I went camping for the first time last weekend and despite some proper rain and wind I really enjoyed myself so I’ve started looking at kit.

Has anyone got an opinion on the Quechua tents you can get from Decathlon?

Or can anyone recommend an easily erected (just me) 4 man tent for me and my two boys?

Thanks

IMO excellent!

We bought one in 2004, and have used it every year since for our annual trip to torridon/Applecross area.

It has been watertight, and has withstood some severe winds. Our 2 favoutite campsites are on the coast and very exposed.

UNTILL ! This year it leaked for the very first time. Not bad for for an 8 year old 90 quid tent though. Needless to say, we are going to get another one in the next few weeks.

EDIT We had a big 4 man tent, and I could erect it myself. It was’nt easy but I did do it once or twice.

We bought the 4 man Quecha Seconds 4.2XL.

Brilliant! £129 and took literally two minutes to put up first time!

Thoroughly recommended!

@Geologist – why not re-proof it?

@Ben – No experience of their tents (except seeing lots of them on campsites) but I’ve used Decathlon gear for running/skiing/cycling/walking etc etc and it’s all been good quality kit, if not very exciting.

Bear in mind though…. if you can’t pronounce it, you shouldn’t buy it.

I like ours a T4.1B, waterproof so far & easy to use, m8 has a Seconds family 42 xl which has seen good service & pack unbelievably small. If you do buyer a folder try and the video on YouTube & practise 1st – m8’s brought his back twice unfolded as the written instructions just don’t convey how to do it!

I have one of the ultralight tents, a proper one not the 2″ ones. It’s great- very, very light, very nicely made with aluminium poles and pegs (in bright orange so they’re easy to find in the grass) and excellent quality. Mine was £70 an is 6 years old.

Just stayed in the xxl 4 man version and it was superb fast and easy to put up and down. Waterproof and stable in some lovely lakes summer weather. Only Down side is size is not very tall so limited space to cook in the front awning. Given ease of use if I needed a new tent this is what I would pick. Not sure it is big enough for being stuck in for a long time though with kids
+1for you tube links will post them up later when on the laptop

It’s the seconds 4.2 that caught my eye so thanks for the positive feedback, makes my decision much easier

Blacks have a whopping sale on at the minute we got a Blacks Serpens 4 man which is exactly the same as a Vango Icarus 400 but was only £84 worht a look. Sometimes buying a cheap tent just isn’t wroth the money as you can tell from the quality.

Got the Seconds 4.1 and its a great tent but it is NOT a 1-man job putting it away! Not without a lot of practice anyway, and even then it might be a struggle

With two people its dead easy once you’ve watched the video.

[video]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xccUK9EwMok[/video]

I stayed in a Decathlon one as well this year and was impressed – there are also some very cheap deals on go outdoors but I don’t know whether these should be avoided

They’re very good- I’ve got a 2-man Air popup and sure, it’s not as solid or as weatherproof as my wee basecamp tent but then, it cost half as much and it pitches in 3 seconds instead of 20 minutes.

mrsmidlife runs them (4.2, not pop-up) as patrol tents for girl guides. They give them a fair bit of hammer and are holding up well.

I was walking around inside one last night in Decathlon- 3 compartments and a massive central part for BBQ’s etc (vent at the top etc). All for a reduced price of £149 from £200. ****.

It was the biggest tent I’ve seen for years.

I bought one of these the other week:

Not used it in anger yet, but had a little play, just to see how it packs down, and seems very good value for a 2 man/double skinned pop up + porch. If the 4 men ones are as well built, they should be fine.

…also, as I do not have a local store, Surrey Quays delivered it for £1.

Right now Vango AirBeam tents are all I’d even consider! All the sizes/shapes you could need with no poles necessary. Even the biggest family tent is a 5min pitch iirc

Everything i’ve ever bought from Decathlon has been good.
We’ve got several tents and use a Seconds 4 for overnight stops and short tours (with a decathlon Tarp for outside cover if we’re staying somewhere for a couple of days).
It’s brilliant, easy to pitch and pack up (once you nail the technique).
I’d buy one again but would probably go with one with a porch area.

If you want a big tent Hora, try one of these.. fricken huge…

We used one for a community centre at the last festival we all went to as a group… huge I tell ya!

Have had mine a few years now, the thing I like the most is the ease of pitching, It’s all self contained once the groundsheet is down the tent and inner tent unfold in a oner. As for putting it away it is manageable for one person to do it!
We used ours this year in Dorset during the real heavy rain and it acquitted itself admirably, only slight criticism is the central area because the groundsheet is not integral so you tend to get a few creepy crawlies visiting.

I’ll echo all the comments above, got the 2 seconds XXL III tent. Easy to put up, requires a bit more effort to take down but gets easier when you’ve done it a few times.

is the central area because the groundsheet is not integral so you tend to get a few creepy crawlies visiting.

That’s my only minor criticism also.

http://tente.quechua.com/en/tent/r-8,a-86,2-seconds-xxl-iii.html

Wow I wonder how much it is currently as they had reductions on last night.

The pop-up ones look like a great idea, just make sure you know how to fold them up.
We had a very entertaining hour & a half on a French campsite recently, watching a couple try to fold theirs up. Eventually they had to walk round the site to find someone with the same tent to come and help them – still took 5 people over 90 minutes!

We used a Quencha Seconds Family 4.1 on a recent trip. It was easy to put up, it kept us dry in a fairly heavy thunderstorm, it dries quickly and is easy to pack away. For us (2 adults a 6yr old and a dog) it’s fine for 1 or 2 nights in good weather, any longer and it would be a bit cramped, and if the weather was bad there isn’t too much sitting room inside.

I did get a round of applause and a beer from an old couple for packing it away on my own in less than 5mins at Legoland funnily enough. They had been touring around Europe and seen various people struggling with them for hours apparently so were having a sweepstake on it. I’m no tent packing away God, there’s just a knack to it, just think giant penis as you fold it up!

Have a look at Go Outdoors. I was in there yesterday and they have some serious bargains

Got me wondering though, does anyone ever pay anything like full price for a tent, ever?