I'm planning on taking a few long-distance walks this year and I have been kitting myself out, but too a very tight budget.
A decent tent is a must, as you won't get far without sleeping comfortably! So after much hunting and reading reviews I decided on the Vango Banshee. The price and apparent quality was very attractive, and it's one cool looking tent too!
I set up the tent in the garden ready for a tester. The wind was blowing heavily, but it thankfully died down slightly as I was putting it up.
It went up with ease, first erecting the inner tent, then the fly sheet. In rainy weather this is a problem of course as the inner tent will get wet, and you cannot pitch flysheet first, or pitch both attached together. But come to think of it, you could pitch the inner tent with the flysheet thrown over the top, to cover it from the rain, this shouldn't be a problem!
After erecting and pegging the inner tent the flysheet simply clips onto each of the pegged down straps of the inner tent. These straps easily tighen the flysheet by pulling them, just like the straps on a backpack, then you peg out the 2 pre-attached guy-lines. Simple!
The side walls of the inner tent are made from "no-see-um" mesh, and the flysheet has various airvents on it which can be cleverly propped open or closed with velcro. This allows a nice airflow in the tent when needed.
There is a small porch area which you can keep your boots (plus more) in safely out of the rain. It may be possible with a mini gas canister stove (with care) to brew a cuppa in the closed porch if the rain was heavy. I wouldn't like to try with a meths stove as the flames can flare up pretty high when first lit. The door of the flysheet inside the porch bows in a bit in the middle. A great mod which I have already tried is to use the spare bit of guy line with a clip or a couple of clothes pegs, and attach it to the middle of the flysheet door and peg it out in the ground slightly. This stops the wind from blowing the door in and gives you a much niceer porch space, more suitable for use of the stove, plus this lifts the flysheet up slightly creating a larger vent in the bottom for the heat to escape!
Inside the tent are 2 large pockets, plus 3 mesh pockets you can hang overhead to keep your belongings closeby...very handy!
The space is adequate enough for 1 person and a large backpack, or 2 with no backpack, in an emergency. I am 5'11" and the tent fits me pretty good. I would say for people over 6' it would start to get tight. Your head and feet wouldn't necessarily touch the ends, but as the top starts to taper down to join the groundsheet your toes and forehead will be brushing against it.
The height is an issue which I knew before I bought the tent. It's only 85cm high and you cannot sit up straight in it. It'll be ok when reading a book, or cooking from sitting inside as you will be leaning forward slightly, or bowing your head. I think you'd get used to the height after one day though.
I am 6ft 1" tall so it should be a bit of a squeeze for me, after many of the bigger tents I have enjoyed-and some others endured, come to think of it-over the years, but again no worries there! It will just be a bit different is all-and as you say the price is just nigh on superb for what you can actually get for your money there! Money well spent I would think! I will just have to go Clint Eastwood it a bit inside at first, being a bit tall-you know, as in Heartbreak Ridge with the old "IMPROVISE, ADAPT, and OVERCOME" mindset there!
