What was your first tent?

[Minotaur]

Mine was a Lichfield Combat 4 I think, green nylon outer with a cotton inner., traditional A-frame with two uprights and a ridge pole, must have weighed 15kg. After that we got a Kyham Igloo in the late 80's which was still going strong until a freak hail storm trashed it in France a couple of years ago.

Lichfield Combat One, it in the loft still. Used the poles from the extension on the door of my Coleman Juras(I Think) recently. Always wanted a Hornet but ended up with the Combat. The Four or Five with the extension sheets were brillant.

First tent I slept in was a stormhaven with the Cubs.

My favorite tent was my Scoutsmasters. He had a tent that was over 125 years old, or at least that was when Oswald Bailey listed it in there catalogue. It was a four-ish person ridge tent with a flysheet the same size again. Like something out of a Tarzan film.

 

[Broch]

Other than that it was the rectangular type fireguard with a blanket over the top.

Oh yes! I forgot that one.
Broch

 

[maddave]

The very 1st tent I owned was a robert saunders fellpine. Not made anymore but a cracking tent for it's day.... The nearest you can get now is a Saunders Jetpacker (pic below)

 

[Grayfox]

Back in the 60s a Bukta Linnet. Yellow cotton inner and an egyptian cotton fly sheet that would set taught as a drum. never let water in. Eventually replace with a nylon one which took me agesto get used to because you couldn't set the fly sheet really taught and it rattled in the wind.
The Linnet was silent.

On one of the last outings it had in the Dales, Hawes I think it was, I was awakened by night time rustlings only to discover in the morning that some nocturnal denizen had sneaked under the fly, chewed a hole in the inner and eaten half our balm cakes.

 

[EdS]

Oh I had a Phreak - with the optional heavy duty ground sheet - great tent!

bought in 1989 and still going strong.

 

[Harvestman]

My first tent was a Europleasure 'Trekker', ridge tent with aluminium (I think, but might be stainless) poles. One person or two good friends. I think I lived in it in the garden for most of the 70's as I recall. A school mate and I shared a week in Brecon in a 7 day downpour (it leaked a bit, but not badly, considering it was over 10 years old by then). Took it on a 3 week hiking trip around Wales when I was 18 (far too heavy). Another 10 years later my stepson used it on family camping holidays.

For most of its life it has had a hole in the flysheet near one corner courtesy of next-door's jack russell, and a snapped ridge-pole where my brother fell on it. I found a bit of steel bar that fits into the break, so the pole sags a bit and then locks. In this configuration it has stood up to everything Welsh weather can throw at it for over 30 years (and a couple of sheep who decided to try to knock it down at 4am with me inside it once!). I still have it. It has never been repaired, apart from replacing the rubber peg loops as they break. I've just fished it out of the spare room.

I'll probably never use it again, but I wouldn't part with it. It has been a part of my life for so long, and it is one of those old bits of kit that you know you could still use.

Thanks for reminding me about this. I might even go out an pitch it, just for old times sake.

 

[shortyman]

The first tent I bought myself was a Wild Country Solar (still going strong) before that it was a Lichfield ridge tent-all browns and orange!

 

[woodspirits]

back in 62 it was some old (then) faded pale green cotton job with wooden poles and ribbon tie flaps, no floor just cow muck and flies but to me and my pals it was the ultimate adventure! (well maybe second to our tree house) ray who?

 

[Col_M]

Vaude MkII
I still have it although it's back in the UK, I love it. It can take pretty much anything the weather can throw at it, I also love the way the poles are external and with the inner and fly connected it goes up in a oner. The fly also connects by wrapping bungees around the poles then hooking them on the other side, so with no threading poles it's really quick to put up

 

[Toddy]

An ex army pup tent that belonged to my Dad
I suppose the old curtains over the old washing line tied across the garden fences came really first though

First one I bought for myself was bright orange nylon single skinned thing. No idea what it was called. Almost no ventilation, roasted in Summer and ran with condensation. The zips stuck and there was no way it could be pulled taut

Ah, we live and learn

cheers,
Toddy

 

[johnboy]

One of these...

Good times....

 

[Grayfox]

I had forgotten this but when I had my Bukta Linnet, my cousin had a Blacks Good Companion small bell tent. That was a great tent provided you could sleep in a curve. Didn't have a fly sheet though as I recall.

 

[StJon]

got it in one Tam... so you were an injin too...

 

[John Fenna]

I can remember my first tent - it is all the ones inbetween that I have lost count of....
I used to be very hard on tents - as an outdoor skills instructor I spent more of the working week under canvas than in a building (or so it seems) and expeditioning realy takes its toll on tentage.
I still have a few tucked away but mostly now it is a tarp that I use ...just like it was when I bivvied my way around Scotland in the early 70s..... tarps are lighter now though!

 

[EdS]

just found this - my first proper tent still in use last year:

 

[bilmo-p5]

The first tent I actually bought and paid for myself was this little Trigano monodome. Polycotton inner and fly on grp poles with PU proofed nylon SIG. It was only 6' square so I had to lie diagonally if I wanted to stretch out. Still have it and use it for camping guests or smaller people.

 

[Hugo]

My first tent to sleep out in was way back in the fifties, an old army canvas tent with canvas ground sheet.
My own tent is a Saunders Spacepacker 2. only slept in it on one outing in Dartmoor so far.

 

[Shewie]

My first tent to sleep out in was way back in the fifties, an old army canvas tent with canvas ground sheet.

That sounds really grim Hugo, especially in the wet

 

[789987]

well ive been in this game so long i fashioned my first bivvy and micro tarp from a mammoths undercarriage.

then i had a force 10 vango

 

[Radix lecti]

My father bought me my first tent when i was 12,it was a white canvas pup tent affair(cant recall its make),i loved it and spent many nights camping out in our garden in the summer months.

I had it for about 2years and the last time it got used it rained and then in the morning i foolishly packed it away damp only to find a few months later when i unpacked it again Mildew had got at it and thus it was ruined. uppy_dog

Daz