Vango Beta 250 Tent Reviews and Details

Tent Reviews: Vango Beta 250

Tent and Awning Reviews Index > Vango > Beta 250 Reviews

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

Yes
2 (more 2 berth tents)
4.90 KG
Ł70.00
1
Standard
Fly first

Average User Rating:

9.2/10 from 10 reviews

Viewed: 47113 times

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10 Reviews of the Beta 250

By: Jesse1 Reason: Other Made in: 2001 Rating: 10 from 10

It appears that this tent is now discontinued, at least in the UK. At the time of writing there are a couple of sellers on Gumtree, but no retailers as far as I can see are selling it. A shame, because the reviews are so good.

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

I'm only assuming its a 2009 as I bought it only slightly second hand in 2010 and think it was fairly young then! I bought it to go off camping with friends when we go walking, so was only ever really meant to be for one. Its great for 1 for a weekend, plenty of room for a single sleep with your bags next to you, and room in the front porch for your other bits like cooking stove, boots. Whatever.

Some of the other reviews mention head height is ok in the porch when used with a chair but I've never bothered attempting this. It feels claustrophobic enough above the head when sat on the ground sheet to not bother! When I bought it it has been pitched twice and was still in perfect condition. My first time using it was in Wales, July 2010 when we had a freaky weekend of terrible torrential rain and extremely high winds which destroyed a few tents on the campsite. It woke me many times during the night thinking we were all blowing away but it stayed up brilliantly. It was pitched with the back end into the oncoming high winds and the poles 'slinky-d' back and forth with the wind, supported by the guy lines really well and I was still in Wales in the morning! Not a leak in sight either, however my friend has the same tent but an older, very well used, sun bleached one and her ground sheet leaked a treat! We recently overnighted near Skipton and had a slightly rainy night in September and again it was totally fine.

With two in it though there isn't a great deal of room for anything but your person in the bedroom, and I get nervous leaving things in the porch as the groundsheet isn't attached at the sides and if you're not careful water might run onto it and puddle round your stuff. Another reviewer mentioned that the head height in the bedroom on an air bed is rather tight. Ours are hi-gear flocked blow up mattresses, and they're pretty tall. Laying on these your eyelashes are almost tickled by the roof - well, almost!

Its a great little tent for two for one night, or yourself for a long weekend or possibly even more if you don't mind crawling around in it for that long. I will be keeping it til its well and truly conked and I'm sure it'll see me through many, many rainy camps when I'm using it on my own. Its a bit too cramped for two for any length of time in my opinion, hence why we've just added a Gelert Ottawa 4 to our tent collection :D

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

My only previous tent was an instant pop up one so I wasn't sure if I would be able to do it as a lone camper but its brilliant.

The three poles are colour coded but not in an obvious way to me so spent a couple of minutes working this out. Can easily get the tent up from start to finish in normal conditions in under 20 minutes. May be faster but have never really times it. As there is only little old me space is not an issue and also I am only short so no problems on the length side of things. I tend to use my bed straight down the middle part of the bedroom and plenty of space for my rucksacks and other stuff.

Bedroom is high enough for me to kneel up and get dressed, and has a mesh type bit on top of the zipped door to allow for good air flow if you want it but without any flies getting in.There are handy pockets too which I keep my phone, torch in etc.

The main bit is big enough for me to sit in a chair in and read a book in the evening or when its wet.

Last time I used it on Dartmoor I had a very very windy night and wondered if it would stand up to it but all was good.

The sleeping area is easy to put up and there is a built in ground sheet which forms the floor in the main area of the tent.

I think this little tent is excellent but then there is only me so space isn't a problem. If you are taller than average and there are two people then I suggest you find one and lie in it to see if you can fit in

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

We bought our Vango Beta 250 to get back into camping in 2008 after a short gap from going away with my parents when younger. We chose the Beta 250 as it had the large porch area with built in ground sheet whilst still being lightweight and not taking up much room in the car.

