Tent advice please...

[JDO330]

Hi All,

Not entirely bushie I know but SWMBO has agreed we should try out camping so im in the process of looking at tents. I have two children to consider and would rather buy something a bit bigger to give us some room, being able to stand up in it is a must.

I looked and some of the items available in Agros (oops, I meant Argos) but am of the thinking that they might be of poor quality (representative of price I guess).

Can anyone give me some pointers towards buying the right kit - I really only want to buy once if possible.

Thanks in advance, Jon.

 

[Scots_Charles_River]

Before a plethora of replies, I'll get my views in, go for a larger - two roomed- vango they are very cheap at go-outdoors just now.If you have the cash a tipi would be good but have only 1 room,no privacy.

Nick

 

[Tripitaka]

GoOutdoors have an 8 man Vango for sale between 18th and 24th August for £99.99 - good make, well built and loads of room.

Get SWMBO (never figured what that stood for) to enjoy car camping first, then go from there. Blow up beds, electric hook up etc to start with. If they don't enjoy it at first, you are dead in the water from there.

 

[mace242]

Starting the plethora (not quite d'oh)

A lot depends on your budget. I'd look at Vangos as Nick said.

 

[addo]

Before a plethora of replies, I'll get my views in, go for a larger - two roomed- vango they are very cheap at go-outdoors just now.If you have the cash a tipi would be good but have only 1 room,no privacy.

Nick

I agree, also try Decathalon, they have quite large tents very resonable with rooms and living space with good features like a double skined roof. We have one but are saving up for a Tipi.
No connection ect

 

[lostagain]

GoOutdoors have an 8 man Vango for sale between 18th and 24th August for £99.99 - good make, well built and loads of room.

Get SWMBO (never figured what that stood for) to enjoy car camping first, then go from there. Blow up beds, electric hook up etc to start with. If they don't enjoy it at first, you are dead in the water from there.

Best advice as per Tripitaka, get all the luxuries you can cram in to the back of the car and them some more. Will make a great introduction to camping. Even (and I don't go there myself) go on a recognised site, showers, toilets, cooking facilities etc. Each following trip, leave a luxury behind until you're just going for a few days with the clothes on your back and a knife between your teeth !!!!

Also, been meaning to ask for ages, I too don't know what SWMBO stands for.

 

[hedgepig]

She Who Must Be Obeyed

 

[scanker]

If you're only trying out camping, I'd be tempted to try and borrow or hire some gear to start with. It's no use spending a load of cash if the kids and wife find they don't like it.

 

[sparksfly]

I introduced Mrs Sparksfly to camping about a decade ago using the luxury car camping tactic. She still draws the line at going anywhere that hasn't got toilets.

I bought a Coleman Bi-space 400 for our first trip and it is still going strong today. Excellent quality tent for a comfortable and spacious base camp. But at 25Kg you would not want to use it witbout a vehicle.

 

[stevesteve]

Hi Jon,
I would second the advice about making it comfy for everyone. A decent tent with plenty of space will help a family holiday.

We use an Outwell tent (an older version of this one http://www.outdoorworld.co.uk/outwell-hartford-l-tent-p-232.html (not recommending this supplier, just googled the tent!). We bought ours cheaply at the end of a season as it was... shock horror last years colours

My brother and his family use a Vango of similar dimensions. We have two kids who each get a room to themselves, which really appeals to them. SWMBO and I sleep in the central dome on folding aly-framed beds. We fold these up for the day, freeing up the central space. Whatever you get make sure it's waterproof. It's quite a nice feeling in your bag at night when the rain patters and you know that your safe and dry.

Other useful kit? Anything that you/they fancy! We are now finding that we are reducing our stuff as the children get older. When they were small it was handy to have a folding table (which hinges in half revealing four seats) as you can say "I'm cooking now so sit there and draw!" and they also found it easier for eating at. Now they are older they can sit around on the ground and eat. We only used it a couple of times this year and will not bother lugging it again.

We also invested in a portable loo which sits outside the inner tent in our porch area. Not very bushcrafty but campsites don't like you leaving a little pile of freshly dug earth with a note saying "I really wouldn't dig here! ".
If you have kids it is a huge boon not having to get up in the wee (pun intended) small hours when they need to go. When I was a kid these units seemed to be about the size of a fridge but ours is no more that 1'x1'x1' (or 30cm x etc). You can get biodegradable chemicals for them now too. If you are an adult they are handy too but erm... if you are a bloke you may find it easier to kneel rather than stand if you see what I mean. Also if you have a small boy with you (if you don't then you can skip this bit) then you may want to leave the porch groundsheet at home and just have grass below the loo. They are not known for their accuracy in the middle of the night , I noticed that the plastic groundsheet became a bit wiffy after two weeks. Subsequent trips without it and the natural bacteria in the turf breakdown any 'spillage' without odour.

Above all have fun! You can always take them out in a bivvy bag with a spade later on when they are ready for it.

Cheers,
Steve

 

[scanker]

Just spotted this:
http://www.woolworths.co.uk/web/jsp/product/index.jsp?pid=50837111

Although out of stock for home delivery, apparently there's stock in shops still. May be worth a look.

I must add I know nothing of the tent and have never heard of the brand.

 

[stooboy]

wow, tis a bargain eh 199 down to 35 quid....

 

[verloc]

i see a another great tent rush coming on again - not seen since the likes of oo, errrr the argos tipi one.

I want a nice big tent to try and coax my wife out to camp and also with some space for the dog.

 

[spamel]

If you are taking the wife and kids and they've never been before, it is advisable to take your whole home contents with you. In fact, if you can take the house too, that would be of benefit!

Seriously though, the back garden shuld be everybodys' first camp out unless one or more of the team have been out before. Everyhting can be tried out, the apprehension is laid to rest as the house is just there and if it goes horribly wrong then a quick retreat can be made and another go made of it another time. Kids still enjoy the adventure and the wifes' mind can be put at ease. No point taking the missus and she has a bad experience but has to endure it, she'll never go again!

 

[Scots_Charles_River]

I agree, also try Decathalon, they have quite large tents very resonable with rooms and living space with good features like a double skined roof. We have one but are saving up for a Tipi.
No connection ect

Aye, forgot to say that too, although they are much cheaper if you can actually buy them over there.

Nick

 

[JDO330]

Thanks to all who posted, excellent info gratefully received...

Ive been checking out the "GoOutdoors" website, the tents looks pretty reasonably priced compared to Blacks or Millets (eg, Vango Diablo 600 is £150 on Go Outdoors vs £300 in blacks!).

ATB, Jon.

 

[JDO330]

Thanks to all who posted, excellent info gratefully received...

Ive been checking out the "GoOutdoors" website, the tents looks pretty reasonably priced compared to Blacks or Millets (eg, Vango Diablo 600 is £150 on Go Outdoors vs £300 in blacks!).

ATB, Jon.