I am after some help with buying a tent. Two people will be mainly be sleeping in the tent but they will be times I will require a second bedroom for when I use it with mates etc. I would like a separate bedroom to the living space. The living will be used to sit in when the weather gets back and to store things in.
The main priority is that the tent will keep me dry and will stay up in any wind! I will be mainly using the tent in UK campsites.
I have narrowed it down to these tents, which would people recommend? Or if you have alternatives then I am all ears!
I'd go for the Vango out of those three. I've not got personal experience of any of them but it looks like the most robust to me and seems to have a higher hydrostatic head.
Thanks for the advice Sean, what confused me was the different rating - the decathlon one states "200 mm water/hour" whereas the vango one seemingly only talks about the flysheet being "ProTex 70D 4000mm HH Polyester".
Could try the Berghaus Air 4, only downside it has to go in a car, these weight quite a bit. The 4 is 19kg.
Just got a Berghaus Air 6 and been camping in the garden for the last few days with the boy, been very good and takes 10 mins to put up.
Millets and Blacks have them in a sale with an extra 10 % off.
When camping I will be traveling by car so weight is not an issue.
Thanks for the recommendation but I think that tent is more than I am wishing to spend on a tent I will only use 1-2 times a year! Nice tent - I hope you enjoy yours :)
Quote: Originally posted by lpoolck on 11/9/2016
Thanks for the advice Sean, what confused me was the different rating - the decathlon one states "200 mm water/hour" whereas the vango one seemingly only talks about the flysheet being "ProTex 70D 4000mm HH Polyester".
The 70D refers to the thickness of the polyester and the higher the number the better the quality. That's not to say 70D is poor as once upon a time that would be standard across all manufacturers. The 4000 Is the measure of how waterproof it is and again the higher the number the more waterproof it is. The 4000 of the Vango is more than sufficient for the wettest UK summers.
Thanks for explaining that to me campasarow. Seems the Vango is the one to go for then.
Now I just have the bedding to decide, I have previoulsy used an airbed (still have it) but the squeaking of the bed especially when someone else is in sometimes keeps me awake! I think I will try a camp bed this time.
Quote: Originally posted by lpoolck on 11/9/2016
Thanks for explaining that to me campasarow. Seems the Vango is the one to go for then.
Now I just have the bedding to decide, I have previoulsy used an airbed (still have it) but the squeaking of the bed especially when someone else is in sometimes keeps me awake! I think I will try a camp bed this time.
Go on the Equipment forum. Lots of threads comparing self inflating mats and airbeds. The SIM are very popular and there are very good ones on the market albeit pricey. Personally I prefer airbeds and my wife and I have single aerobeds. We have the extra high ones which are extremely comfortable. Airbeds can be colder due to the air inside cooling at night. You can offset this by placing insulation underneath (cheap picnic blankets work well) and having something like a fleece sheet over the top surface.
Yeah I have looked into SIM and they would be my preference but the price tag of a decent one (as I am a side sleeper I will likely need a good thickness) is making me thinking to try a camp bed, or even just the floor instead!
As for the cold, I have never been that cold in a tent before, admittedly its never dropped below freezing but I normally find myself too hot rather than being cold!
Just to update I went with the vango and used it on a very wet weekend! The tent kept the rain out but I did suffer from condensation even with the vents open all the time. It was not possible to keep the doors open for any period of time as it was raining 90% of the time!
Overall I'm happy with the tent so thanks for your help and advise.
Just further from the HH discussion... from what I've read on here, and I stand to be corrected... I believe they lay the flysheet flat and taut, and stand a tall tube on top (c.1" diameter, but may be wrong?) then fill it with water. As the tube fills, the height of the water is recorded at the time it starts to seep through the material. That is the HH reading.
So a 4000HH would mean the flysheet held 4m (4000mm) of water in the 1" dia. tube before it seeped through.
I strongly believe the stated 200mm reading is a mis-print, and should read 2000mm.
According to these pages, it has been mentioned more than once that for the UK to recognise the fly sheet as being "waterproof", it needs a minimum HH rating of 1500mm.
I wouldn't stand up in court and repeat that, but I think that's the gist of it!
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