Which Vango tent? Diablo or Colorado HELP!!

[Lucycat]

I have finally convinced dh that the only way for us to have a reasonably priced family holiday is to buy a tent and go camping!! Yey!

Thought it would be easy to choose a tent, but after a visit to 'Camperlands', we are even more confused.
We think we would like the Diablo 900, but is it an issue that you have to pitch the inner first? What do you do if it's raining? Is it REALLY huge / difficult to put up?
on the other hand the Colorado 800DLX goes up flysheet first but doesn't have the long porch bit to put the cooker etc in.

Help.... all advice / experience of either tent would be most welcome! Help us decide!! ta

[Lucycat]

Have all the campers gone camping?

[KBear]

Where's Camperlands? We are like you - decided that camping is the way to go for a good cheap holiday but feel like such a novice!

[Lucycat]

Camperlands is in South Manchester, but someone recommended that we get along to Yeomans outdoor exhibitions as well. I googled them and there are a few all over the place.

I just can't see how we'd fit everything in the car!!

[woollybaalamp]

We have a Vango Vista 800DLX - from Camperlands! It is huge, and relatively easy to put up because it's a tunnel. This bit makes me laugh though - "3-pocket valise style carry bag, easy to pack and go" - I can't even lift it, let alone carry it.

We were confused too and I wanted a Colorado/Diablo type cos I like the 3 bedroom wings but DH said he wanted a tunnel because it's easier to put up. It has one double bedroom and 2 singles, and if you leave one of the singles out you get a massive storage space instead.

Camperlands don't have it on their new website but wildday do - the picture is of a 600 though which has only half the living space in the middle - ours is 25 feet long. It costs more than the Diablo or Colorado though.

HTH (probably not )

[Lucycat]

Many thanks woolly! Where do you put your cooker etc? inside or in the porch? we have a 2 year old who would love to 'help' given the chance!! so we wanted somewhere to keep it 'safe'

ooh just looked at the Vango booklet - I like the Vista are you trying to confuse us even more?

[Lucycat]

Does the Vista have a 'back door'? or any windows?

[woollybaalamp]

Well we've only used it twice so far and both times the weather has been fine and we've put the cooker outside. You're really not supposed to use them inside a nylon tent (we used to have a huge canvas frame tent but the poles got bent and we dumped it, I do miss it )

It's OK to use the stove under an open awning - would recommend getting a windbreak - but you really shouldn't use it inside. (There are openings at both ends and either side so lots of scope for avoiding weather) (obv you can't use the opening behind the double bedroom!)

[woollybaalamp]

Windows either side too (in the awnings when they're zipped up)

You also get 2 fab pocket wall hanging things - part of the tent - makes the £350 well worth spending

[Lucycat]

Think I'm going to have to rename this thread the tbs vista!!

The more we look at this the more attractive it seems - and the putting up thing will play a big part - we have 2 dd's age 5 and 2!!

Wildday do it for £326, seems like a good deal!

What else would you say we needed to buy? ( apart from sleeping bags/table/cooker...)

[woollybaalamp]

Great ancient thread here about setting up for camping with small children, lucycat; I posted on it but am a bit OTT about how much you need , Katherine is your best guide I think.

[happymerryberries]

Just to throw another idea at you we have an Outwell Colorado 8 and it is just fab! It is 6 foot high in the bedrooms which we love and has masses of room, lots of doors for ventilation and windowns in the living area. It takes us 25 minutes to put it up, a dream of a tent.

outwell colorado 8

[woollybaalamp]

I knew you would be here soon, hmb (couldn't remember which was your tent though!)

hmb's tent is v similar in size and layout to the Vango Vista but is quite a lot cheaper - definitely worth thinking about.

(Not sure if Camperlands have it but you can easily get it elsewhere if they don't).

[happymerryberries]

We got ours for about 250. they now have a posher vesion, the Montana, but that is more expensive. Nice though.

the Vangos are great but I find them a bit dark if the weather is dodgy. the Outwell Colorado is nice and light and has great head room

[woollybaalamp]

Our Vango has a sort of skylight - the roof of the 2 middle bits is white nylon now instead of blue - it makes a big difference!

[Lucycat]

hmb - thanks for that! the best price I can see for the colorado 8 is £273, for the same price as the Vista we could get the side canopy as well! Have you got one? Would we honestly need one?

I especially like the removable bedrooms/flysheet up first and the fact that you can put it up in about 30 mins! Ticks all the boxes!!

[Lucycat]

wbl - I was just wondering whether JanH had seen this thread as she's been on a few other camping threads - then I saw the 'evacuation' thread and all is clear!!

ooooh you name-changer you

[woollybaalamp]

hunker and miaou made me do it, miss

[Lucycat]

as long as we know who you are......... this tent business is hurting my head and it's not taking much to confooze me

[happymerryberries]

We havn't got a side canopy, but I saw one last weekend on a colorado 5 and it looked fab!!! I want one!!!

The bed rooms all have fully sewn in ground sheets but the living area doesn't, it is loose and you fit it after you pitch the tent (sounds barking but it is dead easy.

It took us 50 mins the first time we pitched it, 35 the second and 25 the third!

There are three bedrooms, we put on kid in each of the small ones and have the big one to ourselves! On;y draw back is that isn't much by way of tent tidies, pockets.

It isb't as big as the three bedroom vangos I have seen, but I like the 6 foot height in the bed rooms

[woollybaalamp]

Have just reread what I first put about the Vista - you have probably figured it out anyway lc, but when I said 1 double and 2 singles I meant 1 4-berth (with a dividing curtain) and 2 2-berths, all of which can be used or not as the whim takes you.

Like hmb's Colorado the bedrooms have sewn-in groundsheets but the main groundsheet is separate. One of the extra bits of gubbins in the Vista is cross-bracing straps in front of the bedrooms for when it's windy, to stop it flapping and give it more stability.

It is very tall in the living area but slightly less so in the bedrooms.

HTH (more !!!)

[Lucycat]

Ok so now I am an official camping spod - I have registered with ukcamping - it's an absolute minefield! This might take over from my eBay addiction - to run alongside mn of course

[happymerryberries]

I'll see you there Lucy