Inject some reality into our search for a frame tent..

[EggyAllenPoe]

this one is too big to fit in the boot of our small family car (honda Jazz) ?

but what would this smaller but still not tiny one be like with two kids & dog in wet weather?

assuming we only took barbeque & parta stove to cook with and relied upon site washing up facilities, so crap in car = sleeping bags, airbed, travel cot & tent....

Is Frame Tent camping a realistic option if we want to get everything in the car and not use a trailer?

sorry this is the big one

who cares, it is fabulous! is a roofbox possible?

oooooh

the old style Pyramide 6

lovely lovely.

I looked at that ebay one. v nice

Roofbox will make it more possible. tbh If we upsized from our Guadeloupe (fine for 2 adults and a 5 and 7 year old - have yet to try out with dog) then we would need to get a trailer. Canvas frames take up a stupid amount of space.

You would be suprised how much space sleeping bags, airbeds, stove and all the rest of it takes up.

You *could8 do it but would have to be very restrained on the rest of the stuff. Plus where will the dog go in the car?

dog usually goes in my footwell (curled up so can't bounce about anywhere)

i wouldn't be that suprised about how much space it takes up, our unit last week was motorhome (borrowed) & 'safari room' & car....and the boot was still full

hmm..roofbx on car could help for things..

goes to check car

ah, there's a dongle on Halfords site.. my car can take a roofbox, but it would cost £200 for bars & box....

for which i could just get really creative about shoving things into crevices (or not bring them).

possibly the pyramide would be the best idea the cabanon really needs a trailer or a large car.

that is, they are both cabanons, the huge one would need a bigger car if not trailer..

I saw the other thread about cotton camping...very sold on it, have used a nylon 4 man tent previously and they are beastly hot when the sun gets on them.

Clicked on the link, and it's already on my Watch list! Don't worry, I'm not getting into a bidding war - am still light years away from deciding on which tent...

oh i see slubs tent has much to rave about. and is very siilar to that ebay one.

ease of pitching is a big sell, and at 24kg it's much more realistic than the 8 man one (which i believe totals 85kg!)

You can get smaller pyramids than the Pyramid 6, Relum Izmir (used only, maybe £50+) and Hypercamp Eldorado (new from Obelink maybe £150 when the stock arrives) are perfect little tents

Until recently we had a Micra and camping with 2 kids was just about doable - we swopped for a Berlinog

We have this one it is huge. Stores in two bags, front half and back half and is very heavy.
Ours takes 2 of us an hour to put it up.
However once up it is brilliant, loads of room and withstood the gales in Wales when we were one of only about 4 tents left. They were all frame tents that were still standing!
We have a caravan now so don't use it much. We used to have a trailer for the tent and all the paraphernalia.

Eggy, we love our Guadeloupe, but they are not cheap new, and only occasionally come up on e-bay.

I didn't know about all the dutch brands when I bought mine but the Hypercamps as LittleSkink says, look lovely and are cheaper.

Wow Fruitshoots! That's the cabanon Espace...

lust<

i do imagine it being like a real home from home - it is actually bigger in terms of living space than our lounge & kitchen together!

however requiring a trailer is a real put off ..

the idea is we need something to camp in that 1) avoids the fuel cost of the motorhome &car combo 2) we can camp in when my parents are using their motorhome.

I think if we'd got that Espace pitched..i mean, you really would want to stay put for a week at least.....

[lust-in]

Love the Espace too .

I was so so so close to bidding on a fabulous vintage brown and orange frame tent a few weeks back, could have been a Relum. Gorgeous it was, with flowery curtains and everything.

dh came in and was all Captain Sensible. We just couldn't have fitted in the car with all the rest of our stuff

I figured we couldn't go any bigger so bought a caravan!
We did usually stay for a fortnight in it, all six of us and 2 dogs, but i'm afraid hanging onto a pole all night in my nightie to stop it all blowing away was too much for me. Dh wants to sell it but I keep thinking we will use it again one day.

I think the answer to the 'hanging on pole in nightie' problem is not to go to Wales....

Well yes I know that now and if I'd read the campsite reviews I would have been forewarned that the campsite was often affected by strong winds and may have booked into a hotel that night!

we have a tent very much like this!

it is probably as large as we can squeeze in the car and still have room to..erm...drive.

we have got some 'storm' canvas waterproofer for it, and an additional bed pod. (the bed is unlike the one listed it is a 3:2 with sheet divder, i'd rather DD had her own 'room')

Hurray! now we can go to tents-only sites (they do tend to be cheaper)
Very Very Exciting!

The Pyramide one went for £135... this was ahem. significantly cheaper...

Now i need to look for cute things to 'glamp' it up! (and find pockets in space/time in the 'cardis' in which to stow them)