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Hi all. We've been happily using a Vaude Mark II for more than a decade (pitches and strikes in seconds!), but we now have a 2 year old, and in wet weather and at night can no longer decamp to the pub. So we need a tent with living space for the little one to play in the wet (and for us to share an evening glass of wine).

I've checked out tents from just about every manufacturer going (Colemans, Vango, Wild Country as was, Khyam, Outwell (polycotton and non), Robens, Blacks, etc.) and I'm now completely confused and looking for advice.

We're looking for

Sleeping compartment that's at least 210cm wide whilst our daughter is little (we have monster Thermarests at 70cm each) and another room or ability to separate off once she gets older. Ideally a 3+2 to give us all some space without freezing but they are a little short on the ground.

Plus living space of about 9 sq m (we were camping this weekend in the pouring rain, and had the gazebo up for living space, and the space seemed about right).

Plus something that isn't daunting to pitch and strike so that we don't groan at the thought of an overnight or weekend camping trip. We have been rather spoilt.

Plus something I can stand up in as I now have spinal arthritus and a slipped disk (oh, joy!) and crawling around in a tent is now really painful. We're both under 6 foot.

Any advice would be really appreciated!

Many thanks in advice for your time in replying.

Julie

Hi julie, and welcome.

This one might suit you

review here

more info and users photos here

We only used it for the first time this weekend.

The windows don't open as in roll up , but they do have vents, but no bug mesh on the doors or windows. so they're either open or shut. . The front panel can be completely removed though , or rolled back halfway, and there is a side door too, which can be poled out as a canopy.

I've never been camping in France so don't know if this tent would be suitable tbh.

Maybe the nevada xl would be better for ventilation for france, , also in the reviews, as this has roll up windows, bug mesh, and 3 doors .

I would suggest perhaps the Outwell range as this is where our experience lays.

If you're looking at steel poles, you will have a bit more weight but if you select a smaller one and then look at getting the canopy or extension, you could have a good size living area and smaller bags and less weight for each bag.

Polycotton is very cozy and a bit quieter. We have the Bear Lake 6 (very heavy) with side extension for cooking and the Vango Sumatra (don't recommend) but there is a nice difference when camping in polycotton and the best part is, it breathes, we had no condensation and it was wonderful!

That being said

You could opt for the Outwell Trout Lake, sells for about £399. It weighs about 22kg for the tent bag and 15 for the poles. It measures 310 x 490 so it is a good size. We saw this set up on display at the tent show at the NEC and it had the front extension on it. It felt so roomy and warm. What's nice is you can leave the tent open while you're in it and just close it up when you are out or sleeping.  The sleeping areas are 140 wide and 215 long.  It had a nice airy feel to it and if it was more affordable we would have bought it for our short weekend holidays.

We had the Vermont L last year, loved this tent as there is great sleeping space, large living area, a closet that we used with our porta potti and an attached front porch that you can put a ground sheet in or leave it out. The best part is, the entire front opens up like a canopy. So no need for an extension, no need for a kitchen tent, that's all you need. They make this in a medium size as well. On the down side, it is heavy and bulky coming in at 25kg for the tent and I think 22 for the poles.  With practice the tent does go up quickly. I helped my hubby get the poles up and straightened and then while he gets it pegged out, I unload and set up and the kids run around!. The Medium is not much lighter at 23kg and 19 for the poles. I think the Vermont M would be great for you as well as the Trout Lake.

There is also the Bear Lake range. As above, we just got the Bear Lake 6 as a replacement for our Vermont last year. We have purchased the side extension and carpet. The bags are very large and heavy, but my hubby will be lifting them and one thing we did last year was take a trailer and have the poles where we never had to lift the poles bag.  In the Bear Lake 4, you are looking at bedrooms that are about 150 by 220, the tent bag is 25kg and the pole bag is 20. The plus about the Bear Lake range is you can have the canopy on or off by zipper. I mention this because some sites will charge more for bigger tents (BL4 and 6 aren't huge tents) so you have the option of making it smaller if needed. Hopefully that will never be needed but worth mentioning.

