The ground dwellers favourite?

[AJB]

Hello,

I’m not really that interested in hammocks, sacrilege I know - sorry, I’ve never been in one, but as I doubt there is one that could take me, and I’m sure I wouldn’t feel safe if there was or be comfortable, I’ve never got to know them. But there is a load of interesting conversation about them and even as someone not into them, I know the main manufactures.

However, stickbow's recent thread, Hex3 or Acto...

http://www.bushcraftuk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=38199

...got me thinking, we don’t talk tents nearly as much, I was really impressed with the Hex3 and I’d really like to know from all the experienced ground dwellers, what have you got, what’s good and bad about it, would you recommend it and what would you really like?



To start the ball rolling I’ve got two decidedly average tents, an old Coleman Cobra 3 which is massive on the inside, but pitches inner first - a pain in the rain and a bit of a pain to pack away.




And I’ve got Vango Omega 250, which is a bit short for my 6’4” but OK, although the recent Vango debacle has made me doubt its longevity.




As I said I fancy the Hex 3, but what I’d like is something that’s roomy, tall enough to sit up in, easy to pitch, hard wearing especially the groundsheet having had to make tarpaulin footprints for both of mine, pitches inner and outer together and most of all goes into a stuff sack like the Acto rather than needs rolling up in the mud and rain.

Please and info as I’m really interested in what you’re all using.

Thanks for ploughing through my guff,

Andy

 

[Tengu]

Where are you in the second pic?

I have different tents for different uses.

My main tent is a Storproof Missouri 2 a cheapo american dome job that is huge inside, and has the all important porch.

its downside is its big, heavy and a pain to pack...and put up.

but its survived all weathers, though wet does get in at times. (a proofing helped)

my second tent is a vango Force 10

much smaller inside, no porch, heavy, bulky.

puts up and takes down in 6 mins, and that includes putting away. its also cool in summer and warm in winter.

my third tent is a beach shelter with door. small, light, easy to put up and pack away.

but a single skin, and Ive never dared use it in serious weather.

 

[AJB]

That’s me, floating out to sea


The sleeping section is from the central hoop towards the camera. Because the slope is such a shallow angle you have to sleep with your head in the middle of the tent and your toes in the wedge, so if you sleep on your back, your toes push the inner tent onto the outer tent and your sleeping bag gets wet!

What would you have if money was no object?

 

[AJB]

Or did you mean the location?

 

[Paul_B]

I have a vango spectre 200. It is a two man tent at 2kg but it has pointy ends with the inner having a vertical end wall with a zipped access at each end into the pointy void between the inner and the outer for storage. The porch is tiny and at one side. The point is it is a two man tent capable of taking me twice and I'm 2m tall. It also only cost me £50. I use it for solo car camping but for a DofE tent or for two it is bloody good value.

i also use a single skin tent from Vango's premium sub-brand called Force10. It is a simple ridge tent made up by either trekking poles or alloy poles supplied as uprights at each end of the apex. It has bell ends (no sniggering at the back), one is part of the main tent but the other is the porch created with a midge netting door and the outer fllysheet doors. The inner is protected from midge ingress by net doors and netting over the vent at the top of the end furthest from the door. The doors can be left open even in rain (except driven rain into the porch I reckon). If you leave the doors slightly open then youu don't get any condensation. IF you do then a simple wipe down in the morning is all that is needed and it will be dry to pack up shortly after.

If money was no option I'd get a laser competition for spring through to autumn and an atko for late autumn through to early spring. Also I'd get a shangri-la (Hex replacement). Of course I already own a good tarp but I'd get a tarptent as well. I'd never use al of them only the spectre for car camping, the force10 for backpacking and the tarp when the good weather can be guuaranteed and the midges are low.

 

[johnboy]

I have a few tents..

The Wild Country Gemini.. Is really great up in the snow it's nice and light and stands up well to snow and you dont have to dig a big platform for it...




Another one is a Phoenix Phreak classic sloping ridgline tent.. Really good porch on this one big enough for a decent sized bergen...



There is also a Wild Country Quasar... Which is a great 4 season mountain tent... Plenty for room inside for 2 (or dad and 2 kids) and you can sit up in it with no problems.. Also Wildcountrys build quality is/ was superb and yellow grey is a choice colour....



Finally there is our family tent.. It's a Vaude Badawi ( or something) It'll sleep 6 and has an interesting 'witches hat' on top.... The kids like it lots...





