Bell Tents!!!!
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Yeah we cook outside to,as it gets in the bedding too,last time wife went on her own she had the Cobb oven with a roast chicken in.
Soulpad 5m with sewn in ground sheet, fantastic tent been away in it at least 8 times in the past 2 years without any problems, completely water proof in some serious rain, very stable in high winds as well. Lots of room but I would definitely recommend an outside cooking / seating area that is also waterproof, makes a huge difference in comfort levels.
They are very easy to put up on your own, I can do ours in 15 - 20 minutes. I've found it worth asking the campsite what the ground conditions are like so I can take the correct pegs for the job.
Any other questions just ask away.
They are very easy to put up on your own, I can do ours in 15 - 20 minutes. I've found it worth asking the campsite what the ground conditions are like so I can take the correct pegs for the job.
Any other questions just ask away.
depends on ground conditions mate, if it's soft - ish then you'll need the V shaped metal ones, if it's hard and rocky you'll need the 10 inch long heavy duty ones. There's a lot of canvas moving around in the wind so it need pegging down securely.
Click on the image to enlarge, this is a good view of the event shelter seating / cooking / eating / entertaining area.
I did buy a very large amount of wooden pegs.......they are very big, very heavy and take up lots of room, I'm sure they work really well if you have a hammer big enough to bash them in with ( more weight and space ) so it was back to the metal pegs.
I was after one of these Obelink ones. Enhances the tent IMO, can be pulled down tight on the edge to create a muddy boot area. But after many enquiries it seems they're discontinued for good.
http://www.obelink.co.uk/tents/tent-canopies-tarps/hypercamp-tent-wing.html
However, one of the pics in the link shows design and dimensions, so if anyone fancies having a go at making one I'd be very interested
I ended up with one of these, it's too small.
http://www.belltent.co.uk/tri_pro_awn_2.5?search=Awning
I was going to pitch it with one point on the apex of the door, and put poles under the two corners. But it doesn't have a brass grommet, just a canvas strap, so it can't easily be locked to the pole if pulled upwards.
What I'm after is something that doesn't create a 'tunnel' to the entrance, and is airy but offers some shelter.
http://www.obelink.co.uk/tents/tent-canopies-tarps/hypercamp-tent-wing.html
However, one of the pics in the link shows design and dimensions, so if anyone fancies having a go at making one I'd be very interested
I ended up with one of these, it's too small.
http://www.belltent.co.uk/tri_pro_awn_2.5?search=Awning
I was going to pitch it with one point on the apex of the door, and put poles under the two corners. But it doesn't have a brass grommet, just a canvas strap, so it can't easily be locked to the pole if pulled upwards.
What I'm after is something that doesn't create a 'tunnel' to the entrance, and is airy but offers some shelter.
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Btc tents do an awning that will fit other manufacturers. I have it and its great. I have their 4m zip in ground sheet and it is phenomenal quality.. We pitched it next to some of the obelink/soulpads and it is more solid. Properly heavy mind! Check them out. A bit more £ but solid, good service, and uk made(not china-via-Holland).
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No, but you might have noticed the thread drifted to awnings. I also recommend my bell tent too, which is a bell tent
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Hello mate, thanks for your recommendation, could you tell me a bit more about your experience, their website is a bit spartan. Any pictures, plus points, is their design the same as all the rest?
Many thanks,
Andy
We've got a BCT 4m bell tent as well. Had it about 3 years. It's a pretty much standard bell tent shape, well made and solid. Ours has a zip in groundsheet, which is attached with 2 very substantial YKK zips. The standard centre pole is a big steel thing, which we replaced with a wooden pole this year.
The service from BCT is extremely good. The only problem we've had is, due to some mix up at time of manufacture, we've had trouble getting the door frame to fit just right. BCT have supplied us with a range of different poles to try and get things bang on. That's not actually much of a problem though - bell tents are designed such that you can just stick a single upright pole in the middle of the door and it works fine.
The vents around the outside have a drop down flap that buttons with a toggle and some elastic. Venting is good, waterproofing is superb. We were on the headland at St Davids in the 2012 summer storms. We stayed dry as a bone and stable all night. The tent flapped a fair bit but never felt the least bit unstable, unlike all the modern tents we found stuffed in the bin the following morning.
We have a smallish awning on the front of it, which was from BCT as well. It takes some tinkering to get it to look just right, and there isn't shedloads of space under it, but it works well as a porch. We sometimes lift one side of it to keep the rain off while we eat. You do have to watch your feet though, as there's plenty of opportunity to stub your toes on wooden tent pegs
The service from BCT is extremely good. The only problem we've had is, due to some mix up at time of manufacture, we've had trouble getting the door frame to fit just right. BCT have supplied us with a range of different poles to try and get things bang on. That's not actually much of a problem though - bell tents are designed such that you can just stick a single upright pole in the middle of the door and it works fine.
The vents around the outside have a drop down flap that buttons with a toggle and some elastic. Venting is good, waterproofing is superb. We were on the headland at St Davids in the 2012 summer storms. We stayed dry as a bone and stable all night. The tent flapped a fair bit but never felt the least bit unstable, unlike all the modern tents we found stuffed in the bin the following morning.
We have a smallish awning on the front of it, which was from BCT as well. It takes some tinkering to get it to look just right, and there isn't shedloads of space under it, but it works well as a porch. We sometimes lift one side of it to keep the rain off while we eat. You do have to watch your feet though, as there's plenty of opportunity to stub your toes on wooden tent pegs
That's the model I have, likewise my experience is solid, well made kit. Being uk made I liked the idea of having access to repairs/parts/reproofing. As mentioned in this thread the timber (beech) pegs are bulky and heavy and may get swapped out! The grounds sheet is 2 layers bonded so is heavy duty but heavy, advantage of zip in is for summer use you can leave that at home.
We have the same btc awning, it is tight under if you try and sit three under it but is useful as set-down or for one to cook. In lighter weather we set one side up horizontal (it comes with 3 poles to allow this) and that is quite a civilised veranda!
Two big design benefits: The door has an a-frame rather than poles that reach back into the space. That is a big plus for me. The other is the velcro split in the groin sheet. At first i wasn't sure but as I have fitted a frontier stove, pealing back a "pizza slice" of ground sheet under the stove works a treat for a cook zone. I love it, it got my two girls out. I really want to get it pressed into some cold weather action so ill write back when I know how it goes.
Ps - don't underestimate pack size! Fills our little boot.
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We have the same btc awning, it is tight under if you try and sit three under it but is useful as set-down or for one to cook. In lighter weather we set one side up horizontal (it comes with 3 poles to allow this) and that is quite a civilised veranda!
Two big design benefits: The door has an a-frame rather than poles that reach back into the space. That is a big plus for me. The other is the velcro split in the groin sheet. At first i wasn't sure but as I have fitted a frontier stove, pealing back a "pizza slice" of ground sheet under the stove works a treat for a cook zone. I love it, it got my two girls out. I really want to get it pressed into some cold weather action so ill write back when I know how it goes.
Ps - don't underestimate pack size! Fills our little boot.
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