Buying a tent - and other camping equipment.

Seemingly not quite as high spec' and a bit smaller, but 2kg lighter.

http://www.blacks.co.uk/blacks.stor...BLK+SS06+3+to+4+Person+Tents(BLG+Base+Catalog)

A full 90 day return option! And available from a highstreet company.

I'd rather spend £100 on that than risk £60 on the ebay one.

 

I've had Khyams two igloos and a tunnel over the last 15 years all are still upto a trip out ! the oldest has faded a little and its elasatics are slack but still remains weather proof.

 

I'm really interested to know some thoughts on what HH rating I should be going for. As said earlier, I've read 1500 is the minimum needed for UK use, and 2000 seems to be the norm for MOst brand budget tents.

So, looking for something a bit MOre reliable, I've been using 3000 for my search criteria. Would 2000 or so be up to it?

 

HH - For 2 season use - 2000 or above, for chilly windy wintry use 3000+.

What I'd look for is a tent which is light and quick to put up - with NO fiddly, easy to break / tear fixings. Vaude (and some others) have light, colour coded alloy poles with either a clever "shock cord" suspension system or sleeves which are easy to 'navigate' without snagging / jamming.
I've never tried the smaller Khyam tents so can't comment, other than if the quality is the same as the 'rigi-domes' they should be great.

tbh I'd buy Vaude 2nd hand - my Hoggan has had several hard years and is in really good nick. This looks good -

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/2-Person-Vaud...822681870QQcategoryZ36118QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem - for 2 people. The sly fox is quite big in comparison but the 'Ferret' range is good also - There's a new ferret II also on ebay - which has a nice vestibule with mesh and window.

 

Thanks for the reply

I think I'm getting over fussy in this. I don't imagine I'll be heading to the poles, so I think order of priority should be firstly size/weight and secondly the HH rating.

Ideally I want something larger than the Hogan. 150 x 210 or so for the sleeping area, and 150+ for the porch.

The trouble is she's set being able to stand up as a priority (though seems to be compromising), and there don't seem to be many 2 man tents you can do this in. Hence the larger 3/4 man tents I've been looking at.

This seems to have the size/weight ratio about right http://www.outdoorgarage.com/acatalog/copy_of_Wild_Country_Venturi_3_Tent.html whilst also having 2500HH and a reasonable price. (some sites list the HH as 3000)

Not a make I've heard of though. Also, I'd prefer it slightly taller. I think I'm becoming too fussy.

 

MO,
It looks like it might be what you are looking for if you can:-

• Get it erected in double quick time when you are cold, wet, exhausted and the wind is blowing a bit.

• She carries her half.

Be as fussy as you like, after all it is your money you are spending.

 

It seems Wild Country is part of Terra Nova so that adds some credit to them I guess.

The Blacks own brand "Aquila" that I linked to earlier also seems tempting. There's a branch in Cardiff, so I might pop in over the weekend. Slightly heavier than the Venturi, but 3000HH rating and a similar size for less MOney.

Too much choice!!!

 

Terra Nova's are local to me, we have a small light weight two man thats very light if you contact them dirrectly they may have some returns or other bargins. They are decent folk !

 

Well I went for the Wild Country Venturi 3.

Seemed to offer the best compromise for size/weight/HH within my budget.

*2/3 man tent with loads of room. Porch of equal size to the sleeping area.

*5kg

*2500HH

RRP £230. Paid £130 (inc p+p)

SHall hopefully be here toMOrow so I'll let you know know how I get on with it.

 

WOW!

Have to say that before even opening it for a look, I'm impressed with the speed of delivery! Phoned up and paid by card at about 3pm yesterday, and it arrived 11am this MOrning!

I've only done a quick pitch on the patio (so no pegging) but it seems rather good. Simple 3 pole system. All poles the same, so can't mix them up, and the sleaves guide them through nicely.

Pitches as one and I'd imagine it'll only take a few min's to do so after a proper practice.

At about 5kg, it's slightly over the ideal backpacking weight, but for the size compromise, it seems well worth it. The pegs are extremely light.

Porch groundsheet is also included.

Several windows which can be covered, and there's plenty of ventilation with the ability to either have vents and doors fully open or have just the mesh in place.

The true test will be as auric says........

* Get it erected in double quick time when you are cold, wet, exhausted and the wind is blowing a bit.

Very happy with it so far though!

Now for my next question... sleeping bags, packs, and cooking equipment???

