Tents

[den]

I started using a basha as a young cadet through the mob and continue to use one now which I’m happy with but it’s dawned on me how little I actually know about tents.
I’m starting to help out with D of E and other groups who use tents so I need to brush up big time. Any links would be super or advice on different designs, what makes a good tent? Anything you think might be relevant would be much appreciated.

Thanks in advance
Den

 

[hootchi]

Robust. If you are taking D of E groups out the tents will take a battering. :roll:

Also look for things that will make it last longer- zips that are not under strain, well reinforced points around the guys and peg elastics and pole sleeves that are not taking too much pressure at the ends.

Try to find a tent with a fly sheet large enough so that if it is poorly pitched or on uneven ground it still covers the inner well. It is easier to pitch a tent if the inner is clipped to the outer and can be erected as one.

Dome tents seem to be the most widely used design as they have alot of internal space. They are, however, susceptible to wind as they have a high profile. If the poles are strong and flexible this will not be a problem, the tent will only 'rock' a bit! I would go for green in colour because it is alot less intrusive. Porches are good for wet gear and bags.

This is my tent and they do two and three man tents which look very nice. :super:

Hope this helps and i'm sure there are alot more aspects that can be discussed. :biggthump

 

[Hoodoo]

Here's some thoughts.

Firstly, I like a full fly. One that completely covers the tent and you can stake pretty close to the ground. Couple that with a high bathtub floor and you are well protected from heavy storms.

A fly with a zipper needs a good flap to cover it. Check to see if the flap itself is held in place by velcro. Otherwise the wind will flip it and it will leak when it rains.

Free standing tents are nice (although not necessary for a good tent). You can pitch them anywhere. Vestibules are also nice. I much prefer a tent with a vestibule.

Check for UV protection. Some tents have flys with high UV protection. The sun will eat nylon. I once spent a summer living in a nylon tent and by the end of the summer you could easily shred the nylon with your hands. In contrast, my screenhouse pitched at the site had a polyester roof and easily held up to the UV.

To really protect your tent, cut 2 ground cloths, one for under the tent and one for inside.

 

[Toddy]

I'd like info too, need to buy a new one soon. I'd also like patterns for *good* bashas...we all know some just seem better than others. And what is the best fabric to make them from? I can get goretex dirt cheap just now, and I can also get ventile, but it weighs a ton when wet. Plain old waterproofed ripstop I can get for £2 a meter, and eyelets aren't exactlly rocket science. Wax jacket fabric is cheap too, about £3.50, but again, it's heavy.
Any ideas?
Toddy

 

[Lithril]

I've seen bashas made of quite a few materials, personally I quite like ripstop nylon, its easy to waterproof fully and can be quite light weight, also if you do end up ripping it, replacement or repair doesn't take a great deal.

 

[Squidders]

My advice would be to get a really cheap and nasty tent and get real experience with the things you're going to hate. These things will be mostly personal and specific to you, like size, shape spare room for kit, door type and size.

Then, after a few trips and you know what you hate and like, you can go out with some very specific things in mind and make a well informed choice.

The advice I would give, is very general, as is everyones so far...

*When you're ready, buy the best quality you can.

* Pitching options like inner and outer at the same time are good, if not outer first... if it's raining, you don't want to get the inner wet because you had to pitch it first.

* Subdued colours are good if you're in the wild, if you're going to be camping on sites only, get a mad coloured one so people won't drive into you in the dead of night.

* UV protection is good as are lots of vents and maybe a window to check the weather and light the interior

* some of the better manufacturers sell footprints as a protective layer under the tent, this will also make the tent a little cleaner when you pack it all up to move on.

* Pack size is always more important than weight, i'd rather have a small 5kg tent packed up than a light weight but massive one.

 

[Andy]

For tents that are going to be used for D of E I'd say the most important thing is ease of pitching. a cheep tent thats put up well will work better then a fancy high tech one put up badly.
I like my tent which pithes inner tent first. This goes against what has been said before. I think that it's stronger and puts less stress on the fly sheet but both systems can work well.

In my opinion the best tents for D of E are the old vango force ten tents. They are heavy, bulky and expensive. However they are hard wearing, durable, easy to pitch, fast to pitch and work well in heat or snow. I ddon't think D of E people have a problem with the weight as they aren't out for long and anyone can put the tent up.

 

[simonsays]

I started using a basha as a young cadet through the mob and continue to use one now which I’m happy with but it’s dawned on me how little I actually know about tents.
I’m starting to help out with D of E and other groups who use tents so I need to brush up big time. Any links would be super or advice on different designs, what makes a good tent? Anything you think might be relevant would be much appreciated.

