4 berth tent recommendation sought

"Lisa" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Can anyone recommend a reasonably priced 4 berth tent for occasional use
only
at UK campsites. Was originally looking at the Lichfield Cherokee 4 but
as
it's 27 years since I've been in a tent and have no idea regarding brands
etc
would appreciate any advice that's available.

Have a look at : www.outdoorworld.org.uk - and click on 4 berth tents.
For occasional use something like the Vango Beta 450 might be OK for you -
and they don't come much cheaper than that! We bought a two berth version
for around £69 and it's still going strong after three years use.
Cheers!

We've been eyeing up the Outwell Trout Lake very covetously
of late. £400 spondoolicks but it is a very well thought out and
well built piece of kit. Ideal for car camping, IMO.

Chris

"Lisa" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Can anyone recommend a reasonably priced 4 berth tent for occasional use
only
at UK campsites. Was originally looking at the Lichfield Cherokee 4 but
as
it's 27 years since I've been in a tent and have no idea regarding brands
etc
would appreciate any advice that's available.

Another vote for Vango here. I've had one of their three-man dome
tents for a couple of years and, for the price, it's hard to beat.
It's roomy, easy to erect, properly waterproof and cheap as chips.

there's a reasonable selection of budget tents here if you want to
browse some other makes..

http://www.outdoormegastore.co.uk/acatalog/Outdoor_Megastore_4_Berth_Tents_44.html

Quoted message said:

Another vote for Vango here. I've had one of their three-man dome
tents for a couple of years and, for the price, it's hard to beat.
It's roomy, easy to erect, properly waterproof and cheap as chips.

I've been thinking about getting a larger, but cheapish tent just for use on
campsites, so weight isn't an issue, but waterproofness is, and I
specifically want a three hoop tunnel design with a large porch. It also
needs to be easy to erect single handed, since I'll usually be on my own.

So is this Vango is the one to go for?
http://www.outdoormegastore.co.uk/acatalog/Vango_Beta_250_Tunnel_Tent.html

Or maybe the three man version for luxurious extra spaciousness? Or would
that be too big for one person? It might come in handy for cramming in one
or two extra people on rare occasions, or for socialising in the rain.
http://www.outdoormegastore.co.uk/acatalog/Vango_Beta_350_Tunnel_Tent.html

The only issue is that I'd like to use it year round (but only at low
level), so would the fibreglass poles be a liability?

Any better alternatives that don't cost a fortune?

Paul
--
http://www.wilderness-wales.co.uk

In article <[email hidden]>, Lisa
<[email hidden]> writes

Quoted message said:

Can anyone recommend a reasonably priced 4 berth tent for occasional use only
at UK campsites. Was originally looking at the Lichfield Cherokee 4 but as
it's 27 years since I've been in a tent and have no idea regarding brands etc
would appreciate any advice that's available.

I have two Wynnster Buzzard 4's relatively cheap but sturdy, spacious
and well designed (hence I bought the second one to replace an old dome
we used with the first).

http://www.wynnsteroutdoorleisure.com/buzzard4.htm

Available here for 99 pounds

http://www.tentsandcamping.co.uk/acatalog/Wynnster.html

--

Dominic Sexton

"Paul Saunders" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Another vote for Vango here. I've had one of their three-man dome
tents for a couple of years and, for the price, it's hard to beat.
It's roomy, easy to erect, properly waterproof and cheap as chips.

I've been thinking about getting a larger, but cheapish tent just for use
on campsites, so weight isn't an issue, but waterproofness is, and I
specifically want a three hoop tunnel design with a large porch. It also
needs to be easy to erect single handed, since I'll usually be on my own.

So is this Vango is the one to go for?
http://www.outdoormegastore.co.uk/acatalog/Vango_Beta_250_Tunnel_Tent.html

Or maybe the three man version for luxurious extra spaciousness? Or would
that be too big for one person? It might come in handy for cramming in one
or two extra people on rare occasions, or for socialising in the rain.
http://www.outdoormegastore.co.uk/acatalog/Vango_Beta_350_Tunnel_Tent.html

The only issue is that I'd like to use it year round (but only at low
level), so would the fibreglass poles be a liability?

