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Camping

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

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Original poster

I hardly dare admit it on here but our bell tent isn't really doing it for us

65 replies

Freezingmyarseoff · 31/07/2014 09:45

Slightly concerned that I'll get rubbished by the MN bell tent posse but our 4m bell tent isn't really working out for us. We're a family of 5 and yes, I know we probably should have gone for 5m straight up but I wasn't thinking straight when we bought it (as a family of 4).

But we have got back from 10 days camping in France and found it really frustrating not having enough space & trying to get it vaguely organised enough to find anything. Thanks goodness the weather was fab but I can't imagine how tricky it would have been had it rained. Anyway we had always intended to upgrade to a 5m but now we're not so sure. I think we need a tent with rooms or certainly a divide between sleeping & living. Of course this is nothing to do with all the Dutch tents we saw at the campsite .
But what tents would you recommend as an alternative - we still want a canvas tent & something as easy to put up as possible.

OP posts:

MissWimpyDimple · 31/07/2014 23:48

Friends have a 4m bell and they use a small 2 man dome tent next to it as a "utility" tent where they store all the gear. It means they only have their beds and clothes in with them. I can see how that works.

Original poster

Freezingmyarseoff · 01/08/2014 00:15

Kmiski, that cabanon awaya is mahoosive. The trailer next to the tent says it all.

Interesting to hear that a few people agree with me.

OP posts:

Calloh · 01/08/2014 19:14

I love our 4m bell tent but it is small. There's five of us. I have an old school trunk which has everyone's clothes in (separated in bags) that acts as a sort of table/dresser and then the airbeds and duvets and things in a row at the back.

We did have a gazebo which was brilliant so would cook under that. This year we have upgraded to a canvas dining shelter for cooking/eating and general lounging but I don't think I really did the maths quite right - it seems massive and I am worried that it'll look like some huge kind of territorial claim when we go camping next week.

pictish · 01/08/2014 19:29

Regards sleeping arrangements in the 5m, we have our double bed in the middle at the back, ds1 sleeps on a single down one side of the tent, and ds2 and dd (who are 6 and 5), sleep top to tail on another single down the other side. This leaves us loads of floor space in the middle, so it works really well for the time being.

We will have to rearrange when ds2 and dd are too big to share.

Cereal0ffender · 01/08/2014 19:31

We went to France with bell tenting pals, mr pal spent a lot of time staring wistfully at our palamos 6

Kmski · 01/08/2014 20:20

Freezingmyarseoff
This awaya is massive but Cabanon make 2 smaller models. I was tempted by awaya 370 & 400 initially. I later decided to go for a much cheaper bell first as was not sure how my wife would cope with camping with kids. Yes, it is already a stretch trying to squeeze all gear into my boot so I must be sensible, I must be sensible, I must be...

pictish · 01/08/2014 20:33

I think the palamos 6 is a lovely tent...when it says it has a 'mobile front wall' what does that mean exactly? How does that work.

Cereal0ffender · 01/08/2014 20:46

You can zip the front right on the front giving you lots of space inside or you can zip it a metre back to give you an awning

pictish · 01/08/2014 20:54

I see...righto. That's quite good.

Mylovelylovelyhorse · 01/08/2014 21:06

I'm sat here in the pissing down rain in my bell

What I would say in it's favour is that the speediness of pitching far outweighs the chaotic way of life it brings of it is raining

That said we're using our wing / awning / malu thing for the first time and I'm so glad we've got it here in the torrent

Original poster

Freezingmyarseoff · 02/08/2014 01:33

Cereal how long does it take to pitch your palamos? I love how easy the bell tent is to pitch but with a kingsize airbed plus a single airbed and a sim and a travel cot, there really is very little room left in the 4m.

We have a wing awning too which is great but not quite so good when the rain isn't perfectly vertical (which is most of the time in the UK).

OP posts:

ViviPru · 02/08/2014 07:41

OP do you think it's primarily the size issue or are there other reasons the bell isn't working for you?? As Pictish says, bells offer a low level, multi-function space. That's one of the main reasons they're not for me. Also, I prefer a living space with large windows and doors which open out, I've always felt a bit hemmed in in a bell even with the lower part all opened up.

We have a canvas Outwell tunnel as mentioned upthread by Slubber. All the benefits of canvas but mega-practical, thoughtful design. It's about as whimsical as a dishwasher. But it is so conducive to effortless, enjoyable camping, that its beauty shines through in is in its functionality.

