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Tent Reviews: Vango Icarus 500

Tent and Awning Reviews Index  >  Vango  >  Icarus 500 Reviews

Current Model?
Berths:
Weight:
RRP on date added:
Bedroom inners:
Living area groundsheet:
Pitching Style:
Discontinued
5  (more 5 berth tents)
10.20 KG
£150.00
1
Fully Sewn-in
In one
Average User Rating:
8.4/10 from 245 reviews

Viewed: 485686 times

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245 Reviews of the Icarus 500         Showing 11 to 20          Page:   1   2   3   4   5   6   7   8   9   10   11   12   13   14   15   16   17   18   19   20   21   22   23   24   25  

By: RBuckland  Reason: I own(ed) one  Made in: 2014   Rating: 

Fantastic family tent for short stays. 20 mins to put up (one man). Sturdy in bad weather,keeps the rain & wind out. Considering the size of the tent, it has lots of space - more than adequate for our family of 5 for weekends away. Many small features make this a great tent - storage pockets, sleeves to fold away curtains, midge mesh on outer & inner doors, etc.

Very easy to put up in one. Small when packed away. This is an excellent tent.
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By: DTCK  Reason: I own(ed) one  Made in: 2015   Rating: 

We bought this tent as a replacement for our old Eurohike. I've got to say we find it easy to pitch and bring down again as well as being ideal for all our needs on both short and longer holidays. It folds away small enough to be easy to pack into out small car and is light enough to carry across larger sites. The inlet for the hook-up and fully attached ground sheet and bug nets mean you are not over run with beasties even in Scotland. The only complaint have is that it is possible to pitch it a little too tight which leaves you with a very tight inner. But overall a very good, sturdy and usable tent
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By: GillChris  Reason: I own(ed) one  Made in: 2014   Rating: 

Fab family tent for short camping trips (4 nights or less).

As usual the Vango quality is excellent (3rd one we've had).

Good size for family if 4 with reasonable size living area.

Easy to put up & take down. The extra ground sheet to put under the tent is a great idea as we have been camping 3 times yet the tent is clean & like new. The purpose built carpet is also a must! It makes it all cosy & warm like home.

The only things I would change is put another window in the left hand door side to let a little more light in. & the tie toddles to hold the front door up could do with being separate for the fly sheet & the outer door.

Apart from that, love it!
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By: OldRex  Reason: I own(ed) one  Made in: 2015   Rating: 

I bought this as a weekend tent. This tent stood up to wind and rain with no problems.

I would score this at 8.5, with marks lost for each of the following reasons.

1) as others mentioned, the lack of a cover over any door means that if it is wet, water will drip into the tent when you open the door.

2) I found the triangular curtains tricky to toggle closed, especially the front windows which are very low to the ground.

3) The 'Skylight roof' extends the full length of the tent. While giving great light in the front of the tent, it renders the 'lights-out' bedroom much less effective.

4) Unlike earlier versions of this tent, the 2015 model does not use 3 identical poles. The front and back poles actually each use both 13.7mm and 11mm segments, while the centre pole is all 11mm segments. This makes pitching slightly more complex and carrying spares more awkward.

Having said all this I got the tent on a great discount so I am very happy with it. The drippy entrance can be mostly avoided by shaking the tent before you open the door, and a sleeping mask fixes the extra light from the skylight roof!
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By: Mkosin  Reason: I own(ed) one  Made in: 2015   Rating: 

Very nice tent. Roomy enough for furniture and to stand up in. I have a raised double folding camp bed which fits nicely in the bedroom without touching the sides, and with plenty of room for gear, as long as I remove the separator sheet and use it as one big bedroom.

I bought the bundle with footprint, carpet and awning for £400 in April 2015. It went down to £350 briefly in May and has now gone back up to £400.

Had a massive heavy downpour on second camping trip and the tent didn't let in a drop. It says 3000mm hydrostatic head on the Vango website, but go outdoors (sole distributor) advertise it as 5000. Not sure which is correct, think it says 5000 on the bag. I think it must've been upgraded since this entry was posted. Definitely not 2000mm. The weight is now 14.8 kilos, which suggests thicker fabric, and the colour is now green.

The bag is oversized and quite easy to get the tent back in.

Pitching time of 12 minutes would be if you had two people, then further time required to fiddle about with guy ropes if necessary. On my own it took about 30 minutes with footprint and carpet. Another 20 to get the awning up and straight. The awning has a groundsheet too.

Tension bands are good for stabilising in windy conditions

Plenty of pockets and hanging points, and electric hook-up hatch.

Good selection of venting/fly screen options depending on weather, humidity, etc.

The reason I like this tent most, is that it's plenty big enough to stand up in (I'm 5'10'), small enough to take to a festival, but enormous when you add the optional awning for a longer trip (it doubles the living area). The bedroom is also versatile as it can be one big or two smaller.

With the awning it's perfect for a small family with airbeds or mats, and cooking in the awning keeps food smells away from the bedroom.

Even with the awning on you can still access the side door to get to bed and only have to get through one door.
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By: Ctharding  Reason: I own(ed) one  Made in: 2014   Rating: 

Having been looking for a slightly smaller tent than the Vango Verona 6xl which we have used for the past few years, we chose the Icarus 500 and tried it out on a recent short break.

The bedroom area is spacious inside, we fit a double airbed, a dog bed and a suitcase with plenty of room to spare. I imagine that this would also make an ideal family tent - although the bedroom does not have the option to split in to two sections, there are zip doors on the left and right, so that you would do not need to clamber over sleeping children etc to get to the other side.

