Northern Ireland Outdoors Forum - Hiking, camping and more
General => Gear Questions, Information, Reviews and Competitions => Topic started by: summit86 on February 18, 2013
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I'm all set for treating myself to a new tent but I'm torn between a couple of options. I've been looking at both the North Face tadpole and Fat Frog. Any opinions on either of these? Also any suggestions? I need something that is going to withstand pretty much any weather, but I want it to be light and have enough room to cook and store kit out of the elements. Any advice is greatly appreciated.
Cheers
Phil
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Hilleberg akto looks a nice tent
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They do look great! Cotswolds in Belfast had one pitched before I left. Wouldn't mind something with a bit more room for kit and cooking....
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This looks like a good tent http://www.terra-nova.co.uk/tents-and-spares/all-tents/trisar-2-tent/, wild country have some great new tents out at very reasonable prices!
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http://www.terra-nova.co.uk/p/terra-nova-wild-country-tent-range/ (http://www.terra-nova.co.uk/p/terra-nova-wild-country-tent-range/)
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Thanks for pointing me in the direction of Terra Nova. The Trisar 2 looks good. Any opinions on the Zephyros 2?
http://www.terra-nova.co.uk/tents-and-spares/all-tents/zephyros-2-tent/
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Thanks for pointing me in the direction of Terra Nova. The Trisar 2 looks good. Any opinions on the Zephyros 2?
http://www.terra-nova.co.uk/tents-and-spares/all-tents/zephyros-2-tent/
Does it have to be a two man? It's potentially wasted space, extra weight and a bigger footprint. It doesn't have two doors like the laser comp 2 either.
You can get your gear in the porch of the one man version and still cook if your careful( no more than I would be in the two man I must add) tbh I've found the space inside my laser comp more than enough for one and finding a soot to pitch is easy due to the small footprint.
I've used the voyager superlite a few times and its really good.
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Thanks for the advice Type-On. Two man isn't a must. As long as there is room for kit and cooking. The footprint didn't even cross my mind! Glad you pointed that out! I do prefer the side door to the end door. That was one big draw to the Akto when I looked at it in Belfast. So that's a must! The laser looks like it ticks all the boxes! Decisions, decisions!!! At least I have 5 weeks to wait before I can get anywhere near the mountains to make my decision! With a bit of luck my shiny new tent will be waiting at home for me when I get back!
I think Big Dod and I are going for Binnian or Doan as soon as I'm home!
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Regarding the need for a two person tent I have the Zephyros2. I wouldn't like to have two people in it as I have found that it's just about right for me on my own. There is room for storing a rucksack and other items inside and with the inner opened up you can cook under the shelter of the fly sheet. Apparently there's not much difference in dimensions with the Zephyros1 so I'm glad I went for the Zep2. I'll see if I have any photos that show the tent with kit inside so you have some idea.
(http://img689.imageshack.us/img689/5825/loughshannagh12nov20110.jpg)
[imghttp://img18.imageshack.us/img18/5825/loughshannagh12nov20110.jpg][/img]
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Individual preference comes into it a lot. For instance some members of the forum are prepared to carry a two man that is a little bit heavier so that they have a bit of extra space and comfort. Others prefer a smaller but adequate tent space for the benefits of a weight/pack size saving.
Sometimes two man models are really only a generous one man tent. I think in the case of a Zephyros 2 there is slightly less porch space than a Zephyros 1. There are some very light two man tents out there.
The NI Wild way tends to be to sit outside for the evening whatever the weather til the wee small hours, that means that internal space is not just so important. On the other hand if you often camp with a mate then if the option is available, you can split a two man tent when you know it is going to be bad weather and then spend the evening 'indoors'.
If you know a store that has an Akto (for instance) that is pitched in store I would throw a sleep mat in and climb in and zip it closed. You can then have a lie down and have a good idea of how it feels. You'll be able to get dimensions for other tents and judge it from there.
Happy hunting!