First time campers... Is this tent OK???

[SandyChick]

Hello, we are planning our first family camping trip this summer (myself, DH and 2 year old DS).

Is this tent OK? www.millets.co.uk/camping/tents/group-and-family-tents/product/094416.html#

Size wise and lay out is whay we're looking for. Our main concern is that it will last and is going to be relatively easy to put up and pack up and store etc.

As its our first time camping together we dont have any equiptment apart from sleeping bags. Any hints or recomendations would be appreciated. Thanks in advance.

We have a similar design in an outwell tent. It's definitely a 2 person job, but the poles are generally colour coded to the holes, so it is very easy to put up.

One thing I've found useful is a couple of those big plastic storage boxes. I put all of our cooking things, plates, pots, utensils, kettle, mugs, washing up liquid/bowl etc... in one of them so that all the stuff is together and tidy. Makes for easy stacking in the car, and for storing in the garage. Use the other one to keep your torches, camp lights, games and other small bits and bobs in. They'll always be to hand and it's all prepacked when you next head off camping.

It is at the minimum end for what I'd consider to be 'waterproofness' and does it have a sewn in groundsheet?

Do you know anyone that you can borrow a tent from before you splash out yourself? The main thing I'd say is to try and use as much of your stuff from home as possible at first picnic plates, mugs etc

and look at ebay!

What is your budget btw? I have loads of camping stores in my favourites!

or you could just get the whole lot from ebay second hand!

and try the local tip or freecycle for the gas bottle.

this is a fab tent but you'd need to be near Southampton!
ok I'll walk away from ebay now

Have you seen the tent in the flesh so to speak?
When are you going camping?
If not till Summer, I'd perhaps wait a little while and try to see the tent up - at a tent show or a shop.
Cotswold and Yeomans and perhaps others do tent shows.
General advice - there are loads of threads on here asking for equipment lists / gen advice - do a search and you'll find lots of great advice.
Hope you enjoy it!
And let's hope the weather is better for it this year.

I always see lots of these tents when I go camping so one would think they were OK. I would say it is a 2 person put up job. Practice putting it up before you go.

We always lend out stuff to camping virgins so they do not splash out on new gear only to discover it is not for them.

It is worth checking for bargains at this time of year, We bought our five man outwell a few years ago for £150 in about late march.

Lucy I am quite tempted by that Outwell Montana, I also need to walkaway from ebay.

I was also going to recomenf a tent how as you can walk in the tents and see them up rather than rely on a pictre.

this tent is the sae as ours on ebay

Other thing I'd day is go for a tent bigger than you think you need
We've got the Outwell Montana 6 - great tent

Yes we have a five person tent for the three of us and the dog, if we take a friend with us we always attach our day tent.

Wow, thanks for all your replies.

Lucycat, I hadnt thought of looking on ebay.We dont have a budget as such, maybe £150 ish. We'd wait until the weather gets better before going. After looking on ebay i think it may be sensible to buy a cheaper second hand tent until we've been a few times before investing in a better one.

What would we need cooker wise? I did myh Duke of Edinburgh when i was younger and had a tranga. Is this the kind of thing we would need or have things advanced a bit in 10 years (and the rest )

in england i would want a hydrostatic head of at least 3000

though 2000 is more than 1500 that some tents have!

those bedrooms will be very small... not sure if you could actually fit a double airebed in those pods (if you could there will be no extra space at all!)