Would you recommend a Vango tent?

[misshappinessandmissflower]

Thinking of getting one of the tents from Vango that they recommend for weekends. There are quite a lot with discounts from various websites but I can't find many reviews. Any thoughts? We are weekend campers in Scotland so I am looking for something easy to put up but as watertight as possible with a bit of living space for escaping from the rain.

We bought a 3 man Vango tent for weekends (to avoid putting up our big tent) - but have only used it in good weather so far (lucky for us) so can't say how good it would be in poor weather. Happy with it so far though.

Oh dear. No, I wouldn't recommend ours (Vango 500 Pennine or something like that) but it seems disloyal as we have had excellent times in it and it has many good points, including being cheap when we bought it. I have found the poles very flimsy (but then it's a dome tent effectively), and the tent generally not sturdy, also it's a poor choice for UK use as the groundsheet is not sealed in except in the bedroom. So any wind or rain sees me lying awake watching the tent leaning to and fro all night.

I know what I am looking for but don't know the model yet - will post if I see it.

We have Amazon 600 6 berth to sleep 4 of us. Chose this as it has three bedrooms so the dss don't have to share. It is a little tricky to put up and very heavy and bulky, but has lots of space. It has withstood all sorts of wind an loads of rain when we have seen other people have to pack up and go due to broken poles, leaks, etc

I've always had Vango tents and been happy with them. I am a Scottish weekend or short break camper. Currently got an Icarus 600 for me and two kids plus DH when he comes with us (not often- he's not a great camper...!). Its stood up well to wind and rain and is enough space for us to spread out while still being easy enough for me to put up myself.

I would - we have a vango diablo 600 and have just bought an icarus 500 as the diablo is a bit big to take on short weekends, taking up half the boot.

The diablo has always stood up well in rain and wind.

Only downside is you have to pitch the inner first so no good if it is raining when you want to pitch.

loads of reviews on here

Yes, we have a vango tigris 400 and have used it in high winds and heavy, heavy rain - done us proud every time.

Piffpaffpoff - have you got the awning bit for your icarus? I'm debating whether to get one

(sorry to hijack thread OP)

We have a vango awning for our tigris choufleur (although I don't think it's actually the 'correct' one for the tigris) and it's great for cooking and eating under when it's pissing it down.

Chofleur yes I do, it's great! I bought my tent and bits the first year they did the Icarus and the awnings that year were open fronted, so mine is more of a canopy type thing. I would like to buy the newer awning with the enclosed front but have no spare cash to do so at the moment sadly.

I've also got the carpet, get that if you can, it's lovely stepping out onto carpet in the morning rather than a cold groundsheet!

Thanks for all your replies - lots to consider. Its just so much money to spend that its hard to make a decision!

I got ours on ebay for a real steal - check it out as lots of people buy new, then realise camping isn't for them, so sell up after just one or two uses.

I love our Vango (500 I think), bought for £79 9 years ago, seen us through howling rain and wind and stayed put, only issue is it's now fading a bit.

I have a Vango Dart 300 DS. It stood up to a solid 24hours of rain/wind at New Wine 2011 (Newark showground)! Only me in it so plenty of room.

I would guess ours is the predecessor of this model or similiar, bought about 7 or 8 years ago.
It has withstood numerous serious rainstorms with no hint of a leak, and also a couple of big gales. Tenst do blow about in the wind, in the same way that the trees least likely to blow down in a gale are the ones which bend.

Our Vango tent has been v good value for shortish trips, and has seen quite heavy use. I would recommend, yes.

Actually ours is perhaps more like the Icarus.
The Icarus has a 3000 HH - that's a serious level of waterproofing. Don't go for anything less.

I second the Vango Tigris mention by Flubba. It is really easy to put up - we've only argued once - and that was the first time we used it. We bought a monster sized Tigris and its still a breeze to erect.

We bought a Vango Orchy 500 & awning early last year. It is easy to pitch, kept us dry & the space works well for a family (2 adults, 2 young children) - with the awning it is huge!

The quality is so so, I have had to make a couple of repairs, broken eyelet and strap but in general it has been good.

In summary you get what you pay for, it is no outwell but has served us well - was a good choice for us to try camping without immense outlay & will give us several more years - by which time I expect us to be ready to upgrade anyway.

We have an Icarus 600 dlx - its a fab tent, pitches all in one very quickly, but it is an absolute pig to get back in its bag, unlike our Coleman tent. But I suspect it may be because ours is an extended tent, and the bag may be the same as the regular tent

We've just got the icarus for £65 on ebay. it was a manufacturer second from a retailer who sells them on. Apparently one of the poles was broken but they repaired it.

That's amazing Chofleur, what a great price!

However, your post has reminded me of my one (solveable) issue with my icarus - a pole section cracked on my second outing. I ended up using a pole from the canopy extension as a temporary measure but I now don't go camping without my pole repair kit. They are really easy to fix but I would recommend getting the repair kit and keeping it in your pole bag. Think mine was about a tenner.

I did speak to Vango at the time to ask for a whole new pole since the tent was only abou two months old but they just sent me a replacement pole section. I was Not Impressed. No problems since though.