Cereal0ffender · 02/08/2014 08:31

It takes loads longer than the bell. Takes us up to an hour. We unzipp rage groundsheet which takes longer. I need an inner tent as I react quite badly to insect bites and most of our camping is in Scotland. Both tent are great I love the speed of the bell but the palamos has better useable space.

DoristheCamel · 02/08/2014 12:21

How small does a bell tent pack down? I wonder how it compares to the packsize of a canvas frame tent. I love canvas and have a frame tent. I love the space, straight sides for storage, seperate bedrooms etc. It may be worth considering. Cabanon maje very good canvas tents invluding two pyramid tents. Lits if frame tents can be bought secondhand for a fraction of the new cost.

TheABC · 02/08/2014 12:30

There's been some lovely options on here, OP, so I hope you find the right one for your family. I'm a bell tent addict, but I know they are not for everyone. We have a 5m, with inners and awning - works for us (just one DS) and he will be getting a pop-up tent of his own, when he is older.

I have seen bell tents circled by smaller pop-ups, like a solar system. It seems to work for larger families.

pictish · 02/08/2014 13:01

That's what I think we'll do in the end.

I have been mooning over a dewaard pyramid, but they're not all rainbows and bluebirds...there is the pack size and weight to consider...they are awfy big and awfy heavy. Add on the price of a trailer.
They look simple but rather time consuming to pitch. Also, and this is just a personal thing, the interior looks a bit gloomy and I'm not overly sold on the plasticky window on the front. For the price they are, I'm not totally convinced yet - I'd have to see one for real. I'd love to see one for real.
I have no doubt the quality is superb, and it would be a lifetime investment, but for well less than half the price, you can have a spacious top end bell that fits in the car, goes up in a trice, never leaks, is solid in the bad weather and looks the biz, and will last you for years. Team it up with a canopy of your choice, and imo, you're pretty much living the dream...so long as you don't mind the dream being on the floor.

pictish · 02/08/2014 13:03

In short, I think bells offer excellent value for money.

Hakluyt · 02/08/2014 13:26

"I have seen bell tents circled by smaller pop-ups, like a solar system. It seems to work for larger families."

Just like our tipi colony! I wish I had a picture!

MinimalistMommi · 02/08/2014 14:08

Agree with Pictish, the bells pitch so quickly, for a canvas tent are relatively compact in my opinion and are very solid in wind/rain. They look beautiful pitched too. We are a family of four and we can fit everything into our Nissan Note with no trailer or roof box and we have the 5m bell. We've just packed it away now after airing it at home in our teeny tiny cottage, it was a mission but it only took ten minutes to zip it together, fold it and then roll it back into its bag. One thing I'll say is bell tent ground sheets are heavy!

Original poster

Freezingmyarseoff · 02/08/2014 20:40

ViviPru you ask a good question. I'm sure the size is a big part of it but actually I had several moments when I was questioning whether camping is a good idea full stop, especially as our main holiday & while the children are so young (5, 2 & 9 months).

First time camping with 3 DC, & baby started crawling on holiday too. What really got to me is how much stuff you need to take & the packing seemed so stressful (probably because I'm a tad sleep deprived). I ended up forgetting passports which is a whole other thread
Anyway upshot of it was, after a long discussion with DH, we decided we should continue camping because the more we do the easier it will become & we'll get better at taking enough stuff but not too much. The kids love it & we love being outdoors. Part of what made it hard was never being able to find what we needed because it was buried under something else. More space to be able designate a spot for x,y & z seems like it would make a big difference or am I a little delusional? I mean new kit always helps right?

The DC won't be sleeping in pup tents for a long while yet so that isn't suitable for us although I can see how it would work when they're older.

OP posts:

Original poster

Freezingmyarseoff · 02/08/2014 20:43

Sorry that was a bit long winded.

OP posts:

hettie · 02/08/2014 22:01

We have a small tipi tent and a tunnel with vis a vis compartments. I find the tipi chaotic and we use it for speed when weekend camping. Much prefer the tunnel which is polycotton, packs up smallish and is super practical (it's a Robens)

Cereal0ffender · 03/08/2014 08:20

Freeze, the secret to good camping is designated boxes and bags. We have a bag for clothes each, box for food, box for cooking equipment etc. get organised and stay organised

pictish · 03/08/2014 08:28

Agreed. We don't loll about in a rabble...everything has a place.

George9978 · 03/08/2014 08:44

We have a 5m, we also have loads of tub trucks and boxes/ baskets. You need to be organized. When the children get bigger we will probably add a small 3/4m bell as a sleeping compartment and join it with our awning.

I pitch alone a lot and it's bloody fast to pitch. I also do the cushions / rug to the extreme, it's romantic/ bohemian camping that I love.

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