So what's wrong with pop up tents?

[Sparklysilversequins]

Total novice here but went at the weekend and loved it! I think I have the bug. Been looking at camping equipment since coming back. Have a 4 man tent, (but it's a really cheap one just bought to see if we liked it really) but want a 2 man for when ex has kids and its just me and dog. Am thinking a Pop up tent sounds ideal and there's some 3000 HH I have been looking at on Amazon and Halfords.

I am getting the impression that Pop tents aren't considered to be that great though and just wondering why. Any opinions please .

I understand they blow away very easily. (According to DS who lost his recently).

DSis has one which she uses at festivals etc. I guess they'd be fine for just you and Fido, she just uses it on her own, and less faff that trying to put up a bigger tent single handed.

They are a bit cheap and cheerful though, so may not have the durability of your 4-man.

I don't know. Ours is great-takes 5 mins to put up (compared to everyone else's 15 minutes and we've never had a problem with it blowing away (though never camped in really horrendous conditions.) Just as good as a tent but takes a lot less time to put up.
We were also novices about two years ago but since getting this tent we go much more.

Thanks .

Think I am going to go for it.

Watch DVD or get someone to show you how to put it down. Under no circumstances put it up in the house and then find you don't have room to put it down!

I'm not a camper really so I love mine. It's up in 5 mins and down in 10. Practice in your garden first as there is a knack to it.

Mine was an expensive 4 man one so won't blow away. Not that I'd camp if it was in any way cold or rainy!

Hmm I would be ok with a little bit of rain and some wind. I like windy weather, but not excessive. Hopefully it would stand up to that if I peg it securely?

Can anyone recommend any campsites with a great sea view please?

Sparkly, get you to a Decathlon for a wide selection of high-quality pop-ups of all shapes and sizes. The 2-man type go up in 2 seconds literally - out of the bag and chuck them in the air. To avoid losing them in the wind, peg them down and attach the guys (very few people bother and hence they blow away).

Taking them down though - you need to practise first in your own garden - watch the You Tube videos and practise. Otherwise, some numpty will try to help you and will break your lovely tent. Do not allow that to happen!

Re sea view campsites, where are you in the country?

Thanks for the tips. I am in London .

We have a Quechua family XL tent and it's great. Goes up in 5 mins, roomy with good sized bedrooms. It didn't blow over despite serious winds when we went camping a few weeks ago. Only issue is that it doesn't have a fully sewn in groundsheet in the living area but the convenience of the tent definitely make it worth the money.

Wolfiefan - I did that too .

Our Decathlon pop up is excellent.

Small pop up festival tents are horrible chiefly because they are single skin and so the condensation pours down on you.

Decathlon tents - very waterproof, and though they may bend a lot they are resilient in a strong wind.

Looking at the tents on Decathlon site. Am liking the Quechua range.

I was going to say similar to blu. Don't go for a cheap single skin pop up. You will get damp from condensation.

I have a fab pop up for going away for weekends on my own with my sons. It's an Outwell fusion 400.

The main negative that I can see for a good quality pop up is that they fold up into large discs. They might not be heavy but they're pretty unwieldy and don't fit in a normal boot. You'd need an estate car or be able to put them upright on the floor behind the 2 front seats in your car. If you aren't car camping don't even think about it.

If I'd realised this I'd probably have bought a vango backpacking tent with a bit of living space that pitches in 10-15 mins. Happy with my tent but I think there are tents that pitch almost as quickly as pop ups (don't forget it will take you 5-10 mins at least to peg it down.

I've seen a couple of decathlon tents - they are great.

They have an advantage I thought was a negative when I bought mine. I thought it was a plus to have a pop up with a Sig and it was a big factor in choosing mine. However it does mean that if you don't put a groundsheet under it you will get covered in mud when folding it up and so will the tent.

Moral of the story - if you get a pop up with a Aug then buy a groundsheet to go under it!

We have a vw polo and the Quechua fits in fine, Altho the rest of the gear is a squeeze!

I also own pop ups in a variety of sizes.

There is no reason why they should blow away any more than any other tent if they are pegged out correctly with some decent pegs.

I actually find them better than standard cheaper tents as the poles will bend and flex in strong wind but they will always pop back up instead of snapping.

I am converted, can you tell!!

I am actually considering buying this tent:
www.decathlon.co.uk/2-seconds-xxl-ii-pop-up-tent-grey-blue-id_8205983.html

has anyone used it in rain? :)

They are hard to fit in small cars. Apart from that, they are wonderful.

I've also been converted after going camping with a friend who's got a pop-up tunnel tent. Now Decathlon do a version of ours as a pop-up (T4.2XL) I'm kicking myself we got the standard version a few years ago. Can't justify buying a new one just yet

We have a Quechua illumin fresh, the 4 man one. It has a sunroof and integral lights which is great for us as the kids always lode their torches. Now I've used it a few times I can get it up in less than 5 minutes and down in the same. We also have an outwell Monty 6 and it takes freaking HOURS to put up, I need DH to help and we always, but always argue about it! Now we have the Quechua we may never use it again! :) (though the Quechua is really only a weekender for us as weare 4, would be perfect for a week for one lady and her dog! )

Oh and ours fits in the boot of our non estate mid saloon just fine. Though we'd struggle with a small car boot.

We love ours - Quechua 4 man for me and him, single for DD. you can put it up in a minute then pour the wine and enjoy laughing at the struggling families with conventional ones!

These leave us with nowhere to sit if the weather is bad so wouldn't be great with small kids. But have camped in appalling weather in them without mishap.

We have a quechua 4.2xl and it survived the torrential rain, wind, thunderstorm and hail stones the size of golf balls that we had on our first trip last week.

I love this tent :) the only thing I want now is a base seconds living area to add on the front. Saw the green pagoda style quechua with one added to it on the site we stayed on and I couldn't help lusting after it

We also have a small hatch back and it fits in the boot with a bit of room to spare. Having said that, I couldn't squeeze all our stuff back into the boot on the return journey so I had to strap the tent to the car roof

Another with a quechua 4.2 xl. I love it. We have camped in storms with no problems at all.