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Has anyone bought / put up / camped in a Coleman Galileo L or XL. If  you have I'd be interested to hear what it was like. How easy was it to put up, was it comfortable to camp in (guess it should be given the size, but you never know) plus any other observations. Cheers.

Can I bump this by adding a new question  - if anyone has had any experience of the Coleman Galileo L or XL then I'd like to get feedback on it.  Also can anyone suggest an alternative tent of similar size and quality (4 - 6 berth with stand up space throughout) but with a lighter weight. Many thanks.

"Has anyone bought / put up / camped in a Coleman Galileo L or XL. If  you have I'd be interested to hear what it was like. How easy was it to put up, was it comfortable to camp in (guess it should be given the size, but you never know) plus any other observations. Cheers."

We bought a Galileo a few days ago and put it up last weekend.  It was our first time erecting a tent for several years, and the guy in the shop said it would be fairly easy, but to keep a bottle of wine to hand the first time we had a go putting it up!

To be honest, it was really easy, we managed to put it up in 45 minutes, despite having two young kids to keep an eye on, and despite it being fairly windy, and the tent blowing down before we could get it pegged.  We reckon we could manage it next time in around 30 minutes.  The instructions, sewn into the bag, are minimal, but tell you what you need.

Getting the tent down was even easier, 20 minutes saw two of us get it down and back in the bag, and that included a bit of time deciding how best to fold the tent to get it into the bag.

Our verdict : Fantastic!

Thanks andyfinp - that was really helpful. We've always had a small crawl in tent and weren't sure how much harder a big stand up tent was going to be to deal with - particularly as the Galileo is a new tent this year and not been tested over much.

As there are two of us and our kids are too old to want to be camping with us now it looks like it'll be fine to get the Galileo. We'll make sure we have the bottle(s) of wine ready! Looking forward to some really comfortable camping now.

Just out of interest - did you find it particularly dark inside - some where else on the board  some one said they though the dark green was a bit gloomy - I think it could be a good thing though when the sun comes up at 5 in the morning !.

The tent we purchased has two windows either side (that can be covered up) and also a roof light, we thought it was perfectly well lit, even with the door closed.

We have the L version, and it's fantastic.  Not the slightest bit 'gloomy'! - not surprising really with the 5 windows/doors and the skylight. I must admit the skylight was a bit of a surprise to us as we bought it 'blind' off the web (totally failed to find it pitched anywhere up here). It's so roomy/airy/bright/weather proof and hence perfect for us and our wee ones as we live in the north of Scotland and tend to head north for our hols!!  The quality is also fantastic, so much better than our 3-man Kyham dome. Can't wait for the weather to improve so that we can have the doors open and test out how good the mesh screens are against midges. 

A tip for taking it down - the poles slid out easily when treated gently. The first time we took it down we had problems getting the poles apart and then discovered that if you didn't tug madly at them they separated really easily.

Hi Demon,If you havn't bought this tent yet i reccomend you try Go outdoors we found them to be the cheapest at only £299 and still get the free stuff.

cheers

Hello, this is my first post so be gentle.

I just bought one of these bad boys last week - Galileo L Weathermaster and I've got to say I (and my fiancee) am mighty impressed.

It's an absolute massive tent and is easy to erect. Took us about 1 hour to put up first time and 30 mins to take it down. Pay heed to the earlier post though about the poles and don't tug at them, be gentle and alter the angle alignment slightly and they will drop out.

From Peg to Peg, it measured in at 6 metres by 3 metres (not including g ropes).

The tent just oozes comfort, from the skylight in the roof to the holes in the floor (yes that's right - holes in the floor - from what I know these are for pegging down the bedrooms.One 4 man beddy can be added. The holes come on a little rope so the material can be closed together (like the toggle and material you get at the top of a rucksack). Or you could use them with a pole/ shepherd hook to hang your lantern on etc etc.

Height is not a problem unless you're 6 foot 6 (I estimate) as headroom is not an issue.

The tent also does not appear to be too dark as its light green (lounge) and dark (bedrooms) green.

I got mine from Word of Camping, which came with 2 single sleeping bags and 1 double sleeping bag for £306.75 along with windshield and carry case.

The tent itself (when packed in the wheeled carry case) is massive and the steel poles do weigh a ton (so its not for backpacking!!). So 1 Carry Case (with wheels) for Tent, 1 Bag for Poles, 1 Bag for Windbreak.

I used to have an Aztec Lago 4 which had a bigger bedroom (only 1 mind) and a smaller 'lounge' so it's a big jump up but definately worth it, just for the sheer amount of space which is needed with the unpredictable British weather so the inside can be used. Yes, we were camping over the last May bank holiday when it rained for 36 hours non stop (in Shrewsbury), which tested my Lago to the extreme (and it performed admirably although it did show some signs of damp), although 4 of us sitting comfortably in the lounge bit was a bit of a squeeze thus the new tent purchase.

Now just got to wait till August as we're off to Anglesey to test the Galileo's metal.

I shall keep you informed on its performance.

Fever

(PS Do I win a prize for the longest post?)