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Hi All

I am relatively new to camping and want to purchase a decent tent for a family of four. Do you need to spend a lot of money or are the all inclusive deals in places like Halfords/Argos any good? You know the type I mean, £99.99 for a four birth tent, sleeping bags, torches etc. Are these deals a rip off as they seem so cheap? Perhaps someone can advise me on decent manufacturers to look out for.

Many thanks

JP

these tents are not too bad, however will probably turn out to be false economy. With 4 of you going you would do better to get a 6 berth at least.

With the season coming to an end (!) soonish there should be some fairly good sales coming up. Alternitively look out for second hand tents.

Karen

I had a chat with some friends who are into camping the day before we set out to buy a tent.

Basically they said "you get what you pay for" and highlighted some makes, Coleman, Vango etc...

When I went to see a display of tents at a local outlet I could see what they meant in terms of materials and finishing.

I am sure the inclusive deals in Halfords etc are really good value for what you get, but I didnt want to be replacing anything in two years, so spent the extra.

if I was you, I would go and see tents ready arrected so you can look inside and see how big they are, I would also go for something you can stand up in, and 6 berth, so you have extra space,

we have a outdoor revolution and we love it

Hi Bazjonster & welcome to the forum

As other people have said, go for a six berth. Tent manufacturers seem to allow for skeletons, rather than people when they state the berth size. Even if you find a four berth tent with room for four airbeds, there won't be any space for clothes, toiletries, towels etc. in the bedrooms.

I would certainly advise you to find a local camping shop with a tent display, and check out what's on offer - then post the names of the tents you like on this forum & other campers will probably be able to tell you where you can get the best deal on those particular tents.

Make sure that the hydrostatic head (HH) is at least 2000, the higher the better, as this shows how waterproof the tent is.   

No you do not need to spend a lot of money, you should be able to pick up a bargain now as the season comes to a close.

How much budget had you in mind?

How many people do you want to sleep and in what combination (2+2, 3+1 etc.)

Just don't get conned into getting some of the cheap makes sold on ebay - look out for deal on good tents with a decent reputation.