Any better alternatives that don't cost a fortune?

Paul
--
http://www.wilderness-wales.co.uk

Paul, if you're looking for a bargain, try: http://www.millets.co.uk

Eurohike's are great bargains, not great tents, but for you money can hardly
beat it. I'v had mine for close to 10 years, paid £40 (I think) the
following years was£30! And it's lasted well. I use it for summer or "not"
windy conditions. I can leave it at the campsite without fear of it being
stolen or damaged. Campsite tents "should" be cheap.

Try the "pop-up" tents, must be great fun to have a tent pop up in 15
seconds - luxury after a hard days walking ;-)

Jhimmy

"Paul Saunders" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Another vote for Vango here. I've had one of their three-man dome
tents for a couple of years and, for the price, it's hard to beat.
It's roomy, easy to erect, properly waterproof and cheap as chips.

I've been thinking about getting a larger, but cheapish tent just for use
on campsites, so weight isn't an issue, but waterproofness is, and I
specifically want a three hoop tunnel design with a large porch. It also
needs to be easy to erect single handed, since I'll usually be on my own.

So is this Vango is the one to go for?
http://www.outdoormegastore.co.uk/acatalog/Vango_Beta_250_Tunnel_Tent.html

I've been in one of the Vango tunnel tents - very spacious but the drawbacks
were water resting on top ( unless you get them erected spot on you can get
sag which is a great place for water to collect) and not very good in wind.
It seemed to blow all over the place.

Graham

"Paul Saunders" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

[email hidden] wrote:
So is this Vango is the one to go for?

http://www.outdoormegastore.co.uk/acatalog/Vango_Beta_350_Tunnel_Tent.html

Quoted message said:

Paul

Actually, when I come to check, it's the three pole Beta tunnel that we've
been happily using for the past three years. We've had no problems with it
and we're taking it to Cornwall again next month for another fortnights
holiday. We first erected it at Easter time on a site Back o' Keppoch when
the weather was quite blowy and was pleasantly surprised how well it stood
up to it. The porch is big enough to take a table and a couple of chairs to
make life more comfortable and, so far, it's never let any water in. I
reckon we've had more than our money's worth from it already. An absolute
bargain.
Cheers!

Jhimmy said:

Paul, if you're looking for a bargain, try: http://www.millets.co.uk

Eurohike's are great bargains, not great tents, but for you money can
hardly beat it.

To be honest, I'm a bit wary of bargains. I bought a larger Pro-Action tent
from Argos and it produced pools of water overnight on its first test pitch
in the garden, so I took it straight back.

Quoted message said:

I'v had mine for close to 10 years, paid £40 (I
think) the following years was£30! And it's lasted well. I use it
for summer or "not" windy conditions.

Well I'm thinking of year round use in any weather. Like a long winter break
in Snowdonia for example, where I could chill out in luxury in the tent on
the bad days.

Quoted message said:

I can leave it at the campsite
without fear of it being stolen or damaged. Campsite tents "should"
be cheap.

My thoughts exactly.

Quoted message said:

Try the "pop-up" tents, must be great fun to have a tent pop up in 15
seconds - luxury after a hard days walking ;-)

Sounds appealing but I'd prefer something with a decent porch.

Paul
--
http://www.wilderness-wales.co.uk

Graham Seed said:

Quoted message said:

So is this Vango is the one to go for?
http://www.outdoormegastore.co.uk/acatalog/Vango_Beta_250_Tunnel_Tent.html

I've been in one of the Vango tunnel tents - very spacious but the
drawbacks were water resting on top ( unless you get them erected
spot on you can get sag which is a great place for water to collect)
and not very good in wind. It seemed to blow all over the place.

Hmm... I've noticed that there are some dome/tunnel hybrids available, maybe
something like this would be better? More stability and less sag from the
dome, but still a big porch.
http://www.outdoormegastore.co.uk/acatalog/Jamet_Choucas_2XL_Tunnel_Dome_Touring_Tent.html

Paul
--
http://www.wilderness-wales.co.uk

Runningfox said:

Quoted message said:

So is this Vango is the one to go for?

http://www.outdoormegastore.co.uk/acatalog/Vango_Beta_350_Tunnel_Tent.html

Actually, when I come to check, it's the three pole Beta tunnel that
we've been happily using for the past three years. We've had no
problems with it and we're taking it to Cornwall again next month for
another fortnights holiday.

