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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.

Original poster

Camping & Mumsnet newbie - which tent?

15 replies

Zin · 29/01/2007 00:13

Hi! I was hoping that some of you more experienced campers could offer me a little advice on buying a tent since there are no camp shops near where I live and buying 'blind' off the internet is a little scary.

I am looking for a tent that would be roomy enough for stays of a fortnight and although it will be mainly used for two people, can accomodate four. My other criteria is that I will be able to put it up single handedly ( or at least with minimal help from a seven year old!)

The tent that seems to be winning my heart is the Outwell Minnesota 4 but it is at the top of my budget, costing £228. I'm also looking at the Montana 4, which is slightly cheaper at £199 and the Outwell Oregon Twin Tent ( £155).

My main concern with all of the above is that I have no idea how easy (or not!) they are to put up. I had originally looked at the Khyam Freelander tunnel Dome tent which would come in nicely below budget and with no worries about putting it up. However - it really doesn't have the space that I want.

Any views on these tents, advice on what I should do would be much appreciated. Thank you!

OP posts:
twinsetandpearls · 29/01/2007 00:18

WE ahve an outwell oregon 5 which is very easy to put up, dp practically puts itup singlehanded and could do so if he had to.

We like the larger porch area so you can sit in with comfort if it rains and when dp and I are on our own with the tent we use the bedroom with the door as a store for boots, coats and luggage.

JanH · 29/01/2007 00:19

Be aware though that a 4-berth tent is only really big enough for 4 very small people in good weather

Indith · 29/01/2007 00:21

Oooh tents!

They will all be easy to put up I think, lightweights like that are no brainers really and even on your own working section by section you shouldn't have too much trouble. I would go for the twin tent. A central living space like that is much much nicer and feels less cramped. Plus with that layout you can open from both sides so even when raining you will often be able to have one side open which makes things feel much less stuffy and shut in. Going for a fornight with a 7 year old you will really want that large living space and those doors to make it feel as nice and light and airy as possible and so you have plenty of ventilation for cooking.

twinsetandpearls · 29/01/2007 00:22

Janh is right we only ever have 3 people and one of them is dd in our five birth tent.

Original poster
Zin · 29/01/2007 00:52

Oh how exciting, I can't believe how many responses at this time of night/morning! Thanks all of you! Twinset, I'll have a look at the oregon you suggest - I'm very impressed that it's a five 'birth' tent, you must be a very committed camper!

OP posts:
twinsetandpearls · 29/01/2007 00:53

God no we only started last year but became addicted and pent much of the summer under canvas and can't wait to start again.

Blandmum · 29/01/2007 07:15

If you are using it for longer periods, and want to sleep 4 people I would look at a 6 berth minimum. You can only really sleep 4 small people whi like each other very much in a 4 berth tent! And if you are sleeping on anything other than mats, forget it, there will not be enough room.

Outwells are great tents, I have one! I'd love a monty...they are fab and very easy to put up. TRy to see all the tents you are in erected.....It will help youto decide.

twinsetandpearls · 29/01/2007 07:46

As Mb says if you can go and see the tents erected we went and bought ours atone of the many camping shows and spent ages wandering in and out of tents, vene lying down in the compartments to see what they felt like. Many of those thatwe thought were fine looking at catalogues or pictures were in reality to small.

Original poster
Zin · 29/01/2007 09:58

So the consensus seems to be - take the number of people you want to fit in the tent and add one or two to get the number of berths required.
I agree that it would really help to see some tents erected but there doesn't seem to be anything in central scotland, which is my area ( on Saturday I drove for an hour to my nearest 'Outdoor World?' only to find racks and racks of fleeces and no tents in stock let alone up)
I assume there will be some camp/tent type show later in the year but I thought if I bought just now I was likely to get a good deal since it's pre-season.
Thanks again for all your responses!

OP posts:
twinsetandpearls · 29/01/2007 10:34

I paid the sale price they had for the oregen 5 atgone of the tentfairs on an august bank holiday,

I would add at least two people to the number using the tent.

twinsetandpearls · 29/01/2007 10:36

this is where we got ours is there one near you?

hotandbothered · 29/01/2007 10:46

We bought ours online but did go and see some first altho we didn't actually see the one we ended up buying! We bought a Coleman and are SO pleased with it. Definitely agree you need to have it bigger than you think. Ours is 6 berth and there's only 2 and a little one of us! Agree too about the tents with bedroom at either end and living space in the middle - makes you feel there is more space than there actually is! HTH

Original poster
Zin · 29/01/2007 22:50

Hi again!
I posted on a camping website forum as well as here and they too have suggested a vis a vis style tent e.g. Campus/Khyam Yale. Great minds and all that!

I have just thought of another issue - I would really like a tent with doors or windows that can be left open for ventilation but with a mesh or such like to keep out insect life etc. This is probably quite important since I hope to go to France this year and a lot of my other camping is likely to happen in Scotland where the midges eat me alive. Does anybody know if any of the tents that have been mentioned have this?

Also does anybody know if I will get a better deal buying a tent now or hanging on for a couple of months? If I wait I may get a chance to see some tents 'in the flesh' but that may not be for a month or so. Twinset, thanks but I live in Scotland and I'm afraid there are no Yeoman's stores here, or any other big camping stores with displays that I can tell.

Sorry to bang on about this but it is a big purchase for me. All your advise has been much appreciated.

OP posts:
Pixel · 29/01/2007 23:58

We bought our tent 'in season' but it was at a big camping exhibition where we could see all the tents properly. We bought the display model so we got it cheaper than normal, probably for the same price as we would have paid online 'out of season' (hopefully anyway). Plus, we had to take it down ourselves and pack it away which gave us the advantage when we had to put it up for the first time as we knew where all the bits went. If you do go to an exhibition and see a tent you like it might be worth making an offer, you never know! We even got a table, airbeds and sleeping bags thrown in.

Surfermum · 31/01/2007 18:35

We've got one of these Vario 9 . It's fab. There's only 4 of us, and it's a 9 berth, so we have a bedroom for dh and I, one for dd, one for dsd and a 4th room that we put a shelving unit in for all the clothes and clobber. There are windows on the side like you describe.

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