After a new one , or used in decent condition, after it seems my old man has chucked mine out. Bought mine from army surplus when you just looked for one without holes in, but now there are different versions. What’s the difference between mk3-5?  Size?

Any reccs for 2nd hand sellers that aren’t ebay?

MK3 is for two people, MK4 for three etc etc.

eBay probably your best bet unless you find one at a car boot sale.

Just repaired my MK4, guy rope got caught by people walking by at night.

Why? (Genuine question)

Can’t offer a better reason than nostalgia sadly 😂

I was going to buy a cheap decathlon 2 second jobbie, then remembered I had a force ten at my dad’s and got excited, but it’s long gone.

Need a three man tent for weekends. We’ve got a huge tent for longer trips (just spent two weeks in it) but it’s 40kg and canvas so a pita to pack away wet, not worth putting up for two nights.

It’s only for sleeping in, we’re usually away in the van which provides sitting/cooking space etc.

I’ll trawl ebay for a mk4 then. Cheers.

Why not? Bombproof and you can get a fly extension that leaves a really great seating/cooking area…

Have been thinking of getting similar as I’m fed up of nylon tents that last only a few years not decades.

and canvas so a pita to pack away wet

Excuse my ignorance but I thought Force 10s were canvas too? Or did this change for the later models.

Trying to decide if I have fond memories of them. Bombproof yes but also heavy and bulky to carry, always a bit musty smelling, pitching inner first so frequently a bit moist and not the most voluminous or usefully shaped. I remember my transition from force 10 to mountain quasar in circa 1990 very fondly and a revelation moment.

You’d imagine you could pick up one cheap these days.

 I thought Force 10s were canvas

Force Tens are still canvas AFAIK but I could dry it out at home reasonably easily, whereas my big one is 5m across – don’t know anyone with a garden big enough!

Force ten FN was nylon.

There isn’t as much headroom as a modern dome tent and they are heavier, but as a base camp bed they are fine.

I use mine at twentyfour12 where it’s just a decent place to crash with no wife or kids, rain doesn’t sound as loud and I add to the good memories.

Also able to put up the outer really quickly and then the inner if the weather is bad has been a godsend a few times.

Touch enyd blyton but a good robust tent

Rather have a modern nylon one though just cos they pack better

Have been thinking of getting similar as I’m fed up of nylon tents that last only a few years not decades.

You can get quality nylon tents that last a long time.

I still occasionally use my dad’s force 10 that he must have bought 40 odd years ago. It’s had a shit load of use, and a fair few repairs, but it’s still a good ‘un. It’s a bit heavy, and not very spacious Vs modern tents, but it does have a certain classic charm.

Can’t offer a better reason than nostalgia sadly

Nostalgia is not what it used to be.

I did lol at this:

Need a three man tent for weekends. We’ve got a huge tent for longer trips (just spent two weeks in it) but it’s 40kg and canvas so a pita to pack away wet, not worth putting up for two nights.

Having lugged a F10 around my DofE bronze expedition in the wet, there’s no way you can say they’re a 3 man tent plus I’m pretty sure it weighed in at 40kg when wet!

For the silver we lobbied the scoutleader for domes. So much win.

So a Mk5 for two adults and a bairn?  Had a look at some 3 berth tents in Decathlon, they look alright – Force ten Mk3 measures up larger in area, although of course is triangular so less usuable space – inexplicably I’d rather spend the same on a used force ten…

As I mentioned, literally just for sleeping in.  Van plus awning for eating/cooking etc.

Yeah, Mk5 for that I reckon.

Plenty of room for 2.5 people.

As scouts, 3 of us carried my force ten on our queens scout hike, poles were the worst at the start, outer by the end.

When I looked for a new porch for ours a while back, they don’t seem to have got any cheaper new. Generally the most sturdy thing on a campsite, but we don’t take it out that much, partly because n+1 stretches to tents, as we have plenty of smaller packing lighter/bigger tents. Ours is inherited off the in-laws, can’t believe they used to fit 4 of them in it.

Final anecdote, best thing is that you can lift the fly off and turn it around whilst an inebriated friend sleeps so that the doors no longer align.

As I mentioned, literally just for sleeping in.

Do you plan to get changed in it?  Without shoulder room, the only place you have enough room to get changed is in the middle, and with two others in there they will have to stay lying down and get right out of the way.  However, getting right out of the way is hard if it’s raining because it’s all too easy to touch the sides then it’s soggy kit.

I stayed in a three man one once for a week with two other kids.  There was so little room for our (modest) kit that it had to be piled up at the end and it was impossible to do that without it touching the sides through the inner.  So we had soggy kit the entire time.  Just not worth the hassle.

But even then, I still think the ridge design is the worst thing about them.  So awkward and unnecessary now we have so many better alternatives.  If I wanted a traditional canvas tent to go with my steel rigid fixie, plus fours, beard and real ale habit, I’d be looking for one of those ones with a short wall around the edge to push the ‘roof’ up.

Have you had a look at their “Spindrift”?

I’ve got a Force Ten Spindrift 300 and sleep in it regularly with wife and 2 year old daughter when we go away for just 1 or 2 nights. Good nights sleep even in 40mph winds, amazing bit of kit and a lot lighter than the traditional canvas Force Tens.

Ah, used to love the old battered force ten. Had the 3 man one. The breathability/lack of condensation was always good. Now with a family we are still on polycotton, just in much bigger outwell tent. I know it’s heavier, but for car-camping/ bike races it’s just more comfy.

Would I buy a polycotton force ten now? No. The world has moved on and there’s lots of far better/smaller packed/ bigger-inside tents that will stand up to bad weather.

I’ve sent you a message Bob