Viewing 36 posts - 1 through 36 (of 36 total)
  • Any suggestions for a family tent?
  • ktaylor
    Free Member

    Morning all, with the camping season drawing to a close I hope to pick up a family tent for a good price. Hoping to use it for two adults and two infants under 3 (so we’re talking pushchairs, cots etc) next season.

    Currently have my eye on an ex-demo version of this… http://www.kampa.co.uk/products/tents/8-berth/sandown-8/
    …for £220.

    Any alternatives, warnings, offers welcome!

    peterfile
    Free Member

    The best camping season is only just beginning (although not with kiddie winkles perhaps)!

    Hang fire for another month, the sales will be in full swing. There’s already quite a few on, Go Outdoors and Nevisport have huge tent sales on right now.

    I suppose the key thing for a family tent is something you can put up yourself, in the wind 🙂

    crankboy
    Free Member

    We have a ridgeline 6 person with the same layout as the kampa you are looking at we use one berth for us and our son to sleep in and the other as a secure play area for him . With two kids indoor space will be really important when it rains.

    You will need to be able to pitch and strike largely unaided and in inclement weather . Also good quality poles ours are very fiddly and irritating to thread through the sleves .

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    ktaylor
    Free Member

    One of the reasons I’ve chosen the Kampa Sandown is that its construction looks fairly simple. It doesn’t have lots of rooms so should be easy to erect etc.

    I was intrigued by the polycotton tents that feel more like canvas…

    downthemiddle
    Free Member

    We got a Vango Tigris 600, ace tent for two adults, two kids and a whole load of extra room for eating inside etc

    transapp
    Free Member

    I just bought a Coleman Mackenzie 4 which has stood up to horrific conditions. 2 internal ‘pods’ right next to each other so you can have adults / kids compartments or one big one. Wasn’t cheap but I’m happy I got this one.

    Woody
    Free Member

    The linked tent looks pretty good value but as someone who has only started camping again this year, it’s been a sharp learning curve as to what works for the individual ie. things like how do you dry it if it’s been packed away wet, cooking area if it’s wet, ease of set-up/dismantling when it’s wet/windy……you get the idea. Most tents are fine when the weather is ok

    Not many reviews of the tent in question UKCamper thread here but UKCampsite is a very good source of info.

    ktaylor
    Free Member

    Ah, thanks for the review pointer. Kampa sound like a new kid on the block.

    I have a Coleman already. Very happy with it. However our travel cot fills up one of the two pods so we have to get a bigger one to fit in the next one!

    I’ve camped for some years now in 3 and 4 man tents however I’ve never heard of this footprint or tent carpet malarky. Are they helpful?

    peterfile
    Free Member

    You can save yourself a bit of cash by using tarpaulin (cut to size) instead of a dedicated footprint.

    It’s handy for protecting the base from sticks and stones, but also for keeping it clean of mud (it’s easier to hose down the tarpaulin when you get home than the base of the tent).

    To be honest, if you are doing mainly campsite based camping, and you check the area before pitching, the need for a footprint at all is quite low.

    I tend to use one on wild camps (where there is more risk of the base being damaged), but that’s it.

    GrahamS
    Full Member

    There were a couple of good threads about family tents earlier in the “summer”:
    http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/talk-to-me-about-four-berth-tents-for-family-camping
    http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/where-to-buy-a-tent-what-tent-to-buy

    http://www.a2zcamping.co.uk/ is a good site for ex-demo tents.
    I got this 6-man SunnCamp Evolution 600 from them for £130

    They sell Kampa too.

    DaveRambo
    Full Member

    We have an Outwell Montana 6.

    I did buy a cheaper tent but you get what you pay for and it lasted a year until high winds broke it.

    The outwell has a pre-attached inner tent and a sewn in groundsheet so it’s quite quick to put up.
    We bought the ‘carpet’ which makes a big difference especially with kids as the main living area is warmer and they can play on it.

    The footprint is quite useful – it’s basically a groundsheet the size of the tent and it stops the bottom of the tent getting muddy when it rains – you can pack the tent up more easily as it won’t be covered in mud.

    We’ve been camping with some friends, all with kids, for a few years now. People have bought cheap tents then the next year come back with an Outwell

    If you can afford one they are worth it IMO. If you decide to stop camping then re-sale values are quite high, if you carry on then it will last longer and be a pleasant experience.

    ktaylor
    Free Member

    We visited a fairly big tent display area. Though it was only a quick chat one of the assistants said that you paid for the name Outwell rather than it being any better quality.

    superfli
    Free Member

    I would suggest getting the fitted carpet for the tent as well (if available). They make a big difference, not just with warmth, but also for catching the odd drip from condensation and any bits of mud. They also protect the floor from rips (tables/chairs etc).

    I have a Vango tigris 400DLX and it leaks like a sieve. Its nice and big though 😉

    transapp
    Free Member

    Another vote for the carpet, they are really, really good. I also have the base sheet thingy and it does protect the tent a bit which was good.
    Mind you, all my kit has been virtually untouched this year -utter pants weather for it!

    Dolcered
    Full Member

    I think the more space you can get the better. I was mocked for buying the carpet for ours, but it really does make the whole affair nicer. walking about on the groundsheet in bare feet is horrible.

    I also got a porch for the tent, which has a separate groundsheet but we didnt use it. it was a good area to store the stove and coolbox, dirty shoes, brollies, dry the dog etc etc. The shape of ours, a Mojave 5 makes it near impossible to get in when its wet without letting lots of water flood onto you or get inside. The door on the porch is much better. Mind you at 18kg + 11kg for the porch its a tent for car camping only.

    havent heard of kampa, but 4000 hydrostatic head is good. ours is 3000, it stood up to some horrendous weather in Skye recently.

