Bell Tent vs SoulPad? Help me choose a middle class tent.

Any opinions?

Looking for something more comfortable than our tunnel tent for sitting out the inevitable Scottish rain and midges.

SoulPads are a bit cheaper, but size materials etc, seem comparible?

Anyone have experience of either?

Lived in a Bell Tent for 6 months. 10/10. Would buy again.

Yes. We got a Bell Tent last year. It’s now no longer a battle to get my wife to go camping.
Very easy to put up with just one central pole. We went for the sown in ground sheet which keeps bugs and crap out.
Quality of material is top notch. They are bloody heavy though and a big lump when packed away.
Size wise, go for larger than you think you’ll need, you can’t have too much room when camping.

As far as I understand they’re pretty much the same, rebranded from either China or the Czech republic, you used to be able to buy them far cheaper (half price-ish) in Europe but checking the prices on Obelink they seem to have gone up there too. Partly no doubt because of the pound/euro but also the prices that UK peeps seem prepared to pay. I really fancied one but the uk rip off put me off and the missus wasn’t a fan either.

A quick Bing found me these chaps, heavier weight/better canvas, cheaper

Also these guys Seem better quality, a bit more spendy though and a bonkers 6m bell[/url]

Thanks all.

I was looking at a 4m version. There is only two of us. Big enough?

We spend a windy couple of nights camped next to one on Lewis last year and it seemed to stand up pretty well to the wind. Has anyone experienced it from within? Flappy much? or comfortable and secure?

At the moment we cook in the porch if it’s raining, but are aware of the potential carbon monoxide risks. How practical is camping in a bell tent, looks like ventilation may be difficult without the interior getting soaked.

Are they really midge proof? That would be the acid test for my missus.

Are they really midge proof? That would be the acid test for my missus.

Just found these peeps, Karma Canvas, they have mesh front door + zig
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Does seem to be a bit of price fixing going on.

A 4m would be fine for a couple, canvas is much less flappy than polyester.

I’m not overly fond of my Soulpad. Lovely in nice weather or even a bit of wind but give it some rain and it struggles.

Rain will penetrate the canvas and will remind you of the advantages of having a porch!

Makes a lovely beach HQ though.

Binners – that’s a bell-end tent

I’ve got a soulpad and I like it. Weekend it arrived off we went for some camping, ignoring the forecast heavy rain. the average rainfall for entire month fell overnight – we were fine. A bit moist, but that was the high moisture content of several inches of rain falling overnight.
next outing, ignored the forecast winds, of the two possible campsites, we went with the one with the views not the protection. Gale force winds and heavy rain. not so good this time as the wind pushed the rain up the side of the tent and in through the vents. survived the wind but i will be investing in some screw in pegs. apart from rain in through the vents, we haven’t had rain actually coming in to the tent or suffering excessive dampness.
we have the one with the sew in groundsheet and the ability to lift the walls which is cool. anyway, i like mine and would recommend it, but not for hill walking.

I have a soulpad 4000 and go on regular camping trips with the family. 2 adults 2 kids. Its great inside but we do sometimes miss the compartments that you get with more modern tents. I dont think it would be at all good for keeping the midges at bay. You need something with a netted compartment. Also when its wet stays dry inside but isn`t great for sitting in i.e. no good communial area. Apart from that there is nothing like the feeling of being inside a old canvas tent. And its so easy to put up.(1 man job – 10 mins)

You can buy inner mesh compartments for the bell end tents, it covers half the footprint and can have two compartments.

Ive got one for sale if you are interested? Used a handful of times. Same as this one…

http://www.belltent.co.uk

Different, but I love the whole concept, and it doesn’t need guy-cords or pegs unless it’s really windy:
http://heimplanet.com/products/the-cave/?lang=en

5 meters of awesomeness

😀

We have a 5m Soulpad with option to fit a stove for winter jaunts.
Combined with Karma canvas awning it really is quite special – super heavy mind..

Coming with me for PDS next week for a touch of luxury on the campsite plus I can fit my bike in next to me for cuddles 😆

Thanks all. As there is only two of us, compartments isn’t really something we’re worried about. We’ve found mozzie coils to be pretty effective at dealing with midges in our current porch. I reckon I’d want a sew in or zip in groundsheet for better weather resistance.

