Spec me a tent!

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Hello Hexites,

I'm looking for a tent. It's going to be used mainly in Scotland so needs to be pretty waterproof.

Ideally, the layout I'm looking for is something like this:



Other features such as low weight is a plus.

Haven't been camping in years so would appreciate some input.

Cheers

[Flibb]

Are you going to be carrying it, or is it for car camping? How many people are going to be staying in it and for how long? Most tent makers seem to think their customers are extremly small and dont thrash around too much.

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It'll be for carrying yeah. For the most part it'll be used for festivals or weekends, for 2 people.

I'm planning on walking the west highland way in August over 4 days too, which is why weight is a concern. I'm 6 foot 5 and in decent condition so i can lug a fair weight if need be, but it's still nice to have less to carry.

[Flibb]

Whats your budget? If you can affors a couple of tents, get one for the festivals and another for hiking. Festival tents tend to get trashed, so go for a cheap one. One option worth checking out are the Vango teepee tents. They do various sizes, I have a four man, plenty of room for 2, cooking and storage space.

Hiking tent wise the lighter the better, but be careful that the sleeping compartment is big enough for you. Are you back packing alone? If your heading to Scotland you will want a tent with mozzi screens, little buggers can get through the smallest of spaces. Generally a good backpacking tent for two people should weigh under 2Kg, the really lightweight ons are around 1Kg.

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Whats your budget? If you can affors a couple of tents, get one for the festivals and another for hiking. Festival tents tend to get trashed, so go for a cheap one. One option worth checking out are the Vango teepee tents. They do various sizes, I have a four man, plenty of room for 2, cooking and storage space.

Hiking tent wise the lighter the better, but be careful that the sleeping compartment is big enough for you. Are you back packing alone? If your heading to Scotland you will want a tent with mozzi screens, little buggers can get through the smallest of spaces. Generally a good backpacking tent for two people should weigh under 2Kg, the really lightweight ons are around 1Kg.

Thanks for the advice. I'm on a fairly tight budget so it's going to have to be one tent only, for the moment. I've got vague plans to go cycling round Europe in a few years time so I'll reconsider things then but I think one tent is all I can justify at the moment.

I'll be hiking with pals, 4 of us all together but I'd imagine they'd bring at least one tent between them too. I live in Scotland so I'm aware of the midgie problem! Wee buggers.

Budget... £80 is the upper limit. Ideally, I'd find a decent, second hand on ebay that has had very little use and get it for cheaper than usual.

Are Vango tents still a good shout?

[Flibb]

Yep Vango are good. If you looking at second had tents there are often some great bargains on outdoorsmagic (forum), its also a great place to get info on trails, a couple of guide book writers post there. You should be able to get advice on good places to stop and pitch a tent. If your going the used route keep an eye open for saunders, Terra Nova, and Wild Country. All make great tents.

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Picking up a Coleman Cobra 2 for £20 tomorrow, from a chap on Gumtree.

Apparently only used a few times and for £20 can't really go wrong.

[TheAnimus]

Depending on how well its been treated you might want some repair patches and some techwash. But you can get some real bargins for a little bit of effort.

My advice with tents thou is to be quit in fixing them, any sign of stress patch it before it tears!

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Depending on how well its been treated you might want some repair patches and some techwash. But you can get some real bargins for a little bit of effort.

My advice with tents thou is to be quit in fixing them, any sign of stress patch it before it tears!

The guy was quite clear in saying that there were no holes or anything but I'm going to put it up when I get home tomorrow and check it over anyway.

I won't be using it for a month at least so plenty of time to repair it if needed!