Please please help me find a tent

[PartyFops]

We are going camping for the first time in the summer, we are going with some friends and it is also their first time.

We will be camping only an hour or so away from home.

I had my heart set on a bell tent, and I know that alot of mumsnetters rate them. But what are the negatives?, DH met some people the other day who were seasoned campers, they apparently laughed when he told me that we were planning on bell tent.

So, what are the alternatives?

There are only 3 of us, me DH and our 4 year old DD. But, I like lots of space, dd needs to have her own bedroom bit, (i was going to put a black out tent in the bell just for her) and I want a roomy double compartment for me and DH.

We were looking at the Vango tents which have the lights out bedrooms, I need dd to sleep longer than 5am.

I need something that is easy to pitch.

Budget wise £600 max.

Can't afford a nice Vango air tent which would be perfect.

Thanks

Agree with Karen - definitely go for a tent that is a bit bigger than you need. When weather is bad, you need the space to bring boots, table chairs, etc inside. Sleeping space is based on the size of a sleeping bag so can be quite snug. Also (only an issue if you are on the tall side - I'm 5'9" and struggle in some tents) try to get one with height to stand up in otherwise you will soon get pain in your neck/back from stooping all the time. Obviously not an issue for our glorious British weather when you will be outside all of the time.

Hmm. I always think bell tents look lovely, but the heaviness, lack of divided space and the price would put me off. We've had our cheap Hi Gear tent for years now and will probably get a similar one when it eventually dies.

This thread is really making me want to go camping! Not warm enough for me yet though...

Oh gosh, yes, please check size of tent when packed away as canvas can be very bulky. Remember, you will almost definitely not get it folded away as neatly as it was when you buy it and you still have to fit sleeping bags, footprints/tarps, cooking gear, mattresses, table, chairs, lights, kitchen sink, etc. in to car. Also canvas is heavy to carry from car to pitch - not all sites allow you to park next to pitch.

Having said all this, I much preferred our canvas tent to our nylon one - it just smells better!!!
Just a tip regarding awnings: Try to avoid one that is attached to tent and cannot be taken down. In windy weather we have to take our awning down as it acts like a parachute and pulls on the tent too much ripping the tent and itself - not so much of a problem if it has removeable sides to it and can be pegged out properly.
Can I say that blackout sleeping compartments are a revelation?! Have never considered them but both DDs sleep ok in light rooms. I will say that the noise will probably wake you before the light will - other campers can be noisy - even when trying to be quiet and farm animals never stick to the site noise rules! If you are a light sleeper, I'd recommend earplugs although other peoples' camping conversations can be quite interesting!

Love our outwell white cove 6. Easy to pitch, can stand up and large living space in case it rains (have a toddler to entertain).

I wouldn't get a vango as the walls or doors always seem to be sloping which creates unusable

Space inside but that's just my opinion.

Have you seen the reviews section of UKcampsite this might help

After looking at budget options for several months (I don't get out much!) I would like to ask those seasoned campers their opinion on my choice here www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B0027DH574/ref=ox_sc_act_title_3?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=ADPGAH3H6HCIW
It has a foil lined bedroom which the reviews say keeps it cool, so for the price I thought this would be a good choice for me and DD to last us the next 10 years of once a year use?

For once a year use only Lioninthesun that is a very good price. However, you won't be able to stand up in the tent, and that can get wearing after a while. If you want to keep it for 10 years would you like to be able to stand up to dress etc?

I was just thinking that, if so, something like this: www.quechua.co.uk/arpenaz-family-4-1-tent-id_25923 might be better? Unless of course the point about keeping it cool is paramount in which case probably not

Also, of course, it is more expensive but for 10 years use it might be worth the extra for the living space.

I have had the unpleasant experience of roasting in a tent at 5am, so perhaps I am a little jaded (it was in Sardinia so possibly higher temps that we could get at that time in UK!) but yes, it has made me very aware of how horrid it is to be sweating and unable to sleep as an adult, let alone with a toddler!
It would be nice to stand up, but you can always just take a bag to the shower and get dressed in there with a mirror. I spent 5 months living in a VW combi-van in Australia so have that routine down

fair enough but I must admit most of my 5am camping experiences over here have involved reaching out to put a hat on or an extra blanket. Roasting has been rare (can be a problem later on but with a toddler there rarely is much of a later on in bed!)

V envious of 5 months in a van in Australia though. Sounds fab!

