Morning all.

We are looking at buying a new tent. We are a family of three, so doesn’t need to be massive. We go weekend camping a few times a year but no more than that.

We previously used my old (30 y/o) family tent, which was a traditional Lichfield tent, but it’s now looking the worse for wear, with holes and damaged seams, so we’re looking to replace it.

We’re looking for something with a bit of living space in it that you can cook in in terrible weather (ensuring appropriate ventilation, away from tent walls etc etc) – the old tent was too small to stand up in, and our experiments with a standalone tarp for cooking are best forgotten.

We went for a mooch round Go Outdoors yesterday and saw a Vango Icarus 500, which is I gather exclusive to GO.

It’s perfect for us, but for the fact that the door face slopes inward suggests to me in bad weather it’d be impossible to cook with the door open without rainwater pouring in.

An alternative is the Vango Dunkeld 500 which appears to be the same design but with a truncated living area to provide a canopy.

Does anyone have any experience with either? We’re not looking to spend a fortune, we don’t need anything larger, we don’t want a bell tent (though I agree they’re awesome).

Ta

Add something like this over the door?

http://www.gooutdoors.co.uk/oex-bush-tarp-p360390

(It’s what we do with the big tent)

I’d go with the awning option too. You get a lot of condensation cooking in a tent even with the doors open.

A lot of tents have a purpose designed extension available – bit more than a tarp but more secure and weather proof.

yeah. There’s one for that specific tent on GO’s site, though it’s three times the price of the generic one.

Vango Orava 500 if you can find one is a great tent (we have the 600 but its quite big) Spotted this one too:

Inca500

we’d sell our outwell nevada M if anyone was interested, we dont seem to go camping these days….

comes with the extension for storage/cooking in inclement weather….

just mail me if interested.

EDIT: should just say im in lincoln, as itd have to be pick up only.

Don’t buy new – there are always loads of second-hand tents on Ebay. I got pretty much everything we need tfor family camping including TWO 6-8 man tents (a ‘quick erect on’e and a slightly larger ‘long break but harder to put up’ tent) for £180.

I reckon I will get not far off that for it all when I come to sell it when our kids grow out of the camping thing.

I’d go for a 2nd hand outwell (like the one above) over a new cheap new vango. Easy to pitch and durable.

http://www.outdoormegastore.co.uk/vango-maritsa-600-tent.html

I have one of these used twice if you are interested. Plenty big enough. Pick up from Southampton.

RRP £580 and I am open to offers

Decathlon for the win

http://www.decathlon.co.uk/C-359126-family-tents

Got a few of their pop up tents and they’re brilliant. I’d assume the non-pop ups are just as good. Prices are always excellent too

Cheers all, some food for thought!

Having bought an Outwell Nevada M, I’d buy one of these instead as its more compact, easier to pack / dry and probably much better / durable, albeit pricey (ish) =

http://www.terra-nova.co.uk/tents-and-spares/all-tents/zephyros-4-living/

Outwell have always done us well. Infact I’m looking at upgrading from the Outwell Minnesota 4 to something a little larger especially for the living area as opposed to sleeping. Living in the NE Scotland and regularly camping in ‘changeable’ weather I prefer steel poles even if they are heavier/bulkier.

+1 buy bigger than you need

Also worth paying more for quality, I’d look for something that’s 3-season.

We got a Vango 500 last year. We got it second hand to give camping a try. Only used it once. At first we thought it was huge but actually I wish we’d gone a bit bigger. the two bedroom areas are only just big enough for two camp beds in each (we went camp bed option rather than sleeping on the floor) and the ‘lounge area’ is only just big enough. Plenty of nice features though.

We have got an awning too but have not used it yet, but that will give us a bit more room to stretch. If we like the whole camping malarkey then I might look into getting a bigger tent.