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Decided that we would like to try camping this year, but need equiptment as we have nothing,

firstly tent, I like the look of the Royal Biarittz 6 and th Diable 6 berth one

for a familly of 4

both very similar except i have seen the Royal one for £150 ish and the vango £ 220 ish, does the money difference show in the quality? My sister used to have the sessari which i believe is the old version of the biarritz and she liked it she sis have a problem with a split seam so only used it twice so not a great recomendation really

Also is it worth getting now at the £150 price or waiting are they likely to go up or down, new season and all that?

finally transporting we do not have a huge car only a saloon so its doubtful that we will be able to fit everything in,(eventally when we have built up what we need) or can we?

if not what would you recomend a trailer or roof box?

sorry loads of questions, but my head is in a spin

We have the Vago Diablo 400 and the build quality is excellent. Vango are considered to be top notch tent manufacturers. I cant comment on Royal as I have never owned or seen one. Can recommend Diablos though.

Carol

hiya!

we got vango vista 800, though not tried it out yet. i have heard vango tents are very good quality.  we started camping last year (with borrowed stuff) and have since xmas purchased most of the stuff we need. i have found that everything is alot cheaper out of season so now is a good time to buy. we also have a family saloon, we can fit our stuff in for a short summer break, but wouldnt manage for a long break (more clothes) or in cooler weather (more warm gear), it helped on our short stay last year, that we didnt take a cooker, we relied on our friends for hot drinks and used disposable bbq`s which we purchased when we got there.

do shop around for your gear though. ive been browsing the web and the difference in prices is huge. my local camping shop is undercutting argos so keep your eyes peeled for the bargains...........

happy camping

Hi there!

Trailers are good because you can leave them on site and your car will fit in restricted height car parks and so on. They are easy to pack. Downsides: they have to be stored in between trips and some sites may charge extra.

The roof boxes have the advantage that they can add a lot of space without length. They are easier to store (in a loft or from a garage ceiling). They can be a pain to pack, especially if you have no off road parking, and on a taller car. (I'm 5'3 and I had to use a ladder to unpack my bosses one, although that was on a people carrier - what was worse was that it was a continental model and the opening was on the road side!) The other disadvantage is that the may take the height of your car above the height of car park barriers.

There is always my mother's solution when we were young: tent poles along rear footwell, tent canvas on rear seat, children on tent canvas and cool box between them! 

If you are short on space, see which of your chosen tents packs the smallest. It often pays to get the dearer tent, as cheaper ones have less features, are often more fiddly to erect, weigh more and and pack larger.

Have fun!

hi i have the diablo 900

allweathers are selling the diablo 600 (05 model)for £200.00 great tent the only difference is the 06 has a side door on the porch, go for it its a great tent and lifetime guarantee

cheers dave

Hi there!

Just to let you know I have been camping for a weekend with 4 kids (one being under 2 yrs old) and we packed it all into a Fiat Punto, without the aid of a safety net or a roof rack!

We were a bit squashed but you fit it all in somehow...it was my 'little tardis' bless it!

Go fot it!

Susan

I would perhaps get most of the stuff and try to fit it in the car first  to see if you can manage, and also to see if you like camping enough to warrant spending on extras .lots of things can be stored in black bags that can be pressed into spaces as well.

Probably pick up a roofbox second hand ,cheaper than a trailer but people will argue trailers are more usefull generally for other activities. Youi can only legally do 60 mph on motorways with a trailer though  no probs like that with a box.

Welcome to this addictive site by the way

Roof box or trailer?  The first rule of camping is that you will always have more kit than you can carry!!  If you can carry more you will want to take more!  We started with just the car, then bought a roof box, then got a trailer!!!  Anyone know of any removal lorries going cheap????

Steve