Vango Equinox 350 Tent Reviews and Details

Tent Reviews: Vango Equinox 350

Tent and Awning Reviews Index > Vango > Equinox 350 Reviews

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

Yes
3 (more 3 berth tents)
5.30 KG
Ł260.00
1
N/A
In one

Average User Rating:

8/10 from 15 reviews

Viewed: 52475 times

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15 Reviews of the Equinox 350 Showing 01 to 10 Page: 1 2

By: Xbob Reason: I own(ed) one Made in: 2006 Rating: 5 from 10

This was a really good tent. Well designed and very nicely put together.

There was one fatal flaw.

Very soon after I bought it, the ground sheet leaked badly after a short squall of wet weather over at Park Farm, Crickhowell.

Some pals of mine had exactly the same problem.

The ground sheets were not a patch on the old orange Vango tents with the green ground sheet.

The supplier did replace the tent, but ever after, I was uneasy about using it in heavy weather.

Whilst the supplier ummmed and ahhhed, I saw a Coleman Bi Space at a good price so I bought that too.

It was amazing and the best tent I ever owned.

Sadly, Coleman have stopped producing anything of quality.The Bi Space is gone now and the Equinox hasn't had an outing in years.

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By: Nick McP Reason: I own(ed) one Made in: 2014 Rating: 10 from 10

Used this tent for motorcycling holiday. The package size and weight is actually very good, will fit on the back of a Honda Fire blade along with panniers.

Sleeping compartment is spacious for 2 adults with plenty of space for 2 airbeds.

Front compartment great for storing leathers etc and for sitting in when raining.

Weather wasn't that good through the nights but never any concerns about leaks etc. All in all an excellent tent.

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

Bought this tent in 2011 to replace a Equinox 350 TSB bought back in mid 1990's I believe it was 1996. The old tent had been totally reliable and had withstood serious storms with no damage, and keep all within dry.Only changed it because the flysheet was showing the effect of extensive UV exposure. BUT the new tent is just over 1 year old and I have had the same problem Stephen R has had, pole snap. The pole snaps off through one of the small indents made to hold the Ferrel in place. If the breakage was caused by not fully inserting then the breakage would be in the socket end of the other pole and not in the ferrel end. Any sharp corner or impinge in metal is a concentration point for stress, the poles of the old tent did not have 4 indents to hold the ferrel in place - hence they never snapped. Come on Vango get your act together and put these poles right. Sadly I cannot trust this tent and since a tent can be (and often is in my camping) essential for survival having a unreliable tent is no option in wild places. I've bit the bullet actually I've increased my overdraft :-) and bought a Hilleberg Nammitj GT3. Sorry that the new Vango was not as dependable as the old one that proved such a good place to be in stormy weather.

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By: Speyside Sally Reason: I own(ed) one Made in: 2011 Rating: 9 from 10

Great tent! Very roomy for myself and my two sons (15 and 12). We can all sit in the porch on camp chairs and cook. Very easy to erect. Very sturdy and stable in high winds. Keeps atrocious rain out. We have the footprint and have never had the groundsheet wet up through it.

The only gripe I have is the vinyl 'windows'. They serve no purpose and attract condensation which never seems to dry up like the condensation on the rest of the tent. It just needs a wipe with a towel though so not a big problem.

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

Solid construction, easy to live with, seen some big weather (snowdonia, lakes and dark peak) No problems apart from a broken guy rope ring and slight water ingress on tbs in sleeping area on one occasion when a submarine would have been wet on the inside. We paid Ł100 from go out doors in sale, proper bargain. Buy one and get out there!

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By: Stephen_R Reason: I own(ed) one Made in: 2009 Rating: 1 from 10

I have major concerns about the Vango equinox 350 tent and Vango customer service in general. In perfect weather, on my 6th outing (with a practically brand new equinox 350), the font pole randomly snapped just above the join on the 3rd or 4th pole at the side of the porch. The tent had been up for one night. When the pole snapped it punctured a small hole through the sleeve. I fixed this initial break with the single small alloy sleeve provided as part of the in-tent repair kit. Having had no previous issues with Vango tents I was very surprised by this incident and wrote it off as a once off.

