Which tent? ... (be quiet Judge .. this is a serious question)

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Deleted Member I

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Off to Millets to find they had sold out of the Kent :(
Checked online and they are sold out :(

The one I like from Blacks is sold out too :(

So went to the North Face shop to look at some serious tents.

They had the Tadpole 23 (both the original and DL version) .. around £150
They had the Roadrunner 23 (slightly bigger pack size but should squeeze in a pannier) .. £168

The guy in the shop then recommended for real small pack size and light weight. Then got for a single skin one. ... around £130-160 depending on the size.

Are single skin ones .. water proof enough? :nenau

Or should I just get a "festival" tent from Cotswold for £40? (the kent was such a tent and was the best layout of all the ones I found)


If I buy a better tent .. will it make me like camping? :nenau:D
 
Come to Tipp and i promise you I'll get you a brand new tent that is waterproof for the weekend.... just buy me a big gin

you have no excuses then:aidan
 
I was all set to buy a tadpole in taunton leisures sale. Thankfully i got a try out in one first. I found the lower end too low for my size 10s and I'm 6' 1" and my toes pushed on the inner, very annoying. I bought a terra nova argon in the end in Field and Trek's sale. I've owned quite a few tents and the Terra Novas have always been top notch. My TN quasar was expensive (300 quid) and now after 10 years needs a small repair, I can forgive it that. I bought a cheapo millets job to fill in and the bloody thing lasted about a 10 nights worth of camping. The quasar on a by-night basis will work out much cheaper in the long run. I've seen a couple of the Colemans up close and they look pretty good. Just make sure it's got metal poles!
 
We had to buy a new tent after one night in Glen Clova last year as we found out the tent we brought wasn't very waterproof...

We couild only find a Mountain Hardwear Airjet 3 which is a single skin tent- very light and totally waterproof.

The only downside to it is that you get a lot of condensation inside on a cold night. The venting on the tent is really good and it dries out fast but we are on the look out for a better tent and I fancy the Coleman Phad 3- there is a good write up on it over on ADV rider...
 
Intermediate said:
Or should I just get a "festival" tent from Cotswold for £40? (the kent was such a tent and was the best layout of all the ones I found)

Or should I get the tent I want which has been pitched in someone's garden but otherwise not used and was offered to me days ago?
Click to expand...

Am I missing something here? Do you just enjoy the thrill of the chase, the sniff of the deal?

You didn't even bother to ask whether I wanted anything for it :nenau:nenau:nenau
 
judge said:
Am I missing something here? Do you just enjoy the thrill of the chase, the sniff of the deal?

You didn't even bother to ask whether I wanted anything for it :nenau:nenau:nenau
Click to expand...

Sorry to hijack. But that is a great signature Judge, well done

BTW the coleman looks good on the web site. Personally I'd go for a Wildcountry Quasar... Called something else now.
 
how often are you going to use it:nenau if only the once get a cheapy from tesco, halfords or lidl and if it gets wet and you cant be bothered to dry it just bin it:thumb2
 
single skin tent - no thanks

For general use i would avoid single skin tent. They've been around for a while for high altitude mountaineering. For this they are fine as there is nil humidity. I tried a gore-tex one some time ago ($$$$$$$) and it was good up a NZ mountain. They've recently started making "mountain marathon" tents as single skin. - if weight is absolutely everything then yeah great get one...... but the condensation on the inside will be ratsh*t! everything will be wet and the ventilation will be not so great as there is a lot of cooling that happens between the inner and fly of a traditional tent.
For average use you wouldn't go wrong with a North face tent. for a step up in quality ( NF are the Nike of the outdoor world - Great advertising but average to ok product) Exped is a brand worth looking at that won't require you to sell ALL your children, and they some real nice tents both hard-core light and also trad. styles

Just make sure they let you put up in the shop for to get a grip with how easy it is to pitch, and make sure you climb inside it - get a feel for the space and head room... is there enough room for you to get dressed sitting up etc... also get your SWMBO to climb in too if she is going to be using it with you... alot of tents have rubbish space inside making a wet day in a tent hell.

Good luck
 
Waterproof...not to expensive and loads of room!....I bought a Vango Beta 3 which after trying light weight high tec tents is def the best I tried. Depending on how much you are going to use one it sometimes is better to stay at a B&B and still save money!...

The Beta is around £65-70 and mine hasnt let me down yet despite being in very heavy rains
 
I bought my lad a Vango Spirit TBS 200 from these guys last summer and he has used it regularly on numerous camping trips-infact he's in it right now somewhere in Devon on his D of E Silver expedition.

Very light,put up in minutes and he says it doesn't leek a drop.

They do cheaper versions if you don't need the lightness.

Loads more here.


Great service,next day delivery.
 
Used a Vango Sigma 300+ this weekend, worked out fine...Plenty of room for kit & little me...Bag handles slip under the rear seat & an elastic net as extra security.
 
I have just picked up a Vango Banshee 200, for the odd occasion that I go away without SWMBO. Our current tent is to much hastle for one person to pack away :mad: Just about enough room for 1 + kit you would need to be good friends to squeeze 2 people in:eek: It weighs bugga all and packs down small.
 
How often you going to use it?

If your going to be a regular camper and want a tent with space and want it to last, buy an Exped..

I use the orion's that I sell.. two man, bloody brilliant, so does septic and a few others. Not the cheapest thats true, but great space, two entranes, two vestibules.

I look at a good tent as an investment and urge people to view them that way, IF your going to use it often, if your not, and its one trip a year, live with the bulk and buy dirty cheap.

See; These Tents
 
Just buy a dolls house, room for you and your luggage you big jessie .
 
Nippy Normans supply Touratech, Wunderlich, Desert Fox and many other makes of accessories.
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