Right, i am looking at tents AGAIN. i think i'm a tent porn addict...

[Aitch]

at 3 o'clock this morning, with a deadline of 9am for a piece, was i writing furiously? no, i was looking up sodding tents. had MN been in any way populated i'd never have got my work finished...

which brings me to my question. do i go for a SIG or not? i'm in sunny jockoland and dh has a phobia of rodents, so i feel that the answer to that question should be yes, should it not?

i fancy a tunnel tent because they look easy to put up (and dh is strictly decorative so i know that responsibility would be mine all mine) but do you get ones with SIGs? couldn't see any last night/this morning.

cheers

www.outdoormegastore.co.uk/acatalog/Outwell_Deluxe_Tents.html

scroll down and tunnel tents with SIG at the bottom

We have an Outwell vermont L and 2/3 of it has a SIG and the last bit has a groundsheet you can put down if you want. We love it

www.outdoormegastore.co.uk/acatalog/Outwell_Premium_Tents.html

gotcha, thanks. i was typing in SIG and not seeing it longhand, iykwim? how essential is a SIG, anyway?

so are the SIG ones a zillion times more expensive then?
there are three of us, dh and i and baby, so would we be looking 5 or 6 people longer term?

SIG really useful to keep out draughts and midges, and rain if it is really heavy - we had standing eater last week but a dry tent . We were camping with friends last week who have the Nebraska - towards bottom of dustystar's link. THe porch is really useful - can set up your kitchen in there and still have plenty of space to get past. If yoyr budget can run to it it is a great tent!

It depends on what you want from your tent really. Our last tent was a Gelert lokon Vario 6 and it didn't have a SIG. The only time that seemed to matter was out of season when it was cold. TBH dome tents with SIGs can get very warm in the summer but if you have a large family they are good because of the number of bedrooms. I prefer tunnel tnets because of the amount of living space. If you don't like insects etc then a SIG is a good idea

we've both linked to outwells - they are an expensive brand, but are good - sure there are cheaper alternatives though

The vermont l has the first 2/3 of the tent as a SIG and this area can be completely enclosed by a middle panel, leaving the last (front) third of the tent to be used as a canopy etc. If you can get to a show or shop that has tents on display I recommend you go and have a look around.

i don't mind insects but dh really is phobic of rats etc so if i could zip us up and promise no intruders it would be useful.
i liked a gelert one last night, but i think i do want the sig. hmm.

dustystar - are you pleased with your Vermont? We are sorely tempted by one - next year, we can't afford it this year - but there have been lots of reports of leaking seams on the Vermonts on ukcamping.

I'm not a sig fan but a half sig would be a compromise, I like a breeze blowing through my tent to clear any condensation

A couple of the seams leaked a bit on Sunday when it rained all day but other than that it was good. We're just going to use some waterproof on the 2 seams that leaked and hopefully that will solve the problem. They didn't leak much but I agree with the others who had similar problems that its not good in a new tent. We still love it though - worth every penny IMO. Ds loves sleeping in the wardrobe too

I'll let you know after our next camping trip if we sort the leaking out or not.

glad your ds appreciated the wardrobe!

thanks for that - any info would be great!

so is a half-sig what i'm after? it's just for the bedrooms we'd need it, i'd imagine.

Ok so whas a sig??

Aitch all the bedrooms on tents have sigs so you needn't worry

sewn in ground sheet magnolia

Oh, I've got one of them

LOLOLOLOLOLOLOL... quadrophenia, really?

Sewn in groundsheet, I think. I am the friend Panda was referring to. Our tent is fab fab fab - the Outwell Nebraska. Loads of living space and 4 bedrooms and, of course, the porch! New tents often leak on first wetting or subsequent heavy wettings as the seams swell and shrink again when drying. They are more waterproof afterwards.

can you tell i haven't been camping since i was six? still loling...

me ttoo, I didn't even know I had a sig

oooh, get you!

snuffy thanks for that, it looks great. probably out of my price range tho, unfortunately.

so what are the brands to avoid and the best brands?