Those Karmas look pretty good.

I just bought a Soulpad (500 Ease) yesterday; we should get it by the weekend.

But.. how do you cook with a canvas bell tent ? Can you cook with a gas ring inside or does it all need to be outside ?

But.. how do you cook with a canvas bell tent ? Can you cook with a gas ring inside or does it all need to be outside ?

Get yourself a porch tarp. You could pay around £150 from soul pad or belltent but I’d recommend looking here first.

http://www.obelink.co.uk/?subcats=Y&type=extended&status=A&pshort=Y&pfull=Y&pname=Y&pkeywords=Y&search_performed=Y&q=Tarp&dispatch=products.search

I got one of the hyperlink ones off this website for £30 last summer but they’ve gone up a bit!

Mine last summer

[/url] Untitled[/url] by redmancunian69[/url], on Flickr[/img]

Edit: tent is from belltent.co.uk

We’ve had a ukbelltent one for the past 2 seasons. 5m ultimate with the zip in groundsheet. Never had cause to unzip it as its all been UK sites but good to have the option should we venture further afield. The cheapest one with the loose groundsheet will be a food deal harder to pitch (when it’s one piece you just unroll, peg down and pop the pole in. 5 min job)
We’ve been had a couple of very windy cliff top nights and it’s been rock solid. Because it doesn’t have flat surfaces the wind seems to curve round it. It looked like it was stone built compared to the big HiGear tunnel tents that everyone else on site seems to have.
Only leekage we have experience has been a dribble through the hole for the a-frame which pools at the bottom of the frame. Very slight. I’ve packed a roll of PTFE tape to go on the spike but it’s not rained since.
I was on their site today as I’m after a Malu tarp (but I’ll be investigating cheaper alternatives first) and noticed in the section on fireproofing they claim the hydrostatic performance of their untreated fabric outperforms the next best bell tent in the UK which I take to mean soul pad. No figures quoted so take that as you will.
I’ve seen plenty bell tents on sites last year and this year and they have all been uk bell tents. Recomended unreservedly here. Best camping purchase ever.

but can you cook inside one ?

but can you cook inside one ?

i do using a gas hob, i just ensure the ring is covered in use, and ensure adequate ventilation

Some cracking deals on the obelink site posted above – just ordered a tent wing and a carside tarp for a good chunk less than the bell tent Malu awning. Cheers!!

If you were really middle class you’d go for a yurt.

Just spent last weekend in a Bell Tent at a festival. It was one of 20 in a field. We were next to a Soulpad, which was flappy and did not appear as rigid as the bell tents. guy ropes needed tightening every day too, and the zip-in groundsheet was also not raised at the front, unlike the belltent groundsheets. 2 peeps in a 4 metre was ok, but the 5 metre ones were considerably more spacious inside, and easliy took 4 single camping mattresses, despite looking no bigger from outside.

Hi,
I have spent the last few months living in a 5m bell tent. I am setting up a small farm and bell tent site in northern Portugal (figoverde.com). My brother has the 4m soulpad ease which he has been living in since January and loves it. I have an Obelink 5m bell tent to live in. We also bought two 5m Soul Pads to rent. Compared to the Soul Pads the Obelink is rubbish. They are not the same tents rebranded. The zips on the Soul Pads are much better quality, and so is the stitching on the tents themselves. Also, I have a zig which I never use. I wish I had the mozzie net in the main door instead. When I bought the tents to rent, I got them with sewn in groundsheet and mozzie nets in the doorway. This makes much more sense. We have experienced plenty of rain and wind in the early months of this year and the tents have been fine. In fact it rained for the whole of April without really stopping. No leaks at all.
For the first few days you have to tweak the guy lines a bit as everything stretches etc. But now I check them once a month or so. They have plenty of room. Even the 4m will take a double bed with enough room for your stuff.
I don’t know about cooking in one but I would imagine that with a little cover over the front you are better off. Then you wont have foody smells inside.
Good luck and enjoy….

Bought a 5m Bell tent last year, fantastic tent. Easy to put up, the only one standing on the site after high winds destroyed the lighter modern tents there.
being able to roll the sides up is a huge bonus in the heat, and they’re warmer when the temp drops. Being a good neutral colour meant you dont have to sit in a coloured haze!