“Weekend” tent

[ilooktothehills]

We currently have a generous family tent - steel poled/two beds/living area etc - which is ideal when we go away for a week or so as a family. But it’s a bit of a faff to transport/put up solo if I go away for weekend with just the children (age 4 and 7) without my husband. So I am toying with the idea of investing in a 3 or 4 man semi-geodesic tent that I can whack up more quickly and easily for short breaks. Anyone have any recommendations? Doesn’t need to be teeny tiny as we’ll be taking car with us. And whilst I would love a Terra Nova tent, I’m probably looking more at a Vango-ish budget…

Thanks!

Just gone for a Naturehike Opalus 3 for similar reasons. Looks good but not tried yet.

Thanks - I’ll take a look!

I saw these at the weekend and thought they might have potential:

https://www.gooutdoors.co.uk/16231996/coleman-kentmere-3-blackout-tent-16231996

https://www.gooutdoors.co.uk/15978717/berghaus-grampian-3-tent-15978717

Anyone have one and recommend?

Also this one: https://www.gooutdoors.co.uk/15895288/vango-mirage-pro-300-3-person-tent-15895288

I like this kind of shape for ease of putting up.

https://www.decathlon.co.uk/p/4-person-poled-tent-arpenaz-4-2/_/R-p-311103

Our amazing backpacking 2 man tent bought 5 years ago is now 3x the price (it’s higher-mid / lower-high in terms of price point). We had hoped to get the 4 man version now we have children but not going to happen so watching with interest.

The decathlon one looks good. I’d struggle without a living area when going away with the kids, especially if the weather is bad.
We have a higear kalahari 8 which is so easy to put up (takes under 30 mins). I can just about put it up by myself (with a child holding a pole up for the first pole or two)so I think a smaller tunnel tent type would be good for you. I sometimes covet a bigger front opening tent but ours is so quick and easy to pitch which sways me.

We had this one, or possibly it's predecessor, years ago. It was great and still had a porch for the dog and bikes. We only used it as a short stay tent for the 4 of us.

Coleman Rocky Mountain 5 Plus Family Tent, 5 Man Tent, Blocks up to 99 Percent of Daylight, 2 Bedroom Family Tent, 100 Percent Waterproof Camping Tent for 5 Person, Also Ideal to Camp in the Garden amzn.eu/d/c5dBg2X

I’ve got this little 3 man. It’s holding up well for the money, really pretty cheap but seems to be lasting ok. Useful porch thing too, should be fine for one adult and two kids.

https://www.millets.co.uk/16231964/eurohike-avon-3-dlx-nightfall-tent-16231964

We've got an inflatable Vango Skye Air 400 for exactly this reason. Being inflatable makes it so much easier to put up.

It seems they've stopped making it, but it's available on a few websites still. I really rate it, surprised it's not longer made.

I have a vango beta 450xl for the past 8 years which is easy enough that I can put it up in the dark solo (it makes it easier if I have 1 extra body just as I raise it until front and back guy are pegged in, can finish it solo easily then). Admittedly, I did it a couple of times not under pressure first and there are usually others around who understand tents to grab a line when needed.

for our Cubs, we got a bunch of the same tent but 550 size. Those sleep 6 Cubs easily but do need 2-3 people to put up. Just as easy physically but the larger size is slightly less manageable.

I’ve had 3 adults in mine overnight which was fine but slightly tight with gear as well. Dad and I have done away for 3 day trips a few times and it’s grand for that. The only problem is that there is no overhang to protect you when cooking in the rain. I’ve seen tarp setups to give that cover but I got a bigger tent with a built in overhang for proper trips (as cub camp I only need to sleep, change and store gear - cooking an sitting over hundreds of cups of tea is in the marquee).

Admittedly I’m thinking of changing my 5 man tent with overhang to the Harris 350 as a more manageable option as I’m now solo camping.

Thanks for all these suggestions. Lots of things to google! Several of you have suggested going with a decent size porch, but I think if weather forecast was iffy I’d just take our big tent. So one of the smaller options is probably the way forward.

Our weekend tent is a 4 man/ 2 room style.
The 2 bedroom layout is good, have you looked at Decathlon? The 4.2 ranges.

Also if you are going lightweight a tarp is very useful as extra shelter for cooking/sitting out.

I got a Coleman 5 man poled tent for this purpose. Our "proper" tent is an outwell inflatable and I really do notice the quality difference in the Coleman. Condensation on the inside in the mornings, zips flimsier etc. However it is absolutely fine for 2 nights with the kids and easy to put up. I'm short and struggle with the height of our air tent