Message Forums

I've always wondered how people stay warm inside tents during dodgy weather & until we bought our tent a few weeks ago, I'd never considered a restricted season, we'd caravanned into the autumn months with no problems & I always enjoyed the dark evening, it encouraged us to spend time as a family, away from the TV & sitting together talking. Saying that, I don't think I could handle camping in the winter.

Next february at the NEC is going to be a very interesting day out for me, I'll be spending ages looking around the tents on display & I hope one or two experienced campers will be on hand to advise us what to buy & what to avoid so we too can get the very best out of our tent.

Reading through this thread, I see a High performance tent mentioned, what is a High performance tent?

BB

Quote: Originally posted by tazbabe on 30/10/2008

---

as said, it depends on your itinerary!

i belong to a 4x4 club, we camp in all seasons together in large groups in rally fields, congregate in a large gazebo in the evenings, often do a communal meal or bbq, play games, chat and have lots of fun. the kids seem to love it! we have a variety of outfits, there is always someone who has just that thing you have forgotten, if your tent blows down there are lots of people there to run after it......

but i can understand that family groups may not be so keen on winter camping.

---

Me too! Just got back from Riverside at Hamble, where we had a 'meet'. All sat round the fire in the evenings, lovely and warm. We were the only unit there without electric hookup, weren't cold at all!

Quote: Originally posted by Basilbrush on 30/10/2008

---

........Reading through this thread, I see a High performance tent mentioned, what is a High performance tent?

BB

---

Although we used our Folding Camper this year, the other year we used a frame tent to camp at the end of October.     
Just got back, and although there were mainly caravans on site, there were a couple of folding campers and trailer tents, and one or two tents.
Much depends on your equipment, including clothing, being suitable.   Plenty of layers, and bedding, as well as a decent tent.
We also choose sites with stuff on for the kdis of an evening, so that we aren't stuck in a tent from 4pm.
Although it did go cold at night, we were warm, as we had things, like fleece blankets, bed socks and although not used, waterbottles.
It was lovely getting up, and walking across a frosty site to the loo block.   Same as last visit at night - looking up at the stars in a cloudless sky.
During the day we acturally got better weather than we did when we went away in August.  

thats why i'm going in a pod

john the hobbit xx

don't get the wrong idea on specialist tents; are for up the side of mountians,where you crawl into them and limbo into your specialist sleeping bag!

has to walking over a frosty field for a pee! well me I did all that years ago in a vest and big blue PT shorts with a moron shouting hurry up ! now I would sooner walk over a thick pile rug with the heating on. . glampers united, bring on light nights and warm weather.

soft! NO practical yes. for what they charge now to kip on a strip of grass!!------------- ----------no contest.

Quote: Originally posted by rexgrant on 30/10/2008

---

Here is one of the best specialist tents but the very best are made from ventile cotton canvas

---

Lightweight tents are not made from canvas.  Ventile cotton and canvas are two entirely different materials, canvas being an extremey heavy type of cotton used for frame tents, marquees, sails etc.

It's impossible to find out the cost of a Polar Pyramid tent which Rex posted the link to. This means if you have to ask how much you probably can't afford it. I remember Rex posting a link to a performance tent which cost over 4 grand !! Polar are probably in the same price range.

Unless you are half way up Everest performance tents are a waste of money...Might as well use an Argos ten quid job.

At this time of year I switch to YHA's and bunk barns with a group of people, usually the same folks who have been camping in the summer months.

Tent is nicely packed away but the sleeping bags still get used.

Quote: Originally posted by Safeway56 on 31/10/2008

---

.....Unless you are half way up Everest performance tents are a waste of money...Might as well use an Argos ten quid job.

---

Well, I don't know enough about 'high performance' tents to say whether they're always worth the price or not but we've got a basic Gelert festival dome tent and a Vaude backpacking tent in this house and even I can see the difference. I would not be happy to wave one of mine off for a February weekend on Dartmoor in the Gelert but no qualms if they were taking the Vaude.

OTOH, the Gelert does a decent job for sheltered summer camping at a weekend festival where the Vaude would be OTT.

There are different standards of tent design and manufacture to meet different situations. Whether the higher end prices are always justified is another question.

Quote: Originally posted by Bernie47 on 31/10/2008

Quote: Originally posted by rexgrant on 30/10/2008Here is one of the best specialist tents but the very best are made from ventile cotton canvas

---

Lightweight tents are not made from canvas.  Ventile cotton and canvas are two entirely different materials, canvas being an extremey heavy type of cotton used for frame tents, marquees, sails etc.

---

Quote: Originally posted by rexgrant on 31/10/2008

---

I agree that canvas is made in many different weights, but what I was saying was that by definition canvas is an extremely heavy cotton fabric, and there is therefore no such thing as lightweight canvas.

Some people do refer to all cotton tents as canvas, but this is incorrect terminology.