Cheap Tent for 1st time Camper

KOCK_KNOCKER

Hello This Is My First Post So Be Patient. In Reply To The Tent I Would Strongly Suggest Not Buying A Cheap Single Skin One As I Made That Mistake Back Packing With A Buddie In France . What Happens Is Condesation Forms Inside The Tent Then When You Wake In The Morning You Get Covered In Your Own Cold Exhaust Fluids.not Nice On A Cold Morn .also I Decieded To Travel Real Light And Did Not Take Mats Big Mistake I Think The Tent Went In The Bin After A Couple Of Nights And Swopped For Nice Warm Beds.
Air Beds Are Ok But You Are Sleeping On A Big Cushion Of Air And The Air Gets Cold So There For You Get Cold Insulation Is The Key.
I Have Now Invested In Therma Rest Self Inflating Mats Expensive But Worth Every Penny And Are Light And Comfy ,will Last A Life Time So A Good Investment .hope This Helps Probablly Not But One Can But Try,thanks For Coming Buy Buy For Now!!

Jay-Jay_4

Anya wrote:

Vango is a really good make too.

I've praised Vango on the 5 star service board when they sent me instructions for my tent within a couple of days of me asking They have a cracking customer services policy and I wouldn't hesitate to buy another tent from them.

Jay-Jay_4

KOCK_KNOCKER wrote:

Hello This Is My First Post So Be Patient. In Reply To The Tent I Would Strongly Suggest Not Buying A Cheap Single Skin One As I Made That Mistake Back Packing With A Buddie In France . What Happens Is Condesation Forms Inside The Tent Then When You Wake In The Morning You Get Covered In Your Own Cold Exhaust Fluids.not Nice On A Cold Morn .also I Decieded To Travel Real Light And Did Not Take Mats Big Mistake I Think The Tent Went In The Bin After A Couple Of Nights And Swopped For Nice Warm Beds.
Air Beds Are Ok But You Are Sleeping On A Big Cushion Of Air And The Air Gets Cold So There For You Get Cold Insulation Is The Key.
I Have Now Invested In Therma Rest Self Inflating Mats Expensive But Worth Every Penny And Are Light And Comfy ,will Last A Life Time So A Good Investment .hope This Helps Probablly Not But One Can But Try,thanks For Coming Buy Buy For Now!!

Hellooooo Kock Knocker

Welcome to MSE Yep, Thermarests are brill if a little pricey, if Frizz head decides if that likes camping then a Thermarest is a good investment.

I feel terrible for suggesting the Asda single skin I don't want frizzy waking up with a wet sleeping bag!!! Lots of expensive lightweight tents are single skin and mountain marathoners leave the tent door open so that they don't get too wet.....not ideal for family camping though eh?

I've got mine for the event camp at a mountain marathon, I've spent enough on my kit without buying another tent to leave in a field all weekend I always get wet anyway as OH shoves me against the tent wall :rolleyes:

MattLG

I've not checked if this site has been mentioned yet, but Interhike (link in my signature) offers cheap camping equipment.

The previous posts that I've read are right. If you want to use your tent in anything other than ideal conditions, a single skin tent is probably not suitable. All flysheets will leak eventually so having a double skin tent will stop the water getting inside the tent. Any water leaking through the outer skin just goes down the inside of the outer skin and doesn't penetrate the inner. Other than that, the hydrostatic head (mmHH) is a measure of how waterproof the material is. Anything less than 2000mmHH isn't really suitable for heavy rain and 5000mmHH is suitable for year round use.

If it's your first time camping, then you might as well get one of those cheapo tents for under a tenner just to see if you like it first. There's no point spending more if there's a chance you'll hate it.

I should point out that I run Interhike so don't take this post as a recommendation for it's services. I'm biased :-)

MattLG

grangrad_2

depending on how much you are willing to pay but https://www.edirectory.co.uk are selling a 9 person tent for £99.00 reduced from £350.00 if interested.

Jay-Jay_4

Me again :rolleyes: ...sorry but I'm planning a camping trip too so I'm in the middle of writing lists and keep thinking about you.

Maybe consider getting a headtorch. You can get cheap ones which are fine for nipping to the loo and finding stuff in the dark. My OH has a Gelert one and although it's not brilliant (although he used it for night navigation once and he survived), it was only about £6 and is SOOOO much more convenient than a handheld torch.

Once you've had a headtorch you'll never go back to a handheld! They're even handy at home for when you put the wheelie bin out at night

fluffbrain

Hi Frizzhead,

Rather than give you general advice it would be useful to know a couple of things first;
1. How old are your kids
2. How much space will you have to pack things in? Are you taking your own car and if so is it a teeny tiny fiat or a range rover!?

Also, what area do you live in roughly, and are you camping in the country/hills, by a beach with good or basic facilities?

I would second the comments about the single skin and keeping a sence of humour! No matter what goes wrong (and something's bound too especially as it's your 1st time, so be prepared for that!) remember it's only for a weekend and you will find it's not so bad being wet when you run about in the rain having a damm good laugh and even a water fight!

Him indoors & I have been camping for years, everything from the "quicksave no frills" lightweight version (too old these days for really roughing it like that!) to the luxury "load the car with everything including the double duvet" version - hence the question about space! If you have got the room dont be afraid of (or intimidated out of) taking the nice things that make a difference, like a double duvet for snuggling up in! After all, you are seeing if you enjoy it and hopefully having a good time with your friends, not trying to win a hardship, survive at all costs contest.

I will try & post some more relevent advice when I know your circumstances but good luck!

Anya

We're going in acouple of weeks too - forgot to write the torch on the list - thanks Jay Jay!!

Helenback_3

Try cybercheckout.com They have lots of tents at reasonable prices ! ! !

frizz_head

Wow, thanks so much everyone, never expected this sort of response, so much information! Just an update for you all.

The reason for choosing Argos, is that we have a lot of vouchers and Nectar Points, so tent will not end up costing that much.

The tent we like, pictured in above posting is double skinned and has 3 inside chambers, and is 2000mm HH.

The kids are 7 and 4, so too young to be in a tent by themselves - although I'm sure they would love that!

Mr Frizz drives a big car with Hatchback.

We have been lent 2 x double inflatable beds - so will take those with us, and if we like it will think about investing in some Therma rests.

We have booked two weekends, both in July, although one will be a long weekend, Thursday to Monday. The first weekend we are going to Hurley, Berkshire and the second (long weekend) we are going to New Forest.

Thanks again everyone - you have been so helpful.

Fingers crossed for that promised heatwave!!!!

Frizz