We’re looking at getting a new tent – something like the below. I know little to nothing about such things, mostly using a tarp and bivi bag… Does it look decent? Better options around the same size / price? Ta!

http://m.gooutdoors.co.uk/vango-icarus-500-deluxe-tent-2012-p201938&gclid=CjwKCAjwtdbLBRALEiwAm8pA5cvH0TQ4imLdIdauSrTXR7m4jLGMtS8UOk3llPqX1PH9fd4JzEn6ZBoCgVIQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

We got a Vango Padstow – similar design, but instead of the sloped front it has a little awning over the front. What sold it to us was in the shop, the chap said it was the only one that stayed dry when it rained and they forgot to close the front door. Otherwise, with the Icarus et al the door had to be closed if it’s just slightly damp.

It’s reasonably quick to put up, sleeps the 3 of us with loads of space, and room inside to sit/read if it’s really wellying down.

There are a lot of Vangos around that price – we got a deal with footprint and carpet (!). They all look the same, but there’s some differences – ours has a sewn-in groundsheet, others don’t.

Perfectly acceptable for family car camping IMO.

I think they’re good tents at a nice price. Whether it’s the right tent for you and your needs I’m not sure.

– how many adults and kids does it need to sleep?
– is it for long trips or just for the odd night or two?
– Is it big enough to keep you all comfortable and occupied if the bad weather sets in?
– it is just going in the back of the car or will you ever need to carry it?

etc etc

We bought one of these last year at a good price. It’s huge, it’s heavy and you wouldn’t want to put it up for just one night, but as a luxurious and comfortable place to spend several nights camping with 2 adults and 3 kids, it’s perfect. The interior space is great when it’s raining and your tent-bound, whilst the awning/porch is superb for having a sheltered place to cook, eat and keep outdoor shoes etc dry.

Jakester – Member

We got a Vango Padstow – similar design, but instead of the sloped front it has a little awning over the front. What sold it to us was in the shop, the chap said it was the only one that stayed dry when it rained and they forgot to close the front door. Otherwise, with the Icarus et al the door had to be closed if it’s just slightly damp.

+1. I would only get that tent if you buy a canopy/awning for it.

Reasoning being that we bought a Vango Orchy 600 with a similar sloping front door (and a sloping side door). Our first use of it was during a very wet spell in Cornwall & it was impossible to get in & out of the tent without water pouring in.

As soon as we got back, we bought a canopy for the front, so the front door stays dry. It’s also a good space to put your shoes on/take them off, offers extra storage, is good for cooking under & provides some shelter in the evenings but still feels ‘outside’.

We have a Vango Orava 600, it works for us (3 kids) loads of space including the enclosed front porch.

Good tent, yes. Perfect for 4. Buy the package, you won’t regret it, especially on rainy days.

Just used one of these for a week and it performs well.

https://www.decathlon.co.uk/arpenaz-42-family-id_8378238.html

I also have a decathlon tarp which is used to make a porch type arrangement. Has turned out to be a good compromise.

Good point re the awning. We had a tent that didn’t have a decent awning and it was a nightmare to get in and out of when it was raining. I can only reinforce what the others said above.

We have an Icarus 500 DLX, it is a very good tent but the sloped front is a pain in the wet, we have King poles which helps.. but we have just splased out extra on the Awning that has the same issue but you do not drag the water into the main tent.

great sized tent for two samll boys plus the wife and I.. I think the added porch will benefit us away with bikes etc. first outing of the porch this weekend at Pivot

Only thing with the canopy for that tent is that it looks like it would have the same ‘door’ issue as the main tent. I’d be inclined to just roll the door up & not bother with it; similarly, assuming it comes with a groundsheet, don’t use it for the awning/canopy area.

It seems that Vango now seem to include a shallow canopy in the design of a lot of their tents, so the only available add-ons are more like an enclosed awning than a canopy.

I was thinking more like this kind of thing:

http://www.gooutdoors.co.uk/palm-coast-600-front-extension-p372409?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIhJylroqi1QIV9TLTCh13JARBEAQYBSABEgK5wvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

which looks like a bigger version of what we’ve got.
I imagine if you find one with similar dimensions to your tent it wouldn’t need to be the same brand for you to get it to fit. Obviously a bit of a risk though….

So this is the one we have:

http://www.vango.co.uk/gb/tents/1085-padstow-package-500.html

It meant we didn’t need the large awning in Stumpy’s post, which doubled the size of the tent (which we didn’t really want). Like TheBrick, we also have a Decathlon Tarp if we need more cover.

The price is considerably more than we paid for it, too. I think we paid less than £200.

I bought one of these last summer:
http://www.gooutdoors.co.uk/hi-gear-voyager-elite-6-tent-p396727

The bundle for tent, footprint, porch, carpet etc was £399. At some point they’ll repeat the deal.

We just bought this and used it at the weekend for the first time:

http://m.gooutdoors.co.uk/coleman-mosedale-5-tent-p407253

Very easy to put up, good size and the blackout bedroom was fantastic. Best nights sleep we’ve ever had in a tent. All of us, including 4 and 6 year old kids slept until 8am which is unprecedented. Seems good value.

Cheers all, some good food for thought there – I’d never really considered the sloping doors but that makes a lot of sense. More research required I think!

We got this brand new from the manufacturer for £190 it great, loads of room and easy to put up.
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/371951056491

Almost forgot….we got one of these last year as our Twentyfour12 tent:

https://www.obelink.co.uk/lugano-6.html?category_params=s_company%3D4%26category_id%3D4188

No idea how well it would stand up in poor weather or how durable it is as we’ve only used it once so far.

But….it’s fairly well made for the price, there’s a decent amount of space and it went up really easily. I put it up on my own in the garden as a test run on my own.
The front panel can be put right at the front or zipped in a bit further back, although doing that means you lose a lot of interior space.

Its bloody massive when packed!