 Hello All, Just a quick question for you all, I no some of you may have a laugh at this but for a soild base camp car camp tent can you go far worng with a force ten mk3 st Any thoughts would be nice! Many thanks
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 For a SOLID long lasting (like 20 + years life expectancy and more) base camp car tent nothing touches it! I have one (Mk 4 mind and for car camping only obviously). My old one lasted 20 years (and was second hand when I bought that and only needed replacing due to burn damage.) New model is excellent and if anything even tougher than the old ones. It'll still be going strong when TN Quasar's / Crux Bombs are in landfill sites. The sense of smugness in a gale / storm when other tents are getting flattened / bent out of shape is awesome. Buy one!!!
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 For car camping it's insane... you could have an extended Mk 5! (and if you want a truly bombproof base-camp tent with a sane price tag that is very hard to beat) Pete.
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Thankyou Phil and Peter, Im sure i might get a few looks on camp sites but i don't care they do seem to be great tents for base camps thats what im looking for. and for the price of the mark 3 is great yes i think i will oder that now. Quick question i no this sounds silly but are they warm to sleep in its a big space to warm up! Many thanks Rob
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Chob, it's not a silly question at all. Basically 2 x layers of reasonably thick wind proof cotton retain the heat pretty well I find. You might get the odd odd look but enjoy and rejoice in the orangeness! (it is very orange inside...)
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they're fantastic! [as long as you don't have to carry them on your back!  ] revel in the non-rustling orange groove! don't have to worry about condensation on the inside and a groundsheet you could go sailing in/on means you won't get wet from the bottom upwards [ooer] more fire resistant than nylon? easier to repair as well & can withstand snow & trees bashing into it....and billy cans and rocks and boots. a million scouts can't be wrong...! mine is sitting sadly in the kitchen because i haven't got a car/bike anymore and am thinking of selling it. the above eulogy isn't a set up either, i really love it, but would like the old boy to get out & about & not just sit there forlorn....stored unpacked, so it's really getting in the way a bit ! give me a shout if you're interested.
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I,ve had a mk4 for about 15 years and still going strong, great for car camping , to hell with the strange looks you sometimes get , I know my tent will still be up in the morning if the weather turns bad !
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Hi stephen
thats what im thinking as long as it does the job i dont care what the tent looks like being 6"3 i should have lots of room!
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They do look awesomely strong tents but how waterproof is the "reasonably thick wind proof cotton" ? I've never seen anybody in one in the rain as of yet to know 
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If I remember rightly the idea is that it doesn't need to be all that waterproof - the water will run off down the inside of the fly if necessary and the inner stays dry. The old advice about not touching the sides of the tent came about for a reason. Cotton is a hell of a lot quieter than man-made fabrics when the weather picks up too. It's the same with those huge green Icelandics the scouts use - the canvas is around 3mm thick and weighs an absolute tonne, but they're built like a brick outhouse and will keep you dry so long as you don't shove your pillow up against the wall.
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I think the cotton fibres expand when wet preventing water ingress - and if it does as .Matt. says it will run down the inside. If water overwhelms the fly and drips through the fly the same principle applies to the innner. Presumably the inner deals with condensation by absorbing it.
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Hi Chob, sizewise, I measured my Mk2 LW and it's 5 feet wide[?maybe 4], standard ridge pole is just over 7 feet. should be big enough for you, is ok for me at 6'1". rough measurements, coz i couldnt pitch it. an extendedridge & fly are excellent! pics are too big to post on here. might put them on flickr.
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Hi Stewart, Thankyou for the info!, I no i should not be thinking these thoughts but i am half thinking about the vango voetex (don't do it stay strong) Any thoughts? Rob
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Extending this thread a bit. what about adding proofing to a Force 10? Most cotton respond well to it. thompsons house seal is ace but do you think that this would be the same as adding it to Ventile ie defeating the who point of it.
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