Tent recommendations

[Doc Holliday]

As per the title really. Looking to get some recommendations on a 4-5 man tent. I've done a bit of research this past week or so, and went to a camping store to view some tents they had on display. They had a couple there which looked pretty good. A Vango Beta 550XL and an Outwell Lindale 5PA. The latter was on offer as en ex-demo with a couple of hundred quid off, which was very tempting but then when we asked the guy how long it had been out and the  expected lifespan, he kind of avoided answering, which made us a bit suspicious as to the integrity of the place, which was shame.

Anyhoo, there seems to be a plethora of intel out there and as the OH has stipulated she wants some space and comfort then I'd like to know what level of hydrostatic head and denier of fabric to ensure that even if it does blow a hoolie then we'd still like to be snugs as bugs in rugs (?) and the tent won't be flapping about. I've a HH of 4000 would be sufficient but then the denier is only about 70-75, which means it's quite lightweight. 

I'm not too fussed whether poles or air are used, although the latter seems to be the way things are going.  I did have a look at trailer tents as well and don't think they're for us. Still need to store the trailer when it's all packed away whereas a pole/air tent can be stored a lot easier. 

[Ultrastu]

Air Poles are a disaster  in high wind and poor weather .

Vango makes some really good stuff .and being a uk brand they are much easier to get spares for .

Don't be tempted by a show tent that's been left in the sun for weeks or months  it will rip and fail much faster than a new tent.

Just looked at that outwell . That massive canopy will be horrendous  when the wind gets up .

[Doc Holliday]

Ah, man! I really liked the look of that canopy 😔 I could see myself standing there with my morning coffee and looking out at the rain without the fear of it coming in, but I totally get your point and it is duly noted 👍

The ex-demo tent had us like that, as in how much UV can a tent take before it starts to become a bit 'fragile'. Again, good point and duly noted.

Interesting point you make about the air poles being a bit of pain. I assume you are talking from personal experience or know of some who have? TBH, I'm not particularly fussed about the air pole/beams and I guessed there would be a trade off over stability, etc., but thank you for your prompt reply and advice. 

[oowee]

First you need to be clear what type of camping and what kit you want to take. The out well stuff is good and 4m of hh will be mostly fine. I would try to get the carpet and under sheet as it keeps it clean and increases comfort. We have electric hook up and a fridge but like to have a comfortable set up but without taking too much space. Lightweight is also mostly good as it will pack smaller. We are only two but have space for 6 as we take, boards, bikes and stuff.

Our tent is inflatable its about 10 years old and going strong (no UV degradation after around 80 nights) although not used it for 4 years as we spent our time on the boat. The air tents are very strong but bend with the wind. Even with interior cross bracing they will not stand up in heavy weather. THere is however a very simple remedy to cantilever front and rear guides over a fixed pole (bamboo cane will suffice) then you will get the best of both worlds. Speed and simplicity and very strong.  Big canopy's can be put away in strong winds but for sun i would take a shade sheet particularly on the continent. 

I would strongly recommend a self inflating mattress (mine is 75mm thick) and inflate it with either an air sack or pressure pump. 

[billytheghillie]

35 minutes ago, Doc Holliday said:

As per the title really. Looking to get some recommendations on a 4-5 man tent. I've done a bit of research this past week or so, and went to a camping store to view some tents they had on display. They had a couple there which looked pretty good. A Vango Beta 550XL and an Outwell Lindale 5PA. The latter was on offer as en ex-demo with a couple of hundred quid off, which was very tempting but then when we asked the guy how long it had been out and the  expected lifespan, he kind of avoided answering, which made us a bit suspicious as to the integrity of the place, which was shame.

Anyhoo, there seems to be a plethora of intel out there and as the OH has stipulated she wants some space and comfort then I'd like to know what level of hydrostatic head and denier of fabric to ensure that even if it does blow a hoolie then we'd still like to be snugs as bugs in rugs (?) and the tent won't be flapping about. I've a HH of 4000 would be sufficient but then the denier is only about 70-75, which means it's quite lightweight. 

I'm not too fussed whether poles or air are used, although the latter seems to be the way things are going.  I did have a look at trailer tents as well and don't think they're for us. Still need to store the trailer when it's all packed away whereas a pole/air tent can be stored a lot easier. 

