Cycling UK Forum

Posted: **24 Apr 2023, 12:34pm**

Background: I went camping with the car last week for the first time this year because the weather forecast was good (fine, sunny, light wind) and I was itching to get away. I took my big tent, a Vango Beta 550, which is a tunnel shape and has 3 alloy poles. When I bought it, I chose alloy over fibre glass because I assumed that the former were stronger. Anyhow the weather, on a regular, apparently sheltered campsite near Harlech, turned out to be worse than forecast, the gusty wind got stronger and eventually it trashed the tent, breaking two of the poles. An uncomfortable night in the car followed. (Lesson no. 1: ask if a caravan or cabin is available at a reasonable price next time).

So I am now looking for a biggish tent to use as a basecamp on similar trips: April - October, lowland UK. Ideally I would like to be able to stand up straight inside but I guess that this is incompatible with it being able to withstand strong winds (they were 30-40 mph according to the weather reports). Weight, within reason, is not an issue but the currently trendy canvas bell tents and teepees could be inconvenient especially if soaking wet.

Expedition type tents are OTT in terms of cost and are poor for ventilation and condensation apparently but there are some cheaper (£200-500) dome tents that might do the job, e.g. Wild Country Trisar 2D, Berghaus Grampian 3, Vango Halo 300, Decathlon Forclaz MT900, Alpkit Ordos 3. Does anyone have experience of these, good or bad, or have an alternative recommendation please.

Posted: **24 Apr 2023, 1:58pm**

I've been very pleased with a Nordisk Agard. I have the smallest of three sizes. It is as far as I can tell, bomb-proof, and I'm intending to move in soon after the next nationwide emergency alert (

) It's standable-upable-in, just. As a measure of its strength the single pole is 2" dia chromed steel tube and just the pegs in their bag weigh more than the whole of my other, lightweight 2 person tent...
Unfortunately, its listed price has rocketed since I bought it back before Covid, like a lot of tents as far as I can see, but it does pop up now & then on special offer, which is how I bought it.
https://nordisk.co.uk/asgard-71-m/natural/p/229/1874

Posted: **24 Apr 2023, 3:38pm**

rotavator wrote: ↑24 Apr 2023, 12:34pm Background: I went camping with the car last week for the first time this year because the weather forecast was good (fine, sunny, light wind) and I was itching to get away. I took my big tent, a Vango Beta 550, which is a tunnel shape and has 3 alloy poles. When I bought it, I chose alloy over fibre glass because I assumed that the former were stronger. Anyhow the weather, on a regular, apparently sheltered campsite near Harlech, turned out to be worse than forecast, the gusty wind got stronger and eventually it trashed the tent, breaking two of the poles. An uncomfortable night in the car followed. (Lesson no. 1: ask if a caravan or cabin is available at a reasonable price next time).

So I am now looking for a biggish tent to use as a basecamp on similar trips: April - October, lowland UK. Ideally I would like to be able to stand up straight inside but I guess that this is incompatible with it being able to withstand strong winds (they were 30-40 mph according to the weather reports). Weight, within reason, is not an issue but the currently trendy canvas bell tents and teepees could be inconvenient especially if soaking wet.

Expedition type tents are OTT in terms of cost and are poor for ventilation and condensation apparently but there are some cheaper (£200-500) dome tents that might do the job, e.g. Wild Country Trisar 2D, Berghaus Grampian 3, Vango Halo 300, Decathlon Forclaz MT900, Alpkit Ordos 3. Does anyone have experience of these, good or bad, or have an alternative recommendation please.

Other than bent poles I don’t know how much damage was done, might new poles put you back into the position you were in before you last used that tent - perhaps Vango might help. If so then the tent would be good for resale or reuse in easier weather. Out of interest was the tent pitched more across the wind or into it?

I claim no camping expertise but I like small ridge and dome tents. Tunnels are doubtless great for many applications too, superior even, but maybe not the best in - whether expected or not - difficult weather.

Posted: **24 Apr 2023, 3:58pm**

I rate Khyam tents as the most rugged. I was by one of the lakes and in the night there was a gale blowing across the lake. In the morning all the tents around us were flattened but our Khyam Rigidome was untouched. They do really big ones with steel prop poles outside the tent, thats what I would choose. I saw similar big tents with aluminium prop poles and they had just bent and the whole tent flattened and in some instances blown away.
When I finally sold it people flocked to buy it.

Ebay is a good source for decent s/h ones

Al

Posted: **24 Apr 2023, 4:58pm**

We had a big vango air beam job as a family tent, one that had very dense fabric, so very high “standing head” rating. That was very solid in high winds once everything was zipped and secured, provided that the pegging was good, but …… it was bl@@dy heavy, about 30kg IIRC. The packing bag it came in had integral wheels, which hints that it wasn’t easy to carry!

This looks like the one, although ours was green.https://www.vango.co.uk/gb/camping-equi ... ckage.html

If you’ve got a partner, friend, strong children etc, highly recommended, but if you’re going to be handling it alone, prepare to get pretty worn out, especially packing it away.

We swapped to a smaller, lighter one since we rarely camp except in really good weather these days, and that has actually been fine in some very blustery thunderstorms.

Would be well OTT for just one person, but if they make a smaller version using the same fabric and tech, worth looking at.

Posted: **24 Apr 2023, 5:26pm**

Can you "double pole" your existing tent? Was the issue in the wind the pole (and staying upright) or the fabric?

Ian

Posted: **24 Apr 2023, 7:28pm**

Carlton green wrote: ↑24 Apr 2023, 3:38pm Out of interest was the tent pitched more across the wind or into it?

It was dead calm when I pitched it. The wind when it came, was more or less aligned with the tunnel, may be more on one corner at times and it was gusty. It basically shook the tent down, guylines pulled off pegs, pegs pulled out. Pegs were heavy steel shepherd's crook shaped: may be not the best but sturdy. After two poles went I abandoned it, pulled out the last pole then weighed it down with two cast iron fire pits otherwise it would have been torn to bits and all my gear would have been scattered

Posted: **24 Apr 2023, 7:38pm**

simonineaston wrote: ↑24 Apr 2023, 1:58pm I've been very pleased with a Nordisk Agard. I have the smallest of three sizes. It is as far as I can tell, bomb-proof, and I'm intending to move in soon after the next nationwide emergency alert ( ) It's standable-upable-in, just. As a measure of its strength the single pole is 2" dia chromed steel tube and just the pegs in their bag weigh more than the whole of my other, lightweight 2 person tent...
Unfortunately, its listed price has rocketed since I bought it back before Covid, like a lot of tents as far as I can see, but it does pop up now & then on special offer, which is how I bought it.
https://nordisk.co.uk/asgard-71-m/natural/p/229/1874

Something like that is one possibility. A similar looking one, pitched on the opposite side of my campsite and a bit more sheltered, survived the stormy night unscathed.

What is it like for waterproofing? I have read that similar looking tents can be leaky. Does the fabric soak up water and take ages to dry?

Posted: **24 Apr 2023, 7:49pm**

Psamathe wrote: ↑24 Apr 2023, 5:26pm Can