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Our UK Camping forum has all the information you need on finding the right equipment for your tent or caravan.

Our UK Camping forum has all the information you need on finding the right equipment for your tent or caravan.

Camping

Anyone got a QUECHUA tent?

17 replies

Thomcat · 06/07/2008 19:51

DP really wants one.

Have a look

They pop up, no poles etc.

You can buy base unit and then buy pop up bedrooms that attach to main base unit.

Anyone have one?
Are they any good?
I know they are sexy but with 3 girls and a few South of France camping holidays planned, plus the odd UK family festival, am I going to regret this purchase in 5 years time?

OP posts:

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DLeeds · 06/07/2008 20:00

I've seen them in the flesh and they look great, I think. I had a try and could put them up and down ok (am 5'4"). But all serious tenting folk have laughed at me. there is a thread on UK Campsite but the search function is down atm. will check later.

Thomcat · 06/07/2008 20:00

Thanks DLeeds

OP posts:

DLeeds · 06/07/2008 20:15

I still might get one though. I have a thing about being able to stand up in tents!

surprise · 06/07/2008 20:21

I think they'd be great for a festival or a night or two, but basically you'd have nowhere to store stuff if it rains, nor any kind of porch. Not good for a fortnight's holiday imo.

Hulababy · 06/07/2008 20:24

We have a 3 man one and it is just big enough for me, DH and 6yo DD for a night.

They go up rea;lly fast - fab! Takes a bit longer to put them down, but I manage it eventually.

We are only one night away every year or two type campers, so perfectly good enough for us; probably not if doing much more though.

DLeeds · 06/07/2008 20:24

I would have one more for weekends and overnights when a half hour set up seems too long. Quite expensive for that use though.

snorkle · 06/07/2008 23:18

we have and use two 2" tents - great for a short camp or if you're touring and especially if the weather's reliably good. If camping for more than a couple of nights in the UK we'd usually take something bigger.

I looked at the base units with interest - not seen them before. But they're quite pricey! Why not just use a gazebo?

Surfette · 07/07/2008 08:08

We have a pop up tent from the original range and love it. Have used it in the past for 2 week holidays but agree that ideally you need to be able to stand up.

We were away last weekend with friends who have two 3" pop ups and a base and use them in combination. This worked really well and meant they had effectively a tent with two pods and a communal area which they could theoretically get to without getting wet (as the flaps of the base cover the entrance of the tents). Don't know if it worked though rain-wise as it was a dry weekend.

Once they had got the hang of the pop up mechanism (there is a technique for taking them down which takes a while to master the first time you do it) the whole putting up/taking down palaver was really quick (unlike the family tents the other families we were with had). In fact, one of the others left the site to go straight to Decathlon to buy the pop-ups/base tent combo for their fortnight's holiday precisely because they were fed up spending hours putting their tent up and were so impressed with the Quechua arrangement.

Also, I think there can be an issue with gazebos as they are not very stable and have a nasty habit of coming loose and flying round a campsite. See ukcampsite.co.uk for some nasty threads on the subject!

Blandmum · 07/07/2008 08:27

I'm going to buy the base seconds full today. We will be doing 3 day 'blocks' of campig this year. If it works I'm going to buy two of the sleeping pods for next years 6 week touring extraveganza

DLeeds · 07/07/2008 10:51

uk campsite is back up on search

here is one review

and another

and finally a short review

UK Campsite folk are very earnest and serious about tents so I would tend to trust their reviews.

DLeeds · 07/07/2008 10:57

I think the problem with gazebos is the wind gets under the canopy and lifts them off the ground (with the possibility of damaging other peoples tents with poles and bits).

The base tent does say close the doors when windy (which you would anyway if out) and is pegged down so I don't see much of an issue. (I think).

Blandmum · 07/07/2008 14:37

I bought a Base secods full today. It is great

It was set up with a pup tent under the awning, and even with detatching it from a base secon tend and a pup tent, it too less than 10 minytes to fold away/

And it really did pop up in seconds. Guying it out would only take 5 minutes.

I bought the sleeping inner and that will do the three of us for this years short term camping. If it is a sucess I'll look into getting the 2" tents for the kids to sleep in to give us more room.

Lucycat · 07/07/2008 14:57

ooh welcome to the Quechua popup club Martianbishop!

I have 2 of them, a 3 and a 2 person one - I have also purchased the tarp to put between them so we can link them sort of.

We shall be using them for overnight stops in France mainly as they don't really have enough room for 'family camping' iykwim

but they are very cool - there was a great photo in 'Camping' magazine last year of 30 of them in a campsite in London - they were French students and they'd corraled them - all different colours - tres cute!

Blandmum · 07/07/2008 15:00

with the base seconds full and two of the 2" pop ups andhalf hoping that this would be enough for the three of us for the tour of France next year....it would significan;t cut down on pitching/ taking down time and also space in the car.

My colorado is fab, but is a beast to transport and much more of a faff to put up.

With this, staying for a few days and then moving on seems really viable.

I've also bough some fat airics, so I'm stripping us back to basics!

snorkle · 07/07/2008 15:37

OK, I've seen gazebos used like that in France, but the weather's better there and I expect people take them down when it's windy - not being able to zip them up would be a bit of a disadvantage too.

Hmm - getting tent envy here - I want one of the full ones! Do you think they'll be discounted in the autumn and can I survive this summer without one?

snorkle · 07/07/2008 15:41

MB we toured France with just two 2" pop ups no trouble (the weather was good - might have been a pain if not). Our fastest 'decamp' time (to get all tents, sleeping bags, air mats and stuff packed & in the car was 4 minutes - Fab!

Blandmum · 07/07/2008 15:50

That is the sort of thing that I'm thinking about. I wasn't to get down south, and will need to break the journey several times on the way down and cack up, but just don'#t want a huge faff each time we move.

This tent looks so good. I'll be testing it in August this year and I can't wait

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