We all love our tents (hopefully) each one for different reasons and uses, so lets see why you bought them? there pros and cons, do you think they are all justified? and who`s got the most?
I`ve got 4, I`ll now try to justify why...
EASYCAMP RIMINI , A roomy 2 person campsite type, bought to get `er indoors, outdoors, lots of room in porch for the kitchen sink etc, and nice windows to watch the rain,and it looks good. One of the glassfibre poles did split, but some glue and tape seems to have sorted it.
NORTHFACE ROCK 22 A good allrounder, like the 2 doors and porches, just the right size for a double airbed, lots of pockets, easy to pitch in 5 mins. A bit too much mesh for cold nights, a bit to heavy at around 3 k for big backtracking trips, although I do take it when `er indoors is dragged along.
WILD COUNTRY ZEPHYR Great little tent, a roomy 1 person, or a friendly 2 (thats why WE bought the rock 22) , must have used it well into 3 figures in all seasons and still going strong, warm in winter with just a small part meshed, but door can be unzipped to mesh only, if required. Similar size new models are a fair bit lighter.
MOUNTAIN EQUIPTMENT AR ULTRALIGHT 2 my latest purchase 2 weeks ago (after sending a Mountain hardware airjet 2 back with vent design faults) took it on 2 bothy trips to Scotland (just in case) last week, but did not use it ( slept in bothies) so have not tested it out yet, like the low weight, my only niggle is why is`nt it tape seamed as standard, I ve applied the silicon sealer, which was a bit of a drag, so I`ll have to see how waterproof it is the hard way.
So thats my lot up to now, Although I`m thinking now of a 4 season semi/ geodosic tent now, almost bought a Northface tadpole 23DL in blacks sale in Keswick on Friday (£179 I think) but there was to much mesh for 4 season, so I`ll keep looking.
One tent's enough for anyone. I bought an old Hilleberg Naik because my cotton Vango Force 10 wasn't really doing it for me anymore. The Naik's main features are being very easy to pitch and collecting condensation for a hobby. Actually that's not quite fair, it's also has a very small footprint, so it's good for ledges and other places that aren't too roomy. It seems to be good at not collapsing in storms, but it shakes a good deal and keeps you awake.
My next tent will be self pitching and only weigh .5Kg, because I'll buy it in 2032 when I've finished paying off the mortgage
I have just the one Mountain Hardware Skyledge 2 that they gave me after I returned an Air Jet for the same reason as you Alan, (btw did you read my previous pot bout that?). So far very impressed with it though its not had a massive ammount of use yet.
smeg, yes, it was me you saw by llyn casseg, glyders, Cotswold gave me my money back with no problem (I`d had it 11.5 months) I quoted your problems and my own by email first, which obviously was enough, so cheers.
Duncan, you use a survival zone as a bag liner, isnt that really uncomfortale? Surely it would have to pretty damn cold to warrent that though with condnsation being an issue in the down? Or did you mean outer?
started with a dome tent (dark blue/green) that cost about £90 in about 1991, used when i was in the scouts and for other camping, used it for 6weeks when digging as a student somewhere in 2000, the fly was getting brittle it finally shred itself to death in some slightly stormy conditions one afternoon i spent the next couple of weeks sleeping on the floor of the site office/finds store/tool store.
following season, being a poor student still, i had aquired a large tent inner, had the poles from the previous tent, and a cheapo blue plastic tarp which made a perfectly fine shelter to sleep in (but not any good for anything else)
2002 looked about a bit in internet at different tents, being a poor student i entered every competion i could find to win a tent, and won an (alledgedly 2 man) aztec esquina tent (yellow/orange) from bluedome.co.uk . serves me well, survived the january 2005 buttermere om meet (less said about that and tents the better), other om meets loads of other camping, wildcamping. still use it today, now has a slight problem with one of the zips on the main door so i wouldn't use it in serious weather.
jan2005 the alloy poles on the esquina did get rather bent after a plastic guy attachment failed, i did attempt to get some replacement poles with out success, in the end i took them apart, found a way of bending the poles back towards where they should have been, reassembled poles so all three poles were equally bent.
feb/march 2005 got a Mountain hardware PCT2 (yucky green) in the Slush & Rubble sale, used it a couple of times over easter, not overly keen on it compared to the esquina. repaired esquina - PCT2 in gear cuboard almost ever since. PCT2 probably for sale when i have some time.
2007 sort of thinking about two new tents, a solid maybe heavy 3 man geodysic for car camping, plus a small lighterweight tent for general wildcamping.
next week and the following week i may be doing a bit of wildcamping in scotland, bought a Vango Spirit lite (red) two person tent of ebay last week(£83 incP+P), i should really have checked the length of the inner first, not quite long enough to lie out straight... hmm, well i'll use it a bit anyway, its brand new, might sell it on again sometime...
colour wise i have preference towards the yellow - orange - red end of the spectrum, although i't possible that i could be tempted by a dark green, black or grass green, however i do like to be able to find my tents.
When I was a student I had a Eurohike A frame tent bought from Millets that went on pilgrimage to Santiago di Compostella in Spain, then several trips to excavations in Italy. It eventually went mouldy after being stored in a mouldy under-stairs cupboard.
