Tent for first camper

[TDada]

...I am a first timer taking two younger children without DW. I am looking at tents....can anyone beat this one for ease of construction, space and cost?

Here are the the reviews

looks pretty good to me. The only downside of larger tents (with fewer people in them) is that they might get cold. Possibly worth looking for the 4-5 'man' version? Then again at that price.... praps not! We have a Vango - the latest of many Vango tents. the build quality is fantastic and we've been fine in storms, wind, rain typical British summer weather and the occasional bit of sun too. Good sleeping bags or blankets etc are your next priority

thanks. Really like the look of yours. Looking the video now. If this trip works then I might convince DW and DS13 to join the three of us on 2nd trip later in the summer so keeping an eye on using the tent for 5 in the future.

Is yours very easy to construct?

this one looks good as well

Get a bell tent! They're make such a fantastic camping experience and are simple to pitch with only one pole.

Another one to consider is Quechua Base 4.1 family pop up from Decathlon.
They are very easy to put up and pack away. Also good as it has a day space incase it rains, or maybe for WHEN it rains!
It is currently on sale too!

ours is a doddle to put up. I do it by myself with the odd hinderance bit of help from ds2 who's now 8 and dd who's 6. The Orchy's fab too, very similar to our Artemis but slightly different layout iyswim. The retailer you link to is where we got ours as it's local to us.
Just wondering if you could beg/borrow/scrounge some kit for this first trip to see what you like / might need in the future? The bonus with the 5-man tents is that they have a nice little divider down the bedroom area so you can shut the kids in for privacy. We started in a little three-man tent with a porch, just me and my dses, then 5&3, (also a Vango) DH is not a camper, we've got him as far as a caravan for the past 10 years but no way will he do tents!

looking at these now; thanks. I thought that Bell tents are huge?

Love the look of Quechua Base 4.1. Haven't found the sale yet. Any particukar Bell tent to look at?

Have you looked at Decathlon website?
When I looked it said it was reduced.
Staff in there are excellent and are happy to show you how to put it up and repack it. Well they are in our local store anyway!

here - but it says "seconds" for the sale one

With just you and your two DCs, you could look at a 4 m bell, they are a doddle for one person to pitch in about 15 mins, I'll find a link.

soulpad.co.uk/
Here is the 4 Meter with pegged in groundsheet
soulpad.co.uk/products/soulpad-4000-lite
A zipped in ground sheet in available but will be a bit more expensive. They are beautiful to sleep in, they make a great camping experience and if well looked after will last years too. As it is canvas it would need to be dried carefully over a banister or something before putting away.

soulpad.co.uk/products/soulpad-4000-lite
soulpad.co.uk/
Here are the links again!

(obviously a lot more expensive then you're looking at but just thought i'd put the option out there...)

Sorry, my mistake.
It is the Seconds one I meant! I have the 2Seconds XXL llll so just assumed, wrongly, that the sale one had a different name. Or maybe I just dreamt it!

Anyway it looks like a good tent. We are really happy with ours. It is big emough and very easy to use, the only real differences are that the 4.1 has slightly more day space and you can stand up in it.

Ive the Vango Orchy (been linked to previously in thread) with an extension...love it! So easy to put up...

I would get one with a separate sleeping section so if it's rainy you can be in the tent without traipsing mud all over the sleeping area.

we've just bought a gelert cabana which we took to a festival last month. Its spacious, easy to pitch (was up in less than 15 mins) and cosy.

Sent my husband camping with DD1 (I stayed home with baby!) and we eyed up everyone elses' tent, I like the look of the Vango Icarus 600. Thinking of buying one, although I won't camp until the baby is older.

Hi all, back now. Thank you kahlua4me, MrsS3, poppyboo, Mum2Fergus , Choufleur, Katz, gemma4d. Great tips....now i have to decide as we go on 27th so need to get moving....tough choice

poppyboo- i would invest in a good tent for family of 5 if i was sure that i would be able to persuade DW and DS13 to join the three of us in future camps ....this is my first time. Even when I did military service in South America I was always at bases but never "camped"

MrsS3- yes, think that i will borrow some equipment to keep cost down on first (3 day + 2 nights) tester.

My DC have severe/multiple food allergies so I can't cheat with cooking...so I need to get tent up and crack on with cooking. I am used to cooking for them but I can't faff about too much with tent

TDada, if you don't have time to faff around with tent then the Quechua family pop-ups linked to by others here are seriously the answer for you, or a bell tent. They will take a few minutes - 10 at most for a bell - and then you can get cooking (outside the tent obv).

Also both pop ups and bells hold their value on ebay so you can sell on if the rest of the family decide to join you in the future.