I need a tent!

[OberonTheHopeful]

I've agreed to go on a short camping trip in August, and haven't done so since just after I left school (in what was then probably a thirty year old tent).

Does anyone have any recommendations for an inexpensive (and preferably easy to put up) tent? Are these pop up tents worth looking at? Will be travelling by car.

Copied from 'The Great Outdoors' because I didn't know about this section

Are you going on your own? If so a small Decathlon pop up would probably be ideal. If there are more of you a larger pop up might still be a good bet but it probably depends what you want. If you want just sleeping space you can get by with a cheaper tent than if you may want to stand up and spend some time in the tent rather than always being outside. What are your criteria?

We will each have our own tent, so it will just be for me, and probably to do little more than sleep in as there will be activities for much of the day and evening.

Someone did tell me recently that I might be better off getting a two person tent though, as there will be more room to keep ruck sack and other stuff while I'm in there.

I haven't camped since I was eighteen and I'm a bit nervous about it, hence not wanting to invest too much in case I don't like it. Though I'm really hoping I will be OK with it as it might be a good way to get a few days away from time to time with friends who like camping.

I would definitely recommend a 2-person tent with little front porch area so you'll have a bit of extra space for stuff. I am a big fan of the Quechua pop-ups - have a look at the Decathlon website. Having said that though, small normal tents do tend to be quick and easy to put up, unlike their much larger cousins. I think you get what you pay for with tents. If you are unsure then an Argos or Tescos special might be ok to start off with or look on ebay. If you like it then go for a better (more expensive) brand such as Outwell, Vango or Quechua.

We got a cheap one on eBay.

If it might only be used once Id see what I could get second hand on gumtree etc. And yes to two man you need room for stuff.

Good point about second hand. Smaller tents can be quite a bargain on ebay too. Definitely get at least a 2 man with porch as suggested.

As well as pop ups, Decathlon do more standard tents put together in such a wayas to be easier to erect tthan the old domes and tunnels used to be. We had a T3 from there last year which was pretty good and the T4 which was on sale for £40 or so recently even had a built in awning thing for sitting outside. It is for 4 people but worth considering at that price if it is still around.

Just had a look at Decathlon website. The T4 is there for £44.99. It would be luxury camping for one person with tons of space and a lovely porch. Nice!

www.decathlon.co.uk/t4-essential-4-man-family-tent-green-id_8206030.html

Thank you everyone, some brilliant advice :)

Gumtree/Ebay might be a good idea as I'm a bit unsure, though I had a look at the T4 in the link and thought the price very good. Certainly not as expensive as I had imagined. I'm going to my mum's tomorrow and there is discount camping store near her house (it's been there for years) so I'll see what they have. There is also a branch of Decathlon quite near me.

I do like the idea of a pop up for convenience (I'm not the most dextrous person in the world), though I did hear that it can take a bit of practice to take them down again. But then, that was just one comment from someone who is also fairly new to camping.

I am not 100% sure but some of the Quechua small pop-ups may not have front porch areas. These are really useful for wet wellies, washing up and dirty stuff - you don't really want this stuff inside the tent. I would definitely recommemd a little porch area at the front.

Thanks again! That's a really good point about the porch area that wouldn't have occurred to me, so definitely something to look for. I'm planning to go to a camping store tomorrow to take a look, and compare with Decathlon.

Pop-ups are easy to get up, quite another to get down! (I say that as someone who has been camping for 23 of my 30 years...) The tents mentioned up thread are a good start. I would recommend one you can stand up in, it makes a lot of difference to your comfort! Hope you find one you like at a good price - oh and porch essential smile

Thanks again . I looked at some today, but they all seemed quite expensive for me right now (the least expensive two person tent was £120), so I think the best thing is to go to Decathlon in the next week or two. The T4 looks good, and they have some likely looking two person pop ups around the same price or a bit less.

Finding one that I can stand up in also might be tricky within a limited budget. I can see it would be a real advantage, but as it will only be used for short trips (1-3 nights) I may have to compromise somewhere.

I do like the idea of a pop up for ease, though I'm not especially dexterous so if they're really hard to take down it might be better not to go down that route. The T4 one does look tempting, especially with the porch bit

We haven't used our T4 yet but people had one on the site we are on here and it looks pretty good. They were sitting under the porch of an evening and storing chairs etc under it when they went out. Looks pretty good for the money. I didn't see them put it up or take it down though. It should come with instructions though or some Quechua tents have videos to watch which are a great help.

