Morning Campers

I intend to get a few nights away this year with my daughter on the Big Dummy.

We want a new tent and we think the lighter and bigger the better. We wont be doing anything in extreme weather but I would like a bit of room to be able to cook and chill out in shelter and she can be a bit rough so nothing to ultra lightweight / expensive.

Initial internet research suggests the following may be suitable.

Hex Peak f6a

Alpkit Ordos 2

Eureka lone tree tent 3

Very happy to be told I am over thinking it and a bargain model from Decathalon (or elsewhere) will suffice if anyone has any real life experiences.

Thanks

For what you describe one of the Alpkit tunnel tents would be better than the Ordos. Or a wild country Hoolie which is what I often recommend even though I don’t have one.

The Decathlon inflatable tents are huge, and very, very easy to put up.
Get a groundsheet the same size, peg it out put tent on top, peg out the corners, inflate, peg out the rest of the tent. Sorted, takes maybe fifteen, twenty minutes.
Mine has around seven foot of headroom, will sleep four easily, and has a huge ‘living room’.
https://www.decathlon.co.uk/air-seconds-family-41-xl-id_8384152.html

count – 72 litres packed and 12.3 kilos – not ideal for lugging around on the bike! Which is what the OP is doing.

Thanks Gent but ned has it right I am hoping to cycle camp with some off roading (will definitely not be bike packing with all her clobber) so needs to be a light weight tent which i think rules out inflatables.

“wild country Hoolie which is what I often recommend even though I don’t have one.”

I own one , and while on paper it has potential and wildcountry/terranova have always had excellent customer service

after only 4 nights use i started to regret my purchase when one of the poles decided to snap and exit via the fly.

gave them the benifit of the doubt when they blamed me and i paid for repair….

after 3 nights use in benign conditions in canada in sheltered campspots while being careful to treat the new poles with kid gloves i witnessed the poles all initiating cracking from where the pole spigots are crimped into the lightweight alloy poles.

I reinforced this area with duct tape on all sections for the duration of our trip and monitored daily.

When i got back and asked them about this Wild country basically said tough shit and washed their hands of it.

and the tent has remained unused since, lost faith in the product and we just bivvy under a tarp now.

http://ddhammocks.com
They also do tents. One each plus a tarp perhaps?

I think essentially it comes down to how much weight you’re prepared to carry and how much space/protection you need. It’s a trade-off between weight, bulk, strength. space, features and price. If you want to max out one or more of those, there’ll be a trade-off elsewhere – the lighter and more featured you go without trading loads of ruggedness, the more expensive the price.

Some mates have an Ordos and they’re made up with it. It’s decently light, but without feeling flimsy, which can be the case with some of the ultra-lightweight stuff, VauDe etc. They’ve used it for bike-packing and all sorts and been very happy.

Bargain stuff is fine – Vango does good mid-market tents – but the trade-off is pretty much always increased weight and bulk, which takes you back to it being down to how much weight/bulkl you’re prepared to haul on the bike.

Senor i am really happy with my Alpkit tarps but my wife is concerned the 3 year old might escape!

No experience of these overnight but looked very good instore – https://www.decathlon.co.uk/quickhiker-ultralight-2-hiking-tent-2-man-grey-id_8245650.html

Looked to have plenty of room with a good wieght / size trade off. also benefits from being able to get in / out from either side.

There’s also the Zephyros 2 to consider – https://www.outdooraction.co.uk/tents-tents-by-use-backpacking-tents/wild-country/wild-country-zephyros-2-tent-pd-8574.php?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIv6_UqJqy2QIV8wrTCh3rXQtIEAUYASABEgJki_D_BwE

Decent weight but not so sure of the porch area.

Failing that i have a terra Nova Southern Cross 2 that is very spacious and would reccomend but the price is £££

If i were in the market for another 2 x man tent i’d be considering the Decathlon.

I’ve been very pleased with my Decathlon tents, but

bikepacking with a three year old!!!!!!!!

Avoid wild country/terra nova tents, the customer service is woeful these days  – trailrats experience above seems pretty normal with new tents failing after limited use. Even making general inquiries has been utter pants

It is a massive shame, they have great designs but don’t seem interested in putting right problems.

Only a few years ago they were incredible, in fact I had a similar experience to Trailrats that ultimately was our fault yet they replaced multiple components free of charge. I have been loaned tents for expeditions and given various bits and bobs free of charge. Sadly no more.