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I figure it is going to be a helluva lot easier than my tunnel vango 800dlx equinox . . . it has a side annexe part and cannot see why it would be significantly more difficult than a 400 which several people have told me is a fairly straightforward tent to pitch.   Hopefully with arranging to go away at same time as friends etc I will never be 100% solo and the older children will be helping a little with pegging.

well I wil try and prove you wrong! whe I get it and have a practice we shall see!

what specifically did you find tricky with this tent solo?

You have been given a challenge now - lol

In non windy conditions I stood a tiny chance!  It could possibly be due to me being so b..... short!  If I remember correctly you have to get the centre pole up and then there are 4, i think. poles which run off that that need adjusting.  It could possibly be my height! 

Why not start a new thread about the Tourer 600 and see what others say about doing it solo??

Please let me know how you get on

Hi. If you're looking for the easiest standing height tents to put up solo if , like me, you're short and cack-handed, then I think you are looking at a Khyam QE tent, a small Cabanon or similar frame tent or a Cabanon pyramid tent. Trust me, I have been puzzling over this one on and off for the last twelve years!

The simpler the Khyam the better. The more extra poles and pegging you have to the less benefit there is to having the easy-up central dome. We had a Khyam Classic XL which was great and has been further improved since. I've also put up a two bedroomed XXL single handed which was fine to do but took more time than I wanted to spend on it.

More recently I have seen the light and discovered canvas tents! If you can cope with their bulk for storage and transport then small frame tents are laughably easy to put up. Don't fret about the weight of them, you build them up rather than lift them so eg my Cabanon Pacific weighs 20 kilos but is far easier to handle than a nylon tent weighing 12 or 15 kilos would be.

Single pole pyramid tents are even simpler because, er, they only have one proper pole!

There are other tents which are easy to put up but Khyams and frames are the easiest imo. Beware large tents which you may be told can be put up single handed ie if you're a six foot two rugby player with all the time in the world no kids to worry about and in perfectly windless conditions! Life, and camping trips, are too short to spend wrestling with a tent which is bigger or more complex than you need. MT

Merry - can you see someone putting a Tourer 600 up alone?  I am not faint hearted but I found this a REAL challenge!!  Was it because I was too short?

We have a tourer 400 (and I think the 600 is the same but with an extra bedroom pod) and I can put it up no problem on my own - I'm 5'4".

I find the trick is keeping the central 'hub' up high, if I have a helper, even a child, I get them to stand and hold that for me, if not I keep one hand on or near the hub then use the other to pull out the poles.  With a bit of practice you'll have it sussed!

If it's windy then loosely peg the 4 main guys out after you've done the first joint, reduces the chance of it all blowing away!

I read somewhere on this site that the trick with the QE Khyams was to master the art of putting it up one-handed whilst also raising a glass of wine to the rest of the campsite who are looking on in amazed admiration - haven't quite got to that stage yet though.....

Vicki

Robyn4life   it sounds like your fighting with it

Here I am  4ft 10 & three quarters ( yes I am shrinking 10 years ago I was 4ft 11 )

and I can do the 200 and the XXL  but not with a glass of wine in hand 

You are in charge go give it hell     Once you have the first roof joint in place use the tent to help, lean in to it for the next three.  Then each leg joint If its a struggle check your straps haven't got tangled .  Once you are here with your guys out you are master of the universe.  Leg extensions one at a time with the cry ( YES I DID IT ) 

Now go open the wine and stand back and take the time to decide witch bed pod to start on. Nearly there now bed pods done pegging at leisure.