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Diablo's seem to be the most popular tents at the moment, not a bad choice to start with.

I'm going for an Outwell Hartford XXL for my second purchase as my first has now been laid to rest following high winds last Thursday.

As has been mentioned a Thousand times by other experienced campers you get what you pay for, so go with the flow and your gut feeling

Post last edited on 02/08/2005 20:46:12

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Oscar

Quote: Originally posted by Orridges5 on 02/08/2005

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I'm going for an Outwell Hartford XXL for my second purchase as my first has now been laid to rest following high winds last Thursday.

Post last edited on 02/08/2005 20:46:12

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Hi Elizabeth

We bought the Diablo 600 but have now bought a montana 6 mainly because my OH used to get really mad when putting up the diablo, it took us over an hour to do it.  With the Montana 6 it took us 20 mins, it's only got 4 poles instead of the 9 poles that the diablo has.  The only downside for you would be that it has 2 seperate bedrooms which are next to each other.  Finding the right tent is really hard, took us 4 attempts to get the right one, if you can get to see these tents erected that might help you decide abit.

Hope you find the right one soon

If you are confused all ready, you will be even worse after you have read everyones opinion on what tent is the best. Even though i have only ever had one tent and that for only a short time but would swear by it now and tell you it is excellent for 2 adults and 2 kids although they would be in there own rooms. I know this has not been much help but what ever you buy you will enjoy camping, Good luck in your search.

Neil

I can only speak for the Diablo as this is the only tent we have owned.  It was a case of love at first sight and no regrets. It does take us an hour to put up but I think with an extra mallet we could perhaps get this time down. Did the Diablo you viewed have the rear door to the living are open? I believe in the 900 the door is in the rear bedroom pod.  If both doors were open it may have been cooler.

Whatever tent you choose, I'm sure you'll receive lots of good advice on this site to help you make your choice.

Happy hunting

Quote: Originally posted by TraceyR on 02/08/2005

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I can only speak for the Diablo as this is the only tent we have owned.  It was a case of love at first sight and no regrets. It does take us an hour to put up but I think with an extra mallet we could perhaps get this time down. Did the Diablo you viewed have the rear door to the living are open? I believe in the 900 the door is in the rear bedroom pod.  If both doors were open it may have been cooler.

Whatever tent you choose, I'm sure you'll receive lots of good advice on this site to help you make your choice.

Happy hunting

 

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Hi Elizabeth,

You could always opt for a tent like the Vango Colorado 600 (i've just bought one) It has a dome in the centre for living space, and two sleeping areas, one at each side.

Whilst your children might want to sleep next to you now, one side has enough room for four (with a wafty partition in the middle, so they're not totally with/without you). When they get older, they can then venture to the other side of the tent, where there is enough room for two.

Heres a pic of the 4 berth side: http://www.outdoorfocus.co.uk/images/tents/vango%2005/colorado/colorado_600_larg_inner.JPG

This is the tent from the outside: http://www.dpbolvw.net/click-1428744-10475506?url=http://www.outdoormegastore.co.uk/acatalog/colorado600.jpg

You can also get a Deluxe version, which has a bigger porch/living area.

I wouldn't go on the temperature inside a tent when viewing them in store, it can get very stuffy wandering around all the tents, and slightly clostraphaubic (sp?) it's totally different again in the great outdoors!

Another idea is the Diablo 400, same as the 600 but a bit smaller, if your concerned about pitching, but from what i've read from other peoples experiences it's a doddle once you've got the hang of it.

Remember, one of the best bits of camping is choosing the tent....after tent...after tent.... (I cant remember how many i've had!!)

Have fun!

Hi

We have a Diablo 900 and we are pleased with it however we also have a Montana 4 for weekend usage.

From what you've said I'd look at something like the Vango Vista 600 / 800 or Outwell Colorado or equivalent style. They are tunnel tents with a large bedroom at one end and other bedrooms at the other. You can leave one set of bedrooms out and increase the amount of 'living' space.

We chose the Diablo for the balance of living space v bedroom space & the porch. The disadvantage of the tents I've suggested are that they don't have a sewn in groundsheet (SIG) which was an issue for me.

I believe Roben are made by the same company as Outwell, Oase.

Good Luck with whatever you choose

Jen

Our last tent was a canvas frame tent when our older boys (10 and 9 now) were toddlers.  We looked for ages and decided on the Khyam Rigi pod. It's very quick to put up (its major selling point) and you can buy up to 3 bedroom pods to zip on to the main area in various arrangements. We like the flexiblilty of this, knowing our needs will change as our toddler gets older and if the older boys want to bring friends.

Packed up, it's big compared with other tents but not compared with our old one. There are some excellent deals around at the moment and they do come up on ebay too.

Hope you find what suits you - good luck

Hi and wlecome,
Can't comment on the Coleman,  but your idea of having the children in with you is good.  I like mine in with me (or us when OH joins us),  as this saves the crawl across the tent when you are needed in the night., nothing worse than crawling across the tent at 2am cos one of them needs you.  OK it doesn't stop the "I need a wee wee" at that hour, but at least when you've taken them, you can put them back in bed, and crawl back in your own,  No settling them in their pod, crawling the length of the tent, getting back into bed, only to have them want you again.  Guess who's got the Tshirt?
Also look for a tent with a decent living area.  Nothing worse than being confined to quarters with young children, and no room,  to move.   Don't foprget what looks spacious in the camping shop with be less so by the time you've got bags of clothing etc around.  Spare bedroom pod is an ideal way of making more space in the living area.  (Another reason why we bought a larger tent.)
How much you spend depends on how confident you are that you are going to like camping.  Our first tent was bought as a test, as we were unsure if we would like it, especially the kids.   As we all loved it, and although the tent we had was an A1 tent in itself, we decided we could do with bigger - one very wet weekend when we were stuck in a tiny living area for good deal of the time.   We knew that we were going to go camping quite a bit, and invested in a large frame tent.

Slightly off track - think about investing in a porta loo,  nothing worse than a trek accross site at 2am, with one child, only to get back to find the other one, who didnt want to go is now desperate.   Same in the day, when the loos are the other side of the site.