 Chrissy I had a Banshee 200 and you can easily cook in the porch. To make more room if you don't feel safe, unclip 1or 2 of the inner tent attachement points. I spent 3 nights on Arran and cooked each night in the pouring rain.
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Here taking a bashing in the snow in the Ardennes in Belgium:
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Think I dont like about the Banshee (and clones) is the slope and how high it is - slope cos it is pretty low at the back and hieght cos I cant sit up in it - but apart from that, given a budget and a need for a tent, there isnt much wrong with them. Cooking in the porch of any tent is hazardous - with a primus (I presume you mean its parafin or some other pressurised liquid fuel, not gas) I'd be very very wary in any tent. I have cooked very successfully with a gas stove in an Tigerpaw and seen people use a Banshee for the same - best bet is to use a good wind shield as well - both to save fuel and to stop any "flap" hitting the flame.
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You can easily sit up in the middle of the tent. Same issue with the Akto, Power Lizard, etc, etc....
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 Hi, thanks for your advice, I do like the Banshee but I have ordered the Coleman X2 now at 55 quid with free delivery.
I think the front porch of the X2 looks more windproof for cooking than the side of the Banshee, plus its handy as a storage compartment.
I know the Lichfield treklite is on offer at 33 quid delivered from the Argos Ebay store but it only had a HH of 3000mm whereas the X2 is 4000mm - I know it's not much but I suppose every little helps.
The RRP of the X2 is around 100-120 so at 55 quid it seems quite a good buy, I will have to check it out when it comes and if it is no good I will send it back.
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 Was in Blacks this afternoon (Islington) and happened to see a Banshee 200 as it was set up on the shop floor. It is admittedly very cheap but to me seemed little bigger than a bivy. Have to admit that cooking IN one would scare the life out of me. Would have thought that it would be fine for high summer use but seeing the pics from B_H I see they're used all year round...... eeeeek!
BH where would you put your wet pack/clothes smelly shoes? When the porch is open (for cooking) rain/sleet/snow would fall directly into the tent... how do you deal with that?
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Not sure if anyone cares anymore about comparing the banshee & lichfield -- but worth noting that the latter is made from ripstop fly fabric.
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 Actually Tim, according to one of the reviews that's an error in Argos' specification:
"Finally it was quoted that this tent is ripstop, making some buy this over the Vango version. It's not!! So consider this before you buy."
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Well as someone who cant' even comfortably sit up in a quasar I don't rate being able to sit up in a tent as something I look for. I only need to be able to change in it which means the roof is higher than my knees when folded up!! This means any of those tents would suit me for vertical height but not length. I never cook in a porch. A windshield around a stove and a pot on it is all I need and that happens outside the porch. We each have our ways but I have never had an issue cooking outside a tent porch. You do need to store shoes and sack in a porch (plus any other wet gear) which if that fits in when zipped up then ok for me. I'd prefer a vango than a coleman even though coleman has gotten better in last few years. Heavier though. I think you'd be happy with any of those tents so just get out in it and enjpy the journey!! Afterall it is only there to make your trip between camps possible. That's what I think.
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 If your tent doesn't have a porch to store wet gear, turn your packliner inside out, and put everything inside it. You can then bring it into the tent. I've cooked inside a tent without a porch, and i'm still alive. You have to very organised though, and i wouldn't do it if there was someone else in the tent. I'm not advising anyone else to do it.
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 You can easily sit up in the middle of the tent. Same issue with the Akto, Power Lizard, etc, etc....
I've seen the Banshee 200 pitched at Go Outdoors a few times and I was quite impressed with it. It seems to pitch solidly and looked well-designed. From memory, I'm not sure that you could sit up properly in it because the highest point of the tent culminates in quite a sharp apex. I remember thinking that I couldn't sit up in it comfortably and I'm a short-arse.
There was ample room for one but you'd have to be pretty good (and small) friends to fit two of you. The porch looked fine for cooking and I thought the tent would be an excellent choice for a first backpacking tent at only £80 from Go Outdoors.
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.jpg) As I put on another post the Lichfield is only £24.99 at Argos clearance shops now so for anyone starting out it's a decent tent not costing much to test the water
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 I've just got one off Ebay in fact, it turned up this morning - frighteningly light piece of kit but it looks decently enough put together. According to google the dimensions are identical to a banshee, so it'll have the same porch size as that.
Now I just have to work out some sleeping gear for the "it's freezing but I need a ***ing break" trips!
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The Coleman Avior X2 came yesterday and I have had a quick nosey inside and so far I am impressed.
First of all the tent is quite light so no issues in regards to backpacking. The bag is also quite useful as it can clip onto your rucksack easily.
Inside the bag, the tent seems of good quality, the tent pegs are like metal steaks so really solid not like the usual cheap pegs you get. There is a small repair kit too.
I am hoping to get it pitched up over the weekend weather permitting to have a good check over it and to inspect the quality further. Also worth noting that it comes with a 2 year guarantee so for those worried about quality issues this should pretty much cover any manufacturing defects.
So far so good - I will keep you posted.
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Bedouin wrote (see) BH where would you put your wet pack/clothes smelly shoes? When the porch is open (for cooking) rain/sleet/snow would fall directly into the tent... how do you deal with that? Had quite a few tents since the Banshee, but it was possible. Tent is designed to have the small ending into wind, which effectively renders the porch useless. I always pitched the larger end ino wind to make the porch useable. Unclipping the inner helps to create room and a black bin liner to store the wet ruchsack in the inner tent. Downside of pitching the large end into wind is that you get a faceful of iner when the wind blows hard, but easily overcome by sleeping with your head in the small end. Ventillation on the Banshee was great, so even with the door open a little at the bottom (it only had one zip, it worked fine. I don't have a problem with smelly shoes, but room enough for my boots in the porch with all the inner clipped in place. One has to start somewhere, but with hindsight, I should have just bought an Akto at the beginning.
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