Hey!! all you TENT FANATICS, over here please.......

[LadyTophamHatt]

This year we are going to start buying camping equipment for future holidays, been camping pre-kids and always went on camping holidays as a child.

Ok, Dh thinks we should get a big frame tent. I'm sure you know the thing I mean. Big window at the front, 2 layers of canvas.
I prefer the big dome tents, they look so much more 21st century for a start.

Which is better?

Also if you have any other helpful hints and tips of stuff to add to our list I'd be grateful.

exactly ss :)

I like the idea of the conway clubman ...if I'm gonna camp I want luxury I tell ya

of course living in London we don't have a garage so can't get one

sallystrawberry, we have several small weekend tents too. but we only ever use the Vango Diablo now.

am planning on the dds going out in a separate tent when they get bigger anyway, when i was a child we loved having a separate tent.

Then you definately need an ehu Twiglett! we take our kettle for that morning cuppa, for the fan heater (end of season camping!)lighting and whatever else you fancy!

dh doesn't do 'wild' camping either!

How's the weather down there this morning fennel? It's glorious here, perfect camping weather in fact, shame dh has had to go back to school this morning!

damp and grey down here
but we are back to manchester for a few days this week so can pick up the sun there maybe.

How's \link{http://www.bbc.co.uk/manchester/content/webcams/manchester_skyline_webcam.shtml\this for a sunny day!} Great view of the Refuge building and the new Beetham Tower!

Aparantly \link{http://www.tmc-online.co.uk/ProductInfo.aspx?productid=RC89600&categoryID=216\This is a bargain} if anyone's looking for a fridge (comes with both 12V AND Mains power leads) Postage is £2.00

lucycat, still prefer something like \link{http://www.southwestimages.co.uk/gallery/lifestyle/BANTHAM_BEACH_BURGH_ISLAND_IMG_4089\this is where we live now}

yep, have to agree with you fennel, that's looks absolutely fantastic!

I have a tent similar to \link{http://www.blacks.co.uk/blacks.storefront/Product.aspx?CS_ProductID=093319(BLG+Base+Catalog)&CatalogNavigationBreadCrumbs=Blacks+Summer+Virtual%3bBLK+SS06+Camping+Tents(BLG+Base+Catalog)%3bBLK+SS06+Group+and+Family+Tents(BLG+Base+Catalog)\this one}. The living area is bigger than it looks and it is dead easy to put up. I can do it with help from an 11 yo. It's lighter than a frame tent too!

Consider \link{http://www.outdoormegastore.co.uk/acatalog/Outdoor_Megastore_Ridgi_Dome_Tents_31.html\Khyam Tents} too ....

Khyam tents are superb, easy to get up (like giant pop up play houses) - but also very easy to take down again (which as we all know pop up playhouses aren't).

We have one and we use it all summer -

camping is a great family experience, our children LOVE it ....

Rainbow when i opened up your link, all i could see at first was the tent bag - thought well that looks compact the tent looks nice though - when i clicked in the right place!

\link{http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/8-Berth-Auckland-Family-Camping-Tent-99p-No-Reserve_W0QQitemZ8801807625QQcategoryZ82292QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem\We have this tent} and its lovely :) Could swing 4 or so cats in it and a pod each :)

Would like to defend frame tents. We have a frame and the ds's have dome tents so am familiar with both.

• Frame tents don't take an age to dry, it is very quick, much quicker than you would expect.
• Frame tents (cotton) only get wet on the outside - they don't end up dripping with condensation on the inside unlike dome or tunnel tents which are usually nylon or some such man-made material. Wet insides are harder to dry out.
• And they last for years, ours has out-lived the boys dome tents.
• They aren't out-dated looking. They are retro. The flowery curtains are fab

OK, they take a while to erect but you get used to it.

Another vote for Khyam here. Quick and easy to put up/take down even when 8 months pregnant

Have to say that we don't have a problem with condensation on our tunnel tent.

Big advantage of the frame tents is the amout of living space....have also cooked in one, and would never do that in a synthetic tent.

It is the easy erection (oh er!) of the tunnel tents that I love. £0 minutes from start to finish, so we don't mind going to different site in the same holiday.....would never do that with a frame tent, too much of a faff.

ahh but we have soooo many ventilation flaps(another ooh err!)that it is really easy to get a through breeze so no condensation.

Are you infering something about the size of my flaps?????

no, they are perfectly formed but you/we do have rather a lot!

We had our Outwell pinched last year and with the insurance money bought a £700 frame tent that was being sold half price in the paper, I can honestly say i regret it 100%. It takes ages to put up (well over an hour), its takes up too much space in car, its really heavy and contrary to post further down it leaked condensation something cronic when we took it camping in August, so bad we were all soaked in the morning.
We are now buying a campervan (sorry fullmoonfield!!) and I can't wait to see the back of the bloody thing