A suitable tent

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Bazhorn

Über Member
This is my first posting here, hello!
I'm going on my first solo cycle-camping trip to Wales in a couple of weeks, and need a one man tent that's as light as poss and packs up tiny!
Any suggestions?
BTW, I'm in England, so any tents that can be bought here, within a couple of weeks, are my only option.
Cheers, Jon
 

joshw

New Member
Location
Peak District
I heard the Gelert tents are nice and light (cheap too).
Check em out.
 

Bigtallfatbloke

New Member
I just bought one of these for my solo tour around east anglia:

http://www.decathlon.co.uk/EN/Produ...ents/packing-tents/product_6539976/index.html

I have slept in in twice now and all is well. Packs down small enuff to go in a panier or on top of your rack, it's a 2 man tent so you'll have room for some gear or the girlfriend...two skinned, pitches as one, 2kg...and for me th eblcak color is cool as it's inconspicuos for any wild camps.

took me 5 mins to pitch it first time and about the same to pack it up.

The other one I looked carefully at was the coleman one and two man tents...they are good, but I am a big guy so the one man tent was not big enough. The coleman two man was not as easy for me to get in and out of even with a side access....I think the decathlon tent is a little taller.

At £68 and 2kg for a 2 man tent I am a happy bunny.
 
What are your plans for east anglia BTFB, if you get near Ipswich let me know, there is some great cycling areas around here.
 

Bigtallfatbloke

New Member
well currently the plan involves riding up through essex into suffolk through thetford forest onto the coast (taking about 3 days). Set up base camp then do day rides for a couple of days...chill out on the beach a while....then decide where to next. I have as much time as I want to take...I may even head off in totally different direction...north...or even get a ferry to europe (unlikely though)...I just dont know right now...

I may change the plan though and do a more circular ride...say up through Canbridge up to kings lyn...alsong the coastal road...Gt Yarmouth...then down to Colchestr and home...I wont really know until I get on the bike that morning probably.
 

SamNichols

New Member
Location
Colne, Lancs
It all depends on how much you want to spend really, I've got a one man vango mountain tent - fairly similar to the equinox, but a bit smaller - which is ridiculously light but would cost £150 plus now (inherited it from my dad, and it's over 10 years old). Wynnster do quite good tents, not sure if they're that light; the bigger name ones also have free pole repair, etc which is a good thing to cost in, as they do tend to break, especially plastic poles. Look around for a mountain tent, and see how cheap you can get it for, they're lightest and fold up smallest.

(I may have to go back and work in an outdoors shop for a while, my knowledge is getting rusty).
 

coopman

New Member
I have got a gelert solo, pretty light, very cheap, small pack size and was completely waterproof in miserable scottish weather, though i made up an additional groundsheet, as its own is thin. Not very big though!!! Just enough room to sleep really and limited headroom.
 

vernon

Harder than Ronnie Pickering
Location
Meanwood, Leeds
coopman said:
I have got a gelert solo, ....... Not very big though!!! Just enough room to sleep really and limited headroom.

That's why it's a one man tent. Any bigger then it'll become a two man tent ;)
 

coopman

New Member
vernon said:
That's why it's a one man tent. Any bigger then it'll become a two man tent ;)

You may have a point!!!, but I guess what Im getting at is, for comfort, a bigger tent may be the way to go, I like the look of BTFB's Quechua ultralight pro, going to get one of those, but decathlon are the only folk I can find selling them and they dont do mail order. Need to be a contortionist to pack up ur bags and get dressed in one of those gelert solos when its peeing down!!! Next year Im going to sacrifice the extra weight for a bigger tent a more comfort. Plus of course a bigger tent means you can have company :angry:
 

sadjack

Senior Member
I'm really happy with my Vango Spectre 200 two man tent. Cost about £70 and weighs in at 2.5KG. Erects outer first which I like (can be pitched as one) and has plenty of room if your traveling alone for your kit.
 

vernon

Harder than Ronnie Pickering
Location
Meanwood, Leeds
coopman said:
You may have a point!!!, but I guess what Im getting at is, for comfort, a bigger tent may be the way to go, I like the look of BTFB's Quechua ultralight pro, going to get one of those, but decathlon are the only folk I can find selling them and they dont do mail order. Need to be a contortionist to pack up ur bags and get dressed in one of those gelert solos when its peeing down!!! Next year Im going to sacrifice the extra weight for a bigger tent a more comfort. Plus of course a bigger tent means you can have company ;)

Two man tents are very good. I have a couple of Vango two man tents that I use for longer tours. Both of them weigh around 3kg but it's a worthwhile trade off for the amount of gained space.

I do use a Pro Action Tiger Paws one man tent for shorter tours and at 20+ stone know exactly what you mean about the contortions necessary to do some pretty basic functions. The amount of packing and unpacking can be minimised with a bit of careful packing in the first instance. When breaking camp apart from the tent and sleeping stuff the only thing that I have to pack away is my trangia and breakfast gear. This degree o0f organisation goes out of the window when I'm using one of the Vango tents.
 

Enogeze

Senior Member
Ideas for tents

Here are some ideas to take into consideration when buying a tent...

http://www.downtheroad.org/Equipment/Camping/Tent.htm

For me I like my tents to be freestanding - sometimes you need to camp on rocky ground or even (God forbid) a carpark and being able to pitch your tent without pegs can be useful (of course if the wind is howling this may not be possible).

I also like a porch of some kind so that I can sit in my tent facing outwards and have my stove outside. This facilitates cooking in the rain allowing you to be inside and any flames to be outside.

I was using a 2 man Vango for my motorcycle travels, but it's far too big/heavy for cycling. I read Josie Dew's two books about her cycles around Japan, some of it in the rainy season, and she used a 2 man Northface Tadpole DL. This tent comes in two versions
- Northface Tadpole DL
- Northface Tadpole DL Nylon
The "Nylon" one being that much hardier against the rain as far as I can make out. Check them out here...

http://www.tauntonleisure.com/products/tadpole-23-dl-nylon---save--100---special-offer-/4376/

http://www.gaynors.co.uk/showproduct_040201260002.htm

Just came across...

http://www.bicycletouring101.com/CampChoosingTent.htm

but have yet to read it - but it might be useful.

I was recently told by a tourer of the the MSR Velo

http://www.moontrail.com/tents/msr_velo.html

Seems like a nice idea to be able to put your bike IN THE TENT! But at over 4kg - not really suitable for solo touring - could be useful for 2 people touring as apparently the porch can accompany 2 bikes!
 

Bigtallfatbloke

New Member
My tent is 2k on decathlomns site ..I had thought it was 1.8k...I think thats what it said insid eon the label but I may be wrong...so yep Helen,,mine is a heavy tent as well;);)...it is sold as a 2 amn tent, although you'd have to be VERY close friends:biggrin:
 

Enogeze

Senior Member
Tadpole issues?

I've just been perusing "Long Cloud Ride" by Josie Dew of her trip in New Zealand. She says in the equipment section...

"The tadpole stood up to NZ's winds a treat but it is a very cold and breezy tent in winter. Also after several months of continuous use in continuous rain, it started to leak in places, which I suppose is quite understandable considering the testing conditions."

Hmmm....
 
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