Mmm that's very interesting re the Astoria. Do you think the Centara is likely to suffer the same problems? It's such a lot cheaper than Vango's other airbeams that it does seem all too likely that they'll have cut costs somewhere.
Am still not quite able to take the plunge - partly because of expense (tho the Sunncamp one would deal with that) but also because they are MASSIVE once up. Will we regret this, or will it be a delight??
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Having had a quick look the denier of the fabric is 70d. Very standard. Nothing necessarily wrong with that but it will degrade quicker than a 150denier fabric for example.
My personal preference if i was buying an airbeam would be to go for the 150 denier range as you are paying the premium for air technology you may as well go for the "premium" fabric. Just my opinion though.
Have a look at the Royal Atlanta 8 Air Tent as well as a poss alternative, similar size and shape just 150 denier
Ah, you see, that's why this forum is so great - would never have thought to look at the denier of the fabric. Yes, that sounds about right - would explain why the tent is so (relatively) light, and why it's such a lot cheaper than the other Vango airbeams.
Royal Atlanta 8 Air Tent does look interesting.
Any other ideas of things we should consider? I'm not wedded to an 8 man tent as there are only 5 of us, but we do like the vis a vis layout.
An 8 man, no matter if it is inflatable or not is a pain for a weekend tent.
We only use our 8 man for long trips where we don't move for two weeks. We have used it for weekends and it was just too much.
------------- Hypercamp Alaska
Vango Force 10 mk3
Vango F10 Helium 1
Coleman Cobra Pro 3
Coleman Cobra 2
Naturehike Star River 2
Eureka! Solitaire
Dutch army goretex bivvy bag
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If there is 5 of you then the general rule of thumb is add 2 which gives you 7 so an 8 berth or large 6 berth is what you want to be looking at. A large 6 berth would be something like a Kampa Croyde 6 or a 6+2 like the Royal Rockhampton 6+2 Air Tent, neither of which are vis a vis mind like the Royal Atlanta 8 Air Tent.
The main things you need to consider is design (do you like it?), weight, pack size, fabric, waterproof rating (HH, anything 3000+ is ample) if vis a vis is there an optional canopy/extension (guaranteed you will want it if there is) oh yeah and also how much! Is there a package deal etc.
Good luck it's not easy! Here to help though if you need any help or opinion
Not advice with the tent as such, but I did note one of your links was to the familytentshop.com. We bought our Kampa Croyde 6 from them last year and received nothing but absolutely fantastic service, thoroughly recommended to deal with.