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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

Looking for ace family tent. Recommendations please!! Can a tent be too cheap?

27 replies

LittleMonkiesMum · 07/04/2007 09:33

Hi, just wondering if anyone can help. Looking for a family tent, would like a biggie so it lasts for years, want something easy to put up, but really want something that's good quality and going to last well. We will only be using it a couple of times a year though so it doesn;t need to be arctic expedition standard!!
We saw this the other day, and thought it looked great, but it seems too cheap. The man in Yeomans said that Peakland were made by Outwell for Yeomans and were the same quality. What does everyone think re. quality of Peaklnd? Have no idea about tents at all, as have only just persuaded OH that camping could be a joyful family experience.

OP posts:
LittleEasterLapin · 07/04/2007 09:41

I asked DH (who is into all things camping and hiking) and he said he wouldn't dismiss them out of hand (because he hasn't personally had one) but they are definitely the cheaper end of the market.

It might be worth splashing out a bit more if you want it to last for years - have a look at these . We've got a Vaude (not that big though!) which is excellent, it's a geodesic dome and is really really simple to put up - always an advantage when it's raining!

Kbear · 07/04/2007 09:46

In defence of cheap tents, we bought a Nevada 5 from Argos two years ago. It has withstood two MASSIVE thunderstorms without so much as a leak. You might find your needs change, or you hate camping or it's difficult to put up so buying cheap in the first place isn't a bad idea IMO.

LittleEasterLapin · 07/04/2007 09:47

Good point(s), kbear

Kbear · 07/04/2007 09:48

aww, I should have read this, now I want to go camping. It's a fab weekend for it.

LittleEasterLapin · 07/04/2007 09:52

We're off next month, woo hoo! 6 adults, 3 (small) toddlers - we must be bonkers!

LittleEasterLapin · 07/04/2007 10:02

LittleMonkiesMum, have you seen this thread?

Nemo2007 · 07/04/2007 10:08

The khyam does look really good we went to see it in local tent shop and really was comparable to the outwells etc. Especially having a sewn in groundsheet and the bedrooms dont all have ot be put up. Also a lot of living space in the middle

PeachyChocolateEClair · 08/04/2007 14:38

We ahd a proaction from Argos and it was fine, yes OK a bit no frills but how imporant are erm, doormats in the big scale of things? LOl

Khyam and Outwell are compatible, as are vango, Jamet, the premier Gelerts (they do the cheapre nes you get in Halfords yes, but also the range that includes the Utah, Quebec, tahoma etc).

Have a look on somewhere like outdoor megastore- theya re decently priced and give lots of information. then take a shortlist over to ukcampsite website (the one with the reviews / message board- others are nicking the name and just changing the .extension) and look them up.

Original poster
LittleMonkiesMum · 10/04/2007 21:59

Thanks Peachy, sites you mentioned are brilliant. x

OP posts:
Homebird8 · 10/04/2007 22:30

If you want to know how well they stand up to water then look for the hygrometer/penetration figure. Ours is 1800 which means that it would have to have 1.8 metres of standing water on it before it would let it through the body of the fabric. This pressure is made up in the real world (of people not camping under water) when heavy rain is combined with wind and it pushes water onto and potentially through the fabric.
Our tent is a Robens tunnel tent. Very easy to put up and great at keeping wind and water out (and small boys in!). We got it from Go Outdoors for about £200 and have had it two years now and will be using it again this year for main holiday and long weekends. Only reason to change in my opinion in to get the next size up as the boys grow!

Homebird8 · 10/04/2007 22:38

Oh, and go for a tent you can lift. Some of them are really heavy. One with aluminium poles helps with that.

PeachyChocolateEClair · 10/04/2007 22:46

Oh and we bought a new tent today- khyam Ontario 8 from the kite and camping centre (they ahve a website), that was a good deal.