MO

 

How much do you want to spend?
Are you car camping or backpacking?
Are you going abroad with it?

Can highly recommend Ajungilak for light synthetic bags, or Mountaineering Designs for extra light but reasonably priced down bags (you'll have to google them, they're mail order only but I've had mine for 12 years!)

If you're carrying gear I'd recommend Macpac or POD sacs - both bombproof, and the Macpac is waterproof as well.

Stove-wise, the simple cheap Primus or similar at <£20 is perfectly good - I've used one for years. If you want to use any fuel, the best is probably the MSR Dragonfly but it should be at £115. Otherwise, I've also had good results with a Trangia - comes complete with pans and runs on meths so something to drink if you run out!

 

Bit late replying to this, but thanks for the reply. I've been side tracked.

We'll be carrying gear, so weight and size are important. Although I'd like to do some MOre adventurous stuff down the line, we'll MOst likely just do a few weekends here and there for now.

A double bag or two that can zip together would be better still.

The Coleman Hudson double seems to be available for about £40, but I'd prefer something lighter (and that can split into two - though not essential).

Not sure about budget..... depends on what's available for what cost.

 

The only problem with sleeping bags you can zip together is that they tend to be square, rather than mummy-shaped. This means that they are heavier (more material), and not as warm (don't go round your head and feet). I've never missed the ability to zip sleep bags in 20 years backpacking with the Mrs - there's always a way This one only weighs 1.35kgs, and is perfect for summer camping, esp. at £40! Remember, down is lighter, comfier and warmer but is a not washable (apart from by a specialist), synthetic is heavier but machine washable.

And as for sacks, Cotswold's Blue Mountain is a great value backpacking sac at £65, though not waterproof (only Macpacs seem to be, but then my Macpac was £120 reduced from £170). Buy a sac that fits - fill it with tents/ropes/heavy stuff in the shop and make sure the back system works for you. It's a nightmare if they don't, as you'll find after walking 10 miles with 15kgs in it...

 

Thanks for the reply Leonard.

With that bag, does having both a left and right handed zip option mean it's possible to zip them together?

 

Theoretically...
However, being mummy-shaped means that it's never quite perfect but better than zipping 2 crappy "car-camping" bags together!
And if you're going back-packing always pack a bottle of the uisghe beath

 

Went for two Gelert X-Treme lite 800 bags. One left and one right zip.

800g and very compact. Not the highest ratings (+1 to +14 with exteme of -4), but should be fine.

http://www.gelert.com/products/X-treme_Lite_800.aspx

Managed to get them for £22.99 each.

I also picked up a Campingaz light and cooker set (LuMOstar C270 & C270 Twister), including gas and mantles for £20.

The suggestion of actually trying the sack in the shop full of equipment (or possibly taking it home and giving it a try with my own tent etc...) sounds like good advice. I think I'll leave the sac till last.

I'm also not 100% sure if I'll stick to the current cooker. I might change for something like this http://www.outdoorgarage.com/acatalog/copy_of_Trangia_27K_Non_Stick_Cooker.html

I'm assuming gas would be better for cooking with, but I like the compactness of these systems.

Any thoughts on which is better to cook with? Perhaps just adding pan system like that to my current gas cooker would be best.

I'm in no particular rush as a few things have came up and on top of that I think it'll be hard for myself and girlfriend to get time off work at the same times.

Am I forgetting anything?

 

If that worries you then why not take an extra set of something like LIFA thermal underwear (long underwear) and if things get too cold just use one set for day and one for night . If you just stay in one set for too long you may well get knob rot due to lack of fresh air and sunlight! Also a light pair of socks helps a lot at night by keeping the feet nice and warm.

 

My mate bought one for £7.49 from Asda a fortnight ago, we used it the following weekend and its great! Absolute steal.

Wasnt raining though, so not sure how it would cope in typical weather. Even had a 2nd layer to keep mozzies out.

If you're wanting a seriously good one though, my workmate bought a bivvy from eBay (new) ((RRP £300)) for £110 delivered. He reckons its the absolute bollox!

 

I think the bags should be fine for now, and liners seem to be reasonably priced. I like to be quite cool when sleeping and find it hard to sleep with clothes on, so a liner would do the job if needed I'd think.

Having not long started a new job I'm not completely sure what I'm entitled to holiday wise, but think I may have a week in september. Hopefully we'll be able to get away somewhere then.

 

Tent's been bought now (see previous posts), just sac, cooking/eating equipment, and other odds and ends now.