Tent's are great......

 

[Celt_Ginger]

Family camping for me is in a Vango Equinox TBS450, while solo camping is in a Lightwave T1 trek XT. Bushcrafting though is under a tarp or in a shelter

 

[forestwalker]

I use a Tentipi Tåpp 5 light (old style Varrie) as a camping tent every now and then. If money was no objection I'd add something from Hilleberg in the classic tunnel configuration.

But I'm really not much for tents, I'm more of a tarp guy.

Then there is the yurt or viking tent, but that is not quite the same thing.

 

[AJB]

Cheers guys, interesting stuff and I'm getting tent hungry!

Bushcrafting though is under a tarp or in a shelter

Is that a rule?

 

[twisted firestarter]

At 6'4" the hex 3 is going to be too small for you I'm afraid Andy. Even without the tent inner you'd find that your head and feet will touch the sides in the night and get wet with the condensation, I know because I've had 2 of them. The Shangrila which replaced the Hex 3 is a fair big bigger though.

My current favourite is the Terra Nova Quasar which is big enough for us tall folks to lie down, and sit up in

My all time favourite is the Hilleberg Nammatj 2GT but it's very pricey. The vestibule in them is huge and plenty big enough to keep all your gear dry.



.

 

[AJB]

Cheers Firestarter,

Do you think the Shangrila would be big enough?

 

[twisted firestarter]

Cheers Firestarter,

Do you think the Shangrila would be big enough?

I've not been in one yet TBH but understand they are fairly roomy.

 

[listenclear]

I love my hammock but also love my tent.
Got a coleman x3 which is very light and sturdy wee tent. I tend to use it when i'm up munros etc (aint no trees high up in them hills). It claims to be a 3 man but i'm not sure i'd like to try that out. Perfect for 2 people when you are packing light.

 

[AJB]

Thanks Listenclear,

The thing I hate is putting them away, does anyone have a tent that is designed for a stuff sack?

 

[Melonfish]

I've got an old 2 man tent i got in 06, its heavy at 6kg and although it is waterproof it has major condensation issues and is just to small for my 6'2" frame, sleeping in it meant you were pushing on the liner both top and bottom and my sleeping bag got wet!

anyways, i find this to be my cosy setup, i even managed to sit in this and eat fish n chips this weekend just gone, then i snuggled into my bivi and watched thunderbolt & Lightfoot on my phone!

when i left there was a nice neat square of dry earth because it chucked it down all night and i was lovely and toasty dry.

 

[calibanzwei]

Personally, I've been looking at the Vango Banshee 200.

 

[Andy2112]

This is my current user, 4 season and light.

http://www.lightwave.uk.com/en/tent_t1trek.php

 

[rik_uk3]

Golite Hex 3 (my lad is a big un and we fit no problem)
Force Ten Mk5
Force Ten Mk3
Vango Juno 800
Mountain Line 'Blue Ridge'
Argos one man job
Couple of cheap domes, 2 and 4 man.

Its the Mk5's turn for camp next week

 

[salan]

Ok not really bushcraft, but what would people suggest for a tent for me and the missus? I am having to slowly get her used to camping etc. but the problem is that so far the tents we have had (including a very expensive trailer tent(5K!!), all 'rattle' in the wind.
The Vango tent we have now (five birth dome with porch)has been flattened by wind on camp sites. and this is putting her off. We need to be able to sit in them and for now at least we need room, but all the tents we have looked at just dont like wind!
So any ideas?
Persoanlly I would like to just use bivvies and tarps but that is a long way off!
Alan

 

[Andy2112]

Ok not really bushcraft, but what would people msuggest for a tent for me and the missus? I am having to slowly get her used to camping etc. but the problem is that so far the tents we have had (including a very expensive trailer tent(5K!!), all 'rattle' in the wind.
The Vango tent we have now (five birth dome with proch)has been flattened by wind on camp sites. and this is putting her off. We need to be able to sit in them and for now at least we need room, but all the tents we have looked at just dont like wind!
So any ideas?
Persoanlly I would like to just use bivvies and tarps but that is a long way off!
Alan

Kyham do some very stable tents as do Outwell Alan, don't go for a tent which has pastic poles like my sister did, bent all over the place in the wind, better off with either an alloy or fibreglass pole. Saying that any tent will get battered in high winds tbh. If weight is not an issue go for the old style of frame tent with steel poles, bit more bombproof but heavy. hth.