First time we tried camping it was in a borrowed tent. The weather was dreadful, but still went ahead and bought a tent, and then a trailer tent and then a caravan as we went from camping with kids to camping as a couple with kids flown the nest. We wanted to eventually camp abroad and that was a different ball game altogether from UK. We only stopped in France to camp when the grass changed from green to golden, around the Bordeaux region. Don't spend money at first, perhaps you could hire a tent or borrow from a camping friend.

A tent only 130cm tall at its highest point would drive me mad. In fact I have bought a new tent this year because 140Cms has driven me mad.

Ah - I have only camped in the UK and France, so being too hot in a tent hasn't ever happened to me. Too cold... definitely!

In defence of bell tents - I am a single mother and I can put my 4metre bell tent up by myself. I bought a bedroom insert which is massive and a canvas wing which allows for outside sitting/cooking in the rain. The whole lot cost about £500 and I love it - In the Summer I could quite happily live in my tent!
The advantages are the airy feel, the solidity, it has never leaked even in some extreme Scottish summer weather, (and it so totally has the cute factor- It makes me smile every time I return to it or see it from afar) I have some retro low folding chairs (john lewis) and a coffee table height folding table (decathlon) which are fab. I dry mine out over the stairwell of my tiny terrace if taken down in the rain. My son loves it and so do his friends. The only disadvantage is that some people with bell tents are up themselves and give the rest of us a bad rep! (ok and you can't really backpack with a bell tent-you need a car!)
I have only been camping for 3 years and started with a £50 basic to give it a try which is what I would recommend for starters - then you can spend the winter planning your bell tent purchase with a clear idea of what sort of kit you want to buy (and also get lots of things half price in the end of season sales). Enjoy your camping!

ideal tent for us has two bedrooms, enclosed bug free living space and large awning/canopy area. We are a family of 4 and a 6 man is ideal.

A vango tent with a canopy addition would fit the bill but the ideal layout for me is the something like the Outwell Vermont but it is £££. I would pick up a second hand Vango given you've never been camping before however.

Oh and transporting back and drying a wet tent so you can pack it away is a pain - I've always tbought a wet cloth bell tent would be a nightmare. You also need to make sure you have room in your car for bunting and solar fairy lights! ( i confess to having the latter and they are v. pretty)

Lioninthesun
The reasons that I wouldn't touch your proposed tent are:

• not warm enough (not cotton)
• ultra dangerous to cook inside of (IMHO)
• too expensive **
• I would have no confidence in it in bad weather (cheap tunnel tents the worst IME)

** what never seems to 'bend my brains' is that people are smart enough to ask advice from those who have 'trodden the same path before them' but then aren't then smart enough to heed the generously given advice.

I have spent up to £3,500 on a tent (18ft yurt) in the past but have, after many years experience, come to the conclusion that a cheap, second-hand, canvas, quality tent is often the best solution, and the one I now use for me and all my extended family.

Hmmm. Sorry, seem to have gotten the price wrong on yr proposed tent (though I had seen £500).

Nevertheless, wouldn't touch for the other reasons given and also the reason pointed out by other experienced posters - not high enough (will drive you mad eventually).

ageinghipsterchick
What do you do for cooking and light with your bell tent?

For the record, I have 2x Calor Gas butane cylinders that run a 3 ring gas hob and a gas lantern (dinner, cards, drinking, chat, guests in evening).

I'm also drifting towards vintage canvas. I'm a nervous camper but want to go with dd as she'd love it. I'm going for smaller initially as we're only only going to go if the weather's fine and I'll worry less about being unstable if it's bigger.

If it's genuinely too small then I know I'll be able to sell it for what I paid and get a bigger one next year.

I do need to work out how to make an awning for it though.

Daisy, if you can sew I made a tarp in cotton canvas to use with my little ridge tent, which is only a year old but with a vintage look. I bought the canvas from Point North and a two pole set from tent spares. You can buy lightweight cotton tarps cheaply from Obelink though.

Ooh I was wondering how difficult this might be! I have a decent sewing machine and I was looking at atomatent for canvas but a UK supplier would be a lot easier!

Making a vario might be beyond me though!

I just did a fell seam for the join, sewed polyester tap loops in each corner and at each centre point. I reinforced those points with a triangle of canvas and double stitched all the edges, folding the hem over twice. Looks really good and is very strong. Much thicker than the Obelink tarp we had to go with the Obelink pyramid we had for a weekend tent for a couple of years.

Point North or Pennine Outdoors are the best places for canvas ime. You can buy from abroad but I have never bothered as I have always been happy with those two.

Thank you!