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Thread: Which Tent ?

  1. #1
    Master molehill's Avatar
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    Which Tent ?

    Forget competition tents.
    Missus and I are off to New Zealand and Tasmania in 12 months and doing some trekking etc. Nothing silly, a few nights at a time. Need to buy it soon, to practise in the UK this summer.

    3 Season tent for 2 persons, not silly small size, we've been married too long to actually want to lie on top of each other , it must cope with wind and rain - but not going alpine, winter nights out or pitching in the snow . We're too old for that.

    Very max. budget of £300 at best discount price I can find (so it better last a few more years), trying to keep the weight around 21/2k if possible and it needs porch room to stash two sacs and cook in when it's pissing down.

    Any comments, both good and bad welcome on anything. Terra Nova's Laser large or Voyager light or possibly Mountain Equipment Dragonfly? And what else is there out there that you can either recommend or steer us away from if its c**p.
    Don't roll with a pig in poo. You get covered in poo and the pig likes it.

  2. #2

    Re: Which Tent ?

    Hilleberg tents are pretty good but outside your price.

    The Nallo 2 is a very strong and lightweight tent, I once picked my Nallo 4 (4 man) to go car camping thinking it was my Akto (1 man) only realised when I came to pitch it

    Both tents pitch in about 3-4mins
    Last edited by Baggins; 21-01-2008 at 11:34 PM.
    Bill

  3. #3
    Member dan's Avatar
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    Re: Which Tent ?

    Widely speaking, reliability is going to be vitally important.

    - look for good stitching.
    - look for a good ground sheet, lightweight ones may be tempting but are much more susceptible to condensation than other stronger materials.
    - tough looking zips.
    - good mosquito nets.

    Look for good design features. Look at the actual tent, not a picture of the specification, they are designed to make you buy the tent.

    They won't show any flaws in design, which many tents have. Vango tents provide you excellent designs for a very low budget. They are tough and can stand up to prolonged use. Unfortunately they use fibreglass poles which add to the weight.

    For a tent better suited to backpacking, look for tents with DAC poles. A particularly good example is the Marmot Earlylight 2P retailing at £130 on Cotswold. It is plenty big enough for 2 people and has two entrances and two porches. 1 for cooking, 1 for bags or 1 for his and 1 for hers. They are have been used by DofE groups so are fairly robust.
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  4. #4
    Master Ady In Accy's Avatar
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    Re: Which Tent ?

    http://www.spacycles.co.uk/products....=m4b25s145p112

    I'm a fan of the Saunders, link and info above. Fulfills your requirements, the 2 porches are ideal for storing gear/cooking. A good search of the Internet might result in a better price. I had this tent up in all sorts of weather and it never let me down, even when most tents around had failed on 1 memorable occasion!

  5. #5
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    Re: Which Tent ?

    I'd go with a Terra Nova. Build quality is excellent. Good poles and pegs too. I'm always amazed how well-made mine is when I get it out

  6. #6
    Master molehill's Avatar
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    Re: Which Tent ?

    Thanks for that info, like the look of the Saunders range; several of them look ideal. To the extent I think ..... where's the catch?

    Now I just have to find shops that stock them so I can have a look and a lie-down inside
    Don't roll with a pig in poo. You get covered in poo and the pig likes it.

  7. #7

    Re: Which Tent ?

    If you're on a budget the legendary Argos 1-man ProAction tent is back.

  8. #8
    Senior Member gyppo's Avatar
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    Re: Which Tent ?

    Quote Originally Posted by steve456 View Post
    If you're on a budget the legendary Argos 1-man ProAction tent is back.
    Noooooo!

    Brings back memories of a horrid night on the LAMM in Mull. Legendary Argos 2-man paddling pool is a better description. Best thing about the £15 spent on it was that I got it back, unlike the night's sleep it cost me. That said, the head-to-foot midge bites didn't help much either.
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  9. #9
    Master Ady In Accy's Avatar
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    Re: Which Tent ?

    Quote Originally Posted by gyppo View Post
    Noooooo!
    Have to agree. There's a good reason one cost pocket money and the other costs £200+. If you only want one for the back garden in summer for the kids then go to Argos. If you want one that will serve you well for several years and stay upright and keep you dry in driving wind and rain in a hostile environment then you go for a proven product that has been tested on expeditions worldwide in a variety of conditions. Some of the product costs go to pay back the R&D which encompasses the freebies given to many major endevours that test the gear to its limits - you don't see many Argos tents at Everest base camp, never mind advance camp

  10. #10

    Re: Which Tent ?

    Had a Marmot Earlylight and it was a complete disaster, but great if you intend to camp where there's no rain or wind, and about room temperature.

    Took it back to shop and bought a Mountain Equipment Dragonfly with extended front porch- a totally fantastic tent.

    Rhiannon

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