One other plus for the polycotton range is the ground sheet, they are heavier and thicker and on the bear lake range they zip off, not sure about the rest of the range. So you don't really need a footprint as you zip this off anyway and can rinse down later on it's own. Great feature.

I like the Outwell range just due to the strength and durability. There have been some issues with leaky tents on certain models last year and the year before, but hopefully will be done with for this year. We have pitched in some really bad weather and wind and our Outwells have always stood strong. After this past weekend and what happened with our Vango (pics in my gallery and we left early Sat), I just won't trust anything but Outwell. I know there are many that will stand strong and hopefully someone will come along and give you those reviews so you at least have more to go on. I love the polycotton range with Outwell, lots of options to cater to you and make it perfect.

Sorry for the novel. I love tents and camping!!! Best wishes and let me know if you have any other questions I can help with.

Many thanks to beefysmum and mamabear for the advice. No problems about the novel - my question was hardly 'pithy'!

I must admit we had already been drawn to the Outwell range (and the cabanon on sheer quality terms but DH would not stand the expenditure on those). We liked the BL6 when we saw it up a few weeks ago (and whilst camping last weekend), but it is big and heavy to transport (presumaby even worse when wet), and we have a large estate car, rather than a trailer. So we were pointed in the direction of the Wolf Lake 5 instead (or there's the BL4, of course). Also been looking at the Monty 4 and Monty 6 (hugely popular on this site!). I will also check out the Nevada XL and the others you mention.

However, with all of these, there is the issue of pitching and striking for one or two nights - is it easy enough to make the spontaneous trip a goer, or should we have a smaller, quick pitch for those (could keep our 2/3 person Vaude for that, I suppose).

Thanks a million for the responses so far. The advice is really appreciated.

Glad I didn't put you off with the novel then. Well, we thought about pitching time and really, it's the pitching and complete unloading time that I think about. We had our Sumatra this weekend and although it only takes 20mins to pitch, it was well over an hour by the time we unpacked and were settled. The tunnel tents are rather quick to set up because even the large ones only have 5 poles and they are so easy to get through the sleeves. So it takes us the same amount of time to pitch and settle in with our old Vermont L.

I do agree they are big but after the damage to our tent, I now wonder if we really need a weekend tent. In the end, we just tek less stuff. I think I'm faffing on here. But if you really want a quicker pitching tent of the polys, the would be the Trout Lake as it is the smallest for the size you require. I love the Wolf Lake 5 and 7, 7 is just way too big for us but what I love most is the full size awning. That's why we ended up getting the side extension for the Bear Lake 6.

You can find some good deals on ebay for cabanons, but just as the others, they are big bags too.

If you can't see them in person, lay out a measuring tape and mark the bedrooms and such, this was a great help to us as we really really wanted the Wolf Lake 7 but after measuring it out, it was huge!!!

Best wishes and enjoy tent shopping!

Thanks to all for responses. Thought I'd post a quick update.

In the end we bought a Montana 6, with front extension and footprint (both definitely recommended), and a carpet (jury is still out). The space in the Montana 6 is great, and we've found that my partner (he with the much better back) can put the whole thing together, and I just have to help him heave up the first pole, and then stand and hold things whilst he pegs out. Whole thing takes about 20 minutes which is great. Our 2 year old helps by handing Daddy the pegs when he asks for them, which keeps her happy and out of mischief. Ventilation on the tent is really good, although the number of zips makes for a long and pretty noisy shutting up at night time (I can just feel the neighbours wondering how many more zips there can possibly be before they can turn over and nod off!). After a local weekend, we headed off for the Vendee in France last week, pitched up the shade of a tree (my partner is fanatical about shade) and despite temperatures in the high 20s had no problem getting our daughter down for her afternoon nap - the number of openings provide every opportunity for a through breeze to enter if there's one available. Generally very pleased, although 2 of the shock cords sheered when we took the tent down for the second time (which we were not impressed with - my previous tent had a shock cord system which has withstood 20 years of use with no problems).