Vango Orchy 500 Tent Reviews and Details Page 2

Tent Reviews: Vango Orchy 500

Tent and Awning Reviews Index > Vango > Orchy 500 Reviews

Current Model?
Berths:
Weight:
RRP on date added:
Bedroom inners:
Living area groundsheet:
Pitching Style:

Yes
5 (more 5 berth tents)
12.00 KG
Ł160.00
1
Fully Sewn-in
In one

Average User Rating:

7.39/10 from 46 reviews

Viewed: 125547 times

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46 Reviews of the Orchy 500 Showing 11 to 20 Page: 1 2 3 4 5

By: Harribert Reason: I own(ed) one Made in: 2008 Rating: 5 from 10

From day one our Orchy 500 leaked in the bedroom, right over the bed and right in the middle of the two compartments so it didn't matter which side we put our bed, we were going to get wet, or at least one of us was. It was only a small leak to start but did gradually get worse over the next couple of years. The leak then progressed to the living area above the main door and then finally in September last year the whole tent leaked over night. The next morning with far too much water inside the tent than anybody should ever have, we got up, packed everything away and rolled the tent into a ball (which was funny in itself watching a non-amused boyfriend fight with the tent to roll it up as it didn't go down without a fight - his words) and threw it away. We sprayed the tent everytime with took the Orchy out camping in the hope the leak problems would go away but they didn't they just got worse on every camping trip.

Our only other problem with this tent was the head room. You could only stand up in the middle of the tent and as you walked around the sides of the tent you had to crouch low or even crawl which with a bad back was not so good and getting changed in the bedroom could prove challenging as you had to lie down to do so.

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By: Stagefly Reason: I own(ed) one Made in: 2009 Rating: 8 from 10

We have had our orchy for 2years and it is a great tent with many good features and if you buy the accessories such as wind breaks and extension it becomes even better. As a reviewer said we have found that strong wind gusts from behind can cause the bedroom compartment to struggle to keep shape. I found by attaching an extra guy to the rear middle vent area this prevented this , an oversight by Vango maybe but they make an amazing tent for the money. Also just park your car alongside the rear of the tent stopped the problem, but if you camp in a good spot this weakness will never be noticed. We are about to buy the extension to give even more space in what is a very roomy environment .

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By: Alan F Camper! Reason: I've used one Made in: 2009 Rating: 9 from 10

We used our Vango Orchy 500 for the first time this September. Went straight to the campsite without first 'test driving' it in my back garden. Was a bit apprehensive about putting it up but very quickly sussed where the poles went, in short it was ready to use in less than 30mins, not bad for a first try.

Poured with rain overnight but the tent was watertight. No wind so couldn't comment on the structure, but seems solid enough.

Only one very minor complaint is that there is not enough ventilation. Three adults and a gas fire on cold nights produces a fair bit of condensation, but not really a fault - just an observation.

Definitely recommended.

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By: GeoNeil Reason: I own(ed) one Made in: 2009 Rating: 6 from 10

We have owned an Orchy 500 for two seasons and have used it in some pretty extreme weather conditions (gales and heavy rain) and for some extended periods (a full month in France). We bought it to get more living and storage space. I sometimes use it for fieldwork so I do not want it to let me down. Now it has done just that by collapsing (and breaking)the bedroom pole, though I admit we were in a rather more exposed position than usual. I agree entirely with the review by Deakin. I have usually pitched back-to-the-wind as he describes but, reading some of the other reviews, it seems that front-to-the-wind might be more stable. This seems counter intuitive but I will try it next time. I wonder if anyone else has had success with this? My rating for the Orchy has just gone down from 8 to 6!

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By: Lucylou1515 Reason: I own(ed) one Made in: 2009 Rating: 9 from 10

We bought this tent so we would have more room when camping with our sons. We have used it 3 times since buying it and have found it excellent for our needs.

The Vango name is a sign of quality and the orchy does not let them down. The 3 times we have used it, it has been pitched in the Lake District and anyone who has visited there will know to expect the unexpected. We have experience rain for 14 hours, high winds and some sun shine and the orchy has held up and kept us dry.

