Wow! Who knew that you could buy such a thing. I am deeply impressed and a little excited.

Every year at my son’s school we have a ‘dad’s camping weekend’ in the first week of the new term. Having borrowed a friends Camper Van the last few times, this year I’m biting the bullet and getting a tent. My biggest issue has always been putting the thing up – it’s a pain in the harris.

So the idea that you can inflate a tent is music to my ears. Yes they are spendy but frankly I think worth every penny.

Key question though is longevity. If it’s expensive but lasts 10 years I’m fine with that. If they develop leaks within a year or two then my parsnips aren’t going to feel buttered.

The one I had survived the one night test fine. Not so much the 10 days through europe. Failed first night.

Ouch – not good!

They look good, but I’m not sure how much time it really saves. For me the time is taken pegging it out and setting all the bedding and stuff inside, not putting the polls the loops on the tent.

Heard a few failure stories and they are very heavy. Our ‘normal’ tent takes about 10 minutes to put up. Maybe you just need some practice.

Quick to put up but they seem a pain to pack away too. Got to get all the air out and it’s a larger pack size.

Having said that, I just brought a large steel poled tent, was tempted by air but really couldn’t justify the extra 500 quid!

It really isn’t hard to put up a tent, I have done our family tent on my own when needed and with somebody else its about 10 mins max.

No experience on the inflatable ones but there are pop up tents too which make it even easier.

We’ve taken up camping in the last 12 months and since it is amazing how many secret campers come out of the woodwork to share their experiences. The general consensus from other far more experienced campers about inflatable tents, and I’m talking the large family glamping variety, is that they as much of a revolution to tenting than the change from crank starting to electric starting was to the motor car (OK a bit of a Clarksonesque exaggeration, but they are all pretty enthused about them). So we’re sold and looking to get one. The ones we’re looking at – granted aiming for one of the more larger and expensive brands, are made from pretty heavy duty material, so you’re not going to puncture them without great effort, and some have separate inflatable ‘sausages’ that slide into a sleeve so you could replace any if needed. Also they come with a puncture repair kit. You only inflate them to around 7psi so hardly high pressure anyway. The stability comes from the guy ropes.

Popup FTW, minutes to put up – get yourself to Decathlon, they’re a work of genius. 🙂

We have a vango air beam exodus 800. Best camping thing we have ever bought. Our old tent used to take the wife and I 2 hours to put up and her being as useful as a chocolate teapot many arguments ensued. The airbeam I can do without rushing in about 20 mins. It’s as solid as poles too even in really high wind. Expensive but well worth it. It’s a really good tent regardless off it being an air beam. Loads of good little details our other tents haven’t had that just make tent life slightly easier.

Last time we went camping there were a few of the Vango Air tents. With a few very windy nights I was expecting them fold in but appeared to pretty rock solid.

Quick to put up but they seem a pain to pack away too. Got to get all the air out and it’s a larger pack size.

That’s the problem for me (barring failure).

If you want quick and easy (ish) Decathlon Quechua Are the best bet, but they aren’t great if the weather turns bad and you’re in it for a week – great for weekends.

We are seasoned campers and bit the bullet and spent proper money on a proper big frame tent for this year, with space for dropping wet weather gear in a porch and cooking inside. Yeah, is a PITA to put up, but you get better at it and the difference is really only 10-15 minutes between them. I’d rather have the solid, dependable space now.

Air beam save a little bit of time but not much IME and are harder to take down and they are heavy

personally if its for a weekends I only take a Kyham pop up tent and it pitches n about 2 minutes

big tent takes about an hour ish al in but that is including air beds/kitchen and all that

Where the best place to buy tents these days and when?

After a successful first camping trip last weekend with my 3yr old and 9mth old I’m looking to buy a tent. Have checked out Go Outdoors online but any other sites I should be looking at? Probably looking for a 5-6 berth.

Are tents cheaper to buy in the winter months?

My local Decathlon have a brilliant display set up with a compressor on a timer so the tent constantly inflates and deflates. Naturally it’s always full of kids waiting to get “accidentally” trapped inside. I like Decathlon

Where the best place to buy tents these days and when?

I just went to a tent show and had a good look around. You can often pick up some pretty good deals (especially if you are happy with a display model.)

Yeomans, Winfields, Go Outdoors, even Amazon have some good deals. I think I got ours from Yeomans as the price was good and they did a 50 quid voucher with tent purchases.

If you want quick and easy (ish) Decathlon Quechua Are the best bet, but they aren’t great if the weather turns bad and you’re in it for a week

Don’t know if it’s by accident or design (and I have to say, budget or not, Quechas seem very well designed), but popups seem very durable when it’s windy, they bend before it rather than lifting pegs out.

Air beams are very easy to take down. Undo all the valves and pull up a chair for 10 mins. Or alternatively you can roll all the air out towards the valves. Its probably a 10 min job in a hurry. 20 mins on my own in no rush at all. It’s the dumbasses who just fold/screw them up and try and push the air out that end up taking ages and say it’s a nightmare. It’s just common sense really but I have seen it a few times.

The latest have a switchable two way valve (or two one-way valves) so you can use your pump to deflate the tubes.

jon1973 – Member

They look good, but I’m not sure how much time it really saves. For me the time is taken pegging it out and setting all the bedding and stuff inside, not putting the polls the loops on the tent. This.

If you want something that will genuinely last a lifetime, then a Tentipi would fit the bill. 8 pegs 1 pole – up in 10mins.
[url=https://flic.kr/p/538t7z]Tentipi Varrie 9 man + hammopck and tarp[/url] by Alex Simon, on Flickr

assuming you never pack it wet and /or have space to dry it once home

Naturally it’s always full of kids waiting to get “accidentally” trapped inside. I like Decathlon

Admit it id you isn’t it

Can’t get my decathlon one back in the bag no matter how I fold it or squish it. Great tent though and stable in high winds

Can’t get my decathlon one back in the bag no matter how I fold it or squish it. Great tent though and stable in high winds

Have a look at their online videos, if it’s popup there’ll be a nack to it. Our first two man, in a moment of exuberance we popped it up in the living room. Took hours and much head-scratching watching of videos to work out how to collapse it (takes seconds once you know how). 🙂

We bought a 4 man decathlon one a couple of weeks ago, had it’s first outing on a windy cliff top near Cromer the weekend before last, surprisingly solid, no more noisy than my other tents and so quick to put up and take down.

As Andysredmini says, a little common sense about deflating it is required, rolled up and back in its bag first time too.

This is the one I have.

Ultimately – I don’t think Decathlon tents aren’t up to the worst of British weather – especially the wind. Saying that I love them – on my 5th one. My prev 2 have been inflatables.

1st one – was similar to the one linked to above but it was the fresh model so it had a sky light flap- water just got pushed when it rained and the wind blew.
Returned – full refund. No quibble. The feature is absent in this years model.

2nd one – one of the air poles leaked at a joint.
Returned – full refund. No quibble

3rd current – like the one above – a little wider and ‘black and fresh’. Having afternoon nap with the fresh flaps open is like heaven.

For £20ish they do a tarp with poles. Best £20 I’ve ever spent.

I recon the best thing about inflatables is that its a one person job – even in windy weather. Peg it out – pump it up and its generally stable enough for you to do your guide ropes at your leisure.

The Tentipi does it need hanging/airing afterwards?

hora – Member

The Tentipi does it need hanging/airing afterwards? Definitely, sorry
We don’t have a big enough flat space in the garden, so we hang it in the stairwell for a day. It does dry quickly, but it’s the kind of fabric that soaks a bit rather than pills