Mick

iTrader: (1)

looking at tents again this year...

Wife has found one on ebay... Gelert Cyclone 6 which she failed to win - but got a 2nd chance offer £92 I think inc P&P

I would have gone for something like a Khyam Ridgi-dome XXL Classic Khyam RidgiDome XXL Classic Tent - Yeomans Outdoors but obviously a bit more costly...

I can't guarantee that it will get used seriously which sways me toward the cheaper one, but I know that having a cheap tent will give a poorer camping experience and so probably lead to less enthusiasm for further trips - a self-fullfilling prophecy I guess...

Any advice or good deals would be appreciated.

Thanks

Mick

OllyK

If you're only going once or twice a year a cheap one should be fine, ours is going strong 3 or 4 years on. If you decide to go more often then upgrade.

Coffin Dodger

If your serious about it get the Khyam. You will not regret it.

(Khyam Igloo owner 10 years, now also got a Tourer 200 for me and the missus to camp in luxury )

j4ckos mate

i won one of them with a really low bid, then i got a refund saying they didtn have any left so be warned

TURBOTRONICS

Hi me and the wife have been camping for quite a few years now and have had many tents to try and find one that suited us as we have a dog that kikes to go for a walk on his own so we needed a tent to have a built in ground sheet so he couldn’t get out. Plus I like lots of head room and don’t want to come back after a week with my head on one side due to a low roof and I hate little bed rooms I like to be able to stand up and get dressed in a morning not lying down. Any way I think our tent is called (suncamp stratus 4) but I think they do a 6 aswell they are not the cheapest of tents but they are well built we have had ours for about 5/6 years and had no problems at all and we have camped in some places including a camp site right on the beech which turned out to be very windy and it coped very well with the wind
I think we paid about £300 5/6 years back

DJ Dunk

iTrader: (5)

If you want decent quality you want a Vango tent. Gelert are copies of Vango designs but cheaper.

Mick

iTrader: (1)

Thanks for the replies guys, it's very helpful to have a bit of banter from folks with a bit of experience...

I think we are veering toward the ebay one and will use it in the garden over the summer & stuff see how the lads cope If we pick our camping trips for not too far away and predicted good weather should be OK... - fingers crossed

- One of them is completely against it... "what do you want to go to the lake district for? - it's boring!" - 'Kevin the teenager' & he's only 12 ATM

If we find it's popular, then as Olly says it'll be worth getting some higher quality kit.

Don't go away... I will probably be back for more advice on sleeping bags, stoves and all that mularky

Cheers

Mick

TURBOTRONICS

i even take my tv me an a fridge and a dvd player just cos your in a field dont meen you carnt have some home comforts

New_scooby_04

iTrader: (4)

Like a Toilet?????

OllyK

This ours, we had a Gelert that went back as the zip broke on it's first outing. Not sure what brand this one is, came from Downtown if I recall for a little over 100 and it's been fine

davyboy

Vango tents are pretty good.

I bought an Outwell Harford L, I wish I had bought the XL but there you go.

Ebay has sone good stuff for sale, last years stock etc. You even get people selling a tent that only got used once etc.

DeanF

iTrader: (1)

Theres something very wrong with that picture !!

The Scoob is not parked in the portable Garage !!

Dean

logiclee

Be carefull with the camping thing.

It gets addictive and you want something a bit more so you get a trailer tent and before you know it everyone on here hates you.



Cheers
Lee

TURBOTRONICS

I have actually had my car in the porch bit but my wife went mental at me she actually said its not a f****g garage I thought it would be cool but she did not

bootsy

i've got a coleman tent.good in wet or dry weather
eBay.co.uk: GUD CON 5 MAN TENT COLEMAN BI SPACE 500 WITH ACCESORIES (item 300104434843 end time 02-May-07 19:39:15 BST)

mr_p1ssed_off

Don't forget something to sleep in and on!

A decent sleeping bag is worth millions when its a cold night and you're snuggly warm.
Far better than being awake for hours and hours 'cos you're cold and shivering.

And airbeds are a must IMHO.

logiclee

Just to echo the above, there is nothing worse than being cold except wet and cold, but modern tents are good.

Invest in the best kit you can afford and if you intend to visit sites with electric hookup a cheap hook up unit will allow you to make use of electric heat and light as well as TV/Radio/CD if you wish. £2.75 extra a night is a small price to pay if you can have the 3kW fan heater blasting away.

I do miss the camping lark but my old aching bones (38) only allow me to use a double bed with climate control and Sky TV. The great outdoors upto a point.

Cheers
Lee

davyboy

I've recently got in to it in a big way.

I am now Bear Grylls.

NotoriousREV

MY EYES! MY BEAUTIFUL EYES!!!

Clarebabes

If you think he's joking, I had to stop him biting into a perch on our fishing trip this evening

Fuzz

If this is just a try and see if you like camping then I have got to mention something I saw in Halfords on Sunday!
4 man tent, 4 sleeping bags and two blow up beds for £99

Didn't look like it would last very long, but would be good starter tent.


EDIT*
Found it.
Tent Packs Halfords Deluxe Family Tent Pack from Halfords Was £199.99 Save £100.00 Price £99.99 HALF PRICE

ANdy

Sub97

Might sound like a bit of a gay quesiton, but how does everything esle apart from sleeping work in a tent? Going to the toilet, showering, cleaning your teeth, washing stuff up, making food/drinks etc?

davyboy

Most good campsites have a shower blocks with toilets, and often washing up facilities. MOst will have electrical hook ups too.

Make food and drink on a £10 gas burner.....you can do this in the tent if you have enough room.

I did 10 days in Germany around Easter and it was awesome. Family of 3 less than 300 Euros in camping fees, and we only ate out twice al the time we were there.

Easy.

Coffin Dodger

Errr..... you like stay on a camp site that has toilets, showers, sinks to wash in, washing up area. As for food and drink I have a nice stove with two burners and a grill along with a cylinder of gas to run it as well as a portable BBQ for the evening. Of course a cool box packed with ice and tinnies is also an essential item. If you want to get really flash you can get little fridges that run off gas/12VDC/240VAC.

If you're really keen to get away from it all then you can get chemical toilets and solar showers, sure you can figure the rest out.

Sub97

Cheers mate, sounds good.

TURBOTRONICS

FOOD PUB

Chrisgr31

Depending where in the country you are there are camping shows at present. Before buying a tent go and look at those on display in specialist shops, so you can choose the type you want.

If you are in Sussex or Kent I can suggest a couple of places to look.

As someone has said I go for a tent you can stand up in, and with a large living area, much better for the inclement weather you may get in the UK!

We have a Gelert 5 man tent we use for Le Mans, its tall so I can stand in the bedroom, but is not keen on high winds! We bought an Outwell Montana last year. Fantastic tent, weighs a lot though!

Incidentially don't forget the manufacturers use bloody small people when derermining how many people a tent will sleep! You need to add at least one or two to the numbers!

logiclee

As other have said most sites now have superb facilities with the higher end sites spending around seven figures. As sad as it may sound there are yearly Loo awards that are a must have for premium sites and now shower blocks come with air conditioning, under floor heating, piped music and as much hot water as you can use.

Stopped at Lincoln Farm near Whitney a few weeks ago and the facilities were first class.



They even have two small pools with steam room, sauna and spa that you can hire out for one hour for £13 to £16.


Cheers
Lee