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Our UK Camping forum has all the information you need on finding the right equipment for your tent or caravan.

Original poster

Tent for one person - any advice welcome

30 replies

WetAugust · 25/04/2012 23:02

I want to do a lot of camping on my own.

I'm looking for a largish tent that provides sufficient headroom for me (5'3"), so am looking at family sized tents such as the Atakama and Corado.

I've been advised to avoid tents where the poles cross each other i.e. dome tents as they say I wouldn't be able to pitch this singlehandedly as someone is needed inside the tent to raise it from underneath.

I've been advised to stick to tunnel tents such as the Rock 4. It would provide the space I'm looking for.

Does anyone have any experience of pitching a family sized tunnel tent on their own? Do you think it's possible or will I just have to accept that being on my own means I have to get a low headroom tent I have to crawl in and out of Sad.

Any experience or advice will be welcome. Thank you.

OP posts:
Blu · 26/04/2012 17:25

I have been camping in my own with DS when he was too young to be helpful, and have pitched our dome tent on my own many times.

However, I do think they take longer and are harder to pitch on your own, and would concur with a tunnel. Or pop up? I have just bought one of these for weekend trips when I have to pitch and strike on my own. It isn't full height, but I won't have to crawl, either! And the porch is high enough to have a camping chair in - essential.

But you will be OK with a 4 person sized tunnel, I reckon.

Blu · 26/04/2012 17:30

This looks fab!

Original poster
WetAugust · 26/04/2012 17:32

Thank you Blu. I like the look of that Quechua. I;ll see if I can locate one to take a closer look at.

I'm seriously considering this corado which gets very good reviews.

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Blu · 26/04/2012 17:51

yes - but it looks very big - 5 lots pf poles in the tunnel, very heavy, 36kg!...do you want a family tent that you can also pitch and use on your own (how I wish i had the leeway to do lots of camping in my own!), or a tent just for using on your own?

Blu · 26/04/2012 17:51

If you have a Decathlon near you they usually have lots of the Quechua tents pitched.

Blu · 26/04/2012 17:55

or this

Original poster
WetAugust · 26/04/2012 18:18

Hi, I've just looked and there's no Decathlon within a 100 miles of me!

I do like the Icarus though - I think that would fit the job nicely.

I'm retiring later this year so plan to travel a lot - stay a few nights in each place and visit all the places in that area I've always wanted to see - so it will just be me.

Thanks for pointing out the weight. That's something I hadn't teally thought of Blush

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Blu · 26/04/2012 18:51

That sounds lovely - you'll have a brilliant time.

I find folding and packing the tent back into it's bag a chore on my own - which is why if I were you I would avoid a big complicated tent. Folding a tent up on your own in the wind and wet is horrible - again smaller would be more managable. The Vango says it is easy to pitch.

You need a tent you will enjoy sitting in, too.

Original poster
WetAugust · 26/04/2012 20:35

Yes, being able to sit in it is a definite priority.

I've found a tent showground just a mile from my house that has the Vango so I'll pop down and take a look at the weekend. I never even knew the place existed until now Blush

OP posts:
CMOTDibbler · 26/04/2012 20:41

I don't think you could do the Icarus on your own - ours is a bit of a pain to pitch in any wind.

We also have a Coleman Bispace 500, which is a dome, and thats easy to do on your own - you don't need to raise the poles up - you thread across, then plug into the hooks and it pops up nicely. Then the sitting in bit has two poles that pulls out neatly.

fossil97 · 26/04/2012 21:47

We have a Bispace 500 as well, never come across another one . I'm a bit rubbish at pitching it straight but it can be done.

If I was on my own I'd go for quick to pitch (not too many pegs poles and guys). How about something like the Lichfield Findhorn 3 that has 190cm height and supposed to be quick to pitch and lightweight.

xkcdfangirl · 26/04/2012 22:01

I have a Vango Venture 500 (can't seem to find a link so perhaps it's been discontinued) which is officially a 5 man tent but I find it just about right for just me and I would want something bigger if I was camping in a group or family. It's tall enough for me to stand up in and I'm a little taller than you, and it is a dome tent. It is perfectly possible to put up a dome tent on your own so long as you don't mind the poles being slightly skew-wiff because the only thing I found I couldn't do was work out exactly where to pin down each peg without a second pair of eyes to advise me whether an angle looked right or not. This has never been a problem though, it just means your tent looks a little scruffily-erected with wrinkles where they wouldn't be if the tent had been put up by a professional.

If you can, then it's advisable to do it with an assistant the first time (perhaps just in a friend's back garden?) just so you know what you are doing when you are alone.

