Tent recommendations for touring

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Location
España
As a potential tent newbie, my research suggests tents are not like Carradice saddlebags or Ortlieb panniers, that is buy once and use for the next 30 years.

So, the question for the tent experts...how often do you change your tent due to the end of their useful life?
Well, I haven't had a tent get to end of life - I've given two away with lots of life still in them.

It's really how long is a piece of string question. Someone might use a tent for 2 weeks every year, someone else 100 nights.
The conditions have an impact, some will cancel plans in foul weather, others not. Campsites are probably less wearing than wild spots.
People's care, maintenance, storage also have an effect as well as their skills in pitching and breaking down. Proximity of stoves to doors, for example can be important too😄

I personally think that the most important thing to do with a tent is to see one in the flesh before purchasing. Crawl around in it. Sit up in it. Simulate all the things you imagine yourself doing to make sure it's comfortable.

I "learned" camping with the cheapest (and heaviest^_^) Coleman tunnel tent. It taught me so much about what was important and not so important for me. The best value in a tent, ever, for me. I still miss it!
 
Location
España
Agree with this - this is my plan from now on, having found my own near perfect tent.

Of course hobbes we both have to hope, maybe against hope in this world, that the manufacturers of our true love
Mine is certainly not my true love. I wouldn't buy it again.
 

Oldhippy

Cynical idealist
I will always get a two man tent for the extra room and sod the extra weight. I secure poles to the frame and roll the rest. I tried a lightweight tepee for a while but the pole was unable to split small enough. Vango and Coleman tents have always been hard wearing in my experience.
 
Location
London
I will always get a two man tent for the extra room and sod the extra weight. I secure poles to the frame and roll the rest. I tried a lightweight tepee for a while but the pole was unable to split small enough. Vango and Coleman tents have always been hard wearing in my experience.
yep, have had the odd issue with vango, but generally i think they are excellent - know what they are doing - been in the business long enough - good customer service.
I like the fact that they now do enhanced versions of some of their tried and tested designs. They are a bit heavier of course, but should be no problem for someone on a bike stuffing themselves with pasta etc every evening.

ditto good marks for coleman.
 
Location
España
what's the problem with it?
exped as in maker of suspiciously light mats?
If so I didn't even know they had ventured into tents.
From the chat thread
Not the lightest, especially since I added the footprint and extra pegs for different conditions.

It's what I refer to as a "Smart" tent and it's quite possible it's too smart for me!
My biggest issue is that one side is longer than the other (by design) which makes it difficult to pitch one side tautly.
Also, in cooling weather or wet weather there is significant sagging of the material. Recently, where evening temperatures plummet quickly a repegging/adjustment is required.

However, it does appear to be tough and is reasonably freestanding which were my two main requirements.
 
Location
London
thanks hobbes.

after all your experience, I'd be interested in your personal check/wishlist for a touring tent.

apologies if you have posted this already.
 

HelenD123

Legendary Member
Location
York
As a potential tent newbie, my research suggests tents are not like Carradice saddlebags or Ortlieb panniers, that is buy once and use for the next 30 years.

So, the question for the tent experts...how often do you change your tent due to the end of their useful life?
I'm still using the tent I took to Canada 10 years ago, although it's only been out for a few nights a year since. One of the zips needs replacing but it's fine otherwise. I do look at other tents as I wish the poles were shorter and fitted on my rear rack better but really it's fine.
 
Location
España
thanks hobbes.

after all your experience, I'd be interested in your personal check/wishlist for a touring tent.

apologies if you have posted this already.
Honestly? My opinion is that what someone thinks doesn't matter a lot for me and my tent. The trick is to know what you're buying, why you're buying it and what you're missing by buying it.

My current Exped was bought for an expedition. It was going to be my shelter, my refuge, my home for up to two years, maybe longer.

For that it had to be big enough, strong enough and be able to be used freestanding.

Random thoughts in no particular order;
Coffin tents are not for me. I like comfort (and my sanity) and would always go a size up.
I want a sheltered porch that I can cook in.


Tent design.
I like tunnels. There's a lot of space. The better ones have porches that are usable in foul weather, but only one door is a disadvantage. I've had great fun putting mine up in high winds, there are some designs I know my tent would blow away!

Tipi design are actually quite good. I really liked mine, but it was too small for an expedition and needed pegging out, although it did have several redundancy options - a stick (or even a tree) for a pole, adjustment from inside etc.

I've avoided inner first pitches because of the risk of a rainstorm pitching. The reality is I rarely pitch my all-in-one in the rain. I wait!

Easily detached inners are a great way of increasing space under cover when not sleeping. (My inner detaches and can be used without the fly - in theory. The reality is that's so impractical as to be useless).

I prefer two doors for ventilation, storage and access.

For materials, I'd avoid a silnylon tent (except a tipi design). It sags. A lot. And subsequently contracts. On the Exped, the combination of a "flappy" side and significant sagging is not a happy combination. In a tipi it can be adjusted by raising (or lowering) the pole.
The material on my old Coleman was (nylon, I think) as tough as old boots and very forgiving for this beginner. It sagged only when absolutely soaking and the design was so simple the outer never touched the inner.

Some people want something as light as possible.
Others want something big enough for their bike to be inside too.
Some want the strongest, most bulletproof thing and some just want the cheapest. Nobody's wrong.

If I could have made my old Coleman freestanding I probably never would have looked at another.

I seriously considered bringing two tents on my travels - my Hexpeak (tipi) and an AliExpress freestanding. I figured all bases were covered. It would have been lighter than my current set up!

As I said above, crawl in one before you buy. Go places and see what other people are using. Have a good think about what you need, want and would like. Then go looking for what's out there. Looking first would just flummox me!

A penultimate thought for anyone starting off. Speaking for myself, my touring has evolved a little bit from where I started, a luggage service carrying my gear from hotel to hotel, to a little bit more adventurous.😊 I really hadn't a clue of the freedom to be enjoyed on a bike. I only bought a tent because I couldn't afford hotels on a longer trip. If I had bought gear (Ortliebs excepted) at the start based on what I thought I'd be doing I'd have been putting a limit on future experiences.

Whatever you choose know that something is going to happen that you never thought about - you just have to be able to remain calm and gently usher the cat away. ^_^
 
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