secretagentmole Posted July 31, 2016 Report Share Posted July 31, 2016 Recommendation try to buy a tent that the maker reckons sleeps twice the number of people that will be using it. Otherwise by god you have to be a very close family or very very close friends! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rimfire4969 Posted July 31, 2016 Report Share Posted July 31, 2016 Recommendation try to buy a tent that the maker reckons sleeps twice the number of people that will be using it. Otherwise by god you have to be a very close family or very very close friends! Good point, but on the other hand don't go down the 12 or 14 man route as lots of sites won't take them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
figgy Posted July 31, 2016 Report Share Posted July 31, 2016 Love the old canvas frame tents! But then went on to these http://uk.images.search.yahoo.com/images/view;_ylt=A2KLj9MVzJ1XsRAARi3w3olQ;_ylu=X3oDMTIyazBxdHA1BHNlYwNzcgRzbGsDaW1nBG9pZANhZGQ2OTUyNjJiYzA3YjRhODQ5ODU3OTYyNWM0ZDYyNgRncG9zAzEEaXQDYmluZw--?.origin=&back=http%3A%2F%2Fuk.images.search.yahoo.com%2Fsearch%2Fimages%3Fp%3Dgoogle%2Bimages%2Brapido%2Bconfort%26fr%3Diphone%26fr2%3Dpiv-web%26tab%3Dorganic%26ri%3D1&w=800&h=1064&imgurl=i26.servimg.com%2Fu%2Ff26%2F11%2F06%2F18%2F67%2Frapido18.jpg&rurl=http%3A%2F%2Fcaravanerapido.forumsactifs.com%2Ft7521-vendu-a-vendre-rapido-confort-1976&size=134.8KB&name=chariots+de+relevage+fournis+googlevideo&p=google+images+rapido+confort&oid=add695262bc07b4a8498579625c4d626&fr2=piv-web&fr=iphone&tt=chariots+de+relevage+fournis+googlevideo&b=0&ni=21&no=1&ts=&tab=organic&sigr=12fqcadj0&sigb=13lno3nvu&sigi=11e7cklul&sigt=118653cvf&sign=118653cvf&.crumb=SzzSWNMXY4D&fr=iphone&fr2=piv-web You now need the retro 2CV to tow it with. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
parapilot Posted July 31, 2016 Report Share Posted July 31, 2016 We also have a Montana 6, and I also can't fault it, excellent tent, big, easy to put up and very solid. High quality. Kids love it. We've got the Outwell Montana 6 and it's been a great tent stood up to some serious weather and never leaked or been troubled with strong wind. Not your smallest tent when packed away but I can't fault it. You can also got a additional porch or extension if you need extra room for bike storage/cooking area etc Go outdoors have the Montana 6 with foot print ground sheet and porch I think for around £450 I believe. This is our Outwell Montana 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lord Geordie Posted July 31, 2016 Report Share Posted July 31, 2016 You now need the retro 2CV to tow it with. not a chance in hell The gearbox goes south the minute you get anything like hot weather and a long journey! I would love an old Renault 4 to tow with though Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
secretagentmole Posted July 31, 2016 Report Share Posted July 31, 2016 not a chance in hell The gearbox goes south the minute you get anything like hot weather and a long journey! I would love an old Renault 4 to tow with though Renault 4? You do not know how to live man. Citroen SM...... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cueball Posted July 31, 2016 Report Share Posted July 31, 2016 As previously said Montana 6 rules the roost on family tents but are big to pack away and put up. If your just looking for something to use 2 to 3 times a year is quick to put up and down then I would advise the 5 man vango tents. Well made for the money and must less hassle than the outwell. I think go outdoors stock both. Think though that this tent plus everything else needs to fit in your car with your family. I have an outwell tent but wish I had got the vango for the simplicity of them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jonny thomas Posted August 1, 2016 Report Share Posted August 1, 2016 We were at a festival last year and a couple of chaps pitched their tent next to us. It was an inflatable pole type. They then went off to the main site for some grub. I heard a loud pop and I saw the front half of their tent doing a good impression of brewer's droop. They had a repair kit which didn't really work so they had to spend three days in half a tent. Don't think I'd buy one. people were over inflating the early ones when it got hot the air expands you saw what happens then.you get a blow off valve on the pump now Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TaxiDriver Posted August 1, 2016 Report Share Posted August 1, 2016 people were over inflating the early ones when it got hot the air expands you saw what happens then.you get a blow off valve on the pump now I think Mrs TD has one of them there valves Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oowee Posted August 1, 2016 Report Share Posted August 1, 2016 We have the Cirrus 6 inflatable from Go. It was £600 as a kit (carpet under ground sheet). The air poles are encased in a reinforced tube which is further encased in a zip up cover. Its 100% waterproof (6000mm head) which has worked for us over two years of use and 80 nights. Its flexible and bends in a storm rather than breaks. It can be put up in less than 15 mins complete. Hardest part about it is the weight and getting it back in the bag. