Argos Tipi Heads-up
- Thread starter gorilla
- Start date
Has anyone put one of these up? I was wondering, would you be able to put a gas bottle stove in the 4 man one? I am on a budget and this would be an ideal thing to get started. It would be a bonus if it would accomodate a stove.
I'll be putting mine up tomorrow and will take piccies of my sleeping bag and mat in it so you get an idea. Should be posted just after lunch time tomorrow/ This will be the 4 man one that I have.
Got the 12 man tipi up. This thing is big.
Stuck a camp bed inside to show how far away raised items have to be from the sloping sides, though its not much. All in all theres plenty of space for 4 such camp beds, plus everyones gear, and a fire or stove. So plenty of room inside if just using bags and mats.
On the subject of fires and stoves, got a good fire going last night but there's not enough draw from the 4 fitted air vents to keep the smoke down inside, so had to have one of the doors half open. Then again...there was naff all breeze here last night, so that didn't help. Obviously because this is a nylon fly you need to choose fuel that doesn't spark that much. Dont want holes in your nice new tipi.
Stuck a camp bed inside to show how far away raised items have to be from the sloping sides, though its not much. All in all theres plenty of space for 4 such camp beds, plus everyones gear, and a fire or stove. So plenty of room inside if just using bags and mats.
On the subject of fires and stoves, got a good fire going last night but there's not enough draw from the 4 fitted air vents to keep the smoke down inside, so had to have one of the doors half open. Then again...there was naff all breeze here last night, so that didn't help. Obviously because this is a nylon fly you need to choose fuel that doesn't spark that much. Dont want holes in your nice new tipi.
So I finally put the 4 man tipi up today. Here are my thoughts and some pictures.
Firstly ease of setting up. I've never put up this type of tent before and decided to time myself just for fun. From open of bag to completion took me 28 minutes. This included some time to flick through the instructions and peg all guys. This seems to be ok to me for a tent of this size though I'm sure I could get that to well inside 20 mins the next time. It's a simple tent to put up and seemed to be secure once finished.
Quality of materials. Here I have to say I'm not impressed, particularly with the groundsheet. I put the tent up on some fairy dewy ground found that when I knelt on the groundsheet inside that water was coming through and getting my knees wet. I've never had this problem before with any of my tents (I have 5 or so). The outer seems to be ok but I don't like how the guys fix to the "witches hat" vent cover at the top. There is stiff foam at the rim of this that is a devil to twist to the right orientation. The pegs, pole and guys are about standard for cheap tent though the pole is heavy.
I am a convert to sew in groundsheet tents and don't much like the gap round the bottom of this one - though I suppose it's a matter of taste. I also think that there isn't enough storm flap round the bottom and that this could be heavier material. Though for fine weather this would be an excellent tent as it has vents by the bucket load and two doors so that it can be really opened to air.
This tent is a whole load of fun and I recon that it'll be my start for a search for a tougher tipi. It would be ideal for use in the summer as long as you're not going to get any strong winds or really heavy rain. If you're friendly then you can fit four in it and have space for kit though I'd say that it'll be ideal for three and excellent for two people. I would not suggest having any kind of fire on the groundsheet that's in there it does seem to be very thin and if it got just slightly too warm it'd melt. You don't have to have the groundsheet fitted - this is good.
I'm happy with my purchase (or rather SWMBOs purchase) and would recommend this tent if you accept it's limits. I would not feel happy in storms but I would feel kind of happy if the weather was hot. In fact hot balmy summer nights will be when this tent will excel I think.
To put it in four words: cheap(ish) different tent fun. I can't wait to see what my son makes of it for sure.
Some pictures for size and so on...
The whole tent up and assembled
This tent has loads of ventilation and window
Vents and windows from inside.
The "witches hat" that I mentioned with the rim I had trouble with. What's this actually called?
The best instructions I've ever had with any tent.
My sleeping bag in place to get some idea of the size of the inside.
Off outside for a while to see how it fares at night... I may be some time...
Firstly ease of setting up. I've never put up this type of tent before and decided to time myself just for fun. From open of bag to completion took me 28 minutes. This included some time to flick through the instructions and peg all guys. This seems to be ok to me for a tent of this size though I'm sure I could get that to well inside 20 mins the next time. It's a simple tent to put up and seemed to be secure once finished.
Quality of materials. Here I have to say I'm not impressed, particularly with the groundsheet. I put the tent up on some fairy dewy ground found that when I knelt on the groundsheet inside that water was coming through and getting my knees wet. I've never had this problem before with any of my tents (I have 5 or so). The outer seems to be ok but I don't like how the guys fix to the "witches hat" vent cover at the top. There is stiff foam at the rim of this that is a devil to twist to the right orientation. The pegs, pole and guys are about standard for cheap tent though the pole is heavy.
