I went for the soulpad light 5m PIG - I've done one night, so not exactly an expert. I'll be sleeping in it at the moot though. Enough room for about 16 people I recon...
My comments would be:
- Very easy to put up
- Taking down time much longer
- Keep the poles seperate your back will thank you.
- Groundsheet feels a bit thin, but then again that's why it's much less heavy.
My initial thoughts were that it would have been nice to have had one of the ones with a flysheet around the door, but in use I doubt it'll make much difference. Watch the videos before putting it up, everything is explained.
Make sure you pack it so you know which way the entrance is.
If you goto places like gocamping (or somesuch) look at their old tent carpet range. I picked up a 5mx4.5m carpet for £30 reduced from £169. It's not perfect but fills the front half of the tent up, the rest is covered in sleeping gear.
I am making my own stove with the help of my friend using this:
http://www.instructables.com/id/Woodburning-Stove-from-sheet-steel/
If you look at the photos you'll see how it's coming along.
A friend here has a very similar setup and he does not cook in his tent - mainly because any fat splashback will hit the tent and make it manky, so it's generally used for drinks and warmth. A spark arrestor is a must and the tent needs to be well vented when it's in use. I'd invest in a carbon monoxide alarm remembering it tends to lay low which is where you're sleeping (no point hanging it in the roof)
The PIG was fine. I'd imagine the SIG would be too heavy to errect - so it's really PIG or ZIG - remembering if the groundsheet is wet you don't want to put it on the canvas...
In terms of places to buy, here's what I researched, costs and a few basic specs. I went with Soulpad, I visited their shop, I wanted something that wouldn't break my back and came with free shipping when I was ready to pay. In retrospect, I might have gone for the canvas tent shop as I think the more traditional tent (no zips - I really hate the soulpads zip) would be a great improvement especially when trying to get a 2 yr old asleep or sneaking out for a pee in the night. However have now found blacks of Greenock and it looks very good value for money.
Blacks of Greenock - 320gsm £499 (not inc shipping) - seems to have all mod cons, I'd seriously look at this one.
http://www.blacksofgreenock.co.uk/acatalog/Solace-5-1-1.html
Canvas tent shop is much thicker (and therefore heavier) - 400gsm - £425 not inc shipping
http://www.canvastentshop.co.uk/products/canvas-tents/bell-tents/5m-bushcraft-bell-tent.aspx -has got a traditional lace up front (which is much less noisy than a zip)
Soul Pad - 285gsm - £430 inc shipping
http://soulpad.co.uk/products/soulpad-5000-lite
Obelink
They sell direct to bell tent UK. If you're over in the netherlands, you can save £100 on the tent by popping in and buying one. But financially it's not worth the journey unless you fancy your first camp over there. As it's part of the EU there's no import charges (as I understand) to bring it back either. Bell tent apparently have a monopoly on the import which is why you can't buy direct from Obelink anymore. It was this reason alone I chose not to go with bell tent UK. Soulpads tent seems to be identical.
http://www.obelink.nl/
Bell Tent UK - 285gsm £439 not inc shipping
https://www.belltent.co.uk/bell_ten..._standard_bell_tent_with_seperate_groundsheet
Boutique Bell Tents - 285gsm £439 - ZIG (though it's sky blue, there's other colours) - £9.95 shipping
http://www.boutiquecamping.com/tent...lue-bell-tent-with-zipped-in-ground-sheet-p42
Bell Tent Biz - 350gsm £649 not inc shipping
http://www.belltent.biz/products/1/124/standard_bell_tent_5m_pegged_in_groundsheet/
BCT Bell Tent - 323gsm - No price give them a call
http://www.bctbelltent.co.uk/