The one thing I hadn't anticipated is that a larger tent does get a lot colder at night because there is more air volume for your body to lose heat to. Take more blankets than you would if you were going in a smaller tent or were sharing.

Original poster
WetAugust · 26/04/2012 22:01

The Biospace looks interesting and has sufficient head height, so may be a contender.

I think the Lichfield may not give me enough floorspace. I'm thinking of having a table and chairs inside.

Perhaps I am being unrealistic thinking I could manage the sort of family-sized tent I was planning to get.

Perhaps I need to start small and work up Grin.

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Blu · 27/04/2012 11:30

My dome tent is a Vango Venture 600 like this, and as I say I can put it up by myself - I just find the threading through of the long poles tiresome on my own, and then there is a tricky bit forcing it into the dome shape. This particular dome version is discontinued, and I think new equivalent models are easier to pitch than this.

It would be hugely roomy as a one person tent, lots of storgae in the secnd pod - or you could not hang the second pod - and plenty of space on the porch for chairs table and storage. As a size guide.

I am 5'6" and quite butch.

Piffpaffpoff · 27/04/2012 16:22

I have a Vango Icarus 600, and I manage to put it up myself, it is a tunnel with just three poles. There are slightly smaller versions (400 and 500) if you want to go a bit smaller. I've been very happy with it so far.

Blu · 28/04/2012 13:15

I think this looks great and I don't see why you wouldn't be able to pitch it on your own. Watch the video in the link.

Tent shows!

Original poster
WetAugust · 28/04/2012 20:39

Hi Blu

Thanks for the links. I noticed the Odyssesy earlier but what put me off whas the weird side extension canopy Confused

I spent most of yesterday evening looking at tent reviews. Everyone seemed to agree that the Outwell Virginia 5 was the easist family tent to pitch sngle-handedly and I decided that would be what I should get.

I went to a Tresspass store today and they had it for £169. No carpets, no footprint and no canopy available. So I didn't buy it but came home to see where I could get those things. That's when it got really complicated!! The Virginia 5 is a tent that was only avaialble from Yeomans (odd that Tresspass had it today). The canopy is not available but folk say a Vango Icarus 5 would fit it. Can't seem to find the footprint but, again, folk say the Virinia 5 is just a carbon fbre-pole version of the Outwell Minnesota 4 that has steel poles. I'm just not very confident about cobbling together a package from various different tents.

So now I'm looking again at the Outwell Calisto and the Coleman Coastline 4 as a package or even the Kampa Hayling 4 (although I still fancy that Hi Gear Corado 4).

The consenus seems to be that if all the tunnel poles are the same length (i.e. the tent is the same height for the full length of the tunnel) it's much easier to put up than tents that have varying ceiling heights and eyebrows (new term I've learnt).

I think theonly think to do is to get to as many shows as possible and see what's available.

If it ever sops raining I might be able to Sad

But I am determined to get something soon - and I'll let you know just what this is

Thank you all

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Original poster
WetAugust · 28/04/2012 21:47

OK - what's the verdict on this vango artemis please?

Steel poles but only 2000HH but does have good head height.

OP posts:
scrappydappydoo · 28/04/2012 22:54

My dh has is on a similar search he likes this

scrappydappydoo · 28/04/2012 22:57

Sorry that made no sense - he is looking for almost the exact same thing - single person pitch with head height and bit of room. He saw one of those at a festival and we're hoping to go investigate one at a showroom.

Original poster
WetAugust · 28/04/2012 23:10

Hi

The Gelert seems expensive at £199 for the basic tent.

The Artemis package will get me tent, footprint, carpet and canopy for £219.

OP posts:
Original poster
WetAugust · 29/04/2012 00:57

The Artemis 500 package has now been ordered.

Now planning my first (trial) trip.

Thank you all very much for your help.

OP posts:
Blu · 29/04/2012 18:30

That looks a fab tent!

Have fun.

Envy
Happylander · 29/04/2012 20:00

I have a Kampa fistral 4 and I pitched it on my own and I am 5'. I had to get a bit of a swing on to get the poles up the first time I used it. I impressed the hell out of a group of campers that were trying to put one tent up. Mine was up and pegged before they had even got there's up and there was 4 of them!

Lovely tent and has built in porch. Easy to take down too. Highly recommend it. Lots of good pic's of it on ukcampsite.co.uk

Original poster
WetAugust · 29/04/2012 20:33

Happylander

Like your tent a lot and very reassuring to know that you're able to pitch it singlehandedly.

I went for the Vango Artemis 500 as it had separate bedrooms. It's smaller than yours so hopefully I'll be able to manage it alone.

It should arrive next week - along with better weather so I'll have a trial pitching somewhere (my garden isn't big enough Grin).

OP posts: