Hi everyone, been camping for the past two years now and decided its time for something with a lot more space, less leaky than my current dome tent so I can cook inside if the weather is bad(using a gazebo is a bad idea I found out when the wind gets up). Been looking at the Gelert mayon vario 6, any advice would be appreciated ta !!
Hi and welcome to UKCS from a fellow 'ampshire 'og. This is a great place to ask any questions you have.
I don't have the Mayon but I have got the Lokon by Gelert and I've not heard a bad word about them as a make, and there are a lot of people with them. Look out for Breezy hes bound to be along later and you can have a look at his website with pictures of the Lokon vario 6, it is a huge tent with a lot of space. The Mayon seems to be much the same ( slightly smaller I think)but with metal poles as opposed to fibreglass. But I do beleive gelert is the way to go. ( but then I would, I've got one ).
There are lots of threads on here asking the same question, so do a search above putting in lokon mayon and your get a lot back in tent talk.
the living area in a gelert lokon vario 6 is approx 12x13ft!!
thats huge :O)
thats was my little palace inside last year when we had one,very good tent and excellent value for money centrecaravans oxford do them for around £200,there probably cheaper somewhere else.......
Naomi :O)
------------- The futures bright the futures podding!!!!
Cheers breezy , quite a package then , worth it though , just trying to decide locon or mayon and whether roof bars are needed. she still wont leave the wardrobe behind!!
Our Gelert Lokon Vario 6 is still going strong. Had three trips out so far this year, every day has been a pleasure.
The difference between the Lokon and the Mayon is that the Mayon has steel/alloy side poles, which will probably add to the stability, and is slightly smaller by about a foot all round. Still not seen a Mayon in the flesh so cannot comment any further than that.
I keep saying it and I'll say it again, one of the main reasons for choosing the Gelert was the way that the guy ropes are attached to the tent. Instead of being attached to a triangle of fabric, like most tents, the guys actually loop behind the poles. Consequently the poles are taking and transferring the load over a greater area which in turn improves stability immensely.
I believe that the Sunncamp has a skylight which can be prone to leakage. I think the fitting of skylights to tents is just a gimmick and not really practical or necessary.
Hope I've helped. Let us know how you get on and if you need any further info just ask away.
Looks like Gelert is the way to go, need to find somewhere to have a look at them. There were none at the Camping exhibition near Horsham, just Sunncamps.
Breezy - do you have a Vario 6 for just 2 of you + the dog? (not trying to be personal, it just seems very large!)
I'm N W Surrey - anyone know of Gelert displays nearby?
Still manage to fill it though! It's just nice to have plenty of room and not to be tripping over each other or the gear. Also, because I suffer with my back from time to time it's better to have the full standing height throughout the whole tent.
Have no idea where you will find a display in your local area. Check the internet or yellow pages for camping suppliers and give them a ring.
Thanks for all this advice. I had a great time in N Devon with first trip out in Gelert Mayon Vario 4. The elastics at the back kept coming undone in the wind, that peg flysheet down. Anyone know what else can be used?
Also some guy runners not working - do they need to be replaced? They are black plastic.
Only down thing I would say is guy ropes are very dark and easy to fall into!
It took ages to put up, hopefully less time the next time!
Just thought I'd add my 2 penneth to this thread! We were torn between the Sunncamp 4 & Lokon vario 4 (There are only 2 of us!) but then we too saw the Mayon 4! It's a lovely big tent & fantastic quality, loads of living space & 2 bedrooms which we can stand up in. (We stay in 1 and I then have my "Dressing Room"!! Brill!).
The steel side poles add some stability but the main thing about both Gelert Tents I think, is they have 2 x inside re-inforcing poles which run down the length of the tent which makes it feel really stable, not like normal tunnel's.
What's more, we found that a sale was on in a camping shop in North Wales (Snowdonia - Caernarfon) Mayon 4 - £125 and Lokon 4 (£119). Absolute bargains!