Message Forums

Hi all,

just finished our last holiday in our APS 3006 and next year will need a 4 bed tent due to new addition to family.

Has anyone got a really good 4 bed tent they can recommend?

Like the look of the Sunncamp Family Vario 900, Gelert Michigan 10 and the Outwell Montana 12? Any comments on these 3 would be appreciated eg. packed size, ease to erect, living room available etc etc.

many thanks in advance

I would plump for the montana 12 or the vermont ...plenty of living space.

jans

We have the vario 900 and it is extremely spacious and airy. The annex bedrooms are big, taking 2 single airbeds and ample room for bags. The two inner bedrooms are less roomy but will both take 2 single airbeds. You also have the option of sleeping people in the living area which would take, easily, another four single airbeds.

It's easy to pitch, we manage with one adult and one child, and takes about half an hour to get the main tents up and bedrooms in. We peg out at leisure. The flat fronted door doesn't actually help when it rains as you open the door and the rain falls in regardless!!

There were some problems with leaks on 2006 models on the side doors, this appears to have been rectified this year. We had this problem, only when the annex wasn't attached, and have been supplied with a new fly (which we haven't actually tested yet).

If you're wanting a large tent with good height and an airy feel, then this is great. I personally think that the living area is too big, which might sound stupid but when we're camping we sit outside all the time, regardless of the weather, and so the living area doesn't really get used. Perhaps if our kids were younger then the living area would be used more.

I'm trying to talk the OH into selling the vario, but he's not ready to part with it (think its to do with the size of it and being a man) as we haven't used it since new year (when we got struck by gale force winds and two poles broke). That would be the other thing, while it has stood up to heavy rain (with annex on), it does move a fair bit in the wind and so you have to consider how you pitch it and try to predict the direction of the wind or find a sheltered spot. Having said that, apart from the extreme new year winds, ours has coped well with some gusty weather.

On the whole, I would reccommend this tent for summer family camping. Finally, the pack size of this tent isn't very small, which you'd expect considering that there are 8 poles (if I remember rightly) and two fly sheets. It comes in two bags the size of medium suitcases.

Thanks for that review of the Vario 900, very fair and comprehensive.

I know what you mean about, "I personally think that the living area is too big, which might sound stupid but when we're camping we sit outside all the time, regardless of the weather, and so the living area doesn't really get used. Perhaps if our kids were younger then the living area would be used more." !  Although some on here feel that the bigger the tent the better, the main reason we sold the Montana was because the living space was pointlessly huge for us. MT

Yes having looked round a lot of tents this year I do find myself thinking "that's way too big" when I look at 8 man tents and even some of the 6 man ones. I always have half a mind on pitching time and site costs and try to take those into account when deciding how much space we realistically need and some of the bigger tents worry me due to costs and the possible need for two pitches to be comfortable.

As two people with two dogs I think I'm more attracted to 4 berth or 5 berth tenst which seem a realistic size. Maybe some 6 berths as well. But I think if I had two kids instead of 2 dogs I'd be looking at a minimum 6 berth or 8 berth maximum.  I can't imagine needing a 12 berth for 2 adults and 2 kids when considering eas of pitching and cost but maybe that's just me.