Tent advice for newbie

[marra33]

Hi chaps,
I am aware that this question may very well be as old as the hills we all wander upon....however bear with me, I have done some research, and I have a good idea about what I want, I just want to check and see if anyone can add, or take away anything, so here goes....

I am looking to do some wild camping up in the lake district.
I defiantly want a tent, and not a tarp or bivvy.
I will 95% of the time have my trusty dog with me (bedlington so only small dog)
I will be staying out on the fells for probably 1-3 nights max at a time.
I am a bit of a midget 5-8, so don't need huge amount of height
I really like the vango banshee 200 type design tent, with the 2 doors, or the coleman cobra or aravis 200.
Almost forgot I am a proper tight fisted git ha ha so looking for the most bang for my buck....now I have done some camping in the past, and I know I loved it then, so I don't want to buy cheap, just for the sake of getting cheap, to see if I like it, but I really want to get value for my hard earned money, without spending gazillions on new fancy schmancy shinny stuff, oh yeah and ideally the tent should be green...sound a bit like my wife there, get a new car, but not red !!....I diverge, I have a tendency to do that.
So any advice would be wary welcomed, thanks for taking the time to read through my drivel, I look forward to hearing your thoughts

 

[andibs]

I've got one of the old Banshee 200 (with only one door). It's been very reliable and stood up to high winds and torrential rain very well. I keep the inner and the fly attached so it goes up really quickly. Only disadvantage I've found is lack of a porch for brewing up or cooking in if the weather is typically British.

Andy

 

[copper_head]

Well I always recommend the wild Country zephyros 2 as mines done me proud. It's light, pitches really fast and it's always done well in bad weather.

http://m.cotswoldoutdoor.com/wild-country-tents-zephyros-2-tent-D1312364?id_colour=98&channel_code=110&s2m_product_id=78306_98&utm_source=google&_%24ja=tsid%3A45886&gclid=CjwKEAiAxfu1BRDF2cfnoPyB9jESJADF-MdJtCCYqSXgIQ752tqQh_10SzQ-OfHmJ7UxHEqurpZclRoC33bw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds

 

[marra33]

Yeah, that is the kind of thing I was hoping for, so the banshee has the side openings, but not ideal for making a brew when it's wet and windy out then ?
Glad you mentioned the winds, I forgot to add that earlier, as I will be mainly out on the fells and highlands, I really need a tent that will take a bit of a battering from the wind and rain.
Thanks for saying about that, a good point overall then

 

[marra33]

Thanks copper-head, I also considered those, but I just can't seem to find any GOOD deals on them, as much as I have scoured everyone's favorite bay
I really like the reviews they got too, I had almost convinced myself for the cobra 2, but then I read about the aravis, but the banshee has a better watercolumn head, obviously, I could fabric the crap out of anything, but I want the comfort factor of KNOWING I'm getting the right tent to start with, is the zephros good for the porch area, boots, bags, brewing up etc

 

[petrochemicals]

Completley contrary to all of these small tent suggestions, get a big tent, even if it weights double. I have recently realised being in a small tent is the most tiring activity done whilst outdoors, something alkin to yoga, i got out of it more tired than i went in. Msr papa hubba size is what im thinking of, or the banchee 300 If the answer is just to sleep in get a bivvy bag as they are alot easier to find a patch of level ground for, beit in forests hills etc. As inviting as the ground looks, 99% of it is bumpy with roots. If the answer is to shelter in a big fly tent with a bivvy bag inside gives you the ability to bivvy without the tent if you need. If youve a dog the lux hex/minipeak or appy trails fly tent with a bivvy bag may be ideal.

 

[marra33]

thanks for the reply petrochemical, yeah, there are not that many forrested areas where I will be going, the fell tops are mainly open and very windy, hence me looking for the smaller tents, so it doesnt get bettered about by the winds.
I thought about a tarp, but I dont want my dog running of in the middle of the night, so think tent is the way forward on that score, plus I like a groundsheet, so keep me dry and warm inside.

 

[caorach]

I've just started down the wild camping route, mostly in remote spots on the Scottish islands, so I'm far from an expert but I can relate some of my thoughts.

I have a Banshee 200 and it is in my view a great tent and ideal for what you want. A big part of the attraction is that it is inexpensive and you can pay £400 more and not really get much more functionality.

The "but" here is that I found I was simply carrying too much weight. The Banshee isn't hugely heavy but, clearly, is heavier than some plus its packed volume is considerable. The volume thing has a knock on effect in the sense that you then need a bigger rucksack and that is heavier and so on. Recently I discovered a Vaude Power Lizard tent at reasonable money (I suspect they are end of line or something and being sold off at greatly reduced prices) and thought to invest. I know that I simply can't continue to carry the weight I was carrying last year so something had to be done. The Vaude weighs just over the 1kg and even better it takes up very little space and even when in its stuff sack it can easily be squeezed into tight and oddly shaped cracks between sleeping bags and sleeping mats. Needless to say there are probably other "end of line" deals available on other lightweight tents so I'm not selling the Vaude as the only possible solution, just the one that happened to come up at the time I was looking.

If you are going wild camping then the advice I would give is to go as light as you can from the outset unless you are very fit and well used to carrying considerable weight. I was willing to go heavy as I was new to it and didn't want to spend any cash in case I hated it but if you already know it is for you then invest in gear that will do you long term from the outset. You are always going to enjoy yourself more and get more value from your days out if you aren't carrying a lot of weight.

 

[Trig]

I own a Zephyros 1 and a Luxe Hex Peak.

http://www.backpackinglight.co.uk/shelters-1/WF129.html Hexpeak
http://www.simplyhike.co.uk/products/WildCountry/Zephyros1Tent.aspx?gclid=CMiwhIWq98oCFdUW0wodMXQGBg Zephyros 1

Both pack down and weigh fairly decent.