The next week I took the tent out on a small expedition for my holidays. Shortly after erecting the tent the second pole snapped in the middle sleeve ripping a large 12inch tear in the sleeve. Having already used the single pole repair piece provided I had to make do with a temporary duct tape fix. Shortly afterwards the third pole snapped in exactly the same way, just above a join at the rear of the tent. The tent was pretty much useless forcing me to cut my holiday short.

These breakages happened in the same fashion on all 3 poles, just above where the poles are joined. I am a very experienced camper and outdoors person and I am always extremely careful in taking care of my tents, particularly when putting them up or taking them down.

This was clearly a faulty set of poles so I returned the tent to Vango via my retailer (Jackson’s Sports). Vango informed me that I had failed to put the tent up properly and that I would have to spend over Ł75 for a repair job to a tent that retails at almost Ł300. They claim I had not connected the poles together properly when erecting the tent. I consider it virtually impossible not to connect the linked poles together properly. It is simply not possible to push the poles through the sleeve if they are not connected properly! The poles were properly connected on all occasions and the tension bands were not connected, yet Vango refuse to repair or replace this clearly faulty tent that broke in the same way on 3 separate occasions in mild weather. As far as I am concerned this tent is Ł300 down the drain

Prior to purchasing the latest equinox 350 I had nothing but praise for Vango tents. I had 10 years excellent heavy use out of my original Equinox 350 so I did not hesitate to purchase this new version. After this experience and the complete lack of respect I received during several phone calls with Vango customer service I will never purchase a Vango tent or product again.

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

I bought my Equinox in August 2009 after reading the reviews on this site, as I was buying a tent to take camping in the Western Isles of Scotland for three weeks and needed something up to the job. I'd owned a Vango Stealth 300 for many years, and while a great tent, its size, weight and lengthy time to put up meant it wasn't suitable for one-night stops in Scotland. I'm very glad I went for the Equinox as it coped with everything the Scottish weather threw at it. It never leaked in the most incessant rain, even when I could feel rain water literally flowing under the (rather thin) built-in groundsheet. It coped with gale force winds on Skye, although the poles were bent a bit afterwards. They can be bent back straight though. A small price to pay considering other tents around me had been blown to bits.

It's very spacious considering its size too. I was forced to spend a few evenings in due to rain and there was plenty of room to sit in the porch at a table in my chair and be comfortable.

I've since taken it to a few other campsites about the country and to both the Isle of Wight and Latitude festivals and it's been great. There are a few things to point out, though. There's no groundsheet included for the porch area, to keep down weight. This isn't a problem on manicured campsites and actually brings a nice 'outside in' feel, even when it's raining outside. On rougher ground, though, like the fields you end up in at festivals I'd recommend buying Vango's generic 200x200cm groundsheet to put in the porch and partway under the inner tent. There is a footprint available for the entire tent but it's pricey and adds to the weight.

Also, I've had two of the corner guy lines break, as the rings used are plastic, which can snap in extreme conditions. I fixed these easily by replacing the broken plastic rings with steel washers. Not a deal-breaker by any means but something to mention. Maybe Vango will replace these plastic rings with tougher aluminium ones in future revisions.

All in all, I whole-heartedly recommend this tent. It's easy and quick to put up, has tons of space for all your stuff, a huge porch you can spend time in, it's (mostly) made from tough materials, looks good and is light and compact when packed away. The fact that Vango have made versions of the Equinox for many years is testament to its quality and I will definitely buy one in future should any catastrophe befall mine. You get what you pay for and the Equinox is definitely worth the extra.

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By: Mike Logan Reason: I own(ed) one Made in: 2004 Rating: 10 from 10

The finest tent out. Being retired, I can go camping when I want to,spring,summer, autumn and winter. This tent is so easy to erect by one person (O.A.P) and is still as good as new after being subjected to all weathers in the Highlands and Islands, Snowdonia and other areas in all four seasons. I hope I can still keep going as long as the tent will do. What better, than battening the hatches down, lighting your gaz lantern and having a wee tot sat in a comfortable camping chair, knowing and having the peace of mind that the tent will withstand everything thrown at it and I mean everything, gale force winds, rain, hail and snow. What a great little tent.