Housemum · 15/04/2007 09:48

When you decide which tent you like, stick the make/model in Yahoo and see where it's cheapest - sometimes you find a site that you haven't seen before. We thought we'd found our Khyam ten at the cheapest price, then saved another £50. If you need a lot of stuff (we're just getting into this so needed sleeping bags, mats, stove etc) search around for the cheapest prices, then try out this site: our new tent!
They have a price-match guarantee so I basically sent them a list of the items they sold and the links to the sites where I had found them cheaper, and they matched the prices. Some of their stuff is the cheapest anyway. Getting excited as it's all due to arrive next week! (and I will smile sweetly at the delivery guy and ask him to put the heavy greta tent straight in the garage!!)

Housemum · 15/04/2007 09:51

One thought on brands, if you know you will definitely be going camping and are sure you will want the tent for years, then brand name isn't important as long as you are happy with the tent. If you have any doubts, or you think you may want to change tents in a couple of years, stick to the big brands as you can get back a lot of your money by flogging it on eBay if it has a good name.

Twiglett · 15/04/2007 10:00

Halfords do a family camping deal for £200 (at least they did last year)

a tent with 2 separate bedrooms and central head height area.. 4 sleeping bads, 4 airbeds, 2 camping lights

seemed fine

Blandmum · 15/04/2007 10:14

Re the claim that peakdale is the same as Outwell, one thing that is worth checking in the hydrostatic head of the fabric. Outwell never go below 3000mm, and I think that the peakdale ones do.

Personaly I wouldn't go below 2000mm if you are going to camp in the UK.

However there is a lot to be said for not spending big buck until you know that camping is for you. A good idea is to borrow kit and try before you buy. Also worth seeing a lot of tents 'up' to see what suits your family needs

Twiglett · 15/04/2007 10:18

ooo MB you're back hello .. how was easter?

BandofMothers · 15/04/2007 10:24

I don't think that's cheap. Argos do some nice tents, and they are cheaper than that. Also they have a policy whereby they will replace items that break, within reason obv if you're using it as you should etc, for up to a year if you keep your receipt.

BandofMothers · 15/04/2007 10:25

LOL, just read rest of thread, and someone already said argos. Sorry

Blandmum · 15/04/2007 10:26

fabbo! We all had a great time. Dh was more tired than when we went to Disney, but he would have a nap and I would take the kids into the theme park. We all had a great time.

I looked into taking the tent to duinrell but it would cost a familiy of 4 50 euros a night at easter! The holiday in the caravan cost us £450 for the week and that inculded the eurotunnel crossing. And at that price I'll go for the 'van! Plus dh needs a proper bed and bathroom etc.

Had a terrific time and I'd recoment Duinrell to anyone with a yonngish family

Blandmum · 15/04/2007 10:28

re E-bay tents, they are often not the bargin that they seem. Some branded tents can be a good by, but some are US improtrs and they have vey low HH, too low for reliable UK use

satine · 15/04/2007 10:30

So sorry to hijack but I'm wondering if anyone has a tent I could borrow for a holiday in Aug? I've started a thread called "can I borrow your tent" with all the details!

Thanks, and very sorry for the hijack!

Housemum · 15/04/2007 17:28

Hi MB - I was recommending more flogging than buying on eBay! We jumped in feet first with a decent sized Khyam for our first camping trip, on the basis that if it looked as if we'd all kill each other on a longer stay, we'd shift it quickly on eBay as the tents all seem to fetch quite good prices, but we'd have a harder time shifting a "cheap" brand.

Regarding Duinrell, was that in your own or one of their caravans? We stayed several years ago in one of their "Duingalows" and had a great time (we booked it direct and a separate ferry crossing). Any tips for the cheapest way of getting there appreciated as we were considering trying the tent next year.

Blandmum · 15/04/2007 17:31

we went with canvas, too cold for the tent at easter!

They are charging around 50 euros for a tent and 4 people per night.

Have friends who use tesco vouchers to cross using eurotunnel, but I have not done it myself.

The duingalows look fab, but the cheapest at easter is 650 euros and the whoke holiday cost us £450 with canvas!

PeachyChocolateEClair · 18/04/2007 15:07

Ebay is fine IF you stick to names you know

We bought our last one brand new on there, and sold it again a year later for £90 less, as we really needed a different config now. The Khyam will prob. be up there in a year too, as we're hoping to get the polycotton model but unwilling to spend almost £300 until e know for sure (and at 6 trps a year we do get our moneys worth LOL)