Tent

dazb75

Jade. Thanks. You really explained well, what I tried to say in one short sentence. Good advice.

We endured one season with a Vango Omega 350. But you really do get tired of crouching the whole time. I think the worst thing is trying to get dressed while sitting down. Also, it didn't have a SIG, and during the typical NI weather, the elements just roared through the living area.

The next season we bought an Outwell Nevada M, and it made a week in Lake District weather, a very relaxing time. A table and two chair inside the living area made a world of difference.

A better tent, will cost you a bit more, but as it will last for quite a few years, it really is a good investment.

jadedson wrote: »

Just bear in mind that the Vango Beta has a bathtub groundsheet, it's not actually a sewn in groundsheet. To get a sewn in groundsheet you would have to get at minimum a Vango Icarus. The other thing is that the Vango Beta doesn't have enough height inside to stand up, although you can sit comfortably in an ordinary fold up camping chair inside.

I agree that you really need a five man or a six man for a family of four, even with small children. It's not really got to do with the bedroom size, but the living room size is crucial if you're stuck inside it with the rain - which will happen - this is NI after all! That's where the sewn in groundsheet comes in handy, it keeps out the water as well as the wind and the wildlife.

Well it sort of does have to do with bedroom size. The Icarus 500 has a 280cm wide bedroom section. A single airbed can be anything from 70cm to 100cm. So this 'five man' tent doesn't even fit three 100cm single airbeds! The tent bedroom section sizes are geared towards the size of foam roll mats NOT airbeds. A double and and a single airbed would potentially fill up all available space on a five man tent.

I would have said a Vango Icarus would be a great tent for you, either the 5 man size or the 6 man depending on what kind of beds you want to use (kids are happy on foam mats). It has a sewn in groundsheet, stand up height throughout, is very simple to put up with three poles all the same length so there's no colour coding required - it doesn't matter which sleeve you put the pole through. It takes 15 minutes to pitch and is a really good family tent. The 2011 model also has darker fabric on the bedroom pod which helps with early summer mornings. The 2010 model is still really good and should be available online for about £130. The 2011 model is £185 (slightly different colour). You might get a 'used once' one in Gumtree or in the paper.

A really good alternative to the Vango is the Easycamp Licata - at about £89 for a four man tent it's stand up height and also Easycamp are made by Outwell, so it's very nearly the same quality. http://www.outdooraction.co.uk/acatalog/Easy_Camp_Licata_400__2010_.html

There are some brands to avoid, Rage, Bergen and Skandika tents are german and cheap - but they're not well made and have inadequate pegging points - and generally no SIG. Also avoid 'packs' which have sleeping bags and airbeds thrown in to the deal, the airbeds are fine but the sleeping bags are only useful for spare over blankets.