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Get one!

• Zipped-in groundsheet is great: can be packed separately which splits the weight and keeps it away from the canvas if it's dirty; can roll up the sides in hot weather.
• Think about size. My 4 metre is great for one or two people. Remember that a 4 metre tent is that width only at the bottom, because of the sloping sides. However, a larger tent is heavier and bulkier.
• Draw diagrams and work out how much head height you'll have in each size of tent. There's more difference between them than you'd imagine. Also larger tents have higher doorways. I have to bend quite a bit to get into the 4m (I'm 5ft 8).
• I sold my inner tent because it left too little living space and the tent seems bigger without it. However, some people prefer it. Search for pictures of different set ups.
• Central poles can, on rare occasions, bend or break in strong winds. Go for the strongest option or take something to brace it with. Check that your pole has a loop to hang things from.
• Do you want a window you can look out of? If the door is zipped up in wet or windy weather it can feel a bit shut in without a window, although it is lovely and light inside.
• Some come with an insect mesh option on the doors. Compare different makes.
• Do you want to fit a woodburning stove? Some tents have the hole for the flue already in place.

These are just some observations based on three seasons of using a bell tent. I just love mine! Other tents have come and gone but the bell really is the best tent I've had.

.... I'd suggest two things that spring to mind that you might want to consider before you make a bell purchase:

Cooking with a bell tent:  Perhaps consider how you will cook when you camp with a bell, and consider how you will manage cooking in various weather conditions.  I have a 5m bell ... first couple of times I tried cooking indoors in the bell (it was winter and cold/wet outside) ... this didn't seem ideal to me as the set up inside was awfully cramped with kitchen set up and the place looked cluttered, which is totally how I didn't want my bell to feel or look.  Then I got a utility tent so I could use it next to my bell for cooking purposes .... this is ok in good weather .... but last week i was going back and forth between my bell and the utility/kitchen tent in the pouring rain and i really got sick of it because I kept getting soaked.  Also, because the "kitchen" was apart from the bell tent, I felt lonely and a bit left out of it when I was cooking meals in the utility when all the fun was going on in the bell tent!  To me camping is about togetherness.  Also have a tarp (obelink), but this has to come down during windy weather, which unfortunately has been too frequent recently.

Windows:  remember that most bell tents have no windows that you can look out (only low ones at ankle level), ie so when it rains or is cold, you zip the door and you shut the world out so to speak!  This never bothered me until last week because it rained for 8 days nonstop and I really felt locked into the tent ... really missed windows to watch the weather changing, or just watch life going by on the campsite. 

I know this sounds all a bit negative ... I just want to point out that the bell does have some aspects to it that can be considered negative to some people!

Quote: Originally posted by Wilts camper on 14/8/2012

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Me thinks 4 foot maybe a bit cramped! Lol ...4 meters I'm guessing?

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Think about a Pyramid tent, perhaps by cabanon or one of the Dutch brands.

Just like a bell but with a porch area and windows at the front. Lovely!