Single parent camping

[PenguinWings]

I'm looking to buy a bigger tent. At the moment we have a khyam vis a vis which I've had for more than 20 years.

My big worry with larger tents is whether I'll be able to pitch them by myself. Even the air tents seem to say 2 people to pitch.

I'm looking at the vango Iris 600XL or a vango Capri airbeam.

Could anyone please give me recommendations about family size tents that I can put up myself with the help of my very good, capable 7 year old and my easily distracted, prone to furious tantrums 4 year old? I really don't want to put them off camping for life by loosing it because I can't get the tent up.

I’d recommend the Coleman FastPitch Air Valdes www.coleman.eu/UK/images/document/C&C_ColemanValdes_2018.pdf

Ooh - I need this thread too. Any more recommendations?

Airbeams are heavy. They are usually PC so even if they are easy up they are still a lot to handle..
I can put up our Iris alone but it is (IMO) very tight compared to an Icarus so you may need 7 YO to hold the poles while you take the strain. Not an effortless pitch for you.
When mine were that age I had a khyam 6 man vis a vis tunnel and we slept in one end and used the whole of the centre/other end space to live in. It was great. Depends if your vis a vis is head height all the way through though.

In short: a tunnel is a good shout, consider the Icarus over the Iris. I wouldn't go for airbeam until your 7yo is a bit bigger.

Any of the 3 or 4 pole vango tents are OK to pitch on your own if you know what you're doing (I've done it several times with an icarus, avington etc). Have a look at the cross camping method, it's a good way to do it if you're on your own.

Oh interesting, I've not pitched the iris. Icarus, Calder, Avington, all OK btw. Calder is good because it has the canopy.

Cross camping method:

I can pitch our massive vango air beam alone. It’s amazing. The only downside it how heavy it is and how much space it takes up in the car. Once I’ve heaved it out it’s easy to put up and doesn’t take very long at all.

Single parent camper here. I have a Vango Edoras 500 xl which I can put up alone within about 20 minutes. It is fairly heavy in the bag, but manageable.
The worse part is pumping it up, but I've just bought myself the electric pump to save my back - trying it out this weekend!

I can pitch our massive vango air beam alone. It’s amazing. The only downside it how heavy it is and how much space it takes up in the car. Once I’ve heaved it out it’s easy to put up and doesn’t take very long at all.

I was about to say the same.

Packing it away is more difficult (particularly if it's wet or windy) but it's doable.

Bell tent - I can pitch our 5m by myself and have 2DC aged 5 and 7 running around "helping". I often go by myself when my husband works weekend etc.

I have a vango just like the Iris, and can pitch it fine with my 10 and 13 year old so I reckon you'd be ok. easier to pitch than carry!!!

Lots of very exciting ideas. Thank you all

Ended up buying another tent off the back of this thread (whoops)

@IWantMyHatBack Oooh! What did you get?

Take a look at the decathlon air tents. Mine is now 3 and still ok. They are cheap and guaranteed for 2 years. People stop and watch me pump mine up. I have a 4.1 which has plenty of room for me plus DC 11 and 8. Don’t forget to buy the pump sold separately. We are going again in 2 weeks.

@notatwork outwell willwood 5.

I second a bell tent. I love my huge Bear Lake 6, but when it's just me and our two kids, or if the 4 of us are only going for a short trip, I have a Soulpad 4000 hybrid which has a ZIGS. It has one central pole and a small A frame in the entrance, the rest is very easy to peg out. It's canvas, so is warm in winter and cool in summer. The kids are now 10 and 12 and put it up on their own in the garden to sleep in over Easter. You can unzip the ground sheet and roll the sides up for ventilation and it looks like the it's hovering mid-air!
soulpad.co.uk/products/soulpad-4000-hybrid

I've got one of these - www.obelink.co.uk/lugano-6.html Thinking of selling and getting something smaller and lighter though.

Pitched it with help from my 9 year old last summer. It just needed someone to hold one hoop against the stiff breeze while I pegged. Might have been tricky if it had been really windy, I suppose... But that's also true of the bells. I can pitch that alone, but might struggle in the wind.

I can do the Vango 500xl by myself and can just about lift it in and out of the boot.
On my own it takes about half an hour whereas when there are two of us it's about 10 min.

Quechua 2.4 tent I can pitch alone easy peasy 😊

This is a bit of a bargain

www.gooutdoors.co.uk/15909012/outwell-elmwood-5a-inflatable-tent-15909012/?istCompanyId=c2ec8a5d-93c1-4850-a97a-f4d89d7c99c8&istFeedId=4281d494-a3fb-41aa-9337-e88df788cb3b&istItemId=wapirtawx&istBid=t&utm_source=Criteo&utm_medium=Retargeting&utm_campaign=Criteo-product

(further 10% off if you have a C&C member card too)

I camp with a four year old and myself using a wood-and-canvas Viking re-enactment tent because I can pitch that alone whereas modern tents are a struggle. The Viking tent is great - you thread the ridge pole through an external seam, peg one long side and both ends into the ground, then a two minute struggle lifting two horizontal poles to vertical and pegging the last side with the preschooler waiting in the car and you are good to go.

I bought a 7-man octagonal Coleman Cortes last year, and my 14 year old daughter and 9 year old son put it up themselves whilst I sat and made tea : -)

TBF my daughter is exceedingly capable - potentially your helpful 7-year old and yourself may be able to do it too. I'll be using it in a couple of weeks on my own with my now 10-year old and 8 year old.

wowcamping.co.uk/productDetail/coleman-cortes-octagon-8-tent-green-2019/?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIufqY18Kt4wIVoxbTCh1T3AbgEAQYBSABEgI_6_D_BwE

Enjoy!

Plus, sorry, it packs away into a little rectangle on wheels, so is easy to transport.

5m Bell tent. I can pitch it by myself in 10 mins