Integral groundsheet - how important is it?

[specialmagiclady]

Buying a first tent for family of 4. Would like to get a 6 berth tunnel tent, if we can get one with Integral groundsheet. But in our budget range (up to £200) this seems hard to find. How much does it matter?

Purely a matter of taste. We wouldn't have one without one (have you checked out the Khyam Ontario 6 for your needs? we have the Ontario 8 but there'll be 6 of us). OTOH there are other just as experienced campers on here (MB IIRC) who much rpefer not to haev a sewn in groundsheet.

Personally, we had a tent for a year wothout one and got extremly distracted by bugs etc in the tent. It can also be chillier. But some tents these days offer bucket, or zip in, groundsheets that can be a good alternative anyway.

here you go

we used ours 7 times last year in all weathers, love it to bits- so much so we're note ven upgrading next year !

LOL

I got two fab bell tents last year, one for us (4m wide, sleeps 4/6) and one for my dad (5m wide, sleeps about 10 quite nicely!) They were both realy cheap, about £150 ish, brand new from Holland. website was called Obelink, I think. They are called Sahara 400 and 500, we got the ones with separate groundsheets, so we could get some ventilation round the edge if it was too hot, then had a wet and windy summer! But it was really comfy camping. They also do the ones with the groundsheet sewn in. They are quite heavy canvas tents though, so you need to have someone around to help you carry and pitch it.

Personally I don't like the sewn in groundsheets as it harded to keep the tent clean. I can just unclip ours and shake it out if there loads of crud inside.

It's also easier to pack the tent up. The underside of the groundsheet is generally damp when you pack up. If it's separate you can just unclip it and put it outside the tent or on a tree to dry off. Friend with sewn in ones struggle to get it dry enough to pack away and then they have to unpack it again to dry it off when they get home.

Just my opinion We have a wynnster satellite 12 for our family of 4 and it's a huge beast of a tent but I wouldn't swap it for anything else.

GPWM about the damp. I have a HORROR of tent mildew (but then also have a bit of a horror of bugs...) Think might go for flexibility of being able to take it out if I want to. Right, back to google!!

Thanks for th tips. Will be back, I'm sure...

WISH our tent had a sewn-in groundsheet!
Our groundsheet adds 20mins of pegging and we still have to unpack it and air it back at home anyway.
Re cleaning it, we take a dustpan and brush anyway.

Our groundsheet is a zip in one made from thick PVC so we have the choice of being able to take it out of the tent for packing away but it's completely bug free.

Our tent would bust your budget thoughThere are pictures of her on my profile.

I would go for one with a separate groundsheet though - lots toggle up the sides so they do give some protection from drafts and bugs.

Will have a look round for you though if you like?

How about a Vango Vancouver 800 from www.gooutdoors.co.uk/camping/5023518584829 Go Outdoors?

Has a sig, under £200, tunnel design, excellent make and although it's an 8 berth, you'll need it for a family of 4. You can have a walk in wardrobe then