Recommend a tent?

mumonashoestring

My lovely Dad has offered us a weekend away at a big outdoor event he's involved in, and has said he can either hire a caravan for us, or buy us a tent to stay in.

With a 2 year old, we're thinking fitting a travel cot into a tent will be easier than fitting it into a caravan and of course there's the added bonus that we'd have the tent for future holidays. We'd be happy to chip into the cost to up the budget a little as well, so we'd be looking for:

At least 2 sleeping compartments
A decent sized 'living' area (preferably with a decent height, DH is 6'5")
Ideally a little porch area for wet boots and clothes
Good durability, waterproofing etc.
Under £250

Anyone have any suggestions either for tents that you've had and got good use out of, or for brands that you'd definitely trust?

WestonDave

Best place to look for tent reviews is on ukcampsite.co.uk which has a massive review section.


My main tent is a Coleman Weathermaster which is a great tent for us but is unfortunately no longer made. You can occasionally get them on ebay in good condition however make sure its had little use as a polyester or nylon tent (i.e. not a cotton one) will degrade in sunlight. What's good about it is two separate removable bedrooms - this makes clearing it out great and you can also keep them separate if pitching in the wet so they don't get damp. Its got a little area behind the bedrooms which is only accessible through the bedroom pods so you can keep stuff hidden and secure. Its got a huge living area (its a 4 man tent as sold but the later ones came with another bedroom you could put in and make it a 7 man but with less living space). Its also bomb proof in bad weather due to steel poles. The downside is that the steel poles make putting it up hard work. Unlikely you'd get one of these but the pro's and cons are worth using when considering others!


For me the best current make is Outwell - but you won't get something the right size from them for your budget. Go Outdoors own brand (Hi gear) seems pretty good - two of the families we camp with have theirs and they seem to have lasted well. I've also recently picked up a little 5 man single room tent from Kampa (Caister 5). Obviously that would be rather small for you for living space and the single room but I've been quite impressed with the quality of it. A couple of their options that might suit you would be these - https://www.bristolcamping.co.uk/product/kampa-oxwich-6-tent-2014-model or https://www.bristolcamping.co.uk/product/kampa-hayling-6-tent-2014-model


Other things you might want to consider - I don't like the viz-a-viz style with bedrooms at each end - some do. There are a few around where the divider between the two rooms can be unzipped so you can comfort etc the child without getting out and back into their "room". Not massively essential if you otherwise like the tent - we went with our two year old years ago and by the time we were in bed he was so "out for the count" that we didn't need to see him until morning.

andrewf75

The obvious choice for that budget is the Vango Stratus/Icarus/various other names but essentially the same thing.

Beenie

We've had two Vango tents and they are very good for the money.

The current one is Icarus 500 and it's already taken us on a two-week holiday in comfort and will last quite a few more years!

mumonashoestring

Thanks, some useful tips there - we'll try and get to a go outdoors or similar to try a few out (then buy one from ebay )