Poly cotton tents worth it?

[Queenhoneybee]

I'm going to buy a large air tent, probably from the Kampa or Vango range. Looking at the more expensive poly cotton versions, are they worth the extra money? Also, does this mean they are huge & fill a car boot? Thanks!

One of the things I sometimes think about airbeam tents is that they are very expensive (compared with poles) but the polyester won' last any longer. And Polyester tents last surprisingly little time under strong sunlight.

Polycotton and cotton lasts years and years longer.

They are cooler, warmer, and less rustley (quieter) in wind.

They do have to be looked after a bit more carefully, packed away bone dry or dried at home (including the guy lines which sometimes take longer to dry than the tent after wet weather).

And yes, polycotton is a bit heavier and bulkier than polyester, but not as much so as cotton canvas.

The new polycotton Vango and Kampa tents are beautiful.

We upgraded to polycotton after having a polyester tent for a few years.

Mine is poled not airbeam, I've seen air ones in the shops and they are massive, I doubt I'd be able to move it on my own whereas I can pitch my Bear Lake 6 on my own.

I'm unsure about changing to airbeam as we only camp in France not sure how they cope with the heat

Sorry, meant to say ... upgrading to polycotton is the best decision we made, quieter, rock solid in wind, I sleep better as its darker and quieter.

Thanks @HotpotLawyer @jellyshoeswithdiamonds . Might go for a smaller poly cotton one if you think they are massive. Not sure if actually I don't need as much space as I think!

Yes - I love mine and will replace with another polycotton when it dies....

had a bear lake 4 - which was a really lovely but took me an hour to get pitched properly and a real pain on my own

now have a Eureka sphinx - great only weighs 15kg - so have flown with it/taken on trains is fully pitched in less than 20mins

all their tents are great - ...may get another although robend have some interesting styles now...

Yes, absolutely !
Totally different experience camping in poly cotton to plastic.
I have a ‘range’ of tents poly cotton & canvas. Poly cotton dries better & weighs less wet than canvas.
I have a small plastic air tent( used for festivals) but wish I’d got it in polycotton.

Our polycotton robens tent is now 15 years old, it has done 4-6 trips a year, survived howling gales, flash floods (in france last year) and searing sun..... It was an investment but so so worth it. If you know you are a camper and will be doing so for 8-10 years go for it.
The airbeam style are vast though as there is a huge amount of canvas. Plus having seen a few 'blown up' they really are no quicker than simple pole tents.....

The Obelink website has some lovely polycotton tents which look very good value - all poled, though. www.obelink.co.uk/tents/tunnel-tents.html
(excellent Dutch make that ship to Britain)

Check the weight and pack sizes compared to airbeam polycotton.

What attracts you to airbeam?

I think they are quick to put up but not necessarily to pack and fold - squeezing all that air out! A tunnel tent shouldn't take long to put up anyway.

Thanks all, some lovely looking tents I'd not come across before. Hotpotlawyer we had a disastrous trip last summer with our poled tent & I swore I'd never use poles ever again.