area between the two sleeping pods where you can sit and cook if the weather turns bad. Not an option on the others. Vital if you get really bad weather believe me.

john.xs

try go outdoors

if you are using tent to sleep in only the quechua pop ups are super for an overnighter . anything longer or if you want live in there then look at outwell /vanga etc.

uk tent and camping site forum is also very informative.

Syman

You can have a look at Halfords starter sets.

IIRC when i looked at them they were rebranded GELERT tents.

Ian73

Hi
Have a look here http://www.outdoorsmagic.com/shopping/shopping.asp?sp=&v=9
some links to webshops.Its also a good outdoor website

mna78

There's some good previous years tents on here:
http://www.clearancetents.co.uk/tents/

Which is actually part of Awnings Direct.

Elsewhere

Have you thought of trying Millets or Oswald Bailey? They sell online, but both have shops all over the place, and some branches have a display of smaller tents erected for customers to inspect.

bebee_2

Hi,
We went camping for the first time year before last. and we love it !!!
From our experience a fitted ground sheet is best as less draughts. Go for warm sleeping bags in case it goes cold at night. and living space is important in case it rains.
The first tent we had didn't have a fitted ground sheet ( we bought a new tent)
Sleeping bags were cheap ones to start with £5 each i think these have also been changed.
Good luck with whatever you decide

jenhug

may I recommend the camping website www.ukcampsite.co.uk for excellent advice and campsite reviews?

You will probably be wanting to stand up and move around freely in your tent, especially if its a wet weekend! You need to think about these things when purchasing a tent. If you buy a small cramped tent then chances are you wont enjoy your break.