Last year I bought a Vango Delta 300, really cheap, to try out camping, decided I liked it, and that I wanted to camp through the winter, so bought a Force Ten Ascent off Fleabay, really cheap. I also bought a brand new Vango TBS micro 100, really cheap off Fleabay for the day when I go wildcamping. Had hoped it would be this summer, but my crumbling body has declined to cooperate There'll be another time.
I've only recently bought the second of my tents, a The North Face Tadpole 23 and can't wait to try it out during some wild camping up in Skiddaw forrest sort of way next week, but before that I've managed to get away very nicely with an absalutely dirt cheap Eurohike Teviot that I bought about 5 years ago now which was originally bought for Reading festival and miraculously survived.
Since then it really has performed rather well even managing to survive some fairly surprising winds around the Brecons, so all in all probably the best value piece of kit I ever bought, have to say I wouldn't want to spend another night inside it in the 40mph or so winds I had last time, definite proof that dome tents can also flex rather impressively...
I also have a Salewa Sarec dome tent, about 5 years old, not been out for about 4 years. Brilliant, got an Eagle emblazoned on the flysheet, I must dig it out and look at it soon!
Vango Aspen 700 DLX (for family camping in luxury)
Easy Camp Milano 500 (for family camping without the missus)
Vango Delta 300 (for family - missus and solo easy camping out of the car with the kids cos it takes 2 seconds to put up)
Adventure 1 (unknown manufacturer - a frame tent from 25 years ago and my first tent - still a classic and still used occasionally. 2kg, internal height 1.1m, storm proof)
Vaude Odyssee (for 1/2 man winter expos)
Lightwave T0 Ultra (for 1 man lightweight all season camping)
Golite Lair 1 (one man ultralightweight tarp-tenting)
Various Bivvy bags + various tarps (for ultralightweight tarping/bivvying)
We are also a few down now as we had an Ebay clearout recently and lost a few that we'd been not using for years. We now only have:-
Quechua T4.1 - extended summer trip tent - still a tunnel tent but we can both stand up in it; essential after spending a previous fortnight hunched over in the:
Vango Equinox TBS 350 - basecamp with 4-season strength
Terra Nova Solar 2 for backpacking or winter cosiness
MHW Thru-hiker - previous backpacking tent and cosy in winter - love it to bits and can't bear to part with it
Festi tent - some Argos dome thing with fibreglass poles - survived many years and still going strong.
Fly and poles for a WC Levache - only used three times then mice ate the inner
Currently have a Saunders Spacepacker for when we want small and light, and a Hileberg Tarra for when we want more space with serious bombproofing.
I did have a Saunders Snowcat for those occasions when we wanted more space than the Spacepacker though without the extra weight and bulk of a full storm tent, but my wife wanted something with a wider inner so that was sold on and we're currently in the market for a replacement. We came up with a big list of wants for that, which has narrowed the field a bit... it needs to have an inner at least 140 cm wide, be not more than 3 Kg, have either a very large extended porch or 2 fair sized porches, both inhabitants should have equal access to the door(s) and storage, confy sitting space for 2 people at once and steep inner walls rising where heads rest for sleep. The "preferable, but not deal breakers" list is simultaneous pitch preferred over fly-first preferred over inner-first, silicone elastomer coated nylon or polyester fly, and any mesh in the inner should be coverable with "solid" panels. So far the front runner is the Hilleberg Kaitum, but I have yet to see one in the flesh. Hilleberg have complicated matters by promising a 3 man version next year which at 3 Kg is still in spec but gives us a real party tent for an extra 300g. Hmmmm. Other front runner is the ME Dragonfly 3 XT, but again I'd like to play with one in person. Hilleberg Nallo 3 GT a possible option too, but my wife prefers the semi-geo of the ME over the plain tunnel of the Hilleberg. Anyone know of others that fit our various wants and needs?
I suspect we might just end up borrowing my pa's Spacepacker Plus next time we go cycle touring. Not absolutely ideal, but better than the standard Spacepacker for space and basically free, which counts for a lot, and aside from the inner sloping close over one's heid when laying down it does hit the bases..
Technically I still suppose I own a Force 10 Mk 3 which is in a cupboard somewhere either at my folks' home or my brother's. Great tent, just as long as you don't have to carry it anywhere!
We might get a big wendy-house for car camping: something one can stand up in without needing a hole in the roof, maybe a Vango Oregon 400 or similar.
No 1 Tent. Blacks Artic Guinea - bought in the 1960s. Along with the Blacks Mountain tent - were the only tents of their day for winter camping.
No 2 Tent. Blacks Good Companion Minor - single person tent - but far too heavy for backpacking. Extended the flysheet as per guide in the 'Climber and Rambler' magazine. These were the days when we had only the one walking mag (in black and white). Easily blown away in strong wind at Langdale campsite.
No 3. Goretex bivi bag as per design in above magazine - still going strong
No 4. Saunders Backpacker. Backpacking for 1.5 people. Now in shreds.
No 5. Pheonoix Phortress - for Winter Camping - lighter then the Artic Guinea. Both No4 and 5 used at 16,000 feet in Himalayers.
No 6. Saunders Sattelite+. Backpacking for 1 or 2 and dog. Still my favourite when I need space for wet clothes/dog etc
No 7. Hilleberg Akto - Every serious backpacker should have one!
No 8. Vango Equinox TBS 250 - . Need a bit of comfort in my old age at base camp.
I reckon I spend 2 months per year under canvas so comparing with cost of B & Bs they are a bargain.
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There'll be another time.
