Are expensive tents worth it?

[kathyis6incheshigh]

Ours was £100 despite being massive. We've had it 5 years now, and the porch poles are looking rusty and it leaks a bit and several of the poles are mended with gaffer tape after snapping in high winds. So clearly it is not exactly top-of-the range.
It some point it will probably die on us and we will go for another, which will be smaller.
We are pondering our next one in a very hypothetical way. So what are the advantages of the ones that cost £500 as opposed to £150? Are they worth the money?
Thanks

we have a co-op is waitrose really that much better?

Erm... have you been to waitrose?

Of course it's better! Tis John Lewis in food form.

Although I don't have anything against the co-op - nice biscuits. Am a supermarket tart, I'll go anywhere.

the first year I went camping (2 short years ago!) I had dreadful tent envy!

we were in a small two person hiking tent and the big family tents looked sooo lovely.

we bought our tent earlier this year just after it snowed.

we went to our local tent display place and the manager said "if you want to buy a tent that can withstand the weather, pick from those few still standing".

the weight of a snowfall on the average tent will just make it collapse; we are now the proud owners of an Outwell Bear Lake tent and it is truly wonderful.

OMG @ the prices of those Bear Lakes! It does look fab though. Do you actually go camping when the weather is bad, though, or do you just enjoy knowing that you could if you wanted?

We got our second hand cabanon antigua on ebay for £190 (including a table and other bits and bobs). It was as new and a total bargain.

We love it but the bags are huge and heavy. You need a big car!

We bought an Outwell Florida 6 this year plus the extra extension. It's still polyester & not canvas as our garden is too small to dry a canvas tent on the frame if needed.

florida 6

Pretty expensive at £500+ but we camp for at least 4 whole weeks each year and aim to get at least 5 years out of it. On that basis at £25 ish per week it seemed a good investment. I'm 5ft9 and was fed up with stooping all of the time in our old Wynnster sattelite 12. Plus the new tent has loads of room for rainy days.

We tend to go for quality as DH is an aircraft engineer so is very picky on the smallest design flaw. I wanted the smaller and slightly cheaper Montana 6 but the Florida offered a more space while still just being withing camping & caravan club pitch sizes..

Interesting thread here

I think the post by pete (on pg 2) about how you pitch your tent is valid too.

I bought mine from Asda for £35 and I love it!!

OMG they define themselves by their tents
Thanks Slubber, lots of useful stuff there!

ahh but it is a camping forum innit

you mean you don't Kathy?

We recently bought a cheap (er) tent for weekends and have been really really pleased with the quality of it. It was still 199 quid...but you know.. not maaaaaaad money. It's a Terra Nova 'wild country' tent. The attention to detail is really good...better than my outwell in places and HH is as good too.Even the pegs are better.

we were given our Cabanon family tent on Freecycle . But if I had to buy a tent I would say yes, you get what you pay for.

Our first tent cost £35 PMSL, Argos one in a sale. That holiday was one of the best we ever had (thankfully hot as we were broke as anything) and each year we have upgraded one level, selling the last on and making most of our money back. Am so glad we bought the utwell SV8 last year as they discontinued it (no idea why) and it does seem to be eprfect for us ATM, first year we've not even been temted to replace though ahd things been better financially a teepee may have amde it as a weekend tent

I've camped in my bell tent in all weathers except for snow. Keeps standing and doesn't leak :)

Slubber

I'm a little disappointed that this isn't your tent www.karstententen.nl/ We would love one of these, but HOW MUCH!!!!???? Upwards of 1500euro to 5000euro depending on options. We're planning a cabanon bretagne from de wit in Netherlands. Seems like they will ship to uk if you email them. Some great deals on good dutch tents.
Badger

I wonder how sturdy inflatable tents are in windy weather.

A decent tent is absolutely worth it. We used to spend at least two hours after we put up our tent anywhere arguing. DH wanted to adjust guy ropes and move poles as the tent looked wonky (cheap Argos tent was never going to look any other way) and I wanted to go to the pub.
Now we have a Marechal canvas tent and avoid all the argue nets as the metal structure means it never looks wonky.

hope you have more joy with your cabanas than people we know. there's leaked really badly

badger21 we chortled silently into our Leffe last summer at the Dutch man and the flat car battery after blowing up his Karsten

I shall be listing our Norfolk Lake soon as we just don't have room for her if any one can lift the thing up to take her away!