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We had a family trip to inspect the new Icarus 2011 version at Go outdoors last week and were generally very excited by what looks like the perfect tent for our family ..... our one small problem was we were dissappointed to see that the part divides the bedrooms in 2 is very flmsy (it ties in 2 corners, and I would have preferred a more definite divider).  Has anyone tried customising this?  I had wondered if I could even use soemthing like sticky velcro strips to seal the exisitng divider better, but am worried it might pull the fabric too much.

We have searched and searched for our perfect tent for a while now and the Icarus ticks all the other boxes, so if I could find a solution to the divider, I would be over the moon.   Although it was the 500 we looked at in Go Outdoors, we are actually planning to purchase a 600 but they are exactly the same design inside I think.

Cheers Karyn

I think if you're looking for a fancy zip up divider, you're probably looking at an Outwell or something in that line.

We have the Icarus 500 though and it's fine honestly.

I wouldn't do anything like sew up the dividing curtain, or try and add a zip because you'd quite likely tear the bedroom pod while you're trying to pitch it.

The Khyam Ontario 8 has got separate clip in pods on one side so you in effect have a double wall between you and the sleeping area next door.

On the other side it's the standard dividing curtain.

I actually like the dividing curtain, if a child needs attention quick you have a shortcut.

Quote: Originally posted by elizaD on 10/3/2011

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I think if you're looking for a fancy zip up divider, you're probably looking at an Outwell or something in that line.

We have the Icarus 500 though and it's fine honestly.

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I have to admit, when we pitched our Icarus 600 for the first time, our daughter quickly realised how much fun it was to dive under it!

I think a strip of velcro would probably put too much strain on it, as it isn't designed to fit the gap exactly.  What about adhesive velcro dots that you could use to make a better seal?

My kids are quite young and so early wake times are sometimes an issue.  I think unless there is a definite door between us the 3 year old will be popping in and under the divider quite a lot whereas if its a complete break she will be more likely to think of it as a seperate room and not do this.  I don't want to sound like I dislike my kids- if I did I wouldnt be going camping with them - but I do like a bit of personal space at night!  Plus, we have only ever had weekends away before but are thinking of having 2 weeks under canvas this summer and it has occured to us that it might be nice to "do the deed" at some point (blushes)....

We rather stupidly rushed out and bought a Marista 700 last year and have found it far to difficult to put up: takes too long, poles to heavy, diffuclt to fit in loft and also car due to weight.  However, it had 3 bedroom pods that were all seperated properly and the sleeping arrangements worked really well for us and its the one thing that won't be quite as good in the Icarus :(

Have you seen the 'nookie in a tent' thread? You'll not need to worry about blushing on that one! Anyway there are actually some good tips in it, amongst the giggles.

There are a load of three pole tunnel tents out there, not just the Icarus 600, although if you're looking for a tunnel tent with all the bedrooms up at one end and a large living space at the other then the Icarus is pretty good.

The thing is the Icarus is a box ticker, and like so many tents it ticks nearly all the boxes, but not all. Any tent owner will say this thing and that thing is great about their tent, but I wish it had that other thing and then it would tick all the right boxes. I think unless you've got the luxury of designing your own tent, you'll have to compromise somewhere.

The Icarus is a fairly budget tent, it's got loads of features for relatively little money. So it will not be an all bells and whistles tent, because if you want one of those you need to spend at least another third to half of the price again. Vango have made a tent a bit like a landlord will fix up a house, not to the same spec he'd want himself but it will cover all the basics.