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Original poster

Best tents for festivals and teens

23 replies

regularbutpanickingabit · 08/12/2021 18:06

Just that really! Looking to buy a Christmas present tent for a teen going to a summer festival next year. Likely to be trashed, but needs to be big enough for a big guy and very easy to put up.

Any suggestions? I know a lot of these tents get ditched which seems a total waste but I don't want to spend a fortune on something that might not get back or not get back in a good state.

Teen is going with LOTS of friends but i don't know if they are planning to share tents or get individual ones so any recommendations from those who have had kids going before would be very welcome.

Thank you!

OP posts:

Original poster

regularbutpanickingabit · 09/12/2021 07:11

Does anyone have any recommendations for tents? Or festival-related gifts at all? Thank you!

OP posts:

rwalker · 09/12/2021 07:19

Make sure it's a pop up one

Original poster

regularbutpanickingabit · 09/12/2021 17:21

Ok thank you. Pop up sounds good. Does anyone have any ideas of which one?

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ODFOgrinch · 09/12/2021 17:43

Get a 3 man pop-up with a double skin so he doesn't end up with all his kit damp with condensation: the single skin ones get dumped at festivals because they are rubbish. Quechua are excellent and very good value.

Seeline · 09/12/2021 17:47

Some of the Decathlon ones are very good value. My DS had one for Reading a couple of years back. He had a 2 man as he wanted for other things too. His wasn't pop up but a very simple frame.

CatDogAlpaca · 09/12/2021 17:48

Fresh'n'black tents are great. Decathlon do them.

Thefuturestory · 09/12/2021 17:50

Like others have said. Quechua and Decathlon.
Best gift is showing him in spring how to use it and have dummy runs and that you expect him not to trash and ditch!

ikeptgoing · 09/12/2021 17:53

I love the 2 or 3 pp pop up tents - that's what my 19 yo DS takes -. We bought ours from argos on deal for about £18- they are usually £20. They Open very quickly - simple - then you just peg down the lines. It takes a bit of twisting knack to get them done up again back into their bag- practice before they go.

I put them up inside our house when they get home to wipe down and air dry them if it was damp/wet or they will go musty

We use these as play tents in the garden in warm weather for younger DCs too! Such a bargain and don't take up much room in your store cupboard or under a bed

ikeptgoing · 09/12/2021 17:53

Sorry I meant usually about £20-25 full cost
I'll see if I can find what we buy. But others may find better models

musicalfrog · 09/12/2021 18:03

I think you should have higher standards, why is it expected that it will be trashed?

I know this is common at festivals BTW but that doesn't mean we should just give our kids a free pass to behave like this.

ikeptgoing · 09/12/2021 18:04

This- but we got them cheaper in sales as they go down to under £20

www.argos.co.uk/product/8464875?clickSR=slp:term:pop%20up%20tents:11:46:1

RaininSummer · 09/12/2021 18:05

I saw people with inflatable sofas at a festival this year. Might be fun.

Stellaris22 · 09/12/2021 18:06

Does it need to be trashed? It seems extremely wasteful and we should be teaching kids not to waste things.

Bell tents are absolutely lovely and need looking after, much better investment than giving a teen something that'll just be abandoned in a field.

Please don't encourage them to abandon tents in a field.

ikeptgoing · 09/12/2021 18:07

My DS has never trashed his tent and taken it to several festivals - he cleans it or gets dirty- and I am shocked people abandon their tents !!!

Why wouldn't they bring them home? It's awful to expect organisers to clean up 100s abandoned tents (I hope they can then donate them to homeless shelters but they'd have to clean them 😩 and the costs of taking so much rubbish to landfill 😶)

Clymene · 09/12/2021 18:12

@Stellaris22

Does it need to be trashed? It seems extremely wasteful and we should be teaching kids not to waste things.

Bell tents are absolutely lovely and need looking after, much better investment than giving a teen something that'll just be abandoned in a field.

Please don't encourage them to abandon tents in a field.

While I agree that the trend for dumping tents at the end of a festival is appalling, a bell tent is massive and weighs a ton. You can't carry one on your back

I'm guessing you're not a camper and haven't ever been to a festival

OP I would also look at Quechua. Depending on your budget, I'd get him a 2-3 man pop up tent, a SIM (self inflating mattress) and a flag on a pole. And a packet of biodegradable wet wipes.

Stellaris22 · 09/12/2021 18:15

I'm actually a regular camper! Four times a year (min) pre covid.

My point was more that investing in a nicer tent is preferable to trashing one to abandon in a field.

EduCated · 09/12/2021 18:29

Unfortunately there’s a fair chance of other people trashing it even if OP’s DS looks after it, so no, I wouldn’t be investing in an expensive tent to take to teenage festivals.

That doesn’t mean that he can’t do his best to look after it and ensure it’s not wasted!

Santahatesbraisedcabbage · 09/12/2021 18:31

I paid 20 quid from Go Outdoors. It was set ablaze and ds left it behind!!
Obviously!!
Pillock!!

Clymene · 09/12/2021 18:48

@Stellaris22

I'm actually a regular camper! Four times a year (min) pre covid.

My point was more that investing in a nicer tent is preferable to trashing one to abandon in a field.

Well yes, I agree with that but a bell tent isn't very practical for a teenager.

I've had the same pop up Quechua tent for nearly 15 years. The zips are a bit dodgy now but it's still waterproof and the poles haven't snapped

itwasntaparty · 09/12/2021 21:19

2 or 3 man decathlon pop up. And a massive flag so he can find it, so many people will have the same tent

rwalker · 09/12/2021 21:22

@Stellaris22
Does it need to be trashed? It seems extremely wasteful and we should be teaching kids not to waste things.

Not the best solution but a few festival in the massive clean up salvage the tents and donate them to charities homeless or abroad .

neamchimpsky · 09/12/2021 21:28

Echoing everyone saying please please please do what you can to encourage them to bring it home even if trashed. I've seen the aftermath of some of these festivals and honestly you'd be appalled at the waste left afterwards, so many people assuming that someone else will clear up. Yes some of the abandoned equipment gets collected, cleaned and recycled by charities but the vast majority just goes to landfill. It's awful. That said, I echo others in recommending the quecha decathlon tents (the pop up blackout ones are amazing) and hope teen has an amazing time!

Original poster

regularbutpanickingabit · 10/12/2021 09:59

Thank you so much for all the advice and brand names/ideas. Much appreciated.

Of course I am not going to encourage him to trash or ditch his tent. He isn't intending to do either, either! It's just that I know realistically the festival tents can get slashed by others, or trashed by others and that is a very real possibility in these circumstances. So I want to get him something nice enough to be able to use multiple times, easy to carry and put up, but not such a big investment that the possibility of it getting ruined is the end of the world.

He is a responsible kid but it is a new experience for both of us.

Will now go shopping!

OP posts:

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