So, I’m a non campist and need as many luxuries as possible to get me on a campsite. I need a tent for various bike events such as SITS etc but also for Kryton jnr to come camping with me over the summer.

Must be simple, a 3 man tent for comfort with a porch for dressing / cooking and most important a bathtub style ground sheet in the porch to keep as much water out as possible. Budget about £150.

For this reason I have a Vango Omega 350 in mind.

Anything better I should be thinking about?

We have the omega 350 and it’s a good size. He porch is big but low slung so you’ll be stooping rather than standing. The inner is a bit fragile but then it is a cheap tent considering its size. Some of the seams in ours have Started ‘stretching’ and we’ve only used it a few times over the last couple of years. Seen this on other large vango tent I nets too.

Decathlon 2second tent & dining shelter.

Bump for the day shift!

I have a Vango Omega 350 used twice. No more.

Bling it up. Seriously. It doesnt take that much more room in the car. Get a lecky power lead and a heater.

A 6 man tent for the family then you can sit in the living area and rest etc.

I should point out there is no point getting one bigger. Mrs K will NOT, she repeats NOT be sleeping in a tent. 🙂

one of these?: click me

as hora said, get leccy and a fan heater and you’re laughing

Berghaus used to do a tat called Lomond 3 that looked good for this sort of thing. Doesn’t seem to be many links to it now though, so perhaps it’s no longer made. I’d say you should definitely get something full height – stooping all the time is a pain. Also look for one with a canopy either with it or available as an extra. A canopy makes getting in and out of the tent so much easier if the weather isn’t playing ball – stops the water pouring in every time you open the door.

+1 for hora,no point to suffering,make it as comfy as pos,decent airbeds,we take pillows quilts etc,electric supply,fan heater the works.You’ll find it alot easier to get the family to go the second time.

I have a Lomond 3 ,which is a great size if young haggis are with me(plus they help put it up).
They usually come up in sales as they are an odd size/shape.

I have this, easy to put up and a nice big living area. Being able to stand up in a tent makes a huge difference.

Had one of these for over 10 years, wanted a tent in which I could take the two boys camping, but also be able to put up on my own. Dead easy, 5 poles, two pegs, walk backwards, two more pegs and its up, takes about 10 mins, which is great with a 3 and 4 yr old in the rain. Still waterproof and much improved with integral groundsheets. Also goes up outer first so the inners stay dry.

In my experience, having lots of space is a bonus, especially when they want to take a friend – they go in the other bedroom so you can get some sleep,

Outwell Newport

Hook up, fan heaters, lights – proper Glamping! 😯

I have a vango beta 450 .decent tent for the cash.

We went for a hi gear Mojave 5 on discount at Go outdoors. 2 rooms + living area. Loads of space to chuck stuff, plenty of room for us and the dog.
I would say get the biggest tent you can, makes life so much easier.

I did go a bit OTT when i went shopping, and I raided my mums caravan for tables and folding chairs. We also got the mojave porch, electric hook up point, heater, cooker stand. The best thing we bought was the Porch. So far its all fairing well. Coped with a rainy Skye rather well.

I have an Omega 350 – it’s definitely a fair-weather tent, and you’ll need folding chairs etc to make the most of the ‘lobby’ area, as there’s no groundsheet here, and sitting on wet grass is not actually much fun.

3 men would definately be a squeeze – I’d describe it as a 2 man tent with a bit of room to stash your gear.

Senor J’s Beta 450 looks like just what I’m after – lots of tent, simple to use and only £113 as well.

So the thing that had put me off larger tents was the fact that I’ve been to a couple of campsites which charge per no. people/berth of tent – but I’m guessing my concern may be address by ” a few extra quid for a lot more comfort”?

If you look around you can get some deals for your budget this time of year. A quick search spotted this: Vango Icarus with footprint groundsheet & carpet.

Good spot Nobby – I just found one for £109 – Result!