You can cook with a gas stove inside the porch of the Zephyros with the door closed, with the top slightly open for ventilation. Although you have to keep an eye on it as you dont have that much room, but it is possible, and i do it frequently due to weather. Could be dodgy if your dog jumps around though. Also enough room in it for my 60 litre pack.

The hex peak has far more room in it for your bag and also cooking. Though i cant comment on the inner, as i use mine flysheet only and bivy bag.
Ive not had it out in high winds, but ive seen a video of one , and it seems able to take fairly strong winds.

Thats a 60-80 litre rucksack inside,and my bivy bag at the back. The proper inner takes up about the back half of the tent, where my bivy is.

Id recommend either. The zephyros being the cheapest at £99 most places

 

[Mike_B]

IF your budget would stretch to Hilleberg, you'll get small pack size and weight relative to space, and they do tend to last rather well. I used to be a big fan of Vaude, but after some bad experiences with their products in the last few years, I hesitate to suggest them these days. Alpkit tents are supposed to be good I hear.

 

[marra33]

thanks a lot for the replies chaps, I have been doing overtime with my research into this, and I believe I may very well have found the solution to my dilema, it is on ebay at the moment a naturehike 2 person tent, now I have also checked on youtube, and there has been some reviews of similar tents on there that get pretty good reviews, hope this is ok, but I am going to put a link on the bottom of this post, if its not ok, I'm sure a mod will remove it, or let me know to remove it, if anyone has any experience of these I would be gratefull for any feedback, otherwise, I think I might order one next weekend when I get paid......

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Naturehik...hash=item35f4238369:m:mIUMcsbG4cro5MlJKegImKg

 

[Trig]

From a quick look. To me, its a bit heavy at 1.7-2.0 kg. Looks like it pitches inner first also, which might not be the best in rain. Though ive never used one like that my self, but it seems like it would be a problem.
Porch with the inner up doesnt look all that big either, though it is a big inner so you could pull it back a bit maybe to get room for cooking.

Not much cheaper at £80 than some other known brands, so id still be having a look around.

 

[sunndog]

I own a Zephyros 1 and a Luxe Hex Peak.

http://www.backpackinglight.co.uk/shelters-1/WF129.html Hexpeak
http://www.simplyhike.co.uk/products/WildCountry/Zephyros1Tent.aspx?gclid=CMiwhIWq98oCFdUW0wodMXQGBg Zephyros 1

Both pack down and weigh fairly decent.

You can cook with a gas stove inside the porch of the Zephyros with the door closed, with the top slightly open for ventilation. Although you have to keep an eye on it as you dont have that much room, but it is possible, and i do it frequently due to weather. Could be dodgy if your dog jumps around though. Also enough room in it for my 60 litre pack.

The hex peak has far more room in it for your bag and also cooking. Though i cant comment on the inner, as i use mine flysheet only and bivy bag.
Ive not had it out in high winds, but ive seen a video of one , and it seems able to take fairly strong winds.

Thats a 60-80 litre rucksack inside,and my bivy bag at the back. The proper inner takes up about the back half of the tent, where my bivy is.

Id recommend either. The zephyros being the cheapest at £99 most places

I have a sil-minipeak and it stands wind very well. Loads of room for cooking, gear, and a dog too

 

[marra33]

yeah, I hear what you are saying on that front, but the weight for the 8000mm head, I kind of like that bit, still really stuck though ha ha, suppose everyone goes through this pain barrier at some time or other, have to get this decision right, mainly because my son is also getting one, but he is opting for the tarptent, with no discussion, so want mine to be bomb proof ha ha !!!

 

[Trig]

Yeah, its tricky. Was looking at a tarptent protrail myself recently. But i dont need another one, so resisting. But you can never have too many tents

 

[marra33]

that said I do quite like the look of the sil-minipeak, I was going to ask if it had an inner, on the photo it looks like just a fly, but after the trusted googling, I see it does...hmmmm, damn it, even more choice into the mixer....why does it have to be sooooo hard...ohh err missus !!

 

[sunndog]

I really like the sil mini peak. Decent weight for the money, room enough to sit/kneel up inside and goes up with hiking poles
The new ones have a better inner than mine. Mine is all mesh the newer ones are nylon on the lower half so lass drafty

 

[Trig]

that said I do quite like the look of the sil-minipeak, I was going to ask if it had an inner, on the photo it looks like just a fly, but after the trusted googling, I see it does...hmmmm, damn it, even more choice into the mixer....why does it have to be sooooo hard...ohh err missus !!

Thats the Sil Hex peak i posted. The mini peak is squarer. Both have proper inners though.

http://www.backpackinglight.co.uk/shelters-1/WF129.html Hex peak

http://www.backpackinglight.co.uk/shelters-1/WF126.html Mini peak

Choices..

 

[Barney Rubble]

I don't think you'd regret getting the banshee 200. I have one and love it. Good build quality, durable fabric and can be bought for around 80 quid. I shopped around, found the cheapest price and then took that to that big blue store where they like to get outdoors!! and did a price match as they'll match it and bump 10% off.

As for the weight, it's not so bad at just over 2kgs. I think most lightweight tents are approx 1.5kg and will often cost more money. It packs down to the size of a loaf of bread and you can easily strap it to the outside of your rucksack, you'll want quick access to it anyway and if it gets wet you'll also want to keep it away from dry gear so makes sense. Avoid the Chinese eBay tent matey and stick with a reputed brand.

 

[Quixoticgeek]

A suggestion for the Luxe Hex Peak. Light, and roomy.

J