What's a good mid-range family (4) tent?

[dinny]

Is best just to go to Blacks or somewhere?

any campers around?

Hi dinny, how're you? was just thinking about you lately and wondering how you were getting on. Hope the smallies are good.

Anyway, camping. A hugely informative thread on this in the last few days, will see if I can find it and post the link. We are thinking of taking to the fields and campsites of britain, and possibly beyond, so I read it avidly. Lots of great advice (including a gazillion things to do with a ziploc bag), but it did leave me reeling a bit at the sheer range and variety of tents out there...tell you what - you choose one, let me know which one and I'll get one too. I just need someone else to decide...

Have a look at outdoormegastore on line to get ideas on the range of things, what type you want and what sort of price would be reasonable.

If you can try to see them 'up'.....much better than just seeing a picture I think

Saw I really lovely Montana yesterday (trying to presude DP we need a tent) I think it was a Montana 6, for 350.00.

oooooohhhhhhh envy

I so want a montana.

\link{http://www.mumsnet.com/Talk?topicid=1012&threadid=166686&stamp=060430103922\here you go}

X

they are really really nice aren't they

really sad to wander round a camp site admirong other peoples tents [shame] although I can't help myself

me too!

To my mind the Monty is the perfect tent. We have an outwell colorado 8 and it is fab but doesn;t have a sig

A sig!!!!
please explain

sorry , sewn in ground sheet.

And a tent tidy. and a porch area.

Sigh!

oo you mb, dissin' our colorado!

Notice, how I smelt this tent thread calling, when I'm meant to be checking our ebay! {grin]

\link{http://www.mumsnet.com/Talk?topicid=1012&threadid=166686&stamp=060430104917\here's the thread} that motherp was talking about, hope it's useful!

Are there 4 of you? if so get one that sleeps at least 6, then think about bedrooms, how many? do you want the kids next to you or across the tent?

What area of the country are you in dinny? Can you visit any 'real' campsites, us campers love to talk tents!

Hi, everyone (especially MP, it's been ages! Hope you are well!)

We did do two trip slast year but we foolishly bought a SHITE tent on ebay - really cheap and nasty. So this year have told dh we have to get a good make!

Lucycat, there are four of us and I want the kids beside us as one thing I didn't like about our cheapo tent was that they felt too far away (??!!) We're in east Surrey - are ther any good camping shops around here, do you know?

dinny, thanks for asking all is fine. Good to 'talk' to you again!

I'm the opposite to you, I like the kids to be across the living area from us (bad mummy alert!)

The bedrooms thing is important though. We have a ds and a dd. At the moment dd is 9 and would be happy to share with ds (6) but soon that will stop as she gets closer to puberty. So we went fo a tent with three bedrooms (well one big one and two small, the big room can be subdivided)

Ebay tents.....have a badddddd rep. I almost fell into the same trap, but read UKcampsite and was put off, thankfully

ohhh, I feel so proud that it's MY thread that has been linked twice on this one.

We're going to a camping exhibition in a few weeks,(it's at Middle farm in sussex incase anyone is interested) and will starting buying bits and bobs for next years holiday.

Dinny, if you're still living in the same place I don't think Middle farm will be that far away.

Less than an hour in the car for sure.

Camping Exhibition! Lucky cow!

Get gelert stretch torch/lantern for the kids.....perfect as ligts for them to read by, and have adventures. \link{http://www.wildday.co.uk/productslist.aspx?DepartmentId=7&selection=11&categoryID=43&productGroupID=511\ they can be a torch or a lantern!} And get cheap glow sticks!!!! One of the best bits of camping is getting to play with glow sticks!

Is \link{http://www.campingcentrelondon.co.uk/this the one you're going to LTH?}

We're in Northern England so seem to have loads to choose from, the best being Yeomans, but the furthest south they seem to come is about Nottingham.
Your other option is to visit an actual campsite and ask to look inside people's tents - we did last year!!

crap \link{http://www.campingcentrelondon.co.uk\try again!}

We went to a Yeoman's one a few weeks ago....great fun. That was when I saw the New Montys and Indiana's and decided I don't like the layout in the indiana.

It realy helps to see them put up. Dh and I don't like small sleeping pods....hate to have to crouch over to get into bed.....so seing the tents up is important for us.

And such fun!

We went to a Yeoman's one a few weeks ago....great fun. That was when I saw the New Montys and Indiana's and decided I don't like the layout in the indiana.

It realy helps to see them put up. Dh and I don't like small sleeping pods....hate to have to crouch over to get into bed.....so seing the tents up is important for us.

And such fun!

How about a Vango Aspen \link{http://www.gooutdoors.co.uk/pp/Tents/5-6_person/Vango_Aspen_500_DLX.html\here} they seem to tick the boxes, although they are inner pitch first, not great if you're trying to pitch in the rain!
\link{http://www.ukcampsite.co.uk/articles/view.asp?id=93\here is a review} of the Aspen 700 but the layout/pitching is similar - what do you think?

our local Yeomans show isn't until the end of July - what use is that!! but our new Go Outdoors store has a whole floor of tents, that's where i spotted the Outwell doormat, I asked the sales bloke if they sold them separately and he said he'd contact Outwell to ask for me!

Or we could just buy a 2006 outwell tent

Don't like inner first tents PITA if it is raining. They also take so much lonnger....you have to do things twice. Like as one myself