I need to buy a new tent for the four of us and have no idea what to look at .

[travellingwilbury]

I am out of the tent buying loop and need to know what to look for .

Is it worth looking on e bay for a used one or will it be a false economy ?

We have used a eurohike one the last couple of years but I thought it was a bit rubbish .

Don't want to spend a fortune and can wait a while before getting it so can someone also please tell me when the end of season sales would be ?

TIA

Pretty please ?

I am getting all excited about a new tent but don't want to bugger it up .

I imagine the end of season sales will be starting around now, certainly by september time when the family camping season is coming to an end.

I'd be cautious about buying most tents on e-bay as you have no come back if they leak. Saying that if you want a good value canvas tent then e-bay really is your best bet.

For specific advice we need

Budget
Lay out (so all the bedrooms together, or a bedroom at either end, or pods etc)
Nylon or canvas (or a bit of both aka polycotton)
Any particular style that calls to you, like a bell tent, or a dome or a tunnel?

Thanks for offering to help .

I was thinking about spending 200 - 250 ? Is that realistic ? I have had a look around but you seem to be able to spend anything from 50 - thousands .

We have borrowed a dome tent this yr and last with three seperate rooms and a central bit but I did struggle trying to get the shape right (me being rubbish or hopeless tent not sure )

Don't mind about the bedrooms really , once my boys area asleep they tend to be gone .

No idea about materials sorry .

tents-direct.co.uk do reasonably priced decent tents. Or geta Bell Tent
Vango/lichfield/outwell all good brands.

I do like the look of the bell tents but I like the seperate rooms thing . I like having a place to dump all the junk where I can't see it .

Not the tidiest of campers

Do you think I am being realistic about budget ? Or should I be thinking about more ?

you can buy an inner for the Bell.
i'd look at £150 plua for a decent family tent. Dunno how many of you there are but look at Vango or Outwell. They keeps the water out!

You should be able to get a decent tent for that sort of money, but of course as will all things you do get what you pay for.

I forgot to ask, what sort of camping is this for, overnights, weekends, week+ holidays.

I see riven is here with her plug for bell tents

I have got two boys so just the four of us . I am glad you think the budget is ok as I didn't really want to spend much more .

I have just been looking at the bell tents and they look lovely . I really don't think they would look quite so nice with all our stuff in it though . The tea light chandelier does seem a step too far

It would be for a two week holiday mostly with the odd week / weekend thrown in .

I did a lot of camping holidays as a child and loved it , but that was more of your taking what you could carry and camp in a field near a stream stuff . I like an air bed and duvet now .

Vango
Cant find the prices mind. The Verona looks pretty good.

Here's an Outwell that is pretty good value

Vango Orchy get's some good reviews

sorry it's sold out there.

I think there are some mners also have the vango tigris.

I can't find a price for that verona either . Looked on Blacks but it seems to have dissapeared .

Have found this one which looks pretty good .

tents-direct.co.uk/massive_selection_online_tents.php?manufacturerID=5&manufacturerName=Vango

I think ours is a Vango Orchy, it is pretty good but we nearly went for an Outwell one instead and a few times wished we did - the ones we were looking at (can't remember names sorry) seemed to have more space than ours and were not much more expensive in the sales.

In ours the 2 bedrooms are not completely separated from each other by the way, not sure if that bothers you? - there is a sort of curtain thing you fix up to divide them but it has gaps round the edges. Fine for us as I quite like being able to peek round and check on DS without waking him, but not sure whether you prefer proper separate "rooms" with older boys?

Think it's worth at least looking on Ebay, there may be some unused or barely-used ones where you can be fairly sure of the condition.

we've just returned from our first camping trip in the vango tigris 800. It was £230 so within budget, and very waterproof etc. It was also easy to put up and take down.

There are only 4 of us but we used the larger (optional curtain) room to ourselves and the clothes bags etc to contain the mess and allow loads of space, our 2dds shared another bedroom and we left the other inner out and used the area for food storage etc, although you could easily do this using the spare inner if you really want to hide your mess . There is loads of room for rainy days, for children to have separate bedrooms when older or to bring friends without being too close for comfort. I would recommend the footprint and some sort of porch/canopy.

tents-direct.co.uk/show_tents.php?productid=795&forsale=tents&price=cheap&onlineproduct=Large+Family +Dome+Tents

Another link hopefully this one will work better .

Any ideas on this tent ?

check reviews on this site

we are looking to get a larger tent and found it held the most objective reviews.

if you are going camping in summer consider whether you can guy the wondows open and kep them shaded, whether the fly sheets wil keep your babies sleeping compartments insect free, and whether you can get cots/ inflatable mattresses in the compartments. Vangos seem to get great reviews -

what about borrowing a tent to see if you like it? would be a waste if you found it wasn't for you.

i reckon this to be a fine tent for a small family.

thanks oneopinion , we have borrowed a tent this yr and last and I love the camping but I really didn't like the tent we had .

Thanks for the review site , I will have a nose

www.outdoorworld.co.uk/vango-columbia-600-tent-p-1922.html

I like this one too

I am sure I have got better things than look at tents all day

Must get my arse into gear .

We've only started camping this year. There are five of us and we bought a Kampa Lulworth - which sleeps 6 but would be very comfortable for 4. It cost us £300 and we are very pleased with it.

HTH.

travelling - you need to think where you will be camping as weel - which may sound a bit odd, but we love camping in Pembrokeshire by the coast and every year we see lots of tents being trashed by the wind.

If you are doing more sheltered camping it is less important. If you think you may camp right on the coast I would recommend you get a tent with solid ie aluminium / steel poles.