There was plenty of space for a table and chairs in the main area. The tent was warm and windproof, providing a welcome shelter during the chillier evenings.

Overall,this is a great tent that packs down in to a reasonable small bag. The one downside that I have found, is the ground sheet which is not sewn in, therefore I did have to rescue two slugs who had made their way inside.
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By: Twizz  Reason: I own(ed) one  Made in: 2011   Rating: 

This is the 4th year we have been using our Icarus 500 tent. We've not had any problems considering the reasonable price of the tent. We've camped through very wet and windy nights and it has withstood all the elements (so far!) In the bedroom we have a double air bed and a camping bed with space in between for a small table. The front of the tent is spacious and has plenty of storage pockets. Side windows which you can cover and the side door has a netting door to allows ventilation without bugs getting in. Overall a good tent at a reasonable price. Takes two of us approx 30 minutes to put up. We are thinking of upgrading to an Icarus 500 Airbeam tent for easier erecting just because we are getting older! :-)
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By: Maarkb  Reason: I own(ed) one  Made in: 2013   Rating: 

After my Daughter stopped camping with us we decided to down size from the trailer tent which took most of the first day to set up to a smaller tent with space for two and the family dog. We saw this tent and have never looked back its a Fantastic tent easy to put up. Stands up to the bad weather. Plenty of space indoors for when the weather is bad all in all a great tent.
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By: Nialan  Reason: I own(ed) one  Made in: 2013   Rating: 

Bought two of these, one new, one second hand but used only twice. My daughter and her husband camp regularly so gave one to her with footprint and carpet. They are hardened campers with a ten yr old Vango three berth 4ft high tent with barely enough room for them and packs.

Her husband initially felt the Icarus would be too big, bulky, take too long to put up and too glamcamp for him. My daughter wanted the space!. They used it in Devon during a mixed week and rang us to rave about it. Spacious, 10mins to unpack and erect, warm, wind and rain proof, well vented for hot days and cold nights. Used it twice since and still raving. Only downside is door flaps angle let water accumulate and you get wet when you open them, a small shield would correct this. We used ours only for a weekend with two small kids, only me to erect, dead easy! Only hastle was getting floor to stay down in one corner as I couldn,t get the tension right. Same trouble with door flaps. But very cosy with carpets throughout and footprint under (essential).Good storage, good bathtub groundsheet built in, spacious lounge area, bedrooms usual 3+2 snug, ideal size for kids but v snug for adults.

Overall, a great design, well made, credit to the designer and the company
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By: Archemedes  Reason: I own(ed) one  Made in: 2014   Rating: 

We recently managed to store our caravan permanently in the Isle of Wight where we often visit, so as we live in the North of England we really didn't know what to do about our short weekends away as 275 mile journeys were definitely out.

Despite the fact that I am 70 years of age my wife suggested that we should consider tenting for short breaks, so off we went to our local Go Outdoors store to see what they had in. We immediately saw and took an interest in the Vango Icarus 500 which was on a very special offer. The offer included the dedicated footprint, awning and tent carpet.

My last experience of tenting was about 20 years ago when we owned a Cabanon canvas frame tent, so what I knew about the modern nylon ones could be written on the back of a postage stamp, however as we generally liked the layout of the Icarus we decided to take the plunge and buy it.

Having now used this tent in some fairly foul weather I have to say that it is very water and wind tight. I also like the adequate amount of room that it provides for my wife and I and our two young grandchildren. The other thing that appeals to me is the fact that it is not strictly necessary to use the large awning, as the tent itself is very roomy.

As for erecting the tent, well it is a synch as the main tent only uses three strong flexible poles to create the tunnel.

This tent has many good features like the entry recess for a mains cable and the many pockets for odds and sods. So in short yes I would recommend this tent to anyone needing a medium size, well-made tent. Our friends seem to be of the same opinion as they too have purchased one, and like us believe it to an excellent product.

And that information comes from a dedicated caravan enthusiast of many years standing.
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245 User Reviews of the Icarus 500 - Showing 11 to 20          Page:   1   2   3   4   5   6   7   8   9   10   11   12   13   14   15   16   17   18   19   20   21   22   23   24   25  

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Manufacturer's Description

Icarus flew towards the sun and this tent is also aiming high. Easy to pitch, ‘as one’ structure with generous living area, this tent will create an ideal base for your weekend adventures. The Icarus provides a place to hide when the weather is poor or a haven to return to after a long day in the sun.

Specification

Flysheet: Protex® 2000 polyester, hydrostatic head 2000mm, tape sealed seams, Fire retardant
Inner: Breathable polyester with central divider curtain
Groundsheet: PE, hydrostatic head 10,000mm, Sewn-in
Poles: Poweflex fibreglass poles
Weight: 10.2kg
Pack Size: 72 x 26 x 26cm
Colour: Ensign/Bluebell

Features

As one pitching simple and quick to pitch
Crystal clear windows allows maximum light into living room
Pre-attached guylines with guy tidies improves pitching and re-pitching speed
Reinforcement points extra strength on tension areas of the flysheet
Reflective webbing find your tent at night or in adverse conditions
Parallel zip door create a canopy for sheltered entry or shaded seating
Front over door mesh vents allow continual airflow to enhance comfort
Polyethylene 10,000HH groundsheet strong, sturdy, waterproof protection, Sewn-in
Comfort Colours darker over the bedroom for a restful nights sleep
Side Mesh Door allows door to be left open for insect-free ventilation
Heavy duty pole sleeves ensures even distribution of tension
Inner Pockets keeps those essentials close at hand
Handled carry bag for easy pack-and-go
Repair Kit for that unforseen tent emergency

... there may be more info on their website

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