I am looking to buy a Vango Calisto soon. Just wondering if there is any sort of tent inner/black out device that I can use to keep the child's sleeping area dark. We have a 2 year old who wakes up as soon as it gets light.
0330 hrs wake up while summer camping does not sound good !
I know Vango have lights out inner liners but I am not convinced these are any good
Dave
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iv thought about this too as the sunlight tends to wake me up but then a few minutes later i manage to get myself back to sleep.
how about going getting a black double/king size bed sheet and draping it over the bedroom pod.
or even be creative and cut a black bed sheet into the same size pieces that make up the walls and ceiling of your inner tent and either attach them using press studs / velcro or permanently sew them on. im thinking of doing this for my tents inner tent - but id use velcro and make sure the bed sheet is 100% cotton ( as thick as i can find ) so it breathes.
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The new Vango bedroom pods are much darker than they used to be but yes, in bright morning sunshine it can still be quiet bright.
There have been lots of suggestions for darkening bedroom before pods from dark sheets as hankakampa suggested to dying the bedroom pods or putting other dark items over the top of them. The only thing you have to watch with adding sheets or such like to the pod is that you don't add too much extra weight to the pods hanging points.
One of those emergency foil blankets like the runners use after a marathon (and only costing a couple of pounds) will give you a lightweight option to drape over the top of the inner pod. It won't let any light through and won't cause any tension on the hanging points as they weigh virtually nothing.
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Quote: Originally posted by Campernic on 05/5/2013
One of those emergency foil blankets like the runners use after a marathon (and only costing a couple of pounds) will give you a lightweight option to drape over the top of the inner pod. It won't let any light through and won't cause any tension on the hanging points as they weigh virtually nothing.
thats a great idea - an idea is to maybe buy a few of them, cut them to fit over the bedroom and stitch / velcro them to fit securely to the bedroom pod so it doesnt slide off if the tent wafts gently in the breeze.
im going to look at that idea too.
i agree too that care needs to be taken to make sure not sure too much weight is put ontop of the bedroom pods and therefor putting strain on the clips that hold the bedroom pod up.
but then, lots of tents these days have pockets all over the bedroom pods which if filled must add quite a weight so perhaps to a sensible degree the pods can support a certain amount of extra weight.
great ideas everyone!
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I think a few plastic clothes pegs would probably do the job of holding the foil emergency blanket on....but velcro would be a more permanent solution.
I don't think it would if it was just draped over, rather than completely sealing the space. I don't think you're ever going to achieve total black out, but aim for a reduction in early morning light.
Mucker may have a point. I would imagine the foil sheets are not breathable in anyway or allow water vapor to pass through. Summer camping will reduce condensation due to the increase in air temperatures (warmer air can hold more water molecules). However any water vapour produced in the sleeping area will not be able to escape and may just condense on the foil as its probably more reactive to the temperature variations of the air as well as being waterproof/resistant.
Mucker is an expert on damp patches caused by water vapor whilst sleeping....
I can confirm that the Vango lights out sleeping pods are optimistically named - it is by no means pitch dark inside once the sun starts to rise. They are however better than others I have slept in - IMO the Outwell Hartford for example .
IIRC Kampa used to put a silverised coating on the outside of their pods, its a pity this is not more widely available.
I am not sure about dyeing the pods, they are a nylon type of material which could be tricky, but I know there are some very handy site members who would know about this.
We've just bought the new Vango Lomond 600 and tried it out this weekend. Vango states "breathable polyester 'lights out' inner tents reduce the amount of early morning light, allowing a longer sleep". Whilst the light isn't totally cut out, it was certainly much darker than our old Vango Orchy. We were really pleased with it. It seems very sterdy but also has a tension band system which you can put into action during windy weather. Also liked the feature of an all in one tent and canopy which provides some shelter from the sun and takes less time to erect than a tent and separate canopy
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