About 4 years ago I had a rush of blood to the head or could have been guilty conscience but after seeing the plight of asylum seekers in Calais I donated my five tents to the poor unfortunates. Each succeeding summer I got the camping itch so a few weeks ago I obtained a Coleman Sahara 4 from the well known internet auction site and pitched up(eventually) in North Wales. We put the frame together, the next step being to stretch the fly sheet over the frame...We almost gave up when a kindly very tall fellow camper helped us and after a very great deal of struggle the tent was finally pitched..Right, that's it says I to the missus, when we get home this contraption goes straight back on eBay. In the meantime another camper turns up and dashes over very excited and tells us he loves our tent having had one himself some years ago...He wouldn't have spent 700 quid on his tent if he'd have known he could have got one like ours...The missus, never known to be backward in coming forward says to him....Hundred quid and it's yours...Done says the very camp guy my partner will be delighted when he shows up. While this debacle was taking place an elderly couple showed up with a bell tent...They had it pitched in around 15 minutes and enjoying a cup of tea while the three of us were still struggling with the fly sheet of our tent. I'm now convinced that bell tent is the way we should go. But I'm on the horns of a dilemma. Should it be 4 metres or Five. I'd prefer five for comfort even If it's just the two of us but would we run into difficulties pitch wise because of the size? I hope somebody on here who has a bell tent could offer us some advice....We're poor starving pensioners and couldn't afford double pitch fees...Thanks in advance.
------------- Getting old isn't fun but the alternative is much worse.
I had a tenner on you buying the old couple's Bell tent, and them buying the other guys tent... a three way switch, with everybody leaving with a different tent to what they arrived with!!
... Oh yeah... just like Duffers above... Sorry, can't help with your Bell Tent conundrum!
------------- 2024: 38 nights thus far...
2023: 47 nights
2022: 40 nights
2021: 30 nights
2020: Just 24 nights
2019: A personal best 50 nights
2018: Just the 30 nights
2017: 34 nights
2016: 32 nights
2015: 38 nights
2014: 34 nights
2013: 36 nights
From July 2012: 23 nights
Good choice, we love our bell tent. A doddle to put up and lovely to camp in.
The most difficult bit is hefting the tent out of the car and raising the pole. Weight-wise a poly cotton one would be a bit lighter than 100% cotton and the pack-size a bit smaller, so maybe worth considering if you are concerned about the weight of a 5m?
You should be fine with fitting a 5m one onto a standard pitch.
We used to be able to keep our 5m bell tent and guylines within 7m x 7m easily, we did just about fit it on a 6x6 once but had to get a bit creative with guylines. Otherwise no real problems. (you can see ours in my gallery images)
To save a bit of money you could pop over to Calais and see if the asylum seekers will flog you one of their many bell tents donated to them by people who had a rush of blood to the head
Larger tent every time. You can never have enough space when the weather closes in. Any site that won't allow for or charge more for a 5m tent isn't a site I'd personally use, but as said above, you're unlikely to run into any problems.
Also agree on 5m. I can pitch mine on my own, no problem. I do have to keep poles, canvas and groundsheet separate as I cannot pick them up if I put them back in the same bag. Good luck!