Pitching the tent was a doddle thanks to the three hoops, the middle one being lightly longer and being able to pitch the outer and inner tent as one.

We camped in the tent in both sunny and rainy conditions and could not fault it at all for space. There was plenty of room in the porch to store all your bags and cook if it was raining.

We have since sold the tent and upgraded to a campervan as we now go off most weekends so wanted more of a home from home and the ability to camp in any weather without my partner complaining!

Our only fault with the tent was that if you have an airbed your head gets very near the sides of the inner tent which sometimes caused it to touch the outer and get damp. This was our choice of bedding and newer models might have improved this.

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

Rather than re-pole my 1970's tunnel tent I decided to buy a new one and picked up the Vango Beta 250 in a sale at Millets for just Ł29.99.

What a brilliant decision and what an excellent tent.

I took it to The Peak District for Bank Holiday weekend. As to be expected for a UK Bank Holiday the weather was 'variable' - torrential rain with gale force winds! But this little tent held up perfectly. No water ingress, no damage to poles, guy lines or canvass.

Plenty of space inside the sleeping area for me and my kit and tall enough to kneel up when getting dressed.

The 'porch' area was brilliant for storage and cooking. The sewn in groundsheet is an excellent idea, no slipage and no ingress of rain. Tall enough to site in there quite comfortably and cook when the weather wasn't so kind.

Having openings on both sides is another plus, allowing you to either let the sun in or keep the wind and rain out - your choice.

Very easy and quick to put up and take down, The inner can stay in place after the first time as well which is an added bonus. And a big plus - it fitted back in the bag very easily!

A great tent for one person, imagine it could be a little cosy for two.

This tent is also small and light enough to go on the back of the push-bike - I will let you know how that one works out !

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

First proper tent for me and the lad (8) to go camping in. Very bijoux. Should really have gone for a 3 or 4 man tent. Tent itself is easy to erect and waterproof in light rain (not tested in anything heavier). No condensation problems. Easy to get back in bag. Perhaps ideal for one-man car-camping, especially with a little stool that would allow you to sit in the vestibule area.

Only concern so far is the poles. Have had the tent up 4 or 5 times now for a couple of days each time. The poles are looking a bit bent when connected (well, they've got to be!) but the fibreglass is turning a bit white near the spigots and so I'm treating it with care from now on.

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By: Hugzee Reason: I own(ed) one Made in: 2010 Rating: 5 from 10

This is the second Vango tent I've owned (and the third tunnel type - I guess I just like the design).

While the first Vango (a Gamma 250) was great and lasted a fair old time, this Beta 250 hasn't fared quite so well. I bought it at the end of May and first use was up at Fort William on a glorious weekend. On the second erection towards the end of June I noticed that a ferrule at the end of one pole section had become oval and split. Thankfully it was another glorious weekend so no stress was put on the tent. On taking the tent down I also noticed that another pole section had already started to split.

So it's had two very gentle weekends and one set of poles is virtually unusable. Not the best start to the life of a tent.

That aside the design has a few improvements over my old Gamma 250. The central pole is longer then the two end ones meaning the tent is slightly higher in the middle. This gives a tiny bit more headroom and with a low chair you can sit inside if the weather is inclement. Also the porch area groundsheet is attached to the inner which means no more faffing around with an extra bit of plastic. Pole sleeves seem more sturdy than the old tent too, which was one of the reason I was looking for a new tent, the old one getting a bit worn in that area.

Sadly with the pole problems I feel I can only give tent a rating of 5/10

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

Fantastic tent easy to put up and put away. Once the inner is attached it can be left attached. Plenty of space for your gear and 2 people and you can sit in the tent when its raining on a small chair. It rained a bit on my first trip during the night but not enough to test the tent but from the quality I think it would cope well. All in all a bargain from go outdoors.

