Tent advice

pug_in_a_bed

Hello, the oh and I want to go camping but we're not sure what kind of tent to go for. Been looking on ebay, gumtree and preloved but there's so many kinds I'm totally confused.

Ideally after something we can stand up in at least part of, so probably a 3 or a 4 man for some space that will withstand some rubbish weather.
Been looking at pop up ones in order to avoid previous camping as a child where parents argued for hours over putting up the tent!

I think the max we would like to spend is £200 ideally on a used one?

Any help very welcome

bambinaUK

Quechua 4.2
http://www.decathlon.co.uk/EN/seconds-base-4-2-74200814/

And look on Ebay for a base seconds or base full to stick on the front of it. I can put up this whole set up on my own in about 15-20 minutes.

malnik

So many to choose from. I got one last year from ebay - £90, used once. Lots are used once......wonder why!!!!! Anyway, it was an argos one that had mixed reviews from people. Some said perfect, others said terrible.
Went to Cornwall, it rained and blew a gale but the tent was fine.
So the moral of my story is ....buy what suits you and if you only use it for a couple of weeks a year it will probably be perfect. I say probably because even the most expensive ones have bad reviews!
I see Argos have an offer on one that is a 4 to 6 person, always go by the minimun number as the maximium, looks ok....and if you hate it you can probably sell it for almost the same!
Camping is fun....getting wet and arguing over how its made is part of the deal.........

Harry_Flashman

Avoid the pop-up things - they're not really a 'good' weatherproof tent and can be quite difficult to take down.

A decent four man dome or tunnel with a couple of bedrooms (you don't have to use both) and a living area would suit fine IMO.

uk-tyler

Always get a tent bigger than you need, unless you are hiking.
A three man tent will only sleep two in comfort, a four man only three.
I got a 6 man two bedroom tent with enough space between them to stand up in (great for bad weather) for £70 new last year, and its fine even in bad weather.

Shelldean

Harry_Flashman wrote: »

Avoid the pop-up things - they're not really a 'good' weatherproof tent and can be quite difficult to take down.

A decent four man dome or tunnel with a couple of bedrooms (you don't have to use both) and a living area would suit fine IMO.

Rubbish, the pop up tents perfectly fine. Read the reviews over on UKCS and you'll see they are great tents. Although it does take a knack to fold them again.

OP try posting over on UKCS free to join, ask your question there on the tent info forum, stating your requirements you'll get loads of answers.

For £200 you could get a Vango Icuras new, a tent a lot of people rave about. And I'm fairly postive the people over on UKCS will be able to help find a tent suitable and within budget. Don't forget you'll need other bits and peices too.

edited to add might be an idea to try and avoid the tents that only appear on ebay such as 'rage' some people feel these tents are great, but others have had terrible experiances. I personally would go for a known brand, Vango Kyham Outwell Kampa Quechua etc however even these have been to known to have their faults!!!

Chapmum

If you can go and see some tents on display where they're up. It might give a taste of the design you may like and dislike.

We find the dome tents suit us more than the tunnel type, but it's personal preference & we prefer a smaller & lighter pack size (ie fiberglass & not metal poles), again things to think about before making the investment. Make sure it's big enough for you to want to spend time in.

I'm afraid it does take quite abit of work but do check out all the online camping & tent websites (eg outdoor megastore, outdoorworld) there are lots, they may have last years models in the sales at the moment, perfectly good just old stock. Again it'll give you more of an idea of what you can get for your money, i personally think second hand tents can we really overpriced.

As mentioned before i would recommend a good brand name not a unknown, we've had friends where the first gust of wind and the cheapy Ebay tent just collapsed.

hope this helps, happy tenting.

medsdemon

We bought A Vango Icarus 500 last year and can highly recommend it. So easy to put I managed it on my own at a festival last year in about 15 minutes and I'm in no way an expert. you can stand up in it. Has the option of 1 large or 2 small bedrooms depending on your group size. The only thing we found was water can pool in the entrance when it's raining and you have the door undone.

kroome

vango icarus was tent of the year last year, we would not buy anything other than Outwell from experience, worth the extra cash over time go outdoors have lots of tents on display so definately worth a visit even just to decide which one is for your needs, more space is a must with our weather, as is standing height, sown in ground sheet keeps out draughts and creepie crawlies, windows needed and somewhere to cook, mesh window.

Barneysmom

Hubby, me and the two dogs have used a five berth quite comfortably for a few years.
My brother has given us his 6 berth as his wife hated camping and has refused to go again.

We put the 6 berth one up in the park to see the size and it's huge but I think there's a lot more room for the little table and chair, and the washing up trolley thingy etc.

I'd say a five berth is about right for 2 people. It's not just sleeping, you need to be able to swing a cat while you're cooking too.

Aside from that get the one with the highest number for the hydrostatic head, as it'll give you more protection from the weather if it does rain.
We got a compendium in a tin from tesco for a tenner, worth every penny :cool:

I doubt we'll go this year the way things are but we're planning on a cottage by the sea in June for a week.

HalfPint

Hi,

You need to be asking what type of campers you are? Will you be going away regularly for weekends or will it be for a couple of times a year for a week or longer? Will you be hiking i.e. do you need a lightweight tent?

I've owned a fair few tents over the years...the best and most luxurious I owned was an outwell Bear Lake...great for weeks away but it was such a pain in the a$*e to put up! ( a bit pricey too!)

I'd recommend at least a 3 or 4 berth for 2 of you. Buy the best you can afford, an argos tent will last no where near as long as an outwell or a vango (and is not as good).

If you're going to be a weekend camper (like us) then I would recommend a Vango Peace Tepee as a starter, it's fast to put up, not as heavy as canvas and the small one will sleep 2 easily it's not too expensive either (I sold ours for £80) If you like that one, then start saving for a bell tent....theee best tent in the whole world!! (imho lol)

Try and find somewhere ner you that displays tents, have a good look around and see what will best suit your needs...if you like camping then I guarantee you will be changing tents as you slowly figure out what you do and dont need and want.

I can also recommend a few sites in the south west )

HP x