Can you recommend me a tent?

[BluesDave]

Okay heres the thing. I want to go on a cycling tour in September to a couple of places on the coast but I am going to need a tent for camping that I can carry on my pannier rack.

Heres a rough guide to what I want above all it should not be claustrophobic because I am.

Tent shaped,
Waterproof/ Rainproof,
Able to withstand wind,
Large 1 man or a 2 man of normal size,
Lightweight ie. not more than 2.5 kg after all I am carrying this on a bike,
Easy and quick to put up,
Space to put luggage,
Secure to the ground, preferably with flysheet.

Not more than £30.

Hope you can help me with a name and some reviews. Thanks.

 

[Broughtonblue]

Okay heres the thing. I want to go on a cycling tour in September to a couple of places on the coast but I am going to need a tent for camping that I can carry on my pannier rack.

Heres a rough guide to what I want above all it should not be claustrophobic because I am.

Tent shaped,
Waterproof/ Rainproof,
Able to withstand wind,
Large 1 man or a 2 man of normal size,
Lightweight ie. not more than 2.5 kg after all I am carrying this on a bike,
Easy and quick to put up,
Space to put luggage,
Secure to the ground, preferably with flysheet.

Not more than £30.

Hope you can help me with a name and some reviews. Thanks.

poss not what you looking for but just seen this, amazing. http://www.wiggle.co.uk/topeak-bika...ium=affiliates&utm_campaign=www.pricesavvy.ie

 

[vernon]

poss not what you looking for but just seen this, amazing. http://www.wiggle.co...w.pricesavvy.ie

It's definitely not what he wants at £118 more than he is willing to pay.

In addition it's solitary review lists the following cons:

• Condensation
• Low quality
• Wear out easily

Which when added to the lack of waterproofness that I've read about else wear is hardly a recommendation worth taking seriously.

The other major disadvantage is that once the tent is pitched, the bike is out of action for therest of the evening/night.

 

[Gotte]

This is my tent of choice:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Highlander-...sr_1_2?s=sports&ie=UTF8&qid=1314217103&sr=1-2

You can pick it up for about £30 on ebay.

To make it a true winner, though, you need to swap out the pegs for alu ones, but, most importantly, you have to swap the poles for alu. You can get two packs which is enough from Decathlon. Trouble is, they will cost you £30 for the pair, but that said, once done, your tent weighs about 2.3 kg, and is both bombproof and really spacious. Of all the tents I've looked at in the sub £150 price range it ticks near all of the boxes for me, in that you can sit up in it, it's sub 2.5kg, has a decent porch, is really waterproof, stable, green, and self standing (really important to me). The only downside is that it's inner pitch first, which is not good in the rain. But with one minus against all those plusses, a real winner.

Now is a good time, though, for buying tents, as so many are on sale as summer ends. Have a hunt around, and you might just find a real bargain.

 

[PpPete]

Argos used to have one which fitted this spec perfectly. Brand was Pro-Action, but that particular model has now disappeared.

Unfortunately by limiting budget to £30 you are going to get glass-fibre poles..... which are way too fragile should the wind ever blow.

Unfortunately alloy poles come in around £100 or £120 in most of the well known brands.

 

[vernon]

To be honest, £30 and a 2.5 kg tent are generally not good bedfellows.

Cheap, light and durable - you can have two out of the three properties......

£30 generally gets you a poor quality tent.

Have a look at this one to start with then have a look at this one. You might find the second one claustrophobic and I don't think that you could sit up in it.

I'd seriously look for something a bit more up market like this one from Decathlon. It is better quality and more durable. It has been recommended by other cycle tourers on several occasions.

 

[TobyM]

Take a look at Millets - they have some reasonably priced but fairly good tents. I bought this, plus a 15% discount I found online and rode about 30 miles to a campsite with it, a pillow, a sleeping bag and a roll mat on a pannier - it didn't feel that much heavier tbh! But that was on an already heavy MTB.