I have an Omega 350 – it’s definitely a fair-weather tent, and you’ll need folding chairs etc to make the most of the ‘lobby’ area, as there’s no groundsheet here, and sitting on wet grass is not actually much fun.

I’ve got an Omega 350 too, and it has a clip in groundsheet for the porch area. That said, foldy chairs are always more comfortable, particularly if (when) it’s raining as water will run in off the fly sheet.

Good spot Nobby – I just found one for £109 – Result!

That’s a bargain with groundsheet and a carpet makes a big difference to comfort.

Nothing on which tent, but I’m not convinced that a bathtub style groundsheet in the porch is a good idea.

In terms of keeping things dry, then you’ll be wanting to change out of wet gear in the porch, before getting into the sleeping area. Having a bathtub style groundsheet in the porch seems like a recipe to trap water inside the tent.

Plus it’s a bit more annoying to manage cooking in the porch with a groundsheet (hot pans/stoves will melt it).

Nothing on which tent, but I’m not convinced that a bathtub style groundsheet in the porch is a good idea.

In terms of keeping things dry, then you’ll be wanting to change out of wet gear in the porch, before getting into the sleeping area. Having a bathtub style groundsheet in the porch seems like a recipe to trap water inside the tent.

Plus it’s a bit more annoying to manage cooking in the porch with a groundsheet (hot pans/stoves will melt it).

Agree on this. If it’s pissing down, you want to get out of the rain to change out of your wet/muddy gear and put dry stuff on. Flat groundsheet that can be unclipped (and folded back) is ideal, then you can have a corner for muddy boots, etc to dry without getting other things muddy, or for stoves etc.

I’m a big fan of the Quechua 2seconds tents for anything that doesn’t involve carrying a tent any distance, they go up and down quickly (once you’ve read the instructions or watched their youtube video). They do an “XXL” version now with a big porch that would be ideal.

Ok, my point for getting the SIG/Bathtub was to avoid rain etc coming in and providing a good shelter from the elements if it gets nasty. I can get the 2 seconds XXL 3 for £120, so thats good.

I cannot begin to describe how anti-wet camping I am, but I take the points above – wet gear = puddles on the floor.

Does water run over a ground sheet without edges?

We’ve had a Vango Diablo since 2005. I managed to tear the fabric on one of the peg hoops when putting it up one dark / wet night but Vango customer service did a great repair on it. It’s just a pity they never came out that night to effect a quick repair!!

Actually heading of the Henley on Thames in late March for a wee 5 day trip. Anybody know of some good trails there?

Tenting doesnt have to be a hardship…+1 for a wee fan heater and it’s ‘almost’ home from home.

I even took it to Le Mans last year and parked my car ‘inside it’ on the last day….those frenchie tinkers will steal anything!

To answer the question…yes, water will pour over the ground sheet but you can avoid this if you choose your location properly AND take your time in putting it up.

…which means no bags in the porch unless I have a table….

Hmm a bit 50/50? There’s no damning criteria for one of the other?

Would THIS be the best of both worlds – IE with the non side door open, the ground sheet can “bend” enough to sweep water / crap away?

I reckon the best way would be to invest in a few plastic crates, and dump them in the porch for gear.

I have a well used Omega 350. The porch groundsheet is easy to unclip and roll back. We tend to have the porch half and half. It is a good little tent. However. . We now have a bigger tent with a sown-in groundsheet. I prefer this as it keeps the midges out. We pack a couple of camping towels and a doormat to keep the groundsheet clean. Water on the groundsheet is a minor issue compared to the midges we seem to encounter across half the year.

Kryton, I reckon that Coleman is a nice job…the ground sheet in the porch is merely clipped on, so if it gets wrecked, you can unclip and sweep/wipe clean.

However, I’d still go for a two bed solution, as your lad will want to bring a friend sometime. Also, you never know, when Kryton Jr. comes back all excited about camping with his dad, Mrs Kryton might just relent. The Outwell one mentioned above would be an excellent tent.

