bell-tenters, can you answer a couple of questions please?

[iheartdusty]

I have nearly managed to persuade DH to agree to buying yet another tent, but need to clarify a couple of things first...

Do you need lots of space to peg out the guys? Having been festival camping a few times, where there are tents nudging right against each other, I am wondering how short the guys can reasonably go.

Where do you sit when the DC are asleep, especially if it's raining? And where do you cook, leave boots, all the sorts of things you might do under a porch or awning area?
TIA

I can't really answer youtr questions, as I have such a small tent that they don't apply, but at festivals I'm sur you can get away with not peggind the guy ropes in, or having them really short so they are pegged in right next to the tent. If there are gale force winds at the festival you're better off going home

When we're camping, especially in the summer, DS doesn't go to sleep much earlier than me so the lack of porch isn't a problem.

I don't have a bell tent btw, but I did once, a 1 berth one, and the lack of porch space for wet muddy boots etc when it rained was a real pain.

Well, if you're at a really really crowded festival I think you could have problems - I've only taken mine to ones where there was a bit more space (i.e. Secret Garden Party rather than Glastonbury). You can peg the guys in quite close to the tent but you do need a bit of space all the way round. You can't just not peg the guys in unfortunately because your tent won't stand up properly otherwise!

As far as the other things go, we tend to leave our shoes and things either just outside or just inside the tent. We have actually cooked inside the tent as well in bad weather, which worked out fine although obviously you have to be careful not to knock your stove over!

Getting away from the DCs might be a bit more of a problem - mind you, it's not like having an extra sheet of canvas between you and them would block off any light or sound even if you did have a separate awning area.

PS I love my bell tent and would never go back to normal tents! Is lovely and spacious and doesn't heat up nearly as much as dark-coloured tents do. Plus you can roll up the sides and make it into one giant roof, ideal if you're a bit short of shade

thanks very much. Ah well, we may just have to keep a range of tents for different purposes.

Hi, as others have said, you can't not peg out the guys as tent won't stand up, but you can peg them pretty close if need be.

I have to say that when DD is asleep I hang around outside, if it rains I normally go to bed! But to be honest hasn't been much of an issue yet. you can get inner bedroom sections that seperate the bedroom from the rest tho if you like?

I ahve to say tho getting a bell tent was one of the best things I have ever done. It really is as fab as everyone says!

thanks oranges. they really do seem fab.

I feel bad muscling in on the bell tenters, as I don't have one, but I do have a pyramide that looks nearly like a bell tent.

dusty, have you seen the cabanon barbados? The pyramides (we have the guadeloupe) feel very much like a bell tent inside (ie they are excellent canvas and have the one pole/slopey side vibe going on) but the open up at the front with four poles, thus creating a porch. We have the side panels too which extend the porch further.

The only thing the pyramides with sigs can't do it roll up at the bottoms (obviously) giving you the lovely airy roof feel and they aren't round all the way around .

I want a camping topic pyramide buddy

Slubber, that's my dream tent.

We saw one at Holmsley last year - was it yours? [nosey]

I bought a great tarp to go wuth ours ,really brill as is a lovely shelter outside where I put my cooker , table etc. ,and it's nice to be able to sit ouside if it raining yet still be sheltered .
I bought mine from belltent.co.uk last year, v. speedy delivery.

Shepee no that wasn't us. They are becoming more popular though. There is a (dutch) pyramid appreciation society thread on ukcs that I regularly lurk and drool on.

I think it belonged to a Dutch family. They seemed to have a no-bunting, protestant industriousness about them.

(And while I've been lusting over canvas pyramid tents, DS has managed to unwrap an entire box of tampons!)

lol

I suppose you have seen the De waard tenten site? I love that site. If dh only knew he would be heaving a huge sigh of relief that we live in the NW and not in Dover. I'd be over there in a flash.

sorry for hijack bell tenters.

slubber, those are lovely tents, both the Cabanons and the de waard ones.

the De Waards are the kind that the Moomin family would have if they went camping.

They would have to be the Moomins with a lot of disposable income or recently been left some money in a will.

The de Waard I want costs £2500 new

The Cabanons are somewhat more afordable.

I don't know how well it would work, but I was thinking that (if you had a seperate groundsheet) you could roll back the groundsheet by the entrance - so that there's a couple feet of grass just in the entrance ...to get out of the rain, boots off .
Otherwise, a machine washable rug in the doorway that's okay to get muddy.

good ideas paisleyleaf

as far as I can make out, everything that the Moomins wish for arrives eventually, washed up by the sea.

steamedtreaclespong - please never cook inside your tent!

see thread here

It's not just the fire risk, it's the waste gases - it can result in deadly carbon monoxide build-up.

oops sorry I called you spong! meant sponge.

The ideal for bad weather is a canopy or awning - even some bell tents have them. If not, you can get one of those cheep free-standing garden awnings for cooking outside in rain.

We had trouble using it in the garden due to the guy ropes needing a fair bit of space.

You can't get away with not using them, really.

Just make sure you aren't right next to a wall or something.

thanks Jumente

My tarp was 88 quid I think, a bit steep, but it comes in really handy, wouldn't be without it really.

Do you mean a tarp to sit under? is it the one on belltent dot co dot uk? That looked a bit fragile TBH...as if it would sail off over the hedge at a slight breeze.

I am rather fond of my Montana extension for cooking and sitting under, because the sides reach the ground so it is very sheltered.

Yeh , they look fragile , but they're made of quite strong cotton (polycotton maybe), and there's lots of guy ropes to thether it down. We've never had a problem with ours , but we haven't been in really stormy weather with it , so who knows how it would be then.