Yes, and none of your nancy-boy thin stuff either! Good thick material - probably accounts for 75% of the weight......................
Golite Shangri-La 5 or similar??
- Thread starter Ecoman
- Start date
Yes, and none of your nancy-boy thin stuff either! Good thick material - probably accounts for 75% of the weight......................
Sorry for the delay in replying to you all, I have been snowed under with life just lately and not been online.
Anyway, thanks for some great input and advice. Although I now hate you because I have a few more options to weigh up
I really wanted a Soul Pad bell tent originally but It meant yet another large tent to store and I already have one for when we take the car. I really wanted something that's lightweight, well made and easy to carry over long distances from the car.
As much as I like the hardcore flysheet sheet with pole approach I can't come to terms with not having a bug net to keep away the midges. You only have to spend a night on a windless night round here to know what I'm on about. You only have to have a light on in the front room for an hour and then take a close look at the window, the outside is crawling with beasties all wanting a part of you. Sleeping in, what amounts to a tarp and a walking pole with a personal bug net is one thing but being restricted to a bug net while trying to cook and get dressed/ undressed is a nightmare. If I had Heather with me it would be like locking her in a cell and it wouldn't be long before she went off the idea of camping. At least with a tent with a purpose made bug net it allows for free movement inside the tent while the daily chores are being done.
I'm still swaying towards the Shangri-La but at least now I can do a bit more research and make a few decisions.
Anyway, thanks for some great input and advice. Although I now hate you because I have a few more options to weigh up
I really wanted a Soul Pad bell tent originally but It meant yet another large tent to store and I already have one for when we take the car. I really wanted something that's lightweight, well made and easy to carry over long distances from the car.
As much as I like the hardcore flysheet sheet with pole approach I can't come to terms with not having a bug net to keep away the midges. You only have to spend a night on a windless night round here to know what I'm on about. You only have to have a light on in the front room for an hour and then take a close look at the window, the outside is crawling with beasties all wanting a part of you. Sleeping in, what amounts to a tarp and a walking pole with a personal bug net is one thing but being restricted to a bug net while trying to cook and get dressed/ undressed is a nightmare. If I had Heather with me it would be like locking her in a cell and it wouldn't be long before she went off the idea of camping. At least with a tent with a purpose made bug net it allows for free movement inside the tent while the daily chores are being done.
I'm still swaying towards the Shangri-La but at least now I can do a bit more research and make a few decisions.
I have a SL3, too small for your needs but as for build quality and ease of use I can't fault it.
Thanks Treadlightly, I guesses the SL3 would be too small but the SL5 should be OK for us. Thanks for the feedback about the quality.
It has been a toss up between the Helesport Varanger Camp (as my missus preferred the look over the SL5). I rang Tamarak to get some details and was told that to have all three sections and the pole I would end up with 3 packs and a pole which totalled more volume than my current tent!! Plus the bug net only clips to the other tent section and its basically open around the bottom, (that's not much use to keep the midgies out!!). Oh well that's decided then.......or so I though! The nice lady on the phone then pointed me at the Helesport Finnmark. It ticks all of the boxes so far, she was off to find out the pack size and give me a call back but she was confident it would be ideal for our needs. Although this is great service provided my Tamarak and they can rest assured I will most likely be buying from them when I do make a purchase, its set me right back to square one..the swines!
I'm still liking the compactness and lightness of the SL5 but at the same time I'm liking the idea of space to spread out.....Oh decisions decisions!
It has been a toss up between the Helesport Varanger Camp (as my missus preferred the look over the SL5). I rang Tamarak to get some details and was told that to have all three sections and the pole I would end up with 3 packs and a pole which totalled more volume than my current tent!! Plus the bug net only clips to the other tent section and its basically open around the bottom, (that's not much use to keep the midgies out!!). Oh well that's decided then.......or so I though! The nice lady on the phone then pointed me at the Helesport Finnmark. It ticks all of the boxes so far, she was off to find out the pack size and give me a call back but she was confident it would be ideal for our needs. Although this is great service provided my Tamarak and they can rest assured I will most likely be buying from them when I do make a purchase, its set me right back to square one..the swines!
I'm still liking the compactness and lightness of the SL5 but at the same time I'm liking the idea of space to spread out.....Oh decisions decisions!
Well as with all good plans of mice and men my tent search took a huge twist! Instead of finding something nice and lightweight that I can carry for miles from the car, I have ended up with an Oztent RV3. Its probably the least compact and lightweight tent I have ever owned!!
The missus, my daughter and I sat down and discussed what we were going to do for a holiday this summer as our original plans to go stateside have been scuppered. We decided to buy a house instead and have subsequently used all our savings putting down a deposit. Our holiday plans have been postponed until next summer and we are now going to do a bit of touring with my Landcruiser around Britain. With this in mind we thought a quick erecting/ folding tent was a good option and one that was modular so we could adapt it to our needs.
However, all is not lost as I will be getting a lightweight tent for my adventures later in the year. In the mean time I will probably be selling off a few things to raise the funds.
The missus, my daughter and I sat down and discussed what we were going to do for a holiday this summer as our original plans to go stateside have been scuppered. We decided to buy a house instead and have subsequently used all our savings putting down a deposit. Our holiday plans have been postponed until next summer and we are now going to do a bit of touring with my Landcruiser around Britain. With this in mind we thought a quick erecting/ folding tent was a good option and one that was modular so we could adapt it to our needs.
However, all is not lost as I will be getting a lightweight tent for my adventures later in the year. In the mean time I will probably be selling off a few things to raise the funds.
