The long-established Force Ten label is about to become a brand in its own right with a revised range not just of tents, but also sleeping bags, packs, bivvies and a tarp.
Force Ten, Vango's long-established tent range, is about to become
a brand in its own right, with not only a selection of top-end
mountain tents, but a range of technical packs and down sleeping bags
scheduled to appear early next year.
We should have full details for you direct from Europe's premier
trade show at Friedrichshafen in Germany next week, but we can tell
you now that the Force Ten tent range has been completely overhauled.
The emphasis is still on bombproof performance from the serious
mountain geodesic tents, but with added models.
These include a pair of roomy tunnel tents with large vestibule
accommodation called 'Chute'. Weight is pretty reasonable with the
two-person version weighing in at a usable figure of 2.50 kg and the
three-person, 3.10 kg. We're talking roomy base camp living here,
the vestibule is almost as large as the sleeping area and makes for for effective kit storage.
Also in the pipeline is a Force Ten bivvy bag and a solo,
single-skinned bivvy tent allegedly weighing 1.4 kg, as far as
we're aware, the first tarp from a UK brand. The Force Ten Race Tarp
accommodates two people, includes a detachable groundsheet and weighs
in at 1.4 kilos.
Packs and Bags
Also under the Force Ten label are four packs. Two dubbed
'Enduro' which are aimed at 'adventure athletes and alpinists' with
capacities of 34 and 42 litres and two smaller 'Edge' models at 20
and 28 litres targeted at general outdoor use.
Last but not least, Vango's down bags seem to have been replaced
by three Force Ten sleeping bags using 95.5 per-cent white goose down
with a claimed fill power of 700 plus. The bags are rated at between
-4C and -15C for comfort and as low as -23C for the top of the range
Proton in extremis.
What does it all mean?
AMG, the company that owns the Vango brand, is trying to take
Force Ten's reputation for tough, reliable tents and transfer it over
to a new range of more technical equipment. It's not cheap kit - the
sleeping bags range in price from £200 to £300 for example
- and the packs are £50-£60 or so, but the company are
bullish about their quality and technology.
We're told that journos who've seen the stuff have been pretty
impressed, but it remains to be seen whether 'Force Ten' really does
have associations with top-end mountain tents as AMG claim, or merely
memories of sodden, school-day expeditions in the Dales.
More info when we have it. More Vango details at the Vango
web site.