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By: T Rev Reason: I own(ed) one Made in: 2008 Rating: 10 from 10

I bought this tent after spending many hours trawling the reviews of other tents as we we were looking for a smaller tent for quick weekends away. I nearly bought the 350 but decided the 250 would be ok as sometimes I camp on my own if my girlfriend can't make it (we have a larger tent which is great for extended holidays). We often go away for sailing regattas & camping has proved a lot cheaper than B&B's.

The VANGO 250 has proved to be an excellent investment, it has all the room we need for a quick overnight stop & is very easy to pitch & pack away, which is important for us as sailing regattas tend to get started fairly early so we need to pack up ASAP to get to the lake on time. This tent also allows us some room to cook breakfast in the mornings & gives us more than just a sleeping area in the evenings, also it has stood up to the worst weather we have encountered whilst camping. An excellent tent that won't let you down in any way at all.

We paid Ł65.00 for the tent including postage. (2 nights in a B&B, what more can I say!)

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

Smaller version of the Vango Beta 350, this is billed as a two-person tent by the manufacturer.

I also own an 8-person and a 4-person tent, each serving a different purpose, so this 2-person tent was bought to allow quick weekends away, either with my daughter or with my dog.

I really have nothing but praise for this tent.

Used it several times now for a quick weekend away. It pitches easily and quickly alone (understandably the dog lacks the opposing thumb to help).

Pitches fly-first then clipping in the inner or all-in-one if you leave the bedroom clipped in. The inner has the great combination of the bedroom area having a SIG for that added protection from draughts and the porch area being a standard ground sheet stiched to the bedroom inner. The combination of the SIG/stiched ground sheet means that you have enough ventilation in the porch area to use a parabolic heater (not that you should, but cold mornings are still cold mornings) and be snug in your bag when in the bedroom.

Porch area is large enough for all equipment, has two doors, one of which can have the outer unzipped and the inner bug-mesh still closed providing you with ventilation on hot nights.

The sleeping area is perfect size for a self-inflating camp mat, easily sleeps two people or one person/dog, but you may struggle to fit an inflatable in there. Pockets near your head area to keep things close at hand, a nice touch with a head height unzippable viewing/bug net section on the bedroom door.

Has withstood all weather that has been thrown at it easily and although 4.9kg isn't the lightest 2-person tent you'll find, it's certainly not so heavy that you can't strap it to your back for a while.

Great value for money and certainly a great 2-person unit, providing pretty much everything I want from a tent for this purpose.

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Manufacturer's Description

This versatile tunnel design, features a huge porch area with double entrance, which can be used for gear storage, bikes and provisions. The higher central pole makes the porch area spacious enough to be also used as living space if the weather dictates 'inside is better than out'.

Specifications

* As one or flysheet first pitching simple and quick to pitch
* Fire Retardant fabrics reduces the possibility of ignition from naked flames
* Protex 2000 polyester waterproof, durable and reliable
* Taped seams for waterproof protection
* Crystal Clear windows allows maximum light into living area
* Side mesh door allows door to be left open for insect free ventilation
* Rain gutter zip cover covers and diverts rain flow away from the zip
* Pre-attached guylines with guy tidies improves pitching and re-pitching speed
* O ring guylines reduces the number of separate guylines and pegs required
* Reinforcement points extra strength on tension areas of the flysheet
* Reflective webbing find your tent at night or in adverse conditions
* Reflective zip pullers on external doors easy to find in darkening conditions
* Heavy duty polesleeves ensures even distribution of tension
* Powerflex Fibreglass poles tough, sturdy and reliable
* Colour coded poles match the pole to the sleeve tab for easy pitching
* Ring and pin system simple and secure pole attachment
* Front mesh vents allow continual airflow to enhance comfort
* Breathable fabric inner creates a comfortable sleeping area
* Polyethylene 10,000HH groundsheet strong, sturdy, waterproof protection
* Inner pockets keeps those essentials close at hand
* Handled carry bag for easy pack-and-go
* Repair Kit for that unforeseen emergency

... there may be more info on their website

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