Just back from a camping trip, the first with our new Vango Icarus 500. Out of the bag came the tent, pegs and poles. Now we can't even fit just the tent back in the bag!!
Does anyone else get this problem? Am now thinking of getting a bigger holdall for the tent!!
------------- 2 campers and 4 dogs
13th-16th Aug Old Cotmore Farm, South Devon
5th-8th September Stoke Barton Campsite, North Devon
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For my tent I ditched the original bags, and went for one of the Issabella awning bags, they do three sizes, all the same width just different diameters, kinda like a large holdall with a large all round zip, which makes for getting you tent in, real easy, cost around £15 well worth it, Waudbys etc do them mail order.
I've just returned from my first ever trip with my Sunncamp Invader 600 and the oversized bag is a godsend. Everything straight in, no problem. More manufacturers should follow this example.
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Take time folding it carefully. Open all the doors to let the air out. Fold into a long rectangle and make sure the width is slightly smaller than the bag. Then roll the tent around the poles starting away from the doors or you'll have nowhere for the air to escape.. if it still seems too big, unroll and re roll it again to get all the air out.
I manage to get the poles, footprint, groundsheet and tent into the bag now - on the last trip I even got the extra canopy poles in too! Outwell do seem to have roomy bags for the Oregon 5 though.
------------- Anne - mad mum to one - foster mum to many - adoptatent to you guys!
As Fostermum says for smaller tents which can be wrapped round the poles.
For the Aruba canvas what you have to do is roll the thing up into a sausage so that it's slightly less long than the bag and with the sausage longways on the ground, sort of roll the canvas from side to side while pulling the bag until it's halfway along the length of the tent. Then, stand the bag up on end and the canvas will go the rest of the way into the bag under gravity.
We have a Vango Tigris 600 and don't know if we are lucky or just really good but it goes back in the bag everytime. We fold it in half length way and then into thirds to the width of the bag and then just keep halfing it down to the size to fit the bag and then lie on it until all air expelled. Ta-Da all back in the bag as the poles and inners are a doddle.
Have to say I don't put poles back in bag with the tent purely because I find it so heavy. This makes it easier for me to get it back up in the roof and also spreads the load in the car (and no I haven't forgotten to take the poles when I go camping). But yes fold and roll very tightly and make sure get all air out, you will be amazed at how easily you can get it back into the bag.
------------- CLARE XX
speak slowly I'm blonde......
Our tent comes with a large zip up bag, so long as you sit on it to get the air out, it closes every time!
Our beach tent is another matter though! No matter how many times you try rolling it, it never goes in without a fight, usually tearing the bag along the way!
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we had a vango diablo 900.you have to get it just right,and when folding it put pressure on to get as much air out as you can.it will go back,practice makes perfect.we had an audience of 4 older ladies watching the last time we did it,they didn't think it would fit,but were amazed when it did
Hi , used to have problems re-packing with various tents over the years but like narra back just used our invader 600 first time and although i said no chance at the time it fit back in bag easily One less stress!