Bought a new tent (rambling post!)

[OhYouBadBadKitten]

We've uhmmed and ahhed over getting a new tent for over a year now. Our old one leaked from the top down and the bottom up last trip. It was a small dome that had sitting up room height only. We did like it because it looked small and neat and could fit into odd spots but dd has this habit of growing so figured we ought to get something a little bigger.

We were going to get an Outwell colorado - its for 3 of us. I nearly ordered one on the internet but then dh found an outdoor display nearby.

So we traipsed along in the heavy rain and sleet this afternoon and admired lots of tents. The colorado we saw had loads of water coming in to the main bedroom - a huge puddle in there. Water was sitting in a dip on top of the tent and just running in. Obviously not been put up properly but it did make us think. Water also coming into living area.

Lots of other tents also had water coming in from various spots - apart from the unaffordable cotton gorgeous ones.

Then dh spotted a gelert utah 4+4. We went inside and wow - it looked so nice inside. Sturdy, warm and dry. Bit bigger than the outwell colorado but sooo much nicer. Cheaper too.

Need a bit of reassurance that its not a silly size: is 6.2mx3m. Thats ok isnt it?
The pack is big and takes up half our boot size - oops. I think that will be alright.

I'm awful. plan something for ages and when I finally do it, spend forever dithering I got the right thing and feeling guilty about the money.

[OhYouBadBadKitten]

I know it was long but was it that boring a post?

[purpleduck]

Badkitten
we got one of those last year.... remember May Bank holiday weekend? When it POURED???



It leaked!!!

Sorry.!!
And it wasn't THAT big. But then we have 2 kids and 2 dogs.

Luckily the site we bought it from took it back.

We have a VERY old frame tent which takes up, like ALL the boot space, but it is sooo warm and dry.

Trying to talk dh into a tent trailer

[purpleduck]

Just re-read post, and you have bought it already??

I would maybe waterproof.

But there was alot of wind as well, and a front pole thing snapped. We camp lots, and I don't think we put it up improperly.

[OhYouBadBadKitten]

oh no
I don't like leaks! I'll have to get it out next weekend and give it a good hosing down. We are going to the isle of Wight in a couple of weeks and I definitely don't want a leaky tent!

Thanks for letting me know!

[OhYouBadBadKitten]

How on earth did the pole snap? - have only had carbon fibre poles for a long time so I thought that we'd be safe with the steel poles - didnt know they could snap!

[OhYouBadBadKitten]

well I expect Isle of Wight (on top of a cliff) in april will be the perfect test and have told dh we will take it back if its not up to the job!

[purpleduck]

My memory is a bit hazy....

There was alot of wind (and rain), and there is that front awning thing... it flapped around so much (even though we had the ropes as secure as we could) and either the pole snapped, or the tent ripped.

We had to come home a day early, and the broken awning thing was just the icing on the cake to send it back.

It was the first time we used it as well.

BUT, maybe waterproof, and not have the awning up in direct winds.
We were in a quite open spot, and the wind (and rain, did I mention the rain!!) was really hammering us.

BUT, before we bought it, we looked at lots of reviews, and people seemed happy with it. Maybe ours was just a dud?

[OhYouBadBadKitten]

lol, thanks purpleduck. We are going to get it out next Sunday and give it a good waterproofing - so fingers crossed!

[purpleduck]

Good Luck