So it's fully waterproof then? It needs to be able to handle proper rain.

Quoted message said:

We first erected it at Easter time on a
site Back o' Keppoch when the weather was quite blowy and was
pleasantly surprised how well it stood up to it. The porch is big
enough to take a table and a couple of chairs to make life more
comfortable and, so far, it's never let any water in. I reckon we've
had more than our money's worth from it already. An absolute bargain.
Cheers!

I must admit that the thought of being able to put a table and chairs in it
is a bonus, but do I really need something that big? One of my main concerns
is how easy it is to pitch solo. The 350 looks like it might be a handful to
pitch. Could you get a chair in the 250?

I notice that Vango do an Omega range, similar to the Beta range but with
alloy poles, which may be more appropriate for my intended winter use. They
don't have a pic for the 250 version.
http://www.outdoormegastore.co.uk/acatalog/Vango_Omega_350_Tunnel_Tent.html

Paul
--
http://www.wilderness-wales.co.uk

"Paul Saunders" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Runningfox wrote:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

So is this Vango is the one to go for?

http://www.outdoormegastore.co.uk/acatalog/Vango_Beta_350_Tunnel_Tent.html

So it's fully waterproof then? It needs to be able to handle proper rain.
I must admit that the thought of being able to put a table and chairs in
it is a bonus, but do I really need something that big? One of my main
concerns is how easy it is to pitch solo. The 350 looks like it might be a
handful to pitch. Could you get a chair in the 250?
Paul

So far Paul it's been fully waterproof, and it's been subjected to some
vicious weather, not just in Scotland but in Cornwall too. I can't say
whether you'd get a table and chairs in the 250 version, but the answer is
probably 'Yes'. We can't quite stand up straight in ours, it's about 4" too
low, so being able to use chairs is a bonus. We considerate it a bargain
compared with the prices of our backpacking tents that cost nearly five
times more.
Cheers!

"Paul Saunders" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

So is this Vango is the one to go for?

http://www.outdoormegastore.co.uk/acatalog/Vango_Beta_350_Tunnel_Tent.html

Paul

Ours is the older model, in dark blue, and there's no window in the porch.
But basically the same.

"Paul Saunders" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Graham Seed said:

Quoted message said:

So is this Vango is the one to go for?
http://www.outdoormegastore.co.uk/acatalog/Vango_Beta_250_Tunnel_Tent.html

I've been in one of the Vango tunnel tents - very spacious but the
drawbacks were water resting on top ( unless you get them erected
spot on you can get sag which is a great place for water to collect)
and not very good in wind. It seemed to blow all over the place.

Hmm... I've noticed that there are some dome/tunnel hybrids available,
maybe something like this would be better? More stability and less sag
from the dome, but still a big porch.

I personally would favour something like that as it looks like a more stable
design. Having said that, the tunnel tent I slept in is quite an old tent
now and has no doubt been superseeded by the Beta quoted above which
Runningfox seems to be very happy with. Esentially, the design of three
hoops in a row remains the same though, and while this layout is probably
fine on a reasonably protected pitch it isn't the strongest use of three
poles. It is probably the optimum use of the poles as far as space is
concerned though, and if that were the only consideration perhaps most tents
would be this shape?

Graham

On Apr 6, 10:04 pm, "Paul Saunders" <[email hidden]>

Quoted message said:

I notice that Vango do an Omega range, similar to the Beta range but with
alloy poles, which may be more appropriate for my intended winter use. They
don't have a pic for the 250 version.http://www.outdoormegastore.co.uk/acatalog/Vango_Omega_350_Tunnel_Ten...

