Tent suggestions

We had very similar wants to yours and ended up with a Hilleberg Kaitum 3.  You can take your pick between the 2 or 3.  The 2 will do all you want, the 3 adds enough space for another person, taking you from lots of space to absolutely loads of the stuff, for not that much extra weight and bulk.

There's a good porch at either end and sitting height through the whole inner so each occupant can stay out of the other's way if they want.  Being a Hillie it's a doddle to pitch and goes up all in one.  You can take the inner out or roll it back for extra choices if you want.

Main catch is significant cost, but I've never regretted ours and I'd replace like for like if it went.  It's significantly more than the VauDe mentioned and a little heavier, but you get a lot more space that can be used more flexibly thanks to twin entrances.

Pete.

Hillebergs have a very high reputation and also a very high price to match. For the price of a Hilleberg you could have just about any tent on the market, or 2 or 3 good quality cheaper tents.

I'm not sure whether you need to spend that much money.

Are you intending to backpack your tent? What sort of weight is reasonable for you?

High prices get you exotic materials, which basically means a higher strength to weight ratio.

The Vaude design has the poles clipped on the outside. So you should be able to pitch it quite quickly but it probably won't have the highest stability. Tents where the poles attach to the inner, or are fed through sleeves, will probably take longer to pitch but may be more stable.

Tunnel tents are quicker to pitch than geodetics as you don't have so many poles. However they are more likely to flap in the wind and may have to be pitched more carefully. The Lightwave web site gives a summary of the pros and cons of tunnel and geodetic tents:

http://www.lightwave.uk.com/en/tents_tunneltents.php

http://www.lightwave.uk.com/en/tents_geodesictents.php

Although the concept of pitching outer first or all in one is preferable in a rainy climate it is not that big a deal. So I wouldn't rule out a tent that is otherwise suitable merely because it pitches inner first.

If you want other economical choices you could have a browse of the Vango website. Then try google or ebay for the cheapest price. There are so many possibilities it is hard to give you specific advice.

There are also less conventional possibilities like a Shangri La 3, if you can find one still available in this country.

There are various videos on ebay of tents being pitched (Kaitum versus a typical dome tent).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UMmko823KBE

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K4QpkRCUBJw

Hillebergs have a very high reputation and also a very high price to match. For the price of a Hilleberg you could have just about any tent on the market, or 2 or 3 good quality cheaper tents.

You could, but of course you can only use one at once...

I'm not sure whether you need to spend that much money.

You pretty much categorically don't need to, but that doesn't mean you'll regret it if you do.

Are you intending to backpack your tent?

Or otherwise move it around the wild?  I must admit I'd only get a Hillie purely for formal campgrounds if I'd just won the lottery.

The Vaude design has the poles clipped on the outside. So you should be able to pitch it quite quickly but it probably won't have the highest stability. Tents where the poles attach to the inner, or are fed through sleeves, will probably take longer to pitch but may be more stable.

Though one needs to draw a distinction between stability in terms of small movements and stability in terms of falling down.  External clips may affect the former but not significantly the latter, assuming the design's done properly (and I think VauDe know what they're at).

Tunnel tents are quicker to pitch than geodetics as you don't have so many poles.

If all else is equal, but all else may not be.  I'd be very surprised if I could pitch a 3 pole Lightwave t2xt as fast as my 4 pole Tarra, for example.

Although the concept of pitching outer first or all in one is preferable in a rainy climate it is not that big a deal. So I wouldn't rule out a tent that is otherwise suitable merely because it pitches inner first.

I'd agree it's not a deal breaker, but there's more to it than just keeping the inner dry pitching.  For me, a far more useful point is the ability to take down part or all of the inner and get extra space to invite your pals over for tea without getting everything mucky, or have undercover garage space to work on a bike or unload a boat, sort out wet gear etc.  You can't do that if the inner has to stand up for your tent to be in place.  Lots of people do without that, but I suspect a case of not missing what you don't have.

Now, where to find someone neot too far where I can see one. Bolton area - manchester/preston.Liverpool.

Drop Alpenstock (Stockport) a line.  They're a main Hillie dealer and also have (or at least had) as good a price as you'll find.

Pete.