Cycling UK Forum

pedalsheep wrote: ↑12 Oct 2022, 2:18pm Another vote for the Vango Omega 350. I use it car camping for 2 and found it sturdy and very spacious. It would be palatial for one!

Great thing about the alloy poles too is the way they butt together leaving no seam so they slide through the fabric very easy and you get a bigger tent for the same weight.

This is mine at the Manx with motorbike this time --- you can see the size wrt the deckchair outside.

If your priority is not having to sit out poor weather in a compact lightweight tent, would a large tarp in combination with your existing tent be worth considering?

Our family tent is a huge Primus Bifrost Y6, but there's a smaller "4 person" version, the H4, that comes in at 10 Kg. Standing height, high quality alloy poles, one spacious bedroom for you and a garage for the bike on the other side (in ours the two bedrooms have separate hung detachable inners, don't know is the H4 has the same but suspect it would be).

Probably a bit over the top, but if you're looking at the luxury end and at the top of the weight allowance, might as well be able to stand up!

Pete.

Thanks folks for the suggestions so far, I've not had chance for any proper research, but will do, from a quick glance I think I can narrow what I want down. It has to offer considerably more space, particularly headroom than my current tent which is I think 105cm, those three person tunnels with an extra 15 - 20cm are probably not what I'm looking for. The Coleman at 145 might make it onto the shortlist, 150+ is probably what I'd really like. This is a bit experimental, both the type of camping and the opportunity to do a lot more of it. For that reason I want to stay at the budget end, though who knows I might end up doing enough to invest in something better.
Slowster raises an interesting point about what my priority is. I don't really know! I've never really liked camping... other than as a means to an end, the only sort I've done has been moving on touring and it's been the flexibility, and economy, that's been the appeal. I've put together kit that makes it bearably comfortable and practical, I've just never thought I'd go camping for the sake of it. The idea of having a fixed base for a few days would allow me to do some stuff I haven't when cycling through. Not so much the riding, but a folding bike without luggage is easier to take and leave places. I could do all this with current kit, except rather than there being any priority, there's just the feeling that the priority of keeping stuff light and compact, with the compromises that entails, doesn't apply.

Totally agree about the value of being able to stand up in a tent used for this purpose.

Jonathan

My suggestion of a tarp was tentative, because it is ages since I last went cycle-camping, and I never stayed in one place for any time, so I cannot comment based on personal experience. What prompted me to suggest it was seeing a video of someone using a tarp and tent, and realising some of the possible advantages.

I would share the preference for more space inside the tent, and being able to stand up inside the tent does appeal. However, apart from getting dressed and undressed, how much is someone likely to want to stand upright in a tent? I think a more important criterion for headroom would be the ability to sit on a chair inside the tent, in which case the required height of the tent would depend upon the height of the chair, e.g. Helinox or other type, and the extent to which the roof slopes, especially if more than one occupant in a steeply sided/roofed tent.

But even if you could sit on a chair inside the tent, in reality how much would you wish to do that? The one scenario I imagine when that would be desirable, would be if there were midges. Otherwise I would expect it to be preferable to sit on a chair outside the tent in the morning, the evening, and during the day. A large tarp would allow you to sit outside despite rain or the threat of rain, and also to prepare, cook and eat meals outside. If it rained all day, I would prefer cooking outside under a tarp to using a camping stove inside the porch of a tent, and with a trailer and fixed base camping you might be able to be quite ambitious in your outdoor cooking (mini-BBQ?).

What I am describing is in effect a lightweight camping equivalent of having an awning for a camper van or family tent.

On checking the Big Agnes website, the Wyoming Trail 2 appears to have many of the advantages of a tarp plus tent, but also has side walls for the awning, making it suitable for getting dressed, storing your trailer etc., and the ability to raise/lower the walls on one or more sides for weather protection. It's double your £200-£250 envisaged price (more when you add the cost of poles for the awning), but the flexible living space that the awning/porch provides looks very appealing.

https://www.bigagnes.com/collections/wy ... ng-trail-2

https://www.absolute-snow.co.uk/V/Big_A ... -(326798)?

You have suggested a 10kg limit for the tent, but have you taken into account the extra weight of other additional/heavier items you might also take? In other words, I imagine that with the sort of larger tent you are considering, you would not just use your existing lightweight kit and take nothing else that adds to the extra weight. It might therefore be better to choose a tent nearer 5kg, to give yourself spare capacity in your overall 'weight budget' for whatever else extra you might want to take.

For example, you might want to take a chair that was more comfortable to sit in for long periods than an ultralight, low back/low seat Helinox type, e.g. maybe something like the folding chair in the link below, which weighs 1.8kg. Similarly if you take more kit for food preparation and cooking, that may add significant extra weight.

https://www.wayfair.co.uk/garden/pdp/da ... 08524.html

slowster wrote: ↑13 Oct 2022, 3:59pm You have suggested a 10kg limit for the tent, but have you taken into account the extra weight of other additional/heavier items you might also take?

