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I'm reading (and asking!) as much as I can before we embark on our first camping trip in about 3 weeks time.

Having bought our tent (a Vango Aurora 600), I've seen much advice about putting it up in the garden and spray testing it before using it in anger. However, the tent is too big for our garden, so we have no room to do anything before we go.

Are we foolish to just hope it's as easy as the sales rep said it was to put up, and trust Mr Vango to give us a tent that doesn't leak, or should we lug the thing to a playing field and fight off the local lads on the footy pitch?

we have a couple of tents, both too big for the garden, we booked in at our 'local' campsite for the first run,  or 'borrowed' someone else's garden, just to make sure there was nothing wrong with it or missing....if you really aren't able to put the tent up before your first trip would suggest getting the instructions out and reading them through a few times and familiarise yourself with the poles etc and of course check your contents. Tto be honest once you get started you will probably find it's a lot easier than you think and you won't need the instructions the next time you put it up.  We also own a vango (aspen), the poles on ours are colour-coded for ease of erecting - I assume that yours may be the same. 

vango.co.uk also has some helpful tips & pitching instructions on their site, plus there is pitching videos for some of the tents, which may help you.

We have a tiny garden.  With our 'main tent' we went over to some friends to borrow their garden for a couple of hours - we'd never pitched a tent before and were too embarrassed to look completely stupid in public!

We've just bought a 2nd tent & feel quite happy to go on the local football field with that one.

Definately try and find somewhere. I was sweating like a pig the first time we tried and a few helpful suggestions from the OH sorted it out in no time. That feeling of "we know we can do it" rather "I hope we can do it" removes the worry of "will we look like a right couple of idiots".

Also give us your location: someone here might know just the place for you to try...

I used my sisters garden! She had a right shock when she got home from work. I think i best ask her next time.

Kevin

We took our tent to the local park and put it up there

No one bothered us

I have just taken my new tent (never had one before either) into school where I work with boys with behaviour issues, they were all keen to help and it was an EXPERIENCE

 Believe me it has to be easy after that!!

Given that there have a good many posts on here about problems with 2007 model tents letting in water, it would probably be advisable to put it up in someone's garden and give it a good test with a hose sprinkler (assuming is doesn't rain on cue)

Good luck with your camp anyway.