I also use a hammock if it's possible, which is very light - under a kilo, however, if it's bad weather you'll need a tarp which will make it about 1.5kg. Still very light though!

http://www.ddhammocks.com/product/camping-hammock

 

[goody]

I've just toured using a Eurohike Backpacker 2 man tent from Milletts. weighs 2.5kg and cost me £18 in their recent sale. Had to phone a few branches before I found one. Did the job well enough pitched it 12 times with no problems didn't leak. There's a few on ebay.

 

[Mark Grant]

+1 for the Decathlon T2 Ultralight Pro.

 

[doog]

I would try and raise your budget if you can (simply to fit your criteria). As stated the Decathlon T2 Ultralight Pro is a decent tent . However give it a week or so and some superb bargains will start appearing in shops. Some of those stated weights on the cheap tents are open to debate, in addition add some rain and condensation and you are packing away a lot more weight than you bargained for.

 

[rowan 46]

To be honest, £30 and a 2.5 kg tent are generally not good bedfellows.

Cheap, light and durable - you can have two out of the three properties......

£30 generally gets you a poor quality tent.

Have a look at this one to start with then have a look at this one. You might find the second one claustrophobic and I don't think that you could sit up in it.

I'd seriously look for something a bit more up market like this one from Decathlon. It is better quality and more durable. It has been recommended by other cycle tourers on several occasions.

I have to go with this guy as being spot on. You should try and up your budget. £30 will get you a cheap small dome, which maybe waterproof to 3000hh but will more likely be 1500hh (3000) is recommended by campers of this country. the poles will be thin, brittle and likely to snap in any sort of wind. They may be all right as a play tent for the kids, Or a festival where you don't care if a drunk runs through it. but you are taking a chance if you are touring with it.

 

[tbtb]

Reading the question, I see it's to be sub £30, roomy (above all), sub 2.5kg, but only preferably double skin, so I'd look either on ebay or grab a brand new single skin dome from millets. Last time I was in there (or was it Blacks?), they were 1.8kg. And domes are spacious and it's a good shape for the wind though if you're heading to Tiree you'll need to pitch behind a wall.

Brand new cheap single skin tents are fine for the first 3 nights of rain I reckon - until the water reppelancy spray gets washed and rubbed off.

Get one at 1.8kg and £15 and you have a spare 700g and £15 to buy a big square tarp to peg over the top of the tent. A modular system!

 

[BluesDave]

Millets have a sale on at the moment so I'm going to get a Eurohike from them. Not the best I know but for a first tour it'll do.
I appreciate all your advice.
I'll buy a better one in January. At that point I'll be willing to spend up to £100 on it.
So if anyone has any recommendations for then I'd like to read them.
When I used to go camping long ago tents were pitched sides they all came with aluminium or wooden poles, flysheets and strong pegs.
What happened to that kind of quality and shape of tent I wonder? Why isn't it sold anymore?

 

[tbtb]

You can still buy that sort of thing, David, but I imagine it was never for sale for the equivalent of £30.

 

[jethro10]

This is my tent of choice:

http://www.amazon.co...14217103&sr=1-2

You can pick it up for about £30 on ebay.

To make it a true winner, though, you need to swap out the pegs for alu ones, but, most importantly, you have to swap the poles for alu. You can get two packs which is enough from Decathlon. Trouble is, they will cost you £30 for the pair, but that said, once done, your tent weighs about 2.3 kg, and is both bombproof and really spacious. Of all the tents I've looked at in the sub £150 price range it ticks near all of the boxes for me, in that you can sit up in it, it's sub 2.5kg, has a decent porch, is really waterproof, stable, green, and self standing (really important to me). The only downside is that it's inner pitch first, which is not good in the rain. But with one minus against all those plusses, a real winner.

Now is a good time, though, for buying tents, as so many are on sale as summer ends. Have a hunt around, and you might just find a real bargain.

Can someone explain in more detail the bit I've highlighted in bold above - ie. why?. How would you choose new poles? Where else except Decathlon (not close to me) can you get them?
thanks
Jeff