I'm largely winging it, the restriction is bulk rather than weight, the intention is to get a train or coach to the area and I know I'm happy towing 30kg for 30 or so miles, so weight isn't really a concern. It all has to pack in the trailer bag (Radical Designs Chubby) with the bike, or in a large backpack, this one
https://www.prodelbags.com/product/deli ... avy-blue/7
In with the bike I can get the chair which I already have, tent poles and maybe a couple of small stuff sacks, the rest - tent fabric, sleep stuff, clothes, cooking stuff (I don't expect to do much), has to go in the backpack, though it doesn't need to be carried far. Backpack in the trailer when the bike isn't..

If I find I have spare capacity, I might add kit, better pillow, extra off bike clothing... but we digress, the stating point is a tent.

I was under the impression you're taking a car with a 10kg tent -- towing a trailer with 30kg of kit on it didn't know we had Superman in the forum.

I essentially do what you're taking about ie I set up camp unloading everything into the tent when I get to my "base camp"

-- I stay for two weeks -- I don't need a trailer -- I take the omega 4.7kg tent, camp chair and sleeping bag across the front rack to distribute the weight across the bike. I take clothes, towels and airbed in rear panniers.

Stove cooking stuff, chargers etc, other bits and pieces and first nights food at least and some medical stuff in a bag above panniers --

then a day bag on my back with cycle tools more clothes and mostly stuff I'd need touring around the area.


It's a bit more involved than that but that's the gist of it -- I can provide a complete comprehensive itinerary list because I do it twice a year, so with my check list it's much easier to get my stuff together.

Loading all into the porch of the omega I have my bike free from weight to enjoy my surroundings. All you'll see from outside is my tent and my bike chained to a nearby tree. I still have plenty of room in the tent. It also has the vango tension system ( I think it's called ) so I use the tension straps inside to hang clothes ( take clothes pegs ) to dry inside the porch if it's too wet outside.

This year was the first year I used the omega with the motorcycle ( a classic motorcycle event ) . The realization I could get more on my bicycle than on my motorcycle was a bit of a shock but that's because my motorcycle does not lend itself to pannier mounts like most. The tent was perfect for the job as it packs small enough to fit on the pillion seat with dry bag behind on the rear rack.

I've grown very attached to that tent.

You wouldn't get a bike and trailer on a train in NI -- I can put my loaded bike onto the train to get to the ferry port.

Cowsham wrote: ↑13 Oct 2022, 9:46pm I was under the impression you're taking a car with a 10kg tent -- towing a trailer with 30kg of kit on it didn't know we had Superman in the forum....
...You wouldn't get a bike and trailer on a train in NI -- I can put my loaded bike onto the train to get to the ferry port.

You missed the gist of it.
It's a folding bike and trailer, when the bike isn't being ridden it's in the trailer, the wheels come off and it's a piece of luggage, it can go on any train (Inc Eurostar) or coach.
I'm not taking the trailer for the camping kit, I don't particularly want to do a moving on tour with it, but neither is there anything superhuman about 30kg in a suitable vehicle.

I would have a look at the Vango Galaxy 300 that I linked to earlier. It ticks most of your boxes, full standing height porch, a genuine 3 person tent and the lower height sleeping quarters limit the weight to 5.5kg. Don't be too put off by my comment about mixed reviews. The main criticism seemed to be not being able to get the walls of the porch area taught enough to prevent them flapping inside the bathtub style groundsheet, and thereby allowing water to enter in wet weather. In fairness this is not an insurmountable problem and may be due to poor pitching, some reviewers had solved the problem by fitting intermediate pegging points. Furthermore, the porch groundsheet is detachable and could easily be rolled back a little in wet weather. The other thing to watch in tents of this design is that the longer poles of the full height porch tend to have correspondingly longer pole sections, not a problem if car camping but may be awkward if carrying on a bicycle.

Norman H wrote: ↑14 Oct 2022, 8:17am I would have a look at the Vango Galaxy 300 that I linked to earlier. It ticks most of your boxes,

Thanks Norman, I've bookmarked that as one to have a better look at, it does tick a lot of boxes. It's not a design I've come across, if I was nit picking, I've always had a preference for sleeping across the door, though the size probably makes the reasons for that irrelevant.

When I was at my worst with PMR when I had problems getting up from the floor, I used a Galaxy 200. It was a nice tent, although heavier and bulkier that my other tents it was carriable on the bike. It would actually fit in my Backpacker Plus pannier but most times I carried it on top of the rack.

Unfortunately I took a good offer for mine once the PMR cleared up and I had no further use for it. However, on reflection I wished I had kept it.

bikepacker wrote: ↑14 Oct 2022, 10:07am I used a Galaxy 200. It was a nice tent

That's high praise from someone with your experience!
Seems the 300 is a replacement for the 200, half a kg heavier and a bit bigger, I guess they didn't consider it worth offering both. It's currently at the top of the shortlist, also has the advantage of being available from Amazon and I have a gift card that needs using.

Mine came with a groundsheet for the vestibule but I purchased a full-length footprint which I found to be much better. IMO the Galaxy 300 would serve you much better than a tepee style which some have recommended.