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Camping

Our UK Camping forum has all the information you need on finding the right equipment for your tent or caravan.

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Original poster

Shortest camping trip ever (boo hoo)

45 replies

Pixel · 26/05/2009 20:49

Feeling sorry for ourselves now. We set off for our half-term camping trip today, arrived at the site to find it quite windy with tents flapping about but nice and bright. Well the wind was a lot stronger than it looked and it broke our trusty Vango so now we are back home . I'm rather glad we decided on a shortish trip along the coast instead of our usual 5 hour trek to Somerset!

OP posts:

IwishIwasmoreorganised · 28/05/2009 11:13

It's the bedroom layout that we like about the Outwell - Our boys are 3 and 1 and I hate getting up to them in the night - much easier to just roll over! There will be room for a 3rd child in there too if we decide to go fo another!

I'm not sure why our Vango is doing so badly as we do look after our tents carefully. This trip 2 of the ties that hold the outside onto the poles fell off while we were pitching it!

Original poster

Pixel · 28/05/2009 21:18

Hi Fennel, you are right of course, I was just upset about our break being ruined and I did already say 'it is actually a very comfy and roomy tent once it is up and to be fair has withstood some pretty bad weather before now.'

We were thrilled with it when we first got it but did expect that we'd get better at putting it up. However, that hasn't happened and it has earned the nickname 'the divorce tent' because dh and I always end up having a row . Time for something a little easier I think!

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Original poster

Pixel · 28/05/2009 21:29

Iwishiwasmoreorganise, yes the bedroom layout in the Khyam appeals to me too, but for the opposite reason! Ds and dd will be able to have separate bedrooms. Dd is a small-for-her-age 13 and doesn't really need her 9 yo lump of an autistic brother clambering about the place when she is trying to sleep! We've looked after our tent with tender love too, but it has started to show signs of wear on the sewn in groundsheet so we've got a footprint in case it starts to leak. It's not as though we stomp about in there with our shoes on!

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pavlovthecat · 28/05/2009 21:37

You don't want any of these diablo/vango plasticy tents. You want soulpad.co.uk/sanctuary/content/view/115/25/ one of these]] , you can get inner tents to section off a sleeping area.

They are so cool in the hot sun as we found out at the weekend, all the kids dozed in our tent in the midday sun rather than sweltering in their tents!

AND, you get to put up swathes and have rugs on the floor and everything.

No blowing these darlings down. AND you look cool

pavlovthecat · 28/05/2009 21:37

or one of these even I am rubbish at links!

amazonianwoman · 28/05/2009 22:09

Ooo Pavlov they're gorgeous! Which one do you have? Do you have the stove too? How small does it pack compared to eg a Vango Diablo 600?

pavlovthecat · 28/05/2009 22:20

It fits into a nice canvas bag which can be slung over your caveman hubby's shoulders! I don't know how big the vango's come when packed, but my friend has a tent of a similar size to the vango diablo 600 and this packs down smaller than theirs. They want one too .

We have the Soulpad 400 lite - mainly as it has the detachable groundsheet so we can do the whole 'floating' bit! We do not as yet have a woodburner and we will not buy it from soulpad, have you seen how much they want for it , with the stove, flue etc, it is a fortune. We will get a local hippy type person who lives in yurts and is good with welding and stuff to make one for us, custom made to the tent, and I expect it will be half the price. Also, with a new one on the way, I am a little nervous about a woodburner with a small toddler. But the tents are amazing. I am more pleased with it than I thought i would be

I am about to sew in a couple of eyelets to hang fariylights around at night, and some lanterns. I have the swathes. Am trying to convince DH we need a morrocan or indian rug in there too

pavlovthecat · 28/05/2009 22:23

oh and you can hand bunting along the guy ropes, and you can buy wooden pegs instead of the metal ones, and replace the plastic bits on the guy ropes with wooden ones if you so desired! [ponce emoticon]

Original poster

Pixel · 28/05/2009 22:26

Well that is certainly impressive, but you see I like my mesh screens to keep the horrible creepy crawlies out of my bed, I'm always the one that gets bitten in the night!

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pavlovthecat · 28/05/2009 22:27

Sorry, one more post.

I just found the dimensions of the bag, and weight for amazonianwoman

Total weight of 14.8kg/30.8lbs
Main bag: 96 x 33 x 20cm or 37.8 x 13 x 7.9"

does that help?

pavlovthecat · 28/05/2009 22:28

pixel - you can get the inner tent which sections of the sleeping area, and this has a mozzi-net and fitted groundsheet sown in. So you would be able to sleep mozzy free but it does cost another £100

fruitshootsandheaves · 28/05/2009 22:29

now I know that these are gale proof as we were in one!! The only tents that survived that night in Wales seemed to be frame tents. It was still the last straw for me and I bought a caravan!

Original poster

Pixel · 28/05/2009 22:33

Mmm, well the fairylights and bunting does seem appealing...

Not sure if dh would go for it though. TBH we would like a caravan too (had many happy childhood holidays in our old tourer) but we have nowhere to store it and I don't fancy towing it (dh doesn't drive). I've only just got brave enough to get our little trailer .

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amazonianwoman · 28/05/2009 22:56

Thanks Pavlov v helpful, I LOVE them. Just a pity there's nothing wrong with our Diablo. The 4000/5000 ease will definitely be on my list if it ever dies on us.

They just look so romantic. Pity we'd have to take the kids...

NeedaNewName · 28/05/2009 23:06

Pixel where in East Wittering were you.

Very bad luck, we were there at the weekend and had fab weather, though it was starting to get bad on Monday as we were leaving.

We stayed at Stubcroft Farm, was very good, though could do with spearate hand washing facilites.

If its any consolation its supposed to be good weather again from tomorrow so if you can get replacement poles kaybe you could try again

Original poster

Pixel · 28/05/2009 23:26

We were at Scott's farm, because it's handy not having to book and they aren't fussy about what size tent you have. I'll have to look up Stubcroft farm for future ref!

We won't be going again just yet though as dh will have to go to work saturday evening and dd and I are going to see John Barrowman at the Brighton Dome so don't want to miss that . We drove down to West Wittering today and spent the day on the beach so we've had our fix really.

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Original poster

Pixel · 28/05/2009 23:31

Just had a look at Subcroft. Looks nice!

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Original poster

Pixel · 28/05/2009 23:31

Stubcroft

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NeedaNewName · 29/05/2009 15:32

It is - quite pricey if you have a large tent like us though but I would go back. DD1 loved bottle feeding the lambs (is that OK on MN )

bunnyrabbit · 29/05/2009 15:53

PMSL at thought of BFing a lamb.

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