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hi all - just found this forum and it looks great - going to take a few hours to read up on what appears to be the new family pastime - camping - lol

The only downside is, I am sure you would agree is that when you start out you dont know much.

We visited the local store, Camping and General at Canvey Island Essex and were taken by the Sunncamp "Lido" which seems to have about everything we need in terms of size, room number, headroom etc and it seems reasonably priced.

What is the general opinion on the this tent choice are there similar but better alternatives / - all comments welcomed good and bad

thanks

Ross  

Hi Ross, welcome to ukcs.

Don't know anything about the tent , but it's a good reliable make. So until someone who knows more about it comes along, here's a few general bits to think on.

Something  you need to be sure of before you buy, is the size is right for you. You need to consider,

How many of you will be using it? tent makers usually underestimate how much space is needed, ie. if there are 3 or 4 of you , go for a six berth.

where will all your clothes and equipment fit in, the bedrooms sometimes only allow the size of 2 people with no extra storage space.

Is the living area big enough to have a table & chairs in on wet days? Can you stand up  inside without bending, if not will it bother you?

Are there windows?, it can be claustrophobic in a tent without windows.

Do you have kids? Is there room for them to be shut inside in bad weather without sitting on top of each other?

Will it be for weekends only or a week or more? If for a week or more, go for one that is bigger than you think you need. You'll be amazed how much stuff you will take with you, and it's all got to fit in somewhere.

thanks for the reply - its me and the wife - all three kids think we are mad anyway but it has two bedrooms and a central living area - at 6' 2" I can stand so it seems ok - Funny thing is we were really worried we would get one too big rather than too small and end up wandering around it by ourselves - lol

Strange enough the wife has taken a real liking to the tent we saw so it is a positive choice from both our perspectives - I get peace and she is happy.

Just one more question (of many I am sure) where do you cook ? - it seems a bit dodgy in the tent - what do you do when it rains ? 

We were looking at one of the double burners with a grill - do you reckon that is suitable running off a gas bottle ?  

Thanks for taking the time too answer as I am sure you have had all these questions many times before

Ross 

Have you priced the tent anywhere else as we think Camping and General is fairly expensive, and the staff are not very helpful. PJ Camping in Romford are very good and very helpful too, they have a website here.

Hi again, so your kids aren't going with you, so the two bedrooms will be fine, one to sleep in and one to stow everything else. My kids think I'm mad too, but always seem to end up visiting me when I'm camping with the youngest and end up staying the night anyway. Best thing to do in that case is not tell them where you're going if you want a bit of peace from them.

I have a double burner with a grill, but to be honest the grill is not great, it makes toast and that's about it, It would take forever to cook a steak or chops etc, so not really worth bothering with if it's much more expensive than a burner without a grill. You need a regulator and hose to use it with a gas bottle. Check if the hose comes supplied with it, and there are different regulators for different types of gas bottles.

See if you can get a gas bottle from your local tip, they may let you have one for free or a "drink" for the attendant. They are quite expensive to buy new, you just take them and get them exchanged for a full one when empty.

There are also small suitcase type stoves, single burners, for about a tenner you can use with disposable cannisters of gas too, handy if you don't intend doing lots of cooking, these are fine if you only want the breakfast and a few cuppas through the day and a barbie at night.

Cooking is best done outdoors, windbreaks are great to screen off the cooker, but if it absolutely horrendous weather, I have cooked inside, very carefully, well away from the tent sides, well ventilated because the cooking causes condensation in the tent, and kids, clumsy adults  and dogs tied up.

Or you could use a dayroom tent, which is like a gazebo, but better built for campsite use, or a utility tent, which is cheaper than a daytent.

The yellow search button at the top is great for anything you want to find out about, I didn't have a clue what a utility tent or dayroom was until i joined this site, check it them out in the equipment forum.

 Hi

We are new to camping too. But we have just bught the outdoor revolution vrx scenic 4.4. The living room is big enough for camp kitchen stuff and table and chairs.  You can stand up in bedrooms ( 2 double bedrooms) and 1 4  bedroom with divider. But you can take rooms out if you want to make living room bigger. I had seen this tent at our local camping store but found it cheaper on this website and delivered next day. Also been away this week and withstood some very awful weather 

Hi RossD and welcome to UKCS the most addictice site on the web. A few people have mentioned the Outdoor REvoultion Scenic range. Mate has just bought one of there tents, quality is terrific and the tent goes up easy. Find link below to there range of tents plus another to a good online shop which may help you when your pricing things up.

Outdoor Revoultion

http://www.ukcampsite.co.uk/chatter/display_topic_threads.asp?ForumID=3&TopicID=61313&PagePosition=1

Online Shop

Hope this helps. Enjoy your new tent