Gear

I'm neither Witold Rybczynski or a tent fashionesta...it'll move in a few hours. Now if you were to paint your abode in searing orange...that may be reason to cause social ostracising. Unlike a computer screen orange fabric to my knowledge doesn't leave an after-image on the retina, and the memory will fade in time. Lets' explore the Orange within us all.

Orange leaves a bluish afer image

Terra Nova red leaves a dark green after image (against white) no after image against grass


(but it depends how long you look at it and how still your eye is)


These days I have 1 green TN Super Quasar

I have never needed to make it more visible in the snow, but if I do, I'll tie prayer flags to the guy lines!

optimologically speaking....I wasn't.
Orange tent to hiker is like a red flag to bull. (not speaking as an optimologist of course)

I'm a lighting designer so my information was from a chart up on the office wall!

Boring charts leave an after image of somewhere you would prefer to be ;-)



Got to admit that I keep looking at TNF VE25 which is bright orange, but I'm more interested in the extra porch space for cooking during downpours.

Rig'n'Dale - it's not actually the Kath Kidson one. It's onew I bought about 6 hyears ago from Millets. Not actually flowery, pretty close, more of a sort of mexican/inca suns and dancing figures type thingy. Not seen another like it ever, but it's a similar shape and architectural design stylee, bit less height than the Kath Kidson. It's been fabulous, lasted really well, still using it and prob will be for years (always go to Glasto each year and a few other festie's), dead easy to put up and take down, small, light and comes in it's own carrying case of the same material. Actually camped in the Ogwen Valley in it in a storm and it held up really well. And you never lose it when you're stumbling around in the dark, p*ssed as a newt or otherwise, amongst a zillion other tents!! Awesome man!!!!
(shoot me now...)

Mark E, Vango Equinox has brill porch space for cooking during downpours. Mind you, it's hardly backpaking stylee tent weighing in at about 5kg's. More of a base camp, relax and chill style jobbie. They are excellent tents tho and can stand up to anything you throw at them storm and weather wise.

I had a Vango Hydra 200+ which had a fantastic porch.

The problem was that when the stitching got damaged around a guy attachment point during a gale, I contacted Vango with regard to getting a repair and they were so off hand that I swore never to buy Vango again!

Terra Nova have repaired a damaged zip and replaced a bent pole for free, and their customer service reputation was the main reason that I chose them.

Sorry if that jades me a bit on Vango tents

RE-

'Interesting that so many people have several tents, the TN is the only one we have ever needed.'

Having several tents can give you flexibility that one tent cannot afford.

My tangerine base camp is ideal for harsh winter camping in remote areas in the UK. The tent is heavy and orange. It is also good for summer base camp in scotland/ Orkney when it can be very windy providing it is pitched where it will not upset others - discretely.

UK winter nights are long so more room makes a bigger tent much more comfortable - you can sit up, play cards and cook in the porch and generally spread out if you so desire.

I sacrifice heavy items such as water during winter when using this tent so my pack weight will be similar to that used with a lighter tent in the summer.

The orange tent is easier to spot in poor lighting, fog, rain, night, snow etc.

Not so many people venture out in the winter so the tent is less likely to be spotted anyway and probably those out will be more 'hard core' and understand your wild camp and orange tent.

During the summer a smaller lighter tent is preferable and green/ brown in colour so it blends in more. All for the oposite reasons noted above.

This is not to say one tent is not enough, just that two or more can be preferable. Colour of your tent can be suitable/ not so suitable for certain conditions, as can size, etc etc. Cost is another factor - if you can't justify splashing out on more than one tent get one that will be ok in all expected conditions and probably green/ brown if you wild camp.

I may well be looking for a single person tent soon for summer use when I venture out on my own. It will be used mainly in summer, spring, autumn so the coulour will be green and it will be a lightweight design.

Champagne Cocktail - thanks

Multiple tents are definitely an advantage!

My small tent (1.5 person) erects VERY fast in all weathers, and pitches as one, so great in the rain. However, the groundsheet isn't great anymore, and it's quite cramped inside. Definitely not good for more than a couple of nights.

My large one (2+ person with loads of space) is a right faff to pitch especially pitching it with only one person, so if I were arriving late at night somewhere, and was on my own, staying for just one night, I wouldn't bother! However, it's bombproof, spacious (great for sitting out bad weather) and has enough room to cook inside the tent if it's wet/cold outside.

Which I use at any one time depends totally on the conditions and length of time I'm camping for

What about the no. of Yellow tents in this poll?????

1 x BRIGHT YELLOW (macpac Olympus)

However, one of the doors is now orange, after a so called friend threw Heinz spagetti sauce down it.

Multiple tents - well, i see it this way, I can't afford multiple houses like I'd like to (you know, one in the UK, one in the south of France etc.) so multiple tents makes up for it. Gives one plenty of choice - do I feel orange, green or multi-coloured today???

(deffo take me out and shoot me)

paul....i think for the purposes of this poll....yellow will have to slip in there with it's cousin the tangerine dream machine.

Whats an optimologist? Someone who studies the causes of an upbeat outlook perhaps?

2 x yellow VE-25 (yes I know why 2....long story!)
1x Blue Vango Micro 100
1x beige/grey Robens triple dreamer

looking at Nallo 2 gt or Vango spirit...both come in red or green....I've heard red make a lighter inner?