Should I spend my windfall on a bell tent?

[PuraVida]

And if so, which one?

We have 2 DC of 2 and 0

We like a bit of camping, although aren't at all professional or hardcore

Do bell tents represent good value for money or would we we better off with a pop up domey type?

It would be for the odd weekend here and there and an occasional longer break

Our cat is quite small. Are they huge?

Car. Our car is small

Was a bit confused about the relative size of your cat there for a moment. Was imaging a lion of some sorts.

Well, they are big(ish) to transport, but they really are fabulous. The bag size is 96x33x33 for a 4m ultimate and 96x40x40 for a 5m one. Quick pitch too - I think we do ours in about 20 mins or so.

We've got a 4m, but I would advise anyone to go for a 5m instead, regardless of family size, as the feeling of openness even better and you can walk around upright in a much bigger space. Also with your baby a 5m would mean you can easily put a full size travel cot in there without it being cramped. We took our travel cot too when ds was smaller, but it's only the three of us.

Saying all that, if you choose to go pop-up instead, the Quechuas get good reviews, but would mean you have to sleep separately.

I think it is great value for what you get out of it, and how long it should last. If I were to buy today, I'd buy this 5m Genie one as we use a wood burning stove, but with with your children's ages maybe just the general Hybrid one.

Arf at the small cat

Yo Sal!

Pura thing with canvas tents (I have one too although a pyramid not a bell) is that they are big and heavy. And you have to be absolutely anal about drying them out after each and every trip or they go all mildewy and rot. This (for us) is a major factor when taking our canvas tent away for weekends as usually it has to spend a day or two draped over the kitchen table before I am happy to roll it up and put it away.

Our plastic pop doesn't need nearly the same amount of fart-arsing about with.

When they are up, yy fantastic fabric to camp under, and the ambience in a central pole tent is lovely too, but if you have a small car I would deffo check out carefully the pack size weight and dimensions.

Canvas tents are absolutely good value for money though as they will last for years, so long as you look after them.

They're just so purty

Hmm we could drape in the utility room to dry

Just not sure if I'm being silly and it's a whim, or if it's something I'd love and cherish and look forward to using as often as I could

Thanks for those links. Off to check them out

Look at tent-tents - the Uk branch of Obelink for alternatives to the traditional bell if you have decided that you want to go the canvas route. This is our tent and she's fabulous

here is the Dutch link

Fancy meeting you here Slubber.

OP, so true about it having to be bone dry. Especially for weekend camps it may feel a bit of a hassle (we do mostly weekend camps too, so not enough to put me off at all, but a consideration).

Lovely tent you've got there Lucycat.

OP, where are you based? If SE, I know it might seem a bit of a "waste" of £50, but would you consider staying somewhere basic in a canvas tent to just try it out first? Welsummer looks really cheap, especially compared with Jollydays and the like. We've camped at Welsummer before btw and it's lovely and small, but used our own tent.

Wotcha Lucy. What happened to your Lakey btw? Love, love love the Palamos. Think it may be our next pyramid when the dds want their own bedroom .

Sal yy I recommend a try before you buy. Also actually seeing the thing in its bag, and envisioning having it in your boot and trying to fit all the rest of the paraphernalia around it v helpful.

I have come to the sad but realistic truth that I will never own the tent of my dreams as the damned thing just wouldn't fit in the car with all the rest of our crap that and the £2000+ price tag

Wotcha backatcha Slubber It's getting to that time of year again when us less hardy campers (than you) venture out.

Lakey is in the shed awaiting a sale in the spring along with the side canopy- as is an Outwell Colorado 8 and a quechua pop up - we seem to have 3 of those

and yes Sal - she smells gorgeous - we managed to put her up in the garden at the end of the season even with the Dutch instructions!

Oh the Lakey is going
I remember when you first bought her...a purchase full of hopes and dreams

So the Palamos is the tent now is it?

We had 3 summers in France with Lakey and 2 years here as well but she's too big for us in forrin climes - in terms of pitch size and we simply didn't need the inside space either. She will go to a fabulous new home though - I shall vet them thoroughly through MN or ukcamping - none of that ebay malarkey.

Palamos shall be the tent of choice

ooh, this looks good value

I would love a bell tent, or even more a canvas pyramid tent, but also have a small car. No room at all for anything bigger than it needs to be. And since weekend camping means getting back on a Sunday evening, dashing off to work on Monday and coming in on Monday eve to do dinner, homework etc, a damp canvas tent which needs packing away at the site, then unpacking, draping and re-packing once home, just doesn't fit our lifestyle.

Lucycat - what pop ups do you have for sale?

erm can't remember We have 3 - all boight at different time and slightly different sizes - the dangers of living within walking distance of a decathlon store

I'll check and get back to you - it'll be 2/3 person one - not sure if it has a little porch.

OK! I'm looking for a v small 2 person tent for10 yo DS as he likes to be independent now and his festival tent does not have an inner and the cindensation is terrible.

ooohhh lovely lovely bell tents!!!! We got ours last year and managed to squeeze in two trips last summer, loved every minute of it and was trying to persuade boyfriend to agree to living in it full time. Was a bit of an arse to get dry but i think well worth it for the completly different feeling yoiu get camping under canvas compared to normal plastic tents. We really felt it changed our whole camping experience. also there is the arguement that they are very good value for money as they will last and last and last, also we are going to a few festivals this year and to hire a bell tent for the weekend was going to cost £275, might as well buy one! we have a 5m soulpad, they really are lovely people there, with a detachable groundsheet to make it easier to store and tidy away, the second camp we did there were rivers of mud oiutside but nothing leaked in to the tent.

I personally woud recommend the 5m, I don't think a 4 m is big enough, however we have friends who have the 4m and they are happy with it

It fits in their small peugot, though saying that they don;t have any cooking equipment so not quite sure how that would fit in, though they also don;t have a roof box!

Bell tents are big and heavy, though no more than our old tent (Outwell Hartford XXL).

Tis very easy and quick to put up and down. There isn;t a porch really though, though you can get an awning which is nearly as good.

Blu - what about a 3m bell tent for your DS?!