Has anyone got a bell tent ?

[ruthydd]

.....persuade me its a good idea!

Who's been reading the Observer?

hee hee - am I that transparent ?

Just read it myself!

Yes I have, our guiding unit used to have one.

Bloody cold.

I love camping- as long as it comes with a SIG. I do not do the drafty variant!

Califrau - I'm going nowhere near the matterhorn! UK summer weekends (hot of course) and festivals.

Willow2 - were you not tempted by the photo in the Observer?

Do you have to buy sheepskins?

Lots of Dutch people seem to have this sort of tent.

one of these?

mmm not much head room, bloody heavy when wet (or dry!) you would have to find sticks to put your wellies on and roll up your bedding packs every day - or is that only when on Guide camp?

don't do it

they are huge when packed, weigh a ton and ideally need 6 people to pitch.

in the last 100yrs we have come up with better things to make tents of than cotton!

One-layer canvas tents are much colder than nice modern ones with inner tents, too.

www.albioncanvas.co.uk/p12997/No-10-Albion-Bell-Tent.html

and a little pricy at £615!!!!

are you mad?

and if you touch it at all you get soaked

and they take forever to dty and are very prone to mildew.

Mind you, if you teat them well they do last longer than the new polyester ones

...which is nice if you want a tent you can lumber your grandchildren with in 50 years...

the prospect of having to put it up again at home to dry would put me off and memories of guides

though I seem to remember we fought to sleep in the bell tents..I never got my aptrol to win tht battle for some reason..so i don't think I've slept in one only the other shape

That was treat them BTW, not teat them. I'm not suggesting any mammary goings on as seam selants.

So, am I right in thinking the general consensus is "no" ?

maybe go and stay in a campsite that has them ready pitched - the genuine experience without having to drag it to and from home?

or a yurt?

someone posted about one not long ago - will have a look

look!

Umm - a house with a cotton ceiling? Looks lovely, but not quite what I had in mind. I could buy 2 bell tents for the same price as a week here.

Thanks to all your comments dh is also now convinced this is a bad idea. Funny, I thought there might just be one mner out there with some positive stories - not often you get a consensus on here unless the suggestion is absolutely barking mad.

Looks like we might go for something like this instead

ooh, now that's more sensible!

sorry we sounded like a load of wet blankets re the bell tent but really...

(I did have a better ready-pithced bell tent site but can't lay my hands on it)

aha this was where I meant - a tipi

I love camping but I have two words for those Scout/Guide type tents

SOD THAT

All those beetles under your bed roll?

YUCK

SIG is the way to go!

Yes MrsB - I've seen this tipi site before. Looks lovely

"wet blankets" - not at all! You've saved me sleeping under one!