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rimfire4969 Posted August 2, 2016 Report Share Posted August 2, 2016 Just a note on a air beam, yesterday we had a very wet day in Cornwall. We had one tent that had a problem it seems the weight if water pooled on the roof of the air beam tent this forced the roof down so collecting more and more water. By the time someone noticed it the tent was in a bad way. A big push out from underneath and it popped back into shape an few hours later it happened again. No idea why, it could of been not enough pressure in the tubes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jonny thomas Posted August 2, 2016 Report Share Posted August 2, 2016 Just a note on a air beam, yesterday we had a very wet day in Cornwall. We had one tent that had a problem it seems the weight if water pooled on the roof of the air beam tent this forced the roof down so collecting more and more water. By the time someone noticed it the tent was in a bad way. A big push out from underneath and it popped back into shape an few hours later it happened again. No idea why, it could of been not enough pressure in the tubes. badly erected there are extra straps inside for bad weather Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LowStandards Posted August 2, 2016 Report Share Posted August 2, 2016 (edited) badly erected there are extra straps inside for bad weather This is exactly what happened to my mates airbeam, the porch area and it wasn't badly put up. The storm straps are comical as they go across the living area so you have to step through them. I think as a concept they seem a good idea, but in reality, what's wrong with a few poles, they just work... Edited August 2, 2016 by LowStandards Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
secretagentmole Posted August 2, 2016 Report Share Posted August 2, 2016 This is exactly what happened to my mates airbeam, the porch area and it wasn't badly put up. The storm straps are comical as they go across the living area so you have to step through them. I think as a concept they seem a good idea, but in reality, what's wrong with a few poles, they just work... Might be sent home when we leave the EU? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ElvisThePelvis Posted August 2, 2016 Author Report Share Posted August 2, 2016 As previously said Montana 6 rules the roost on family tents but are big to pack away and put up. If your just looking for something to use 2 to 3 times a year is quick to put up and down then I would advise the 5 man vango tents. Well made for the money and must less hassle than the outwell. I think go outdoors stock both. Think though that this tent plus everything else needs to fit in your car with your family. I have an outwell tent but wish I had got the vango for the simplicity of them. Thanks, that sounds like good advice, is the Vango pole or air? people were over inflating the early ones when it got hot the air expands you saw what happens then.you get a blow off valve on the pump now Funnily enough I wondered whether that was the case, a pump we bought for kids paddling pool had the same Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FalconFN Posted August 3, 2016 Report Share Posted August 3, 2016 Or just go for the bell tent and have one central metal pole doing all the work so no need for pumps, patches or worries about failures, and have £500 left in your pocket This is ours after 5 years use and it's still as robust and enjoyable as on day one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
islandgun Posted August 3, 2016 Report Share Posted August 3, 2016 Bell Tent with a woodburner, within your budget and you can use it all year round and will put up with just about any weather thrown at it. Forget any budget tent, we have so many left in our bins at the end of guests stays its not funny. I have been looking at these recently can you recommend a favourite, able to take a stove Or just go for the bell tent and have one central metal pole doing all the work so no need for pumps, patches or worries about failures, and have £500 left in your pocket This is ours after 5 years use and it's still as robust and enjoyable as on day one. bell tent.JPG Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FalconFN Posted August 3, 2016 Report Share Posted August 3, 2016 Ours is a Soul Pad but I'm sure they are all pretty similar. It's definitely worth getting the biggest size you can - 4 metre is big but the 5 metre feels cavernous in comparison. Any polycotton tent can have a stove as you just need to cut a hole in the roof/side and fit a flue panel. The only downside is the constant threat of bunting. I've so far been able to limit it to garden use but I fear it's just a matter of time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fitzy Posted August 3, 2016 Report Share Posted August 3, 2016 Originally bought a Cabanon Aruba when we started having a family. Fantastic tent but had to then buy a trailer to transport it. Weighs an absolute ton. Takes a good while to put up but does have a kitchen area, bedroom extension, wardrobe and has a strength and stability that few can rival. Bought a Montana 6 with front and side canopies for weekends but this tends to be our go to tent. The rain porch is a god send when the weather is bad. Also used to house the porta potty at night. Great with young kids. Haven't used the Aruba in over 10 years. Now have a caravan and most camping tends to be in the garden. Also set aside money for equipment. Don't scrimp on quality air beds/mattresses as always found sleeping to be the worst aspect of camping. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