I am a convert to sew in groundsheet tents and don't much like the gap round the bottom of this one - though I suppose it's a matter of taste. I also think that there isn't enough storm flap round the bottom and that this could be heavier material. Though for fine weather this would be an excellent tent as it has vents by the bucket load and two doors so that it can be really opened to air.
This tent is a whole load of fun and I recon that it'll be my start for a search for a tougher tipi. It would be ideal for use in the summer as long as you're not going to get any strong winds or really heavy rain. If you're friendly then you can fit four in it and have space for kit though I'd say that it'll be ideal for three and excellent for two people. I would not suggest having any kind of fire on the groundsheet that's in there it does seem to be very thin and if it got just slightly too warm it'd melt. You don't have to have the groundsheet fitted - this is good.
I'm happy with my purchase (or rather SWMBOs purchase) and would recommend this tent if you accept it's limits. I would not feel happy in storms but I would feel kind of happy if the weather was hot. In fact hot balmy summer nights will be when this tent will excel I think.
To put it in four words: cheap(ish) different tent fun. I can't wait to see what my son makes of it for sure.
Some pictures for size and so on...
The whole tent up and assembled
This tent has loads of ventilation and window
Vents and windows from inside.
The "witches hat" that I mentioned with the rim I had trouble with. What's this actually called?
The best instructions I've ever had with any tent.
My sleeping bag in place to get some idea of the size of the inside.
Off outside for a while to see how it fares at night... I may be some time...
Nope - not convinced. It's far more drafty than my other tents and will be reserved for summer use.
Have wanted a tipi for ages but can't afford the 'real' thing. These look very tempting. Do you think you could have a fire pit in the 12 man one?
Like this:
http://www.argos.co.uk/static/Product/partNumber/3450190/Trail/searchtext>FIRE+PIT.htm
The whole point of a tipi is surely to have a fire inside but is the argos one man-enough?
Thanks.
Like this:
http://www.argos.co.uk/static/Product/partNumber/3450190/Trail/searchtext>FIRE+PIT.htm
The whole point of a tipi is surely to have a fire inside but is the argos one man-enough?
Thanks.
I had a fire going in my 12 man earlier today, and as long as you are picky about what you burn, and keep the sparks down, you wont have a problem.
What you will have a problem with is smoke. The top vent just isn't good enough. There's more than enough air being drawn through the vents at the bottom, but the top vent cant cope. The smoke layer eventually gets low enough to fill the tent. The central pole passes through both the mesh vent and the cover at the top, so there is no way of removing the top cover in good weather to aid better ventilation. I know it was very calm today with no breeze here at all in Norfolk, but i had to have all vents and both doors fully open to make the inside bearable.
A small wood stove for cooking uses a lot less wood than a fire pit and is much better suited to this kind of tent.
Failing that, look for something a bit pricier. Soulpad do a good canvas tipi thats only slightly smaller than the 12 man argos tent but it's over twice the price. Its top vent cap is completely removable which helps when using a fire. And if thats not good enough they also do a stove and flue kit to go with it.
http://soulpad.co.uk/sanctuary/comp...facturer_id,0/option,com_virtuemart/Itemid,1/
Wow! The Soulpad tipis look fantastic. Thanks for that. Liking the canvas, attached groundsheet, open top etc. Wonder how easy that top is to remove? Especially as the tipi is 3.5 metres high. Do you think your average campsite would allow a firepit/stove in the tent? Last year we went to the Sandringham, Norfolk campsite (beautiful) and I'm thinking, after all this, would we even be allowed a fire?? Thanks for advice anyway.
I'm sorely tempted by the two man as I'm looking for something light enough to backpack with but the listed weight is 3.7 klilos which is pretty heavy for its size. For those with the small tipi, how much weight do you think i could save if i left the pole at home and used a wooden one which could double as a walking pole, switched to light weight pegs and maybe ditched the groundsheet for one that is lighter?
What I'm basically asking in this roundabout way is how heavy is the canopy on its own would you say?
Thanks to those guys who have posted reviews and pics. Really helpful.
What I'm basically asking in this roundabout way is how heavy is the canopy on its own would you say?
Thanks to those guys who have posted reviews and pics. Really helpful.
The top vent has its own set of ropes attached, so can easily be pulled in any direction, or off altogether. As for campsites, have a look around. There are plenty of camp sites that allow fires. Avoid large holiday parks and look at the smaller sites.
Just booked 3 pitches at a nice site in Suffolk for a family gathering (which is why i needed an extra tipi) and they allow real fires
This is a case where Google is your friend.
I wonder if you could alter the way the top vent on the argos one is fixed so that it has ropes that go down to the floor that you could then use to pull the vent open. I'd still not like to put a fire in the 4 man one.
I would say never use charcoal inside a tent. Like stoves and wood burners, charcoal releases a lot of CO but not much smoke, very easy to think that everything is rosey in the tent and all the time the gas level is building up to a deadly level