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

I bought this tent for our trip to the Scilly Isles after hearing how windy it gets there and needing a stronger tent and lighter one compared to the Vango Diablo 600 I also have.

First impressions were amazing. I had seen the tent pitched but to feel how light weight the poles and pegs were put a big smile on my face, I know know why I paid so much for it (Ł180 - Go Outdoors) compared to another 3 man tent.

Feeding the poles into the strong pole sleeves was easy and again the construction is great. Pegging it out was easy and the guy line cleats were simple but easy to use. From out the bag to pitched was very quick, prob the 10-15 minutes it states.

The tent itself is impressive with the TBS system and the extra living space, next time I will take a ground sheet with me though, kept getting grass inside the tent, only thing it could have as an addition.

We also pitched the Vango Canopy with the Equinox, see pictures, its not designed for the tent but gave us an extra living area when the weather started to turn.

Overall very impressed with it.

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By: Leafletter Reason: I own(ed) one Made in: 2003 Rating: 10 from 10

We bought this tent to replace our earlier dome tent because we saw how well one performed while camping on the west coast of Scotland in truly appalling weather.

We have never regretted buying it as it feels like a fortress. The unpredictable wet and windy summers we are now having mean that the sense of security that comes from such a bombproof shelter is priceless. The main reason for this is the TBS system which is Vango's patented arrangement of tapes and clips that create triangular strengtheners to give sideways stability - something tunnel tents usually lack.

We have never experienced leaking either from the TBS straps, or from the groundsheet but then we always put a p.E. Tarp down first to keep the tent clean.

Any tent made of polyester or nylon is going to suffer from condensation - the Equinox is no different. If people don't want condensation then they have to get a cotton tent (or a tarp and hammock!) Likewise, any tent including the Equinox will heat up inside especially if pitched in the sun and kept zipped up.

We are pleased that our model predates the clear windows which some users say become discoloured and cloudy quickly. Also the doors, which are on both sides of the tent, can be opened for a through draught and on our tent can be lifted onto awning poles (supplied by good old Touchwoods in Oxford) as a sunshade or rain porch, while leaving no-see-um mesh doors closed if wanted. In later models the design of the doors has changed.

In fact, to be perfectly honest, we checked out some Vango tents at an outdoor shop recently, and I felt that the finish and quality of the current Equinox was poor compared to the one we bought. There is so much competition from other makes of cheap but good tents that I would think very carefully before buying one of the latest models, but wouldn't hesitate to buy another one of 2003 vintage.

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15 User Reviews of the Equinox 350 - Showing 01 to 10 Page: 1 2

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Manufacturer's Description

With exceptional storage and magnificent sleeping compartments the Equinox is an obvious choice for multi-activity outdoor worshippers, cyclists, climbers, paddlers, trekkers and all round adventurers who want a solid base camp or portable palace.

# Vango Equinox 350 features 70D ripstop polyester inner breathable with a water resistant coating
# Tunnel construction excellent space to weight ratio
# Flat external pole sleeves sleek, wind shedding surface, flysheet hugs the poles increasing rigidity
# Flysheet first pitching keeps inner tent dry when pitching in wet conditions
# Vango Equinox 350 features pole sleeve tension adjustment compresses pole structure and tensions flysheet for maximum performance
# 2 doors in flysheet use the correct door to suit the wind direction
# Extended porch area excellent storage for bike touring or just those with lots of kit
# Mesh door cover in one flysheet door extra flysheet venting
# Vango Equinox 350 features crystal clear windows get an up-to-date weather forecast from your sleeping bag
# Flysheet vents makes the inner environment more comfortable
# Reflective piping find your tent in the dark
# Seam taped fly and groundsheet
# Vango Equinox 350 features inner tent attachment clips for attaching and removing the inner
# 'O' shaped inner doors one handed, one operation zip opening and closing
# Half mesh inner doors with cover variable ventilation
# Inner tent pockets for all your bits and pieces
# Vango Equinox 350 features porch pockets handy place off the ground to store vital equipment
# Footprint groundsheet available protects inner tent and your gear
# 3-in-1 option combine the footprint with only the flysheet, or use fly, inner and groundsheet for more comfort
# Compression stuffsac easy pack and go
# Vango Equinox 350 includes a repair kit

... there may be more info on their website

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