    Gunz
    Free Member

    I’d always advise going a bit smaller than the Kampa linked at the top. Your kids won’t require cots for much longer and then you’re left with a massive four bedroomed behemouth to put up. I can’t count the amount of times I’ve stood in a windy camp site with a tent wrapped around my face muffling my profanities as the kids laugh at me from the car, smaller is better.
    Why not get a two bedroomed one and sleep in the living area until you ditch the cots?

    thejesmonddingo
    Full Member

    We’ve got a Montana 6 with carpet,it’s huge inside,and the windows make it pleasant to sit in when it’s raining.I’d recommend finding somewhere where you can see these tents and walk around and inside them.The one you linked to would be fairly unpleasant to sit in in the rain with toddlers IMHO

    DaveRambo
    Full Member

    Though it was only a quick chat one of the assistants said that you paid for the name Outwell rather than it being any better quality.

    Did they sell Outwell tents?

    My experience and research I did 3 years or so ago was that Outwell were generally better quality and you pay for that. Whether the additonal amount is worth it becomes a matter of opinion.

    Our frisnds mocked us for the tent and carpet as well, until they spent time in the tent one evening.

    Unless you’re only camping when you know the weather is going to be nice, I’d get a decent sized one so it’s not cramped when you’re all in there.

    Let us knwo what you end up buying.

    ktaylor
    Free Member

    Yup, there were a few Outwells around. She made the comment as she gave us a few brochures, including theirs.

    Despite the original price I am impressed with their resale value on ebay etc. Perhaps another thing to think about.

    On size, over the years I have come to think the more space you have the better. Especially considering the summer we have had this year.

    We hired a campvan this year and filled it full of spare clothes, food, prams, cots, nappies etc…

    druidh
    Free Member

    I have a Montana 6, extension and carpet for sale. It’s only seen a couple of summers use and we’ve just downsized to a smaller Outwell tent as it’ll just be the two of us using it now.

    nosemineb
    Free Member

    Ive got an Outwell Michigan 6, Its pretty versatile in that you can remove either or both bedrooms. I like it but its my first big tent so nothing to compare to. off to check out carpets for it..
    Ooh and got it half price in the Cotswolds sale earlier this year.

    ktaylor
    Free Member

    I like the idea of buying second hand. However the Montana seems to have only two seperate sleeping compartments. With a boy and a girl (plus parents) I’d prefer three compartments. You can’t buy a third add-on can you?

    mastiles_fanylion
    Free Member

    Just been in a borrowed Vango. Our friends have an Outwell Montana (with child themed compartment for their kid). That’s what I’d go for if I was buying – just more thoughtfully designed and practical for a family.

    bigbloke
    Free Member

    Another vote here for the Outwell Montana 6 very good tent we are a family of 5, used it in Dorset for a week was brilliant. Get the carpet too makes it so much nicer.

    chakaping
    Free Member

    I got a new outwell Montana 6 with carpet and footprint for 350 the other week.

    Very impressed with the quality , detail and sturdiness . bloody massive too

    Email me if you want details of that deal .

    Scamper
    Free Member

    Got a small 2/3 man Outwell and been very impressed with it over the 5 years or so and paid £65 for it, although water apparently got through the groundsheet once in a saturated camp site and its starting to show its age.

    As i’ve knocked a campervan idea on the head land and now with a family, looking to upgrade to one of their bigger posh tents, something like the avantgarde 5 – seriously expensive for a non technical tent and just wondering if all the nice spec extras are worth the money. Like the idea of having 2 living areas.

    mastiles_fanylion
    Free Member

    One word of warning about the Outwell – the pole clips bloody bite!

    ktaylor
    Free Member

    Crumbs the Outwell fan club is out in full force.

    I suppose the kids could share a compartment for a while. I guess after a few years they’d prefer their own pup tent.

    ktaylor
    Free Member

    Yeomans do the Montana for £299 including delivery (not convinced by a carpet)….

    rickmeister
    Full Member

    Outwell here too, impressive quality and some nice little features that make a difference. Its a great tent for UK and inclement conditions as there is loads of space. Using it it Finale Ligure, it morphed into a mahoosive greenhouse and was uncomfortably hot… some you win etc etc…

    stgeorge
    Full Member

    We’re looking at one of these, seems to have good reviews.

    Kalahari 8

    Cheezpleez
    Full Member

    Recently bought a Vango Icarus 500. It’s cheap (lots of offers about – ours was £150), very simple and quick to put up and has good usable space. You can also get an awning to add open-but-covered space if you need it for cooking, etc. It will sleep five cosily but we used a separate small tent for our two teenagers.

    It withstood high winds and torrential rain on its first outing with no probs, despite the fact that one of the poles split before I’d even put it up. Millets replaced the whole tent with no quibble when we got back.

    All in all, a good, simple tent. Not high-end, not perfect but worth what I paid and does what we need it to do for short trips.

    jwt
    Free Member

    Selling mine in the classifieds?
    http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/ot-vango-diablo-600-tent
    feel free to take a look.

    BigButSlimmerBloke
    Free Member

    Soulpad – huge, expensive, heavy, brilliant.
    4m diameter, probably 3m at the centre. 1 pole, normally up in around 10-15 minutes. You can make/fit an internal wall

    druidh
    Free Member

    😛 It does seem like that!

    I’ve been camping regularly for 50 years. I have a fair idea of what works/doesn’t work and why it’s often worth paying extra for quality 😉

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