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02/4/2014 at 8:14pm
Location: Sunny Suffolk (West)
Outfit: inflatable dome Palamos6 frame tent
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Joined: 11/8/2011 Diamond Member 
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We have a 4m bell tent for our 1 or 2 night breaks (and cold 3 nighters), whilst it takes the same amount of time to pitch as the 5m it's easier to heat and doesn't look empty with only our few day equipment.
Last weekend we went for a one nighter and only took a tent, SIMs, sleeping bags, pillows, cool bag, small kitchen unit (for toast & coffee only), EHU, heater, toaster, kettle, crockery & cutlery, lamp, couple of picnic rugs, folding chair for me and obviously our clothes & toiletries.
Even this is excessive to some here but for OUR family camping I feel it's as basic as I can comfortably go. Our longer camps we take our trailer and have tables, chairs, campbeds under SIMs, igloo maxcold cool box, freezer, real carpet, sheepskin rug, bunting & solar fairy lights!
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02/4/2014 at 8:29pm
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Joined: 23/8/2009 Diamond Member
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Apart from a couple of occasions I have always gone camping for just two nights, mostly mid-week now I am retired. I get bored if I stay much longer than that in one place.
At one time I too got fed up with the two hour pitch and all the time it took loading and unloading the car and bought a caravan. However, I found collecting that from storage, loading it, and all the towing and safety hassles that are involved with caravanning just as frustrating, so went back to a tent again.
I think the secret is to buy a tent the size you need but one that is very easy to erect. That normally means for me, a metal pole tunnel tent which, once the poles are in, pulls up like a concertina...even easier if there is more than one of you. The tent I have at the moment is a 6 man tent and there is only one of me, but it is the easiest to erect tent I have ever had...size doesn't matter!
Also, if you keep things specifically for camping and keep it all in one place (if you can) and store all the small stuff like crockery, cutlery, lamps, and anything else in a large plastic storage box, then packing the car on going away day is a simple task of just picking it all up and throwing it in the back.
I think we all take far too much gear which we never use but take it 'just in case'. I have now tried to cut down on everything excepts necessities...not easy.
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13/4/2014 at 3:51pm
Location: Sunny south coast
Outfit: Columbia 600 Bude 4
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For overnights and 2 nights - we have the Vango Kairos 400 and the simplest of gear (SIMs, Vango pillows, sleeping bags, wash things, picnic blanket for carpet, fabric chairs, suitcase stove, saucepan nest, pasta shaped bowls, water container, folding buckets for washing up and fire bucket, emergency repair kit, backpacking table and a ready-made kitchen-in-a-camera bag setup, which provides folding cups, cutlery, utensils, washing up bits, mesh colander....etc). Quick to grab and does everything needed. Tent is full height (so no crawling) and takes about 10 mins to put up and guy single handed. The nearest equivalent is the new Vango Kalu 400 which also has a dedicated awning for longer stays, but in our mind has far too many windows and lacks the cooling and pole sheltering effect over the doors of the old Kairos 400 design. Plus it requires an extra pole for the same floor space. Must admit that I would like the mesh over the exterior door -although I have a plan of how to add that to our Kairos...
For 3 or 4 nights, we have more luxury with high level chairs and table and our standard crockery and cutlery boxes, plus the Kampa Bude 4 tent and Vango small sun canopy. The long poles and pole sleeves of this tent make it slower to pitch but has the front door for the canopy - which fits a treat and allows us to sit outside in the evening without too much hassle.
We wouldn't want to take the 1hr pitching time required for our wonderful Vango Columbia 600 for a weekend and you don't miss things for just a weekend when you are out and about much of the time.
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Love our set-up and need no more tents or gear, so trying to stop looking!
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Topic: Weekend Tents
