Force 10 Goes Ultralite For 2008

The Force 10 tent series from Vango is getting a revamp for 2008 with the hardcore Scottish tent brand embracing the lightweight oncept with their new Ultralite series that takes the brand back into more general use.

The keys to the new tents are, says Vango, minimum weight, minimum pack size and easy pitch features for, erm, easy pitching. There are four tents in the new range starting with an ultralightweight sub-1000 grammes, two-person shelter and going right up to a three-season, streamlined tunnel at a very reasonable 1750 grammes.

The Vitesse - below in classic Force 10 orange - priced at £99 is aimed at extreme racers or intended as an emergency shelter. It can be hung from a handy tree if needed or pitched using walking poles to save more weight. Features include a rain stop fly sheet door with vent, a handy porch area and a mesh insect door.

The single-skin Vapour is available in one-person and two-person form with weghts of 800 grammes and 1100 grammes respectively and price tags of £150 and £180. They look similar in style to the current Vango ultralight tents and use TBS Pro - Vango's Tension Band System - to add strength and stability along with pre-angled poles.

If you're after a more conventional double-skin design, then the Helium, again in one- and two-person versions is the way to go. The porch area should make it more practical for foul weather cooking and kit storage than the Vapour and weights are a reasonable 900 grammes and 1200 grammes.

Vango describes the design as 'hybrid tunnel' and the tent features flat external pole sleeves for quick easy pitching with the option to pitch the entire unit as one for speed and dryness. Prices will be £170 or £200 for the one and two-person versions.

Last but not least, the Nitro is a full-on, three-season tunnel tent that still weighs from a very reasonable 1750 grammes. There are one, two and two plus person versions priced at £180, £220 and £270.

Again the tents use tension bands for stability, top quality materials and has ski-compatible peg points, inner tent pockets and porch areas. There's also an optional tent footprint.

The tents will all come with a Vango lifetime guarantee and repair kit. Heat-treated and anodised Flexlite poles are used on all but the Vitesse along with tough Protex fabrics.

It's an interesting move by Vango. Recent Force 10 tents have tended to be serious mountaineering geodesic designs, but the new lightweight designs, ironically, are more mainstream, particularly in the case of the Nitro, and competitively priced compared to other top tent brands.

It'll be interesting to see them in the flesh next spring. In the mean time, you can look at the current Force 10 range at www.forcetentents.com.