Help ! Novice camper just bought Vango Vista 800 DLX off Ebay needs advice !

[traceyinrosso]

Can any seasoned campers help me here. Bought tent off ebay built in groundsheets in bedrooms but not in living space - do I get a groundsheet or a carpet and what is a footprint please ? Do I put the groundsheet under the whole tent or just the living space (told you novice camper). Anyone got same tent and know any special tips for pitching it ? Don't fancy kneeling on floor to cook so should I buy camp kithen or just a folding table to use cooker on ? Help with keeping things cold - planning on going for a week so should I splash out on electric cool box or can I manage with a coolbox and ice packs? Sorry lots of questions but hope someone can help.

I'm another novice but have read alot....

a footprint is a groundsheet for the tent to go on - I think they are only used if you have a SIG (sewn in groundsheet) as it will stop that getting mucky

NEVER cook inside the tent - recipe for disater, someone posted a video of a tent going up in flames because of this. So always cook outside.

Cool box - you can either have electric but then when you camp you need EH (electric hook up) or with a normail coolbox, most places let you freeze your ice blocks in their freezer so you just need 2 sets and swap them every day (there may be a small charge for that service)

Hope that helps

Thanks for that so I don't want a footprint but a proper grounsheet then ? Is there any difference in quality ? Anyone know if I need to run the groundsheet under the bedrooms that do have a built in groundsheet ?

do you have a link of the tent?

wrt to groundsheets you can do either (have one just for living are or run it all the way under). I'd do all the way under as then the bottom of your bedrooms won't get all mucky.

Thats a good point will make cleaning tent and packing away easier I guess. Can't seem to find link with details of tent only new models which now have built in groundsheets. Another silly question - when sites want to know dimensions of tent is it simply the tent or do you have to measure total length including guy lines etc ?

we are vango-tenters and caravan with awning as well
We use breathable matting stuff in the awning and in the tent living area, will try and find you a link. When the weather / ground is very wet, we also use a tarpaulin thingy underneath the groundsheet for short term keeping dry.
In good weather we don't bother with anything, it's nice to walk on the grass!

breathable groundsheet stuff = usually pretty pricey, but depends what you want to do . I wouldn't say it was an essential in a tent living area.

sorry - rubbish link. this is what I meant!

Thanks for the link have seen this in our local camping shop - very lucky literally 2 mins away ! have gone in today to ask for advice admitted knew nothing but made to feel like I knew even less by the time the woman finished "helping" me - her words of wisdom - it's up to you but no advice on pros and cons. So probably wise to use a groundsheet under bedrooms and perhaps this matting in living area - whats it like to walk on, is it prickly ie do you need shoes on ? Could you put carpet/picnic rug over top or will it get wet? Thanks for the help so far

now being the weirdy one that I am, we use one of the picnic mats in the bedroom area - for warmth. As someone else said if you put a groundsheet or something under your bedrooms too then it stops your tent getting mucky full stop - and you can put everything on there when you are setting up and getting all of it down again.

Defo have as many "goes" as you can putting the thing up in your garden/local park / wherever so you don't make the night's entertainment when you get to the campsite

Plan to try and have a go pitching it before we go anywhere with it. Anyone help me with measuring please? Do I literally measure the size of tent or do I have to include the guy lines etc?

just the tent.

Thanks for that - have finally found a website with the dimensions on so should be in business now to book a site once we know how to get the thing up !

put vango 800 into you tube and have a look if any of the pitching videos help