Base Seconds owners - please come and tell me what I need <offers cake>

[ChippyMinton]

Thank you

Have got several different trips planned this summer, which, to be honest, I could happily have a different tent for each outing.

But putting my sensible hat on, I reckon a combination of Quechua pop-ups would probably give us the most flexibility. I could use the 2 Seconds on their own, and add a Base when necessary.

What do you have, and would you recommend it?

Oh, help yourself to cake - coffee & walnut traybake, Victoria sponge with lemon curd & cream filling or cherry & choc-chip muffins, and

Hmm. That's a possibility, instead of the living room - but could I attach another pop-up to it? If we all go, there are five of us, so...Really need to go and have a look.

That's what I have swampster and I love it! I can put it up on my own and (almost) take it down too - have a bit of a problem with my arms being a bit too short

I think you need to bite the bullet and have another (smaller) pop-up AND the living area - remember, you will be sharing space with my envious spirit.

Chippy - Decathlon are French, are they not? Is there one near where you are going? Or could you get one delivered mail order to your parents caravan? Or to your parents for them to take? So that you don't have to lug it there?

There you go, Chippy, sound practical advice from Blu and utter waffle (as usual) from swampster.

Smart thinking from Blu
But I need tents before then:
Going with the DC to a family scout camp in May, then DH and DS1 are going to the British Grand Prix, and we have a couple of other weekenders before heading off to France in August. DH is also going mountain biking/camping but he has his own little tent for that, which we are not allowed to touch! Men and their stuff, eh?

I have the xl iiii for when I camp with just dcs when dh is working. It goes up, pegged and filled with bedding in less than 30 mins, taking down is a dead easy too.

I've got 2 Base Seconds (the square ones with oval doors), a Base Seconds Full (square, 2 oval doors plus 2 doors with "hoods" that fit over the 2 seconds tents), a 2 Seconds 4 man tent and a 2 Seconds 3 man tent. For 3 of us.

How many we take depends on how long we are going for. If we're going for more than a couple of nights DS (3) and I sleep in one of the Base Seconds with a bedroom inner, joined onto the Base Seconds Full as a nice cosy living area, with DD (13) in the 2 Seconds and the other Base Seconds (kitchen / porch) coming off it. When DS is older the 3 man tent will go off the other Full door to make a + shape.

It takes about 20 minutes to get everything pitched, maybe a bit longer if I'm faffing around getting it all lined up perfectly. We once arrived at a campsite where a nice chap offered to help pitch. I declined politely and told him we could manage. He went off to the toilets. By the time he came back he was to see the tent city that had emerged!

The best thing is that if it's raining we can bang one pod up in 2 minutes and wait in the dry for things to improve .

And yes, you can attach another Base Seconds to the front of the 4.2, we have friends who do just that.

That sound fab, franticbanana. It's that flexibility I have in mind.

Does your tent city look huge compared to other normal tents? I can't get a sense of the scale of the tents without seeing them in the...er...flesh.

My wee pop-up from Decathlon is here!

Gooo oonnnnn! And post photos too. Have you crawled inside yet?

It is still in its bag. I don't dare take it out, I fear it will be a bit like toothpaste.

(hard to get back in)

Ooh, it's all go round here. Swampster, can you get out in the garden now for some pop-up action? More importantly, what colour is it?

I've just ordered my XL IIII

DS1 and I have laughed till our sides ached watching people's attempts to fold pop-ups on YouTube! Then DH piped up that he couldn't even fold our ELC pop-up football goal, so what hope did he have of packing it away alone? DS1 will have to learn to do it by himself, if he doesn't want to spent the GP weekend sleeping in DH's teensy 2-man tent.

It is green. Pretty much my favourite shade which was obviously a big deciding factor a happy coincidence.

I think I am waiting till Wales before getting it out of the bag. I have scary memories of trying to fold up a little beach tent many years ago.

Judging by youtube, a practice run in private is highly recommended!

How sad am I? I just measured out the size of the sleeping compartment area on the floor, and going to get out our sleeping bags etc and have everyone lie down to see how we fit!

Looks like you got there just in time Chippy, the XL IIII's not listed any more, new and different tents are there, none on offer.

You can still probably get one at that price if you follow the link on this page though.

I noticed that, and you're right, the link still works. Wierd.

I might have considered this one for a tenner more than the one I got but it isn't green.

Are they the same tent re-branded as 'fresh' rather than 'air'? I guess the light colour reflects heat, but it would look grubby quickly.

You cynic, Chippy! It has an exclusive flysheet fabric that significantly reduces heat from the sun! And it is ever so slightly lighter.

Bit late, but I've added some "Tent City" pics to my profile to give you an idea of scale.

One tip for folding down which they don't always do in the video guides - leave a corner pegged for as long as you can. Making Mickey Mouse ears (or the ruder version) in a sheltered back garden is one thing, trying to do it with a six foot kite in a stiff breeze is quite another.

I am trying so hard not to click on your links. I do not need any more tents I do not need any more tents I do not need any more tents....