Family Tents

Cork Skate

Folks, I've been looking around for a family tent that is a good price. Not worried about labels but I do want something that is robust and not going to fall apart.

Nothing in Argo, Halfords have a bit, Great Outdoors not so much, O'Meara Camping have loads of stuff but just want so suggestions really. Anyone bought one recently?

Pat Mustard

Something like this Coleman maybe. I've never used one, but it has good enough reviews.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Coleman-Waterfall-Five-Man-Tent/dp/B001P80GMS/ref=sr_1_6?s=camping-hiking&ie=UTF8&qid=1405295591&sr=1-6&keywords=family+tent

http://www.ukcampsite.co.uk/tents/p/Coleman-Waterfall-5/929

Tabnabs

Most anything from Vango is a good family tent.

http://www.outdoormegastore.co.uk/ will send stuff to Ireland.

emul

+1 for Vango - on our second.

Tokyo

Another vote for Vango. Used to use them as mountaineering club tents back in the day, and they stood up to some fair punishment from people who treated them like they didn't pay for them.

Mycroft H

Vango again... Tough tents. 53 degrees north have a decent range and a reasonable on price. Cotswold outdoors have them too.

Tokyo

Great Outdoors used to sell Vango products - may be worth giving them a call.

Mycroft H

They've gone very expensive recently. Mind you they were never cheap but I've noticed better value in 53 Degrees North and Snow + Rock.

Lanzecki

Emerald Alpine in Limerick have stocks of some good family tents. The prices were, well I was surprised how competitive they were. They guy in there's good as well.

antodeco

Can anyone recommend a decent large pop up tent? I would be preferably looking for one that has an area you can sit/stand up in. Not too worried about the price. Once its easy to put up!

Tabnabs

No direct experience of pop up tents, but I understand that getting them packed up again is a nightmare and seldom goes to plan. Maybe a reason why so few are seen around?

antodeco

I have a small one and its a pain to put away! Saying that, if I can get a tent that's easy to put up, I don't mind

Pat Mustard

antodeco wrote: »

I have a small one and its a pain to put away! Saying that, if I can get a tent that's easy to put up, I don't mind

This is about the biggest pop up tent that I've seen, and it's only a three-man tent. And by the reviews, it's an ambitious three-man, that's probably a glorified 2-man tent. Not really a family sized tent.

As you know, the first thing about pop up tents is that they are difficult to pack away.

The second thing about pop up tents is that even when they pack away successfully, they don't pack down small. The tent in the link is a 72cm wide circular object, when packed down. It's big enough that it might be awkward in the car, and it certainly isn't going to fit in a backpack.

antodeco

Thanks for that. I had a Coleman Himalaya that was just a pain to put up. If you can recommend a tent that is fairly straight forward to put up, that has some height in it, I will gladly look at it. I don't mind buying two of the same tent to create a bigger tent if needed also.

Tokyo

I wouldn't recommend a pop-up tent if you can help it. They're fun for kids to pop up in a back garden, or a weekend at Electric Picnic, but for any form of serious camping, the disadvantages far outweigh the advantages of being easy to put up. They're bulky, don't pack down very well (most of the ones I've seen pack down to a circular bag about the diameter of a car tyre), and they are pretty awful in any sort of wind, as the tent doesn't generally have the same structural integrity as something with poles.

I'm not sure if they are available here, but it may be worth taking a look at the MSR line of tents (same guys that make the camping stoves). The ones that I have used have a tubular aluminium pole structure that comes all in one unit (bungee cord running through all sections), and pretty much assembles itself when you tip the poles out of the bag. Albeit, on the smaller end of the scale, I use their Hubba Hubba tent regularly, and can have it from rucksack to fully set up in under three minutes...

Nautilus72

HI another vote for anything Vango but would also highly recommend Outwell. If havent purchased yet then take a look here"Sportsdirect.com". They are an online shop something to do with sportsworld in Heatons but they have a camping section with massive reductions on anything from mugs to stoves to tents and have some great deals on Vango products.

Pat Mustard

mike_ie wrote: »

Albeit, on the smaller end of the scale, I use their Hubba Hubba tent regularly, and can have it from rucksack to fully set up in under three minutes...

I saw the MSR Hubba for sale for €275 this weekend. What do you make of it?

Seems a good price by comparison with prices online, although I presume that the shop is selling an earlier version.

Tokyo

The Mustard wrote: »

I saw the MSR Hubba for sale for €275 this weekend. What do you make of it?

Seems a good price by comparison with prices online, although I presume that the shop is selling an earlier version.

The MSR Hubba? Or the Hubba Hubba (one man vs 2 man, basically).

I lived out of an MSR Hubba Hubba for over two years straight, backpacked from the arctic circle down across the equator with it, and I put it through fair punishment along the way. It's a great tent as long as you're realistic about what you are buying. It's really a 3 season tent - the inner has mesh walls, so it really only works in the extremes that I camped in when it's supplemented by good gear, such as a good sleeping bag, so on and so forth. It's very lightweight which was my main requirement at the time, very easy to put up and take down, and it's pretty much idiot proof - the aluminium pole assembly comes as one unit, so you can't accidentally leave anything important behind at a campsite. It's also designed so that you can erect it as a bothy (flysheet only), warm weather sleeping area (inner only), or of course, as a full tent. But you do need to be realistic - I camped with it north of the arctic circle in the middle of November, but I also had an arctic rated sleeping bag - it would have been a more miserable experience if that was not the case.

If you are getting heavy rain and high sidewinds, then it can force water under the fly and in through the mesh, but it's never been a huge problem. And after 7 years of solid use, 2 1/2 of those every day, the flysheet is letting in water now and I need to waterproof it. But as a lightweight hiking or cycling tend, I'd certainly recommend it.

Personally I'd recommend the Hubba Hubba over the Hubba - the weight difference is negligible, and I found the two man to be a perfect size for myself and the rucksack, without having to leave stuff outside. €275 sounds a bit steep though - I'm pretty sure I picked up mine for the same numbers in dollars....

Termonator

antodeco wrote: »

Can anyone recommend a decent large pop up tent? I would be preferably looking for one that has an area you can sit/stand up in. Not too worried about the price. Once its easy to put up!

Quechua seem to do fairly good pop ups, up to four person. Plenty of reviews and videos also on youtube. Haven't used one so cannot say how good they are.