Tent advice Berghaus Vs. Jack Wolfskin

[FKeate]

Hi all,

I've been looking at getting a new tent and have narrowed it down to three main candidates, just wondering if anyone has any experience of either/any suggestions I may have overlooked (£200 being about the limit of my budget)

1) the Jack Wolfskin Skyrocket II dome tent as seen here

http://www.cotswoldoutdoor.com/jack-wolfskin-skyrocket-ii-dome-tent-d1312406?id_colour=

2) the Berghaus Peak 3.2 pro

http://www.blacks.co.uk/equipment/000024-berghaus-peak-3-2-pro-2-man-tent-green.html

3) the Alpkit Ordos 2

https://www.alpkit.com/products/ordos-2

I'm quite attracted to the dome design, I'm fairly tall and after a three month trip last summer spent bent double in my old North face tadpole (a great tent, if slightly small, which I had for years and sadly gave up the ghost after said 3 month trip) I vowed to get something a little more roomy. However, I like the outer pitch first of the Berghaus and it is slightly lighter/cheaper, although I've never seen a Bergahaus tent before and can find zero reviews of them.
the Alpkit looks great, super lightweight etc but has a pretty low hydrostatic head on the floor, little bit worried about soggy Scottish ground...

I've looked at the new Terra nova laser style tents but just don't think they are for me, I prefer a bit more living space for long trips (even if it dos mean a bit more weight) and often go hiking with a friend.

It will be mainly used for autumn/winter trips in the highlands of Scotland (I have a tarp/hammock for spring/summer) and for trips with friends too squeemish to try the tarp life. Generally just long weekend trips but I do intend to do the occasional long distance hike/bike ride with it so I've set a weight limit of 2.5kg.

Anyways, any advice/feedback would be greatly appreciated.

Cheers,
Fred

 

[Big G]

I've no experience with the two tents mentions. But i'd imaging you'd need a good storm proof tent, for winter camping in the highlands.

You may need to up your budget, and go for sum it like a bomb proof Hilleberg tent.

You may get lucky on ebay, pick a good used one up, if you up your budget a bit

 

[FKeate]

Yeah god point, I'm not sure how much I'll be doing in the darkest depths of winter but I'll have a think and see what I can scrounge form the old bank, thanks.

 

[rorymax]

Just a thought, reasonably spacious, 3 season plus, decent porch and just enough room to sit up in at the high end using a low profile chair (if you have to avoid the midges) a little over your weight limit but can be had new within your budget.

http://www.vaude.com/en-GB/Products/Tents/2-Person/Odyssee-L-2P-green.html

Durable tough tent, and friends who have the somewhat similar Taurus have had years of trouble free frequent use from them.

Choosing a tent - not easy, but fun nonetheless.

 

[FKeate]

Cheers I shall take it into consideration, I was actually looking at the Taurus would you give positive feedback for that?

 

[FKeate]

Sorry, just realised I was looking at the Terratrio, the Taurs is a wee bit out of my price range.

 

[Big G]

Keep ya eyes peeled on the net, ebay, gumtree, preloved, all the selling sites.

Sum it will come up, what takes your fancy.

Good luck on your tent search

 

[rorymax]

Sorry, just realised I was looking at the Terratrio, the Taurs is a wee bit out of my price range.

I have not shopped around (one quick google only) http://www.alpinstore.com/en/mounta...googleshopUK&gclid=COvxqYvy284CFWUz0wodR1IA6A

A friend bought a new Taurus for less than the one in the link, and the Odyssee can be had for under £200, e.g. http://www.worldofcamping.co.uk/vau...=5395fc7496c64b18a86aa31bdff7af39&fo_s=gplauk

 

[rorymax]

Cheers I shall take it into consideration, I was actually looking at the Taurus would you give positive feedback for that?

Yes, the Taurus is a very robust tent and can take pretty hard weather, the Odysee has an extra pole and designed for more severe conditions than the Taurus, Vaude formerly advertised it as a 3 season plus tent, it didn't make the 4 season status by Vaude's standards, both are easy to pitch and the inners can be left in place when packing away if desired.

The Odyssee can be left free standing.

 

[Barney Rubble]

Hi, I've no experience of those tents but like the look of the alpkit tent. You say that you're camping in the highlands so I'm presuming you'll need something that will be able to deal with strong winds, if thats the case then a semi-geodesic design like the alpkit or jack wolfskin will prove to be much more stable than the tunnel tent.

Having said that, I use a Vango Banshee 200 which is a tunnel tent but has proven to be quite stable in poor weather. I think this is a consequence of it being well built and fairly low in it's profile (length and height dimensions are not much different to the alpkit tent). The banshee may be worth checking out though, it's quite spacious for one person, has a good reputation and can be bought for £90. Another option that many people seem to favour is the tipi/lavvu style tents such as the luxe hexpeak which can be found on backpackinglight.co.uk

 

[FKeate]

Great many thanks Rory, I'd not really encountered Vaude before but it's good to get some positive reviews, you've given me some stuff to think about.

And Barney I agree, I like the size/weight of the alpkit (plus I do just like alpkit as a company) little worried that the materials wont be as solid as the other tents, but alpkit are generally well made and no ultralight tents are made of anything particularly substantial (otherwise I guess they wouldnt be ultralight)

 

[Nohoval_Turrets]

I've never seen the Ordos in the flesh but I do have an Alpkit Heksa. It's a different sort of beast of course, being a basecamp heavyweight rather than a backpacking tent, but I've been very impressed with the quality. I wouldn't hesitate to get another Alpkit tent - if I didn't have far too many tents already.

 

[FKeate]

Righto, thanks for all the advice everyone.