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Hi all, i am new to this site but looking to buy my first proper tent for use in the uk (hoping to get one cheaper at the end of the season).  i am torn between the two mentioned above but concerned about the size of them.   We are 2 adults and a small baby but wanta tent big enough that we can grow into it...but not too big that we will be put off going away for a weekend.  i have also been looking at the minnesota or the weathermaster l which is a 4 man but could it be big enough.  We would also like a porch area and i know that you can buy add ons but were looking at the vango amazon 600 but not as great reviews as the outwell or coleman....any help/tips would be much appreciated as i am a bit lost

thanks,

Anna

hi thanks for the reply, we are intending to use the tent for longer trips but would also want to use it for weekends as well and it needs to be tall enough for us to stand up in and have a table if weather is bad..

the only tent we had before was when we were travelling around australia and it was very small so wanted something bigger

I can only comment on the monty 6 but you only have to look around your average campsite and there's usually at least one pitched somewhere and most folk on here rave about them including me.

The front extension is a fab extra bit of kit and we wouldn't be without ours. Many people have posted that the sloping doors on a lot of Outwells (not just the monty) mean keeping the door closed when it rains to prevent the rain entering the tent so the front extension does help this. As a weekend tent, we opted for something smaller but for longer trips the monty is the perfect all rounder. The only criticism is that the doors have velcro tabs at the bottom as the zips don't go all the way round which means it does get a bit drafty there although easily remedied with some extra velcro. Wouldn't swap ours for the world. 

Hi Anna,

Most people on here really rate the monty and they do look a nice tent. We use the Weathermaster XL and love it. If you are loking for a very good price, WildDays are offering the Weathermaster XL for £299.99 delivered with a free windbreak (we hook this to one of the covered doors and tie a tarp over the top, makes a great area to cook in).

Since I posted my review we have had another two seperate weeks and a long weekend away. Some horrible weather in amongst those trips and no complaints.

Speaking as a Weathermaster L owner I can highly recommend the tent.

Good quality construction, with above average HH at 6000mm. Loads of space (this is a big tent) which handles 4 adults, large table, chairs, cooking, kitchen and storage kit no problem (you can walk around without people having to move out of your way). Good door options – 2 doors either side and a “front” door that can be set as a basic canopy in good weather (we hope ). Windbreak, which clips to the main poles, is included and can be set up in numerous ways.

Of course the downside of all this is pitching and weight. Chances of a single person pitching it are slim; you do need an “assistant”. It’s very heavy at 43Kg, but keeping the steel poles separate from the main tent makes lugging it around easier.

Try to find one setup on display and take a look. I bought ours from Go Outdoors in Pudsey for £249.99 (cheaper than the “sale” price at present on their web site).

We have a weathermaster L.

2pods, fab rear storage area, plenty if living space and height, zips that zip all the way round, looks good. cheaper (wild days)

We bought a Kyham sun porch which fits perfectly on the side door entrance, which is great for BBQ's in the rain!

Just thought I'd add my two pennies worth.

If you are looking at a Monty 6, but you would prefer a cheaper price for just about the same tent, look at Go Outdoors at the Corado 6. (Basically £100 cheaper).

It is basically the monty 6 without the side canopy door thing, but it has a built in front canopy and you can buy an extra canopy to make it doubly long.

We have just had just under a week away in it (myself, DH and 8mth old DD) and we thought it was great (check my review out on the tent review). The only problem is that the front door doesn't have a fly netting screen to it, but I'm going to look at attaching some with velcro the next time it is up so that we can remove it if we don't need it, but it is there if we do.

It was really easy to pitch and take down, but like all tents, a sod to get back into the bag!

Can't say about the weathermaster but I did have this on my list of possibilities when we were looking at bigger tents. Our previous one was an Outwell Oregon 5, a great tent, but a tad too small for a long holiday with DD and all the kit required and it didn't have SIG, so easy to half escape when crawling!

We love our Monty 6  - partucularly with the extension.. we can sit under it and even cook when it rains.. it has a massive living area which is a god send when it rains as normally everyone piles into our tent! We are however looking for a smaller tent for the weekend as the living area is really massive  (Looking at the Minnesota 4 - which I think used to be called the Montanan 4  ) but saying that, i love my Monty so its a hard choice..

We can pitch it in just under 15 mins.... unroll, peg the back down ,  thread the poles and lift - voila!   We can also pack it up in under 30 mins now.. Deffo need 2 people though

We started last summer as 2 adults and a baby with an Outwell Oregon 5- this summer we are 2 adults and a toddler and have upgraded to the Corado 6 (we nearly bought the Montana 6 but the Corado was a better deal at £249 with integral porch included and in the same bag so saving space) and we are really pleased with it. It is probably not quite as heavy as the Montana 6 to erect as the poles are part fibre glass. It doesnt take us much longer than the oregon 5- but it is admittedly a bigger heavier tent and with 6 man tents you sometimes have to pay extra to pitch it. As the porch is attached you cant take it off to make the tent smaller if sites are charging extra (not that I would as I find the porch essential for cooking when its raining, and keeping stuff in). The bigger the tent the more room it takes up in your car too and space is precious with all the baby clobber too! However, we have found I would rather spend a bit longer putting it up and be really comfortable. It is a faff erecting any tent with a toddler tearing around or a yelling baby (when she was little we put the phil n teds travel cot up on the grass and put her in it whilst we put the tent up but now she moves!) so that is not my favourite bit but its worth it!

Quote: Originally posted by annamorgan247 on 25/8/2009

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thank you for all your comments - if the minnesota is going to be easier to put up and with there being only the 3 of us i am leaning towards that tent with the extension.  we can take the extension for longer trips and for weekends perhaps just the tent...its a really hard choice as i really like the monty and it is not much dearer

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