New Member Tent Advice

[playford]

just having a wee look at the vango milano 250.

4.5kg but decent make and looks decent size. £45.

bit worried weight wise though. My old tent was about 2.5kg

just wondering could it double up if I was going away with gf.

bloody millets in belfast only have the 350 in which is 6.50kg so defo too big lol

seen lot of people use the gelert solo one, but it just looks that bit too small for me, think id rather have an extra kg and a bit more room.

sorry if this is a bit of cross posting. trying to keep new tent below £50.

[LennyJ1]

This looks like it could be a good compramise

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Gelert-Rocky-Person-Tent-Olive/dp/B00322QRNC/ref=sr_1_15?s=sports&ie=UTF8&qid=1311240168&sr=1-15

[RedLeader]

Some tent advice here:
http://www.ni-wild.co.uk/blog/2011/07/choosing-a-wildcamping-tent/

[playford]

had a mooch round millets there.

basically anything over 3kgish is just too big if one person is carrying it.

so gonna go and have another look, the solo one size i think is a wee bit too tiny, just want something I can move about and a small porch bit for a ruck sac/boots or getting dinner on if the weathers awful.

saw a karrimor for £65 but its mad bright blue, so hardly ideal if your stealth camping lol

[LandyLiam]

This looks like it could be a good compramise

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Gelert-Rocky-Person-Tent-Olive/dp/B00322QRNC/ref=sr_1_15?s=sports&ie=UTF8&qid=1311240168&sr=1-15

i have one of those, did 5 mourne summits in it, bends a bit but never broke or leaked in some very wet and windy nights  but did eventually splash out on something lighter

[playford]

had a look at this looks good apart from the bloody mad colour grrrr.

http://www.millets.co.uk/product/096483/KM-BETA-2011-BRT-BLUE-0.html

like the shape, anyone have one?

[LandyLiam]

well at least you will be able to find it amongst the other tents 

i like the 2 doors and 2 porchs though, 3kg isn't a bad weight for what you get.

[playford]

decent starter tent, my only concern is the colour be like a bloody beacon.

might see if I can pic one up on the reasonable off ebay.

[Rumblebum]

field+trek have a Karrimor x lite 300 tent on sale that may be worth a look. Its 3 person and only 2.5kg, i know nothing about the tent but it may suit you well, it should have plenty of room. £180 - £60 in the sale.

[Oisín]

I can see where you coming from with 3Kg being too much. But to be honest its not that bad. Unless your racing to the campsite you can afford extra weight.

I've carried a 5.5Kg tent up a big hill for 4 miles to Glenariff forest, took us about 2.5hours but its still do-able. And to be fair it wasnt that bad, only thing I really noticed is that the rucksack will push down on your back abit more, meaning not as much ventilation and more sweat.

Personally I'd rather carry extra weight if it means a better nights sleep. Not having to be crammed into a midget tent at the end of the day is a blessing. A good nights sleep is way more rewarding than not having to carry an extra 2kg.

[playford]

I went and had a feel of the various sized tents in millets and as handy as the 1.5kg ones are I think I just find it too cramped.

I dont like idea oif having muddy boots, rucksacs and wet outer layers in the actual sleeping bit either.

I think the plan is get a 2.5-3kg job and start there and see how camping style develops, can always pick up a cheap smaller tent over the winter if its too big.

[Oisín]

Sounds like a good idea. No need to rush into expensive equipment. Especially when the cheaper stuff can do the same job.

[Hendy]

so instead of workin all night I have spent as much of my time researching the Gelert Solo as I want to find myself a tent light enough that I can disappear out on my own without needing someone else to split the tent with.

In general this little tent seems to review fantastically well and i sense that it may be my next purchase.

Definitely the best way to spend an overnight in McDonalds!! Researching Kit!!

[RedLeader]

Dammit, now I want a Quarter Pounder with Cheese...

so instead of workin all night I have spent as much of my time researching the Gelert Solo as I want to find myself a tent light enough that I can disappear out on my own without needing someone else to split the tent with.

In general this little tent seems to review fantastically well and i sense that it may be my next purchase.

Definitely the best way to spend an overnight in McDonalds!! Researching Kit!!

[LandyLiam]

Dammit, now I want a Quarter Pounder with Cheese...

at this time of day   , surely a sausage and egg mcmuffin would hit the right spot  

I've carried a 5.5Kg tent up a big hill for 4 miles to Glenariff forest, took us about 2.5hours but its still do-able. And to be fair it wasnt that bad, only thing I really noticed is that the rucksack will push down on your back abit more, meaning not as much ventilation and more sweat.

i agree, having carried a 5kg tent (18kg total pack weight) 6 miles recently through the mournes, it ceratainley slows you down (i was still first to campsite though  ) but if you aren't going too far and not in a rush (i.e. doing the mourne mountain marathon) then why not.

Here's an example of how much it slows you down:
Last year I went up Donard with 19kg rucksack in 2hr30mins, 1 week later i did it without a rucksack in 1hr 30mins, both occassions i was going as fast as i could without stopping for food (only stopping to breath), so if i'd gone ultralight (say 10kg) i reckon i would have done it in 2hrs.