2009 Omlet cube and run for sale

[Busybird]

Okay so maybe not in this weather but with the on line January sales I thought it may be a good time to look at tents.

 

We have had some great camping holidays in the last couple of years but with DD becoming more reclusive and because it has rained on every camping trip we have ever taken OH and I have been considering a bigger tent than our current 4 berth Wynnster.

 

Does anyone use the Outwell Hartford XL? It is pricey but seems to get good reviews.

 

I had thought we that we might go for a Vango but reviews from last year suggest that the quality has deteriorated. If we go for an Outwell I want to be sure that it is worth spending all that money.

 

There are 5 of us - 2 adults, 2 boys aged 11 and 9, and DD who turns 13 very soon.

 

I would be interested in your views

[Happy chickens!]

When I saw the title - thought you'd lost the plot! we have a Vango bought a couple of years ago and it's fine - we don't do anything extreme with it, don't think it would be great outside now! It's easy to put up and was good value for money. I always think that you need double the number of 'berths' it says, eg family of 4 need an 8 man for comfort. We can stand up in ours now which makes a big difference when the weather not so good.

 

Happy camping!

[dippy bird]

We invested in a Trigano Chantilly last year.It's fantastic! Although expensive.But as my OH has said,this will be our holiday home for the next twenty years.

We travel to the South of France every year,so we do need comfort and a few mod cons when we are there.(i.e - porta loo,fridge,cooker,oven,sink with running water.....)

Ours sleeps 8 comfortably,and we have managed to seat 15 in it when were were water logged in Bala last year!

I guess when it comes down to buying one, it depends on how often you are planning on using it and your budget. We have used other tents, but this one is the best for us and our needs by far.

Happy shopping.

[Willow]

It looks good. I bought a vango last year and have been happy with it however I wish I'd bought a tent with an integral large porch area for wet boots/wet suits etc (I bought an add-on porch for last use of tent last summer which was great).

 

If you're getting a large tent I would advise buying the shaped groundsheet. It's invaluable for ensuring you have enough space to pitch before you start ! as well as ensuring your tent is not muddy when packing up.

[Busybird]

Thanks for that Patricia. I was wondering if the extra expense add ons were worth getting or a clever marketing ploy. From information gleaned from review sites I was considering the front tunnel extension and the footprint so your views are very useful. The tent looks vast compared to our existing little shelter I was also amazed to see that you can buy carpet for a tent I think that we can manage without that...

 

Dippy Bird, I looked up your tent but it is a trailer so not what we are after. Given the ages of my kids I am wary of planning a holiday a year in advance never mind thinking 20 years on. I am pleased that they are happy to camp with us this year - and are very excited about the prospect of a bigger tent.

 

Interesting that both Patricia and Happy Chickens are pleased with their Vango's. Does anyone have an Outwell?

[Jules.]

Here's a link to previous tent discussions which you might find useful

 

viewtopic.php?f=7&t=50603&hilit=tent

[laurmurf]

thanks for asking this question, i'm piggy-backing on it as we've only just started camping.

 

I've been wondering about adding an additional 'tunnel porch' on our Vango dome tent. We found that we needed some covered space to sit in when eating, etc. Are they really useful and are worth the cost and fuss of putting up?

[chelsea]

I love the Outwell tents - they are very well made.

 

You do have to consider tent size though, you do find that a lot of campsites cannot accommodate the really large tents and may charge you double pitch prices! And especially with the credit crunch more and more people are staying in the UK to holiday so prices will be raised no doubt.

[Willow]

I've been wondering about adding an additional 'tunnel porch' on our Vango dome tent. We found that we needed some covered space to sit in when eating, etc. Are they really useful and are worth the cost and fuss of putting up?

 

Absolutely. It transformed how we used our tent especially in wet weather. We found with no porch we had to keep doors zipped up or water got into the tent and cooking was difficult. With the porch we cooked and ate in the porch all the time so we were outside but dry.

 

I got the porch from www.outdooraction.co.uk good prices and the customer support person I dealt with was much more knowledgeable than Vango (who were hopeless at answering questions)

[Snowy]

We have a Vango. The Extra porch bit is very useful. If the weather is good, I do all the cooking in ours and it keeps the smaller porch clear. If the weather is bad, the cooker goes in the smaller porch, but the add on porch provides extra shelter. Does make the tent rather huge, but you don't have to use it every time - we tend not to use it on shorter breaks, but on long breaks it's great.

 

Re the Outwell: our first year of camping we had a Rage Tromso tent and took it to France. We were rained off and had to move into a cottage. The only other family on the site had an Outwell, I think it was the Georgia XL (large central area with 4 bedroom pods). It was fabulous, large - they were 3 adults and 2 children, bone dry and windproof. I would've had one if money was not an issue! However, the bedroom pods and porch were not as big as in our Vango Diablo.

 

The one thing I would recommend though is the type of tent where you erect the enclosed inner tent first, then throw the waterproof flysheet over the top. Our Vango saw us through some torrential rain and howling winds in France last year and was very cosy (and roomy!) I love it!

[whoopsie]

I strongly recomment Quechua tents from Decathlon (www.decathlon.com). They literally pitch in seconds and are tested rigorously against the elements - which I can vouch for having been kept comfy and dry during a heavy storm!

 

If your family want their privacy they can even have their own individual tents which then connect up to a central 'base camp'. It then forms a little tent village!!

[kitchens]

We have a Quechua tent from Decathalon too. Its totally brilliant and was a very very reasonable price. Decathalon are brilliant at all stuff outdoors so it is worth checking out. Plus there are lots of them in France (where we tend to holiday) so its useful if you need anything while away!

 

I agree about getting a bigger birth than you need. There are only three of us and we all sleep in the same bedroom (as littleun is still only 6) then the other bedroom we use as a wardrobe and toilet (for overnight emergencies only)! Hubby and I had a chemical toilet for our birthday last year from my parents, something I could not do without!

[Willow]

The outwell tents always look really good on sites. Although I've been happy with my Vango I think I'd ook seriously at Outwell another time.