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Topic: Help buying please

Loupey

21/7/2015 at 5:01pm
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We are a family of 5 and a dog, looking for our first family tent. We need help finding a large enough tent that isn't going to take up too much space in the car. We looked at a second hand vango monte Verde 900 which was great space wise but the bags for the tent, poles and separately packed bedrooms would cause us a problem to transport. We are obviously going to need a roof box and the tent would have to fit in it. We are favouring the HandiHoldall as my car doesn't have roof bars. Any advice is much appreciated..

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Loupey

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duffs54

21/7/2015 at 6:32pm
Location: Cambs
Outfit: Ford Duetto Autosleeper

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You will always need a tent bigger than the amount of people, as you will need room for bags and stuff.

All of the bigger tents will come in 2 or 3 bags and can be heavy I hope someone will be along to offer more help etc.

Enjoy

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Duffs54

foggers

21/7/2015 at 6:47pm
Location: Sheffield
Outfit: Cabanon Guadeloupe Zephyros3

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Duffs54 is right.... You probably need an 8 berth tent and they are not going to be small. A Tunnel shape is likely to have the smallest pack size though, so bear that in mind.

I have the Handi hold-all and the inflatable roof bars. It is a bit of a fiddle to get it square and secure on top of the car; I need to stand on a stool to reach it properly. Also, there is a weight limit of what you can put in it, so a big tent may be too much. I usually put the beds, bedding bags and chairs in it as they are bulky but lightweight.

Given the amount of kit you will also need, you should consider investing in a trailer; you have to think about beds, bedding, seats, lighting, eating and cooking gear. And then there is everyone's personal luggage for clothes etc

TimCESmith

21/7/2015 at 7:00pm
Location: London
Outfit: Karsten 350 + SE CA EA RA FW & ZIG

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Might be worth thinking about a medium-sized tent with one or more smaller ones for the children if they're old enough - might also be less of a headache drying them if you have a wet pack up, depending on the size of your garden.

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Loupey

22/7/2015 at 5:43pm
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Thanks for the advice. The kids are too young to sleep in a separate tent unfortunately. Accepting that there probably aren't any tents big enough for us that will fit in a roof box as well as some luggage, is there anything we should look for in a trailer? We can't afford to spend time browsing. The timescales are tight as my husband is about to get rid of his car and get another. There is no point having a tow bar fitted on his old one so we need to try to get his new car, fit a tow bar, buy a trailer and a tent all before 9/8. Again any advice is gratefully received.

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Loupey

Campernic

22/7/2015 at 5:54pm
Location: Northern Ireland
Outfit: Bell Tent Vango Coleman and Quechua

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Look at the Vango Icarus 600 and it's not a bag packsize. You will have to compromise a little on the space. Measure any airbeds you are thinking of buying or consider narrower Self Inflating mats instead.

To get extra space, you can pitch a tarp outside essentially giving you cooking space and an extra living room. The extension to the Vango Icarus may not add that much in the way of packsize so look into that as well. For weekends or for predicted great weather you can leave the extension at home potentially.

betematty

23/7/2015 at 7:26am
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It's a hard one we have just moved from a Kampa Polzeath which had 4 bedrooms which was ideal for our family of 5 to an airbeam tent with less bedroom space but easier to put up. Regarding tow bars just had one of those fitted to our new car what a nightmare. Went for a fixed bar as cheaper but it interfered with the sensors so have had to go for a detachable. Also we upgraded to a 7 seat c4 Picasso as it means if friends come along for a trip with have available seats and with the seats down massive space in the boot

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New! Please upload a photo of your tent to the Tent Showcase!

Loupey

26/7/2015 at 5:05pm
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Thanks again for your advice. I will definitely look at the vango Icarus. We have borrowed a Quechua vis a vis 8 man for a weekend trip as it is only a small bag. We are travelling light to see what we can manage, no table or cooking equipment etc.

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Loupey

Hartley Hare

26/7/2015 at 8:56pm
Location: North Wales
Outfit: Bear Lake 4 2016

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My only advice is put the money into the tent, you can upgrade the rest of the kit as you keep going, nothing worse than a leaky tent or a tent collapsing around you in high winds as I have witnessed this countless times and then it just spoils the whole experience for the whole family.

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Always make the effort, life is too short.

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