secretagentmole Posted August 3, 2016 Report Share Posted August 3, 2016 Originally bought a Cabanon Aruba when we started having a family. Fantastic tent but had to then buy a trailer to transport it. Weighs an absolute ton. Takes a good while to put up but does have a kitchen area, bedroom extension, wardrobe and has a strength and stability that few can rival. An Aztec Cantera 9 has all that, sleeps 6 comfortably, 9 at a squeeze in the bedroom pods, 12 easily if you sleep in the main dome as well, has a kitchen extension, and is easily transported in the boot of a Vectra. Strength and stability beats anything I knew of, even a full Cornish monsoon with gale force winds and rain that would drown a fish was shrugged off with ease. It was that bad the site owner gave us a pallet to stand on in the kitchen area as that was the only bit without a liner/groundsheet and there was a flow of water going downhill! Damned impressive tent and to set up the whole outfit including toilet/shower tent, inflating beds, setting up the kitchen, including fridge, toaster, kettle, halogen oven, camping stove, et al, setting up the electrics including the satellite TV only took a couple of hours, the tent only took 20 minutes of that to fully erect! A tent like the Aztec opened up sites that most campers would pass on, a camping toilet and a battery powered shower meant that "own san" sites were ours to use and to get Cornwall at the height of the tourist season at £10 a night can save you the cost of all the camping equipment in 3 years (we also did not want to stay on a site with fish and chip shops, bars, screaming kids, screaming teenagers, screaming parents). Some things are multi tasking, like a PS2 or 3 can play DVDs and blu rays in the case of the PS3, just remember to put them in the car when you go out if you are unsure of the site in any way. We camped in out of the way sites with some of the most amazing views (the site in Bodmin was almost like being in the damned Alps), always paid well under what the going rate was for a full amenities site and never missed any of the amenities either! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rimfire4969 Posted August 3, 2016 Report Share Posted August 3, 2016 I have been looking at these recently can you recommend a favourite, able to take a stove Unfortunately I can't recommend any favourites, I just speak as a caravan & camping site owner in Cornwall who see's when we have a storm comes through in March that the happiest campers who are still warm and dry and did not needed to sleep in their car are the owners of bell tents or caravans. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
islandgun Posted August 3, 2016 Report Share Posted August 3, 2016 Ours is a Soul Pad but I'm sure they are all pretty similar. It's definitely worth getting the biggest size you can - 4 metre is big but the 5 metre feels cavernous in comparison. Any polycotton tent can have a stove as you just need to cut a hole in the roof/side and fit a flue panel. The only downside is the constant threat of bunting. I've so far been able to limit it to garden use but I fear it's just a matter of time. it was the bunting that first attracted me to this type of tent, that and the obligatory horse chestnut tree although I do worry about the falling leaves problem Unfortunately I can't recommend any favourites, I just speak as a caravan & camping site owner in Cornwall who see's when we have a storm comes through in March that the happiest campers who are still warm and dry and did not needed to sleep in their car are the owners of bell tents or caravans. indeed there are plenty of collapsed tents on our local campsite after a gale Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
secretagentmole Posted August 3, 2016 Report Share Posted August 3, 2016 Unfortunately I can't recommend any favourites, I just speak as a caravan & camping site owner in Cornwall who see's when we have a storm comes through in March that the happiest campers who are still warm and dry and did not needed to sleep in their car are the owners of bell tents or caravans. it was the bunting that first attracted me to this type of tent, that and the obligatory horse chestnut tree although I do worry about the falling leaves problem indeed there are plenty of collapsed tents on our local campsite after a gale Our Aztec endured many days of Cornish gales, and rain, lesser tents (ie ones from Halfords) had additional waterproofing (tarpaulins) placed over them and even then they were sleeping in the car, we were enjoying roast beef despite the stream through the kitchen (no inner floor in that you see). The only problem we had was when putting it up the downpour meant we had to bail out the tent after we put it up (separate fly sheet to outer, which is why it is so warm). Once we had done that, warm, dry and comfortable! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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