Time for a newie
wishlist
+large vestibule- able to stand/eat/cook(!)
+high waterproofing

Anyone have any recommendations?

ive got a used-once outwell maine for sale. sposed to be 6 man i reckon, but 4 realistically.

mail me if youre interested, cos ill have forgotten about this thread by tonight 🙂

+1 Outwell. Well designed, well put together.

Vango Orchy 600 is a decent sized tent. Meant for 6 man, but reckon 4 would be more comfortable. It’s a large dome with a sleeping area off to the back that can be split in 2 with a screen.

Another for Outwell – tghe Minnesota 4 is splendid.

I’ve got an Outwell for family trips which is great but was expensive and is huge.

For shorter trips with kids I have a Vango which is smaller. My mate had a Vango Orchy 500 last weekend and that looked quite good.

we have this was only cheap (we paid £99), works well for us.

Clicky for linky

Have a look at Winfields, they have a massive selection of decent, cheap tents…

+1 for Outwell. Got Minnesota 4, excellent tent.

Outwell Montana.
Excellent but heavy / big pack size.

Coleman Bi-Space500 / Tri-Space if you can find one are good.

Vango Orchy 400 (or 500 for more realistic space provision).
Can get for £140 (i think) from Somerset camping nr. Taunton – they do mail order too.
Sounds perfect for what you want & has enough decent features you won’t grow out of it after just a couple of goes.

2 x Outwells here.

There’s some nice big tents at decathlon at the moment – if we were in the market for another reasonable standing up inside out of the rain tent we’d probably start off there.

Vango Tigris 600 from Winfields £200

3000mm Hydrostatic Head
3 bedrooms and a decent living area inside.

Outwells seem to get very good reviews but they can be heavy due to some them being made from a poly/cotton material rather than the usual polythene. It all depends on what model you get.

Vango are good but again you’ll pay a premium for their top quality ones.

As for standing and vestibule size, you really need to go and have a look and work out just how big you need. I camp using both my motorbike and car. I’ve ended up with two tents as I can’t find one that suites all my needs. I have a 3 man for the bike as it’s not too heavy and the pack size will fit in my hard luggage. There is no way I can stand in it and I can just about sit in the vestibule on one of those 3 leg stools. For the car I have a 5 man (even though there are only 2 of us). I can stand in the main tent and I’m 6’4″. Both of us can sit on chairs in the vestibule with a table between us too.

Check out THIS DUTCH SITE They deliver to the UK and have some good prices.

For good waterproofing you need 3000mm or above Hydrostatic Head and make sure all the seams are taped.

One of our friends bought a flippin huge Outwell tent on the basis that you can’t really have too big a family tent for car camping. Some sites say it’s too big and won’t let them on at all, others would only let them on if they were prepared to pay double. I suppose this is fair enough, given they’re taking up the same footprint as Billy Smart.

Worth bearing this in mind if you’re looking at big tents….

+1 for a Vango Tigris 600. Piece of p**s to pitch and bags of space

E have got a Robens Double Dreamer, which is great – sleeps 4 with a good sized communal bit. It’s an ‘outer first’ tunnel tent and the 2 ‘bedrooms’ are seperate so you can pitch just the outer, add the rooms as required and the ground sheet is seperate too, so you can just pitch it as a shelter if you really want.
We have had it for years and it’s never leaked.
I will be gutted when it has to be replaced.

Coleman Cedar Creek

£165 incl. delivery!

A good looking tent, very similar design (poles, roof shape) to the cheapo Pro Action Arizona 8 man I have, but a bit smaller. The Coleman has a full inner so should be much more comfortable. These tents are good quality. I wish I’d seen this first.

My 8 man is more like a 4 – 5 man. The Coleman will be a 3 – 4 man

Marshall Leisure

Cedar Creek 5 man tent by Coleman camping is a spacious 5 person tent with lots of living space. With a high degree of waterproofing or hydrostatic head, two separate bedrooms, one for three and one for two, side by side, they are ideal for parents that like to keep their children close but still like some privacy. The Coleman Cedar Creek 5 has spacious living areas with full head height and a sewn in groundsheet that keeps out the creepy crawlies and draughts. The flysheet is tough Polyester with a 2000mm hydrostatic head, PU coated, taped seams, and PVC windows. The inner tent is a breathable polyester with the doors having no-see-um mesh. The Groundsheet is PE material 110g/m2 welded. The poles are steel and fibreglass for extra strength and stability. The Coleman Cedar Creek 5 Man tent has the unique Coleman weathertec system which ensures that you will be warm and dry in your tent. The easy set up system makes it quick and easy to erect your tent. The Coleman area management system ensures that you Coleman Cedar Creek 5 man tent is a home from home with room to hang your lanterns and pockets to store your bits and pieces. The Colman Cedar Creek 5 man tent has lots of doors and ventilation points. Comes with handy carry bag with full instructions.

Thanks heaps for all the advice guys. I’ll reply back to those I need to- I haven’t got my account set to tell me when I get a reply on a topic, so didn’t think I’d had a hit.

Better sort that!