If you do go for a pop up, find someone else with one on the site and ask for help. Most people are happy to but don't always want to offer in case it looks like they think you are incompetent.

Argos have some half price 2 man pop-ups for £19.54 www.argos.co.uk/static/Product/partNumber/3401895.htm. They don't appear to have a porch but they're cheap. I wouldn't be put off by the prospect of having to pack them up. We have 2 big ones and they are great - the small ones will be a doddle if you have a practise first.

Pop ups are amazing. You can put shoes between inner and outer at night. Watch a video for collapsing demo, also the steps are clearly shown on the label in the bag.

Not ideal for a big family trip with little ones but now DD is teen she has own single pop up.

Thank you everyone! The half price one in Argos looks tempting, I have to say. Asking someone on the campsite for help is a very good idea, I really don't mind looking incompetent at all .

One of the people I'm going with got a two-person pop up tent at Decathlon last year, and has offered to go with me to take a look at them. It's possible I could get the same one, in which case she might help me to fold it away!

I just wanted to thank everyone for such invaluable advice :)

An update: A friend of mine has a two person pop up (from Decathlon) that she's offered to loan to me for the trip in August. It will be a good way for me to see if I take to camping, though given how some of my friends like it I may well do. So now I just need to get a sleeping bag and mattress, which is less of an issue as they would prove useful in the future anyway (and no need for cooking gear as others will be taking that).

Any suggestions for anything I might need for a successful trip? I was thinking of a battery powered lamp and a blanket.

A head torch is invaluable as it leaves both hands free. Will you have a chair provided? If not it might be an idea to bring a folding one.

I would bring thermals as it can be cold at night even in summer.

Is someone bring Mugs/plates/cutlery etc?

Oh, and a proper pillow, and a woolly hat (sorry to bang on about cold but you will only enjoy camping if you are warm).

Some marshmallows if you will have a fire.

And wine/gin obv.

When is four actually just two?

When it comes to sizing tents, pay less attention to the number of men the tent is capable of holding and more to the footprint of the sleeping area. I bought a compact four man tent last year to take kayaking. At 6'3", I have to sleep across the tent rather than along the tent as shown in the pictures on the label.

You rightly mention the need to stow clothing, boots and cookware in the tent too. I can comfortably accommodate two in this tent with a little room left for other stuff.

If a slightly larger tent cost just a few £ more and would make the camping experience more pleasant, it would be a few £ wisely spent.

Bit late to this, but always worth checking go outdoors!

here

Good luck!

Get your friend to show you how to collapse and fold the tent before you go.

Also Decathlon will teach you if you buy one there, and you can even take a decathlon tent back to the shop and ask for a demonstration if you don't go at a busy time.

In our local decathlon they have competitions for folding pop-up tents against the clock!

Some great ideas, thank you! I hadn't even thought of a folding chair so will add it to the list. The last time I went camping (years ago) I remember being cold even though it mid summer and hot, so I'll invest in a warm sleeping bag and a mattress, and take a car blanket (along with pillow and wooly hat). Hadn't thought about a torch either, so that's another! I think I'll need plates, cutlery etc. of my own.

My friend said she'd show me how to fold the tent (apparently, there's a trick to it). She's only used it once properly (bought it for Glasto). Someone else who's going on the trip also got a similar sized pop from Decathlon so may also know how to do it.

I had a look at Go Outdoors (there was near my mum's), and the selection was good but all a bit more expensive at the lower end than Decathlon. Point taken about the size, on this trip I know we'll be parking right by the camping pitch though so storing things in the car may be an option (it's a borrowed tent so is whatever size it is).

I'm really hoping this trip works out because, despite all my reservations, I really want to be able to enjoy camping. Some of my friends go camping a few times a year and I feel like I've been missing out, or spending more than I need to by finding a nearby pub to stay in! :)

Just back from a weekend camp and friends' kids were in a 2-person Quechua pop-op. It looked great for one person and did indeed have a small porch area for dirty boots and mugs of tea. I think you are either a camper or non-camper. We discuss it at work and there are several who are horrified by the chaos, creases and dirt and others who love it.