We recently purchased a premium extension to enable us to have more 'kitchen' space which prove fantastic when it rained for 24 hours and we where able to cook inside and not get soggy food. It also gave us somewhere to store dirty shoes etc.

Well worth the money for both tent and extension

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By: Vangofan Reason: I own(ed) one Made in: 2009 Rating: 8 from 10

My wife, son and I decided to take the plunge this year and dipped our toes into the wibbly wobbly world of camping. We bought the Vango Orchy 500 from Highbridge Camping Centre, near Brean. When we carried out a dummy run to test it, it took about 40 mins total. We were really impressed with the layout, easy assembly and disassembly. Finally worked out a method to get it back in the bag AND zip it up!

For our first adventure in West Wales, we added the footprint, carpet and Vango Premium Extension. I am so glad we did. I had to lay a separate groundsheet in the extension area, as it does not come with one fitted, and the extension provides excellent protection from the elements. That's not to say we didn't have room without the extension, but when you can store all your gear, shoes, cooking area, etc in the extension, it makes life a lot easier to sit in the 'living area' and fully appreciate the tents space when carpeted.

I notice in other reviews, people are having trouble getting a snug fit to the tent. We also experienced this, and found we had to move the guy lines into unorthodox positions. This did lower the entry to the tent inside and put a bit of extra strain on the poles, but it didn't spoil the experience one bit. We will persevere and get the knack of it in future holidays.

The sleeping area was more than enough for the three of us, and would comfortably sleep 4. The 5 berth tag is a little generous, but if the 5 consisted of 2 adults and 3 kids, it would be okay. I would happily recommend this tent to any family consisting of 3 or 4. In any case, due to the great deals you can get, it seems these days, people are buying a berth or two above what they actually require.

Next purchase for us is stronger pegs (only down side) and two king poles to lift up the door to use as a sun canopy.

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By: Doctor-46 Reason: I own(ed) one Made in: 2010 Rating: 10 from 10

I bought this tent on the recommendation of a friend who owns an Orchy 400, then read the reviews on here and was a little concerned!

I haven't been camping for a good few years, so I'm not experienced at putting tents up, but we managed to get it pitched in about 20 mins in a torrential downpour!

I also purchased the Vango footprint (Ł19) and would recommend this to everyone too.

The first day was very windy and rainy, but this was no problem and the tent didn't collapse! The build quality is perfect, and we had no leaks either.

We really liked the big windows and the spacious living area, with the blinds up it was very bright. We bought the fitted carpet too, this was great for our little lad to play on when it was too wet to go outside.

I can't fault this tent at all, and can't wait to go camping again.

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By: SUNFLOWER63 Reason: I own(ed) one Made in: 2008 Rating: 8 from 10

We bought this tent to replace our small 3 person pod tent as we wanted to be able to sit inside and use it as living space. We liked the fact that it had a separate sleeping and living accommodation where the bedrooms zip up to keep out insects and the middle section of the sleeping area had a dividing removable curtain. It also has pockets to store small items around the bottom of the sleeping canopy.

We wanted a tent that had a built in ground sheet which has worked well but as the whole thing folds up together we always end up unpacking and having to dry this out even when the body of the tent is dry. So we purchased an inexpensive separate ground sheet to avoid this. It states that it is a 5 person tent but that would be difficult with 5 adults on camp beds, 4 adult is comfortable but it may fit a 5 adult/child mix sleeping on the floor or airbeds not solid camp beds.

We have used it five times over 2 years and been satisfied with the ease of putting up and taking down. We wanted a tent that was good value and not oversized and would not take up too much room in the car. The only fault we have is that the pegs are ok when we have been to sites with soft ground but they soon bend on stony or hard ground. We have also purchased 2 poles for the front canopy as these are not included to give a bit of shelter to cook under in wet weather.

