Have (I THINK!) narrowed it down to 2 tents but can't decide!

[JennyPennyNAPPYWEB]

We are very skint so were hoping to get a cheap tent, but then everybody on here advised to go for a better quality tent, which means borrowing money from my Mum and paying it off Monthly.

So basically I have narrowed it down to:

A budget option:
here

or a more quality version:
here

They are both the same layout etc. I was put off the pro action one to start with as everybody said I should go for 3000HH BUT I was reading loads of excellent reviews on it last night and they all said they stood up to awful weather conditions etc.

I can't see the tents in the flesh - neither of them seem to be erected anywhere near me.

My Dad pointed out to me that if we did have problems with the Argos one, at least there is an argos in most towns to sort it out.

To be honest, I think the cheaper, argos onelooks fine, but I dont know as much about tents as you guys

Would be grateful of any opinions

I would not go for the Argos one. I would definatly go for the more expensive one,if you can get the money together. There is a varying opinion of them on the ukcamping forum boards

It was that forum I was looking at for reviews, The reviews of the argos one is here Which has one bad review (they got a faulty one which they took back). All the others were very good reviews, which is what made me think it might be OK.

I can get the money together for the more expensive one, but it means borrowing money which I would prefer not to do, but will if I have to.

Is the forum part of that site good then? Might have to venture over there.

We have the argos one

Stood up to wind but really heavy rain came into living area as ground sheet not sewn in. Clothes got wet as were on the floor in suitcases. Bedrooms stayed totally dry. Medium rain didn't come in

It has 3 bedrooms and the other one only has two, we like having more bedrooms (me and 5 teenagers)

We managed to break a pole last year but that was hoofing heavy handed teen rather than a design fault

I would go for the one with the best reviews. Having had a holiday almost spoilt by a leaking tent, it really isn't worth chosing a tent on price alone IMO.

As you say, at least with the Argos one, if it is crap, you can return it? Mind you, if the other one turns out to be useless too, you should be able to return that one, check out the returns policy before you buy. I returned my leaky tent months after buying it, and got a replacement without any quibbles (this was from an independent tent shop).

Good luck!

I like the look of the more expensive one, it looks like it will last longer

We got the Gelert on Ebay for less than £100. It is brilliant. Forget the Argos one, it looks cheap and flims, and IMO a SIG is essential when camping in the UK.

scaredoflove They both have 3 bedrooms. Pretty much exactly the same layout.

The only differences I can see (but as I said I don't know that much!)are:

• Price
• Brand
• Gelert one has sewn in groundsheet
• Gelert one is 3000HH

Thanks for all the opinions!

I do like the fact there are lots of extras you can buy for the gelert one, porch, carpet etc.

ALthough that might be a bit lethal with spending

Definately go for the SIG if you are camping in this country - having said that we had a MAHOOSIVE thunderstorm in the Dordogne in France last summer and the sig was invaluable as the water didn't sink in - just flowed over the ground!

Gelert one should be a good one so there will be less chance of you having to return it in the first place!

Some good reviews for the Gelert here on ukcamping

They both look like a pig to put up!

If you're new to camping, I'd be tempted to go for the cheaper tent to test out the lifestyle, etc. Once you know you're going to stick with camping, you can move up-market - and you'll have a better idea of what you want.

Tunnels are actually ded easy to put up, much easier than domes.
ours on my profile takes 20 mins and it's polycotton so blardy heavy!

I think the Op went last summer?

Ah, well. Lucycat should know better. I've only a limited experience putting up this type of tent (helping friends, etc). Enjoy the camping, anyway

Didn't mean to sound sniffy dearprudence I was typing n a hurry so it may have 'come out' all wrong. sorry.

We have an Outwell Nevada... myself and my DS(9) can put it up together. It has a sewn in groundsheet( which I wasn't keen on at first but after this summer....)
To me the second one looks better but only with the porch option as you need extra rain/sun cover. Also, get a windbreak to put at the back of porch so you can cook.

Didn't mean to imply you were sniffy Lucycat!! Not at all! I do only have a little experience with these tents, so people who have actually used them are much better qualified to comment than me.
Sorry I made you feel . Mwah!

That's a very good price for the gelert.

And yes, personally I'd go for a sewn in groundsheet too, makes a world of difference if it rains.

Think I am going to go for the Gelert then. And probably splash out and go for the porch too.

And maybe the carpet? Mostly because it should make it easier for toddlers to walk on? DD1 kept triping up last year with the groundsheet as it was never 100% flat.