…when Kryton Jr. comes back all excited about camping with his dad, Mrs Kryton might just relent…

I’ve just tested the thoery, the answer was “…no, save your money…” 🙂

I’ve got a 2 seconds simple 2 which I’ve been using and can act as storage if his mate comes along with us.

OP, I think its worth taking a look at Robens Tents. The Voyager might suit, has an optional groundsheet for the porch, and is well made. Some good deals about on last years version.

I had this but mrshora (never camped in her life) bought into the idea even after a cold damp night.

Picking the right site is essential to ‘trick’ her.

We’ve had loads of tents over the years and by far the one that gets most use is the Decathlon 2 seconds pop up tent. We got the 4 person one but I wished we’d got the one with the porch. We have a tarp that we pitch for covered outdoor space when we’re staying somewhere for more than one night.
The latest tent we bought is a Vango Orchy 500 which is a brilliant tent but still takes 20 minutes to pitch and put away. For a weekend break, pop up tents are ideal. If you go camping on the continent, they’re everywhere.
Get decent camping mats too. The alpkit dozer ones are good as are the 10cm thick Gelert ones. Have had plenty of airbeds but they irritate me and aren’t as comfortable as air mats IMO. More faff to put up.
We tour Europe most summers and can be fully set up within 15 mins of arriving on a camp site.

Have got one of these;

It’s got luxury and one person (me) can put it up in 15 mins. It’s a brilliant tent!

I’m puzzled by this idea of water running over a loose groundsheet – in over 30 years of camping in various tents (from a Cabanon frame tent to a two-man back-packing Terra Nova) I’ve never had a sewn in groundsheet in the porch, and never had any problem. The main advantage of the bathtub style is in keeping out the draughts. This then causes more condensation of course, the worst thing about nylon tents.

Scruff9252 when I get my spare pennies Im aiming for one of the teepees that can have a fire in the middle!

scruff9252

Been trying to justify one of those (I assume it’s a Bell tent). They look great and seem to have loads of advantages and I especially want one of their portable stoves.

Only thing that puts me off is it’s difficult to divide the sleeping area to keep dogs off the bed without losing the nice center candle lights 🙁

Anyone got any experience of the Vango Odyssey, and particularly (in any model) their “linked in” ground sheet system which may off the best of both issue mentioned?

We haven’t got an Odyssey, but we have got an Orchy 600 which shares a lot of features.
The liner to split the sleeping area in two doesn’t seal all the way round, it just clips in, in a few places. Fine for us, but may be something to consider.
The groundsheet is built in (we also got a footprint to go with it). Looking at this video:

[video]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kIUnTuP9rPg[/video]

it looks like the groundsheet on the Odyssey can be removed if required, which seems like a good idea.

The thing I would say about most of these kinds of tents, is that the door lean inwards. If the tent is wet & you open the door on our Orchy, lots of water pours in – it is very difficult to keep the interior dry. We use it for long weekends away so stumped up for the large canopy (which was bloody expensive compared to the tent!) but it has made the tent so much more versatile. We attach it to the front of our tent and it makes a nice living area with space for cooking and allows you to get out of the rain, open the tent up without worrying about water pouring in, taking your shoes off with somewhere dry to leave them, before stepping into the tent.
I’ll see if I have any pics of it up…..

Coleman are excellent tents & very well made. Our current tent is an Outwell Montana 6. Not cheap, but about as good as family tents get. We’ve camped in Octoberr & even in a large tent, providing its got a sewn in groundsheet, a 1kw fan heater keeps it nice & warm. You do need a covered area in which to take boots off etc, & cook. Also the comment about sloping sides is a good one. We bought an extension canopy for our Montana. Having a full height tent means that you can sit & eat in comfort etc, regardless how crap the weather outside.

But, the best investment you’ll make is a Coleman Double Air-Bed. So comfy.

All this sounds great but it’s certainly not light weight camping.

We have a caravan also & as nice as central heating, double glazing & a walk-in shower are, if the weather is good I love the tent.

This was a few years ago…

IMG_2781 by pten2106, on Flickr