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By: Jazzbar Reason: I own(ed) one Made in: 2008 Rating: 9 from 10

I have been camping for many years and after having a little 2 man touring tent, then borrowing a tent from family, finally invested in a vango orchy 500. I have now had it for 2 years and cant fault it. I also have the vango extension, which I use on the longer holidays. This has one drawback though. I find that to get the extension in the correct position to stop there from being any gaps between the two units, that the extension does overlap the side door to the Orchy 500, which means it cant be opened.

The Orchy, on its own, is spacious, light and airy. Its very easy to put up, myself and my 13 year old can manage it quickly and easily.

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By: Rodsfaria Reason: I own(ed) one Made in: 2010 Rating: 3 from 10

I've just returned my Orchy 500 2010 purchased in May 2010.

The tent looks great and was very easy to put it up.My wife and I managed to assemble in 20 minutes.During our first trip with the tent, on the second day we've noticed that the black strap that goes across the tent in between the living area and the room looked was going to break at any moment and showed some stretching on the right side(not sure if guys are with me on this, but it's hard for to explain), the bottom line was that we got a little bit concerned but decided not to make a big deal about it.Anyway the second time we went camping one month later the same black strap became even worse and there was this velcro bit on both side but the one on the right wasn't working anymore. So we had to use paper binder to keep it together. It wasn't affecting anything, but was bothering us as this was a brand new tent and we put up correctly.S o third time of use for only 4 day, for my surprise the black strap completed tore apart and because the Velcro wasn't working and the binder wasn't strong enough to hold, the room collapsed on the right side.

Thanks to my wife we went to tesco and got some sewing kit and she managed to attached the Velcro bit otherwise we would had to come back home earlier. I did email vango from the camping on my phone and they did replied to me almost immediately apologizing for the issue and suggesting me to take the tent back to the retailer. As sooner we arrived this morning I took the tent to Cotswold in Kingston upon Thames and the team in there were absolutely fantastic. To my surprise I wasn't the first person who had the same issue and apparently vango is having quite a few problems about that. I truly believe they should be doing a recall for this. Anyway had lost all the trust in having another vango and replaced with a new Outwell Montana 6 which looks more robust. Looking forward to review in 2 weeks time. Thumbs down to Vango Orchy 500 2010 and thumbs Up to Cotswold Customer Service.

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46 User Reviews of the Orchy 500 - Showing 11 to 20 Page: 1 2 3 4 5

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Manufacturer's Description

Protex® 3000 polyester waterproof, durable and reliable
> Taped seams for waterproof protection
> Comfort colours darker over bedrooms for more restful sleep
> Storm skirt system waterproof exterior skirt system which creates dry comfort zones. Heavy duty oxford fabric used for strength and durability
> Flysheet first pitching inner tents are kept dry
> Guy tidy velcro holder allows guylines to be packed neatly, making re-pitching easier
> Colour coded poles match the poles to the sleeve tab for easy pitching
> Powerflex® fibreglass poles tough, sturdy and reliable
> Pre-angled poles improves angles of the walls resulting in more usable space and stability
> Front flysheet vents with covers allows continual airflow enhancing comfort
> PE waterproof groundsheet 5000HH minimum ensures dry inner tents
> Rain gutter zip covers keeps zips dry
> Sewn-in groundsheet fully enclosed to protect against unwanted draughts and bugs
> Drop down groundsheet at doors fillet and toggle system improves performance and comfort by eliminating gaps. Also a useful safety feature by removing tripping obstacles in doorways
> Front and side mesh doors reduces build up of condensation and keeps bugs out
> Mesh vents on inner allows continual airflow enhancing comfort
> Double zip windows flexible internal cover allowing choice between - light and vent, light only or vent only
> Pelmet aesthetic addition to conceal inner attachment points giving the interior a more finished look.
> Breathable fabric inner creates a comfortable sleeping area
> Parallel zip door allows the use of accessory King Poles to create a canopy for sheltered entry
> Carry bag oversized to ease the pack away and easy transportation
> Matching Accessories includes Sleeping Bags, Carpets, Furniture, Windbreaks, Sun Canopies, etc

Pack size: 72 x 29 x 26cm
Pitching area: 615 x 390cm
Pitching time: 2

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