Buying a tent

[HeyWayne]

T'aint easy is it?!

Looking to buy our first "family" tent with a view to going away for a couple of weekends this year, just locally to begin with.

Those that have met LadyWayne and I know we ain't yer average sized folks, and with Bean now in tow space is even more of an issue.

We've looked at quite a few, and have narrowed it down to these two at the moment;

Coleman Pamandi 4 - 4 Berth Tent (+FREE Canopy) | GO Outdoors

Vango Tigris 400 (TS608) - Tent Spares

Any more experienced campers with any pointers to look out for? Budget is £150 ish.

[Mikey]

Can't help you, OH wouldn't sleep in a tent. I think camping is a bit like Marmite, you either love it or don't.

OH, travels everywhere with her pillow, because hotels aren't comfortable enough, I've no chance of getting her to sleep on the ground.!!

Enjoy, I like the first one.

[chris]

4 birth? Another one on the way?

Sorry can't help - I just went in a shop and said I'm clueless, what do I need

[HeyWayne]

4 birth? Another one on the way?

Sorry can't help - I just went in a shop and said I'm clueless, what do I need

You haven't met us have you....

[OverWyreGrower]

Considerations....

Where will all your 'gear' go? - You will have your clothes, Bean's stuff and cooking/daily use equipment, that you will need on a fairly daily basis.

You may not be able to park your car near your tent, so you can't always rely on being able to store things in your car.

Is there enough space to sit/relax in, in case it pee's it down the whole time you're there? The canopy on the first tent is a good idea, but has no sides on it, so will only provide minimal protection in bad weather.

Integral ground sheets are a good idea in one respect, but are a bit of a pain for cleaning! If it gets wet or muddy, or you spill stuff, you can't just take the groundsheet away to clean it.

I would actually go with a larger one (6 berth) like this: to give you the versatility of an extra compartment for storage etc: Coleman Ridgeline 6+

You can still have your home comforts though! We camp with a double airbed and quilt and pillows - double sleeping bags really aren't big enough! We have fold up camp-chairs and a fold up table, so we can still sit and eat properly!

I know it's a bit doom and gloom, but being stuck in a teeny tent (with or without a toddler!) when it's peeing it down is naff, or you don't have enough room to have all your stuff in the tent etc.

[The Large One]

Most decent camp/tent shops will have all their range pegged out now ready for the new season, my advice, go look at them
stand in them, lie down on them see what you think
you'll be amazed how small a 4 berth tent is when you have bags, sleeping bags, food and other "so called neccesities"
we have a Coleman modulus 7 (like the modulus 4 in link but for 7)
it's a 7 berth and it's only the 2 of us that use it and i still keep falling over everything...LOL
it's an excellent tent and easy to put up with just 2 people, takes about 20mins for the main unit, then pegging etc

Coleman modulus x4 - 4 man tent

[di]

Neither of those look that big to me?Also,at least the first one looks to only have one 'room' for sleeping in.
Ours only has the one room and I'm always so envious of our friends that have two or three...it just makes life so much easier...especially with little ones and our unpredictable weather.

A friend bought one second hand last year and it's amazing...she's not home at the minute but I'll find out who she got it from.(I think it was via Ebay)

[chris]

You haven't met us have you....

Ah-ha I see. My wife played that card too, for a year or so. I won in the end (and hence have another bun in the oven )

[OverWyreGrower]

we have a Coleman modulus 7 (like the modulus 4 in link but for 7)
it's a 7 berth and it's only the 2 of us that use it and i still keep falling over everything...LOL

Yup, we have an 8-berth for the 2 of us and 2 large dogs! One compartment has the double airbed in, plus the dog bed; the other holds clothes, food, equipment we're not using etc.

The centre of the tent is large enough for us both to stand up in, and for the table and both chairs to fit in as well.

[The Large One]

Yup, we have an 8-berth for the 2 of us and 2 large dogs! One compartment has the double airbed in, plus the dog bed; the other holds clothes, food, equipment we're not using etc.

The centre of the tent is large enough for us both to stand up in, and for the table and both chairs to fit in as well.

amazing isn't it
i sometimes feel it takes longer packing stuff in the car, unpacking, erecting the tent than the actual time away...LOL

i'm a (cough) large bloke so have 2 single blow up beds 1 on top of each other and 2 big wide strips of elastic to stop them wondering in the night.
table and chairs and the second compartment is used for a kitchen
got first season outting to mid wales at the beginning of May, starting to look forward to it now

[OverWyreGrower]

Right, I've found a few pics of us camping....

Mr OWG on bed, with dogs - first day of rain (it rained the whole time). Shows the sleeping compartment (which is supposed to sleep 4!!) Double airbed, plus single quilt with a dog on it!

Dog on floor - still raining - see the state of the (removeable) groundsheet - that was after a clean!

Dogs by BBQ/table - just to show the kind of equipment we have really, plus the fact that technically this has to be stored in the tent at night/during the day when you're out (ignore hungry dogs btw!)

[HeyWayne]

They are good looking boys!

Thanks for all the info peoples, will help us a great deal when we go and look again this weekend. We did look at Towsure in Sheffield on Saturday, but at that time we thought we needed a 4-man...

[Incy]

We have an 8 berth vango and are really pleased we have it. There's normally 3 of us although we have on occasion taken one or other of my brothers.
It has 4 bedrooms which we use as 2 larger ones, and a spacious living area with a canopy but large enough that when we camped in the rain with our friends they and their 2 children could all come in and sit around and eat inside ours. Their own tent was rather cramped.
The number of people it says it is for relates only to how many empty sleeping bags fit in the sleeping area so make sure that you look for something with a living area too.
Vango is an excellent brand. Not cheap but worth it.
Seriously though, with you being tall and having a toddler I would go for the biggest tent you can afford. It's not a saving if you buy a cheaper tent and are so uncomfortable in it that after the first use you never really fancy camping again.

[Mikey]

Saw this when I was looking for a sun tunnel, thought it might be worth a look.

The full spec is available here

[Hilary B]

Can only agree with all that! A few years back we used a couple of 2-man 'dome' tents (one each) and everything else went in the car when not in use (and we don't have much 'kit') but that was without children, dogs are less bother!
We recently bought (and have not yet tried) a tent with 2 sleeping roomes, each rated for 3 people, plus a fair-sized 'middle bit', and there is a ground-sheet-free area under the roof on the way in (for cooking, and taking off shoes if conditions are muddy).
With a young child in the mix, I think you will find ANY tent less than ideal, but good luck!