First of all, apologies as you must have had so many threads of this nature! So I'm looking for a 2 man backpacking tent. (obviously) Having finally taken the plunge and bought myself a £150 Rab sleeping bag, my budget is getting a bit tight. I can't really afford to spend more than another £150 on the tent, which is inevitably going to mean some compromises. Ideally the tent should be under 2.5kg as I'm carrying it solo. It's first real test will be summer wild camping in Scotland, however I've often found myself camping in horrendous storms before and don't doubt that I will again. Admittedly I've been looking at the Coleman Avior X2. The low price and (yes, here comes the snobbery) the make brings me to be a little wary although some of the reviews I've read have been excellent. The bottom line is, can anyone suggest a better tent within my budget and weight limit? Or of course, suggest a reason not to buy the Avior X2? Thanks in advance, Abigail
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As I mentioned on another thread, try looking at this site as they have a very useful page listing tent details, including weights as well as more indepth details of a huge range of tents. I find the site a very useful reference.
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agree with clickowls good site for kit comparison. like everything else in life you pays your money and you takes your choice. I have at this moment in time a terra nova lazer1 and terrs nova lazer. Both under 2kg. I have slightly modified both tents with extra guy ropes for the heavier wet and windy weather. but both have done me well. the lazer 1 has the more room inside it. easy to put up. no probs with either. both tent i have changed the tent pegs for better quality pegs. at the end of the day, what ever suites you.
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 Daft question - you say you want a 2 man tent but that you'll be carrying it solo? How crucial is the extra space? I don't know the Coleman, but I'd suggest taking a look at the Wild Country Sololite (1.9kg) if 1-person is an option or Duolite (2.4kg) if it needs to be for 2. You'll find details on the Terra Nova website, as well as a couple of reviews on the homepage including a good one from TGO magazine's Chris Townsend. ptc*, who posts on here, recently did a review of 15 solo tents for Trail and gave the Sololite a pretty good write-up. RRPs are £160 and £190 but googling easily brings up the Sololite for just over £100 and the Duolite for at little as £136. The 3 retailers that came up for me - cheaptents, wildtrak and Springfield Camping - are all reputable, I've bought from the first two and know people who've used Springfield.
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Where did you manage to find a Coleman Avior x 2 For £69.99? I,d be quite interested in getting one. Terry.
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 Terry, Google (pages from the UK) "Coleman Avior".
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 I can vouch for the Coleman Avior x2. I do agree its maybe not the lightest or smallest pack size. But for pure bang for buck, its amazing little tent. I've had mine for nearly a year now and has seen some pretty "interesting" weather in it and it has always kept me dry! I was camping this weekend in it on snow and was cracking, never let any water in and i was snug as a bug with my exped mat and snugpak bag! I would almost go to say that it is as good as some of the big boys, if not better. I was camping with a friend who has a vaude taurus ultralite, now i was pretty impressed by the pack size but i was laughing when he woke up in the morning condensation everywhere and i had hardly any! As you can tell i'm fairly biased towards it, but if your after a fairly cheap/reliable tent i would highly recommend the Avios x2. I got mine through a seller on ebay for about £75 so have a look on there and you may find one slightly cheaper!
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Thanks for all your input everyone! I had all but decided to go ahead and get the Coleman Avior when my budget magically increased.  Because of this I'm now stuck between the Terra Nova Laser, and the Terra Nova Laser Competition. Naturally it feels a lot safer to go for the standard laser, which is still much lighter than I'd expected, however it is still only a 3 season tent and if doesn't offer any substantial extra durability than the Competition, I can live with the reduced 'comforts.' Any input any one? Thanks again
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Abigail - how have you got on? I currently hav a Wild Country Sololite, which i am getting on well with, the weight and pack size as well as the speed and ease of pitching are amazing, a brilliant little tent. However if I was out on a miserable wet expedition - which amazingly I have not been out in just lately? Then I would like the extra space and find myself looking for a two man tent. Have done the reviews and trawled the websites, had it narrowed down to the TN Voyager or the WC Duolite, will have another look at the Vango site - but all a bit heavy. Will look at the Coleman.
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 the new 2009 voyager superlite looks good at 1.53 kg.
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Looked at that and isn't thjat one pitched inner first? This will be the miserable weather tent, so would really like pitch outer first
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Now looking at Hilleberg Nallo at £330 on Amazon - can see this being THE birthday present!
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 The new 2 door Laser is worth a look. On sale here.
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Have ruled out the Laser - don't ask me why, have been through so many tent threads, reviews etc, cannot go back !
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 clickowls, the Voyager SL goes up really quickly - the inner clips onto the poles, no threading through sleeves - so the miserable weather stuff's a lot less of a problem. I have to say it's a cracking tent.
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I must first apologise to Abigail for hijacking her thread! I have almost narrowed it down to Wild Country Duolite 2.4Kg 40x18 pack size, semi geodesic, therefore stable, can sit up in, decent porch. Hilleberg Nalo - because it is supposed to be a strong tent, but not keen on the hoop design. Plenty of room 2.1kg, roomier than above. Terra Nova Voyager - may well go back on the list.
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 I looked at the Coleman too. I ended up buying a Vango Spectre 200. It was a little under £65.00 including delivery. It ticked the boxes for me, weight 2.5kg, pitch fly first, a little extra room so I can take my young son. Tents are going up in price now. A day before I bought mine I could have got one for Under £55.00 delivered. The place I bought mine from (Ryedale Rambler) are now quoting £75.00 before delivery charges (£4.95).
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 There's been a lot of requests for camping gear on our local Freecycle site. It's going to be a busy summer on the sites!
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Metric Kate, please can you tell me about the pitching of the TN Voyager, as that is a semi geodesic design which I would prefer, it has an increased height when compared to the Duolite. I suppose if I knew more about the pitching then this would be my choice. What about the pitching Kate - I know about covering the inner with the fly sheet, how long does it take to pitch and is the extra hassle worth it? I think my Sololite is a super little tent, but if the weather was attrocious then I could not cope with being in such a small tent and the keeping dry the gear, want to be able to pack the rucksack in the dry and move my arms to change clothes within a tent.
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If 2 of you are splitting the tent, then the Golite Hex 3/Shangrila 3 with the 'nest' is a great tent.
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