Look at trailer tents again, i have a Pennine fiesta folding one and its brilliant. 2 DOUBLE BEDS, cooker, fridge, electric hook up and set up much quicker than a tent. I tow it with my Suzuki Vitara and half the time you dont know its there. I just leave mine outside, but put a extra cover on it.

[Dougy]

We have a Coleman 6XL air tent, its stood up to some pretty strong wind and very heavy rain in the lake district. The only issue we had with the air pole was user error, the seal around the valve was loose, if i had of read the instructions it would not have been a problem. The speed of erection (lets see if that gets through the filter) for a tent 7mtr x 4mtr is about 30 mins, and you could have a disco inside 😊

[TIGHTCHOKE]

Go to your nearest Go Outdoors, very helpful, have a huge range and very competitively priced.

[Ultrastu]

When looking for a summer tent. Especially  in hot France consider ventilation  .

So through doors and roof vents and even rear doors that open up .

Great when in the middle of the day when hot and roof vents for night time  early morning .

[rovercoupe]

The only tents I don’t see in the bin at work are air beam tents and the outwell ones with big steel poles.

vango will do repairs and parts on tents which is nice the rest are mostly disposable it seems these days.

I do see people with punctures in airbeam tents from time to time so a repair kit or spare beam would be a worthwhile investment if you get one of those and if all the beams are the same then that would be a bonus if one fails. 
 

if you want to go really out there then there are some cool brands like tentipi which will last a lifetime over the nylon types and the bell tent type is huge at the moment but don’t get a Chinese one as the quality can be a bit off. 
BCT tents make pretty much anything you want but the cost is high but there British made and bomb proof! They bought our relum and still wonder if they have the rights to the air rifles.

[Blackpowder]

Vango are mountaineering based I have found their tents excellent.

 

Blackpowder

[fitzy]

Own an Outwell Montana with steel poles that’s been very good but the sturdiest tent is our Cabanon Aruba canvas tent. Colour scheme could be out the 80’s but it’s incredibly strong. Cabanon’s weigh a ton, eye watering expensive new and dirt cheap second hand.

[Doc Holliday]

Tent purchase update!

So, it came down to a toss up between Outwell & Vango, or so we thought. This was narrowed down to Outwell purely on their 'Quick & Quiet' magentic door closing arrangement, which the OH was taken with.

We did a tour of a couple of other showrooms (those with tents on display indoors this time) and then saw the premium range from Outwell, the poly cotton range. We had a look at these and decided on the Springville 5SA. The only trouble was... there were none to be had. All still stuck in China! (Maybe a blessing in disguise here)

On asking the guy what would be a good quality alternative, he suggested the Dometic Boracay FTC 3 TC. A nice looking tent but it lacked space. Well, enough to be kind of comfortable in. It turns out Dometic, who are part of the Kampa brand, do a 4 berth tent, the Boracay FTC 401 TC (Here). Didn't have one to show but he gave us an idea as to the floor space. So, after 2 hours or so, we said we would have to go and have a think and look over the techs & specs, plus the temperature was really getting up by now (this was on Tuesday).

On looking over the product online, low & behold, we came across the Dometic Ascension FTX 401 TC (Here). What a tent! I could have bought this on the spot but the OH suggested we sleep on it (damn that sensible head of hers).

It came down to 2 things. Firstly, if we put it away wet then where could we put it to dry out when we got home (too many plants in the garden)? Secondly, could we really justify the additional £800 for it? As nice as it was, and as good as it was that there were add on's we could get and the flexibility to do more things with it were a real attraction but... the sensible head won!

Will be picking it up a week on Sunday and have a week in Brittany in early September on the radar, subject to getting the necessary paperwork to travel.

Will post reviews of both tent & site/s.

Edited July 21, 2022 by Doc Holliday

[pux]

We have a Zempire air tent thats got air poles! Its amazing tent, takes a good battering in the wind. I have been quite smug in the morning to wake up and find the normal style tents have been broken by the wind and ours is still all good. 

 

https://www.zempire.co.uk/evo-tl-v2-3