Need a new Tent

[funnymummy]

I had been thinking that the 2 man would be a bit of s queeze for me and the bubs this year & could do with something a wee bit bigger so had a little looksee in Millets & Blacks yesterday,
This morning i thought i would check out our tent to see if it would do us for another year, had planned on putting it on Ebay if not - I was far from impressed to find Mrs Mousey had decided to use it to make a nice snuggly nest to have lots of mousey babies in! (Bnag goes the Ebay idea)
It would aslo seem that #1 has borrowed some of my other camping bits when he hasd gone off with Cadets and not all of it has returned!
So not only do i now need a tent, I need a cooker, pans, lights, floor mats, to name just a few! This now reduces my tent budget to lower then i had been planning.
Just looked on Millets/Blacks websites, can't see the tents i actulay looked at in store, but found a nother few that seem OK. I wondered if anyone had any experience or opinion, or if there was somethign better out there you could recomend.

http://www.millets.co.uk/camping/tents/3-4-person-tents/product/096486/AVON.html?attribute=4787820
http://www.blacks.co.uk/camping/tents/3-4-person-tents/product/096474/ISLAY.html?attribute=4785619
http://www.blacks.co.uk/camping/ten...duct/096136/cmx-phad-x3.html?attribute=167457


I have front & back panniers, but am also towing my son on his trailer, it's a double wheeled one, so has a large rack on back for carrying stuff, but I do need to be very weight concious as quite ofetn he doesn't want to pedal
Cheers xx

 

[rich p]

What's your budget FM? I know someone on here is selling a good 2/3 man tent for £125

 

[funnymummy]

Originaly it was about £200 bracket, but taking into account the other bits I now need to replace I reckon £100 max. I had thought i could replace all the small bits this month & then maybe get the tent next payday (end of June) & possibly be able to stretch to a bit more.
Any tent I go for would have to have a decent 'porch' area, so the bubs have somewhere to sit if we do have damp days & end up tent bound
Cheers x

 

[peelywally]

this looks good , found it looking for the vango though .

http://www.winfieldsmegastore.com/sunncamp-evolution-300-3-man-tent-p-sf1128-c-green.html




http://www.winfieldsmegastore.com/vango-icarus-300-3-man-tent-p-icarus-300-c-ensign-blue.html

 

[andym]

Checkout Decathlon as well.

No chance of recovering the lost stuff? Someone might be holding onto it waiting for the owner to claim it.

 

[funnymummy]

Cheers Peely, thats looks Ok but might be a bit too heavy for my puny legs to carry on the bike, but I am considering driving to our destinations this year rather than going by bike/train, so a larger tent is a possibility

Andy, i'll have a look there too.
Not sure about getting any of it back, #1 doesn't even know where he's left it all!!
I don't think he left it all in one go either think it was more a bit here a bit there, so could be up a mountain in Wales, could be on a moor in Yorkshire or one of a dozen places on Salisbury plain

 

[Cubist]

Funnymummy

Unfortunately any tent with a porch area, or even a living area will be heavier as they slip away from backpacking lightweight specs.


Have a look at Go Outdoors. They do a large number of tents, and display the weight of each in the search results. If you can go to 7kg then this is a reasonably large tent http://www.gooutdoors.co.uk/hi-gear-electron-4-p108992

Otherwise follow the link to tents, then backpacking, and have a look at http://www.gooutdoors.co.uk/vango-tempest-300-3-berth-tent-p139967 which is a good size for a lightweight, but just stretches your budget a bit. A bit of googling finds the tempest for less than £100

Sorts warehouse do this for well within budget, if you can lug 6 kg around it looks great, with all the space you all need.
http://www.sportswarehouse.co.uk/products/Vango-Beta-350-3-Person-Tent.html

 

[andym]

Andy, i'll have a look there too.
Not sure about getting any of it back, #1 doesn't even know where he's left it all!!
I don't think he left it all in one go either think it was more a bit here a bit there, so could be up a mountain in Wales, could be on a moor in Yorkshire or one of a dozen places on Salisbury plain

This was the Space Cadets then?

If you could stretch the budget a bit, this mught be worth considering as a spacious tent that doesn't weigh a ton - or at least it weighs less than the ones in your initial post.

http://www.decathlon.co.uk/EN/t4-ultralight-pro-3244992/

 

[mcshroom]

It doesn't come with massive amounts of porch space, but how about the Vango Zetes 400 - less than 6kg and £55 posted

 

[funnymummy]

This was the Space Cadets then?

Air Cadets... but reckon some of then are secretly Space Cadets

Cheers for those links, My old tent was a Vango, I do like their range.
I am at the moment weighing up whether to get a small/light 3 man touring type tent, or to ditch the idea & go for a 'real' family sized one.
Past couple of years we've done short local (30-40 miles from home) tours & a few further off ones travelling by train, carrying nothing but the basic essentials.
Am now thinking of using the car & going for much longer breaks, so a family sized tent with a few extra luxuries, table, chairs, air beds, real food not dehydrated packet jobs, might be the best idea.
We'll still be on bikes once there, just be arriving by car - This would mean we could go much further afield & stay longer.
I think it would make for a better holiday for my bubs, But I just love the idea of doing it all by bike.. Oh decisions, decisions!!

 

[billflat12]

Easy " Sack the cat & invent a cunning plan" ie. buy a large bargain basement tent and quality lightweight kit for future tours . Then drive to a "basecamp" area, & have fun planning and riding from another area, come end of season you should find a bargain lightweight tent for next year. !
I bought a 6 berth scaffell rock (gelert) £39 from B&Q !! last year
Then purchused a vango spirit 200+ for £50 from a seasonal camping display on the last day of sale !!


The aforementioned £39 B&Q tent reviews,
http://reviews.diy.c...633/reviews.htm
http://www.ukcampsite.co.uk/tents/p/Gelert-Scafell-Rock-Eclipse-6/1901

 

[funnymummy]

Brillinat idea Bill xx

 

[Muddyfox]

What's your budget FM? I know someone on here is selling a good 2/3 man tent for £125

Rich .. if your referring to mine then im not sure the Vango Spirit 200+ will be big enough for 3 people ? it may be ok as 2 of them will be children

Funny Mummy if you need a tent quickly and dont have the funds then i would be happy to send you the tent and wait for the money ..

As an alternative have a look at the Peakland Calver 300 Tent it is 4.7kg's with a good packed size and its reduced from £79.99 to £59.99



Foxy

 

[funnymummy]

Funny Mummy if you need a tent quickly and dont have the funds then i would be happy to send you the tent and wait for the money ..

As an alternative have a look at the Peakland Calver 300 Tent it is 4.7kg's with a good packed size and its reduced from £79.99 to £59.99



Foxy

Aaw Thnak you Foxy, that is so kind xx
I'm stiil undecided which way to go, I've looked at a few 'larger' family tents this week & am sort of thinking it would be more practical long term, But i may still get a small tent so can go off on my own (if/when) the bubs go to their dads

 

[fimm]

FunnyMummy, have you ever come across Alpkit? http://www.alpkit.com/
They don't do tents, but they do do a range of camping mats and stuff, and are very well thought of for being good value and good quality for the price.