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Hi fellow campers.  I am almost too afraid to come on here again with my pathetic dithering over a weekend tent, BUT the good news is, is that we've narrowed the search to 2 tents and actually managed to see them both in the flesh last weekend.

At this rate I expect we should wait until the season is over and get a better price, but both tents are on ebay at the moment so you never know we might get a bargain.  (...pigs....flying.......)

Anyway is there anyone out there who has experience of either the Outwell WInfield or the Outwell Colorado 5 ? 

To me it seems the Winfield would have the edge in speed of erection, but the Colorado 5 has more living/usable space.  Is there much difference?  Bearing in mind we might only put it up for one night sometimes.

We don't mind being squashed (we are 5 in total) - but the Winfield in some diagrams shows an adult figure plus a child figure in the 2-bed compartment.  In some it shows 2 full size people.  Husband says he doesn't mind the inner near his face for one or two nights, what a chivalrous man....

Your thoughts and pearls of wisdom very much appreciated!

LIZ

Hi Liz,

My hubby and I had a Colorado 5 and loved it, until we went to the Yorkshire Dales six weeks or so ago and it failed completely.  I have to say that the wind was exceptional, but the fact remains that our tent was the only tent which failed on the whole campsite.  Very embarassing!  I have to point out here that we always peg out all guy ropes, and had used it several times previously with no trouble.

The first problem was when one of the side legs buckled and gave way, this started a domino rally sort of effect, and one of the fibreglass poles over the roof also snapped.  We had to abandon tent and move in with our friends for the night until we were able to buy a new one the following day.

We were desperately disappointed as we loved every aspect of the Colorado, and had bought both front and side canopies for it.  (Have since discovered that the side canopy can be used very effectively with other types of tent).

We now have a Wynnster Condor 6 and a Vango Aurora 800DLX, the first bought to replace the Colorado when we were away, the second bought with the credit note given to us when we returned the Colorado to the place where we had bought it.  It's always a problem to decide which tent to use, because we like both of them very much!

Hope this helps a bit!

Anne

Hi

We have a Colorado 4 (same as 5 but slightly smaller) and would definatley recommend them.  Very easy to put up with two of us and it stood up to gale force winds in Wales earlier this year.  We like the living space and the fact that there is good headroom, even in the bedrooms, which is important for us as hubby is 6'1".   I also like the fact it has big windows which let in a lot of light. 

Leanne

Thanks to everyone who has replied so far.  It is proving to be a difficult choice !  I wonder if anyone else has experienced the same problems with those tents.

Cheers, LIZ

Hi, we have the Winfield but there's only 2 of us.  Not had any problems pitching it, but we attach the pods once the flysheet is up. It takes us around 20 mins to pitch. Because of the ease of pitching we use this for weekends or longer trips.

The small pod won't comfortably take 2 adults (would be like 2 adults sharing a single bed or slightly bigger). Also, it is not as wide at the back - see diagram below..

The main sleeping pod is also not square - it narrows slightly at the back.  I believe the Colorado's have squared bedrooms.

Personally, I wouldn't have more than 3 people in the Winfield, but I like my space!

I hope this helps.

i have a colorado 5 and it seems ok so far - got it second hand.

Anne and Nigel - you've worried me a bit though , but perhaps it was just a one off faulty one. i would imagine if one pole was dodgy it could seriously affect the rest especially in high winds.

i'm thinking of getting the canopies - do you want to sell??

hi madmum,

I think we must have just been unlucky.  I would have had another without worrying too much, but my OH was a bit more worried and refused to even consider it.  I still feel really sad whenever I see one, as I really loved that tent!  We are keeping the side canopy as it fits our Wynnster, but you can make an offer on the front one if you like!  Postage may be a bit expensive 'though, unless you're down in the West Country any time soon.

Won't be on line again until next Monday, as we're away to a site near South Molton for the weekend. Can't wait!

Anne

i'd offer you £20 for it if it's in tip top condition- i've used a good courier before, quite reasonable.

i'm not going that way this summer, cwmcarn forest first week of august and maybe new forest at the end of the hols if i can get the time off (and the weather )

have a great weekend