Thanks in advance
Den

Good quality poles? Fibreglass poles may make for a cheap tent but the stuff is relatively weak, very brittle when cold, bulky and quite heavy. Easton Aluminium poles are a much more likely to survive the heavy use that the D of E would give them.

cheers,
simon

 

[Andy]

anything by easton seems to last a long time. I have a lot of respect for their QC

 

[tomtom]

den i got to agree with andy on all counts.. i use Vango force 10 for ten tors and DoE they are great tents.. when we arrived at our ninth tor at 10 o'clock at night on the first day we put the thing up in a minute and crawled inside while the army helicopter landed next to use to pick up people who had hypothermia in their modern light weight jobbys, this tent has been proven time and again!!

a little on the heavy side but great tents none the less!

 

[Great Pebble]

The more I see of small "backpacking" tents, stay in them and stay around them, the more I'm convinced that the differences in the vast majority are largely cosmetic. That's not to say that a £30 number from Argos will do everything that £500's worth from Blacks will, but the difference in the performance of the two could be less than you'd think or than the salesfolk will tell you.

 

[jakunen]

The more I see of small "backpacking" tents, stay in them and stay around them, the more I'm convinced that the differences in the vast majority are largely cosmetic. That's not to say that a £30 number from Argos will do everything that £500's worth from Blacks will, but the difference in the performance of the two could be less than you'd think or than the salesfolk will tell you.

You're not supposed to tell the punters that!!! :rolmao:

Seriously though, you're right. Some budget tents are just as good qualitywise as those that rely on their name.

My 2 man backpacker cost me only £40, is well made, lightweight, good quality and came with a repaire kit.

My old one which cost me £100 was heavier, and I had to pay £15 for the 'approved' repair kit...

'Quality' names at 'quality' prices doesn't necessarily mean quality kit...

 

[bambodoggy]

You're not supposed to tell the punters that!!! :rolmao:

Seriously though, you're right. Some budget tents are just as good qualitywise as those that rely on their name.

'Quality' names at 'quality' prices doesn't necessarily mean quality kit...

Totally agree Jak and GP....the other thing to remember is what you are actually going to be doing with your tent....do you really need the £500 arctic ranger two man ultra light hike tent for a weekend away in the British countryside a few times a year? ? ? My money is with the £30 Argos one (If I was a tent person, which I'm not)....but going to the Arctic circle....I'd want a good one! ack:

Just my puppance worth....

 

[zambezi]

I echo the statements regarding Easton superiority over fibreglass for the tent poles, and also Squidder's point about seeking a tent that pitches as one or outer first is pretty key.

Also an earlier observation about the merit of groundsheets needs reiterating. Tents fitted with well sealed bathtup groundsheets may well use a good, but lightweight material for this function. Thus, pitching the tent on a rough site just once could result in multiple perforations in a tent that otherwise had many years more service ahead of it. Some makers offer additional groundsheets, but these are often fairly expensive. The cheap option? Get a tarp from B&Q and cut it to size.

Lastly, when camping as a group and with group excercises in mind, note that the weather might impinge on open air gatherings. If the tents are all two-man jobs, no communal gathering is possible there. The cheap option here is the open-sided pergola type tent that ASDA flog through the summer. Not all models are 100% water-proof and the 5 leg units are more stable than the 4 leg units. Look for the ones that that are made of plasticised rip-stop fabric and expect to pay £20 high season and as little as £7 when they look to clear their shelves in late August.

 

[george]

Main problem with most cheap tents is the quality of their poles and their groundsheets. You can get away with quite a lot if you replace the cheap fibreglass poles with decent aluminium ones and cut out a piece of tarp the same size and shape as the groundsheet to act as a "footprint" protector. Check out different ones in the shop as well, some are made better than others so you're as well checking things like seams and zips there rather than taking it home and then discovering a fault. These days the main difference between a cheap tent and a quality tent is the quality of the materials and the fit and finish - not the design.

Fraid I disagree totally about the old Vango force tens tomtom and andy. Imo they're fit only for the bin! (in fact I threw away about 15 of them last year!)

george

 

[Great Pebble]

I had a Force 10 stolen years ago (perhaps it wasn't the best thing for music festivals....). Great tent, lousy colour and the originals aren't "a little heavy" they're borderline on being vehicle assistance only options for smaller groups IMO. That said, I've got one of the old army A-frames for campsite stays and it makes the Force 10 seem like a featherweight, you can stand up in it though.

 

[tomtom]

what colour was yours.. our were all olive green!?

 

[Squidders]

A perfect opportunity to check out tents is the outdoors show at the birmingham NEC in March, they have a tent city that I will be having a serious walk around and probably a serious spend.

 

[Great Pebble]

what colour was yours.. our were all olive green!?

Near luminous orange... I thought all the old Force 10's were....

Never seen one in another colour.

 

[neo_wales2000]

Argos are selling a one man tent called a "Sydney" it £15 and you enter from the side. I aim to get one the weekend with a few for using it as a cheap bivvy; it weighs 1.5 kg

http://www.argos.co.uk/webapp/wcs/s...talogId=3151&productId=129331&clickfrom=image