Try Vango's own site:

http://www.vango.co.uk/products/tentsinfo.asp?typename=268

That's the very model I've been looking at, albeit for site use rather
than anything wild. Apparently, my insistence on having a double-size
air-bed to sleep on means we need a 3-berth tent, but our primary need
is for a decent porch area to sit in when the weather's poor. This
model does have a permanent groundsheet (according to the blurb),
which may preclude using the porch area for cooking, unless it can be
rolled back somehow.

If you're on your own, ease of erection would I imagine be a primary
consideration. Anything above a breeze is going to give you trouble
with any design that is really intended to have four hands at work
simultaneously. Vango's pitching instructions don't really help much
either way.

--
"

Runningfox said:

So far Paul it's been fully waterproof, and it's been subjected to
some vicious weather, not just in Scotland but in Cornwall too.

Well that's good to hear.

Quoted message said:

I
can't say whether you'd get a table and chairs in the 250 version,
but the answer is probably 'Yes'.

I must get a chair and measure my height sitting on it.

Quoted message said:

We can't quite stand up straight
in ours, it's about 4" too low, so being able to use chairs is a
bonus. We considerate it a bargain compared with the prices of our
backpacking tents that cost nearly five times more.

Yeah, thanks.

Paul
--
http://www.wilderness-wales.co.uk

Graham Seed said:

I personally would favour something like that as it looks like a more
stable design. Having said that, the tunnel tent I slept in is quite
an old tent now and has no doubt been superseeded by the Beta quoted
above which Runningfox seems to be very happy with. Esentially, the
design of three hoops in a row remains the same though, and while
this layout is probably fine on a reasonably protected pitch it isn't
the strongest use of three poles. It is probably the optimum use of
the poles as far as space is concerned though, and if that were the
only consideration perhaps most tents would be this shape?

Well as I say I'd only be using it on sites and if it were particularly
windy I'd seek a sheltered pitch. I could always use the car to help protect
it.

Paul
--
http://www.wilderness-wales.co.uk

John Laird said:

Try Vango's own site:

http://www.vango.co.uk/products/tentsinfo.asp?typename=268

Do you know, that looks like it could be exactly the same picture, and they
may have used Photoshop trickery to colour the tent in a different colour!
Even if not, both tents look the same size. Looking at the two and three man
versions of their other tunnel tents, there's a clear difference, the two
man version is narrower.

Quoted message said:

That's the very model I've been looking at, albeit for site use rather
than anything wild.

Same here.

Quoted message said:

Apparently, my insistence on having a double-size
air-bed to sleep on means we need a 3-berth tent, but our primary need
is for a decent porch area to sit in when the weather's poor.

Indeed. And you could cram a few people in there too, in an emergency you
could sleep two extra in the porch.

Quoted message said:

This
model does have a permanent groundsheet (according to the blurb),
which may preclude using the porch area for cooking, unless it can be
rolled back somehow.

I downloaded the instructions and it said something about "fitting" the
groundsheet, so you probably can roll it back. Otherwise put something
underneath the stove, like a metal tray.

Quoted message said:

If you're on your own, ease of erection would I imagine be a primary
consideration. Anything above a breeze is going to give you trouble
with any design that is really intended to have four hands at work
simultaneously. Vango's pitching instructions don't really help much
either way.

Well my Nallo is a similar design, but without the big porch. The
instructions are straightforward enough. Put the three poles in first, then
put two pegs in at the back of the tent, then pull the front of the tent
forward so that it takes shape and put two pegs in there. Then do all the
other stuff.

Paul
--
http://www.wilderness-wales.co.uk

On Apr 12, 11:13 pm, "Paul Saunders" <[email hidden]>

Quoted message said:

John Laird said:

Try Vango's own site:

Quoted message said:

http://www.vango.co.uk/products/tentsinfo.asp?typename=268

Do you know, that looks like it could be exactly the same picture, and they
may have used Photoshop trickery to colour the tent in a different colour!

LOL. Well spotted ! I think it's probably an attempt to show the two
colours that the larer tent is available in. It's clearly not the 2-
man version which is noticeably smaller (over a foot shorter in
height, for one thing).

In another post, you suggest you may have to measure your own height
when sat in a chair. Do take photos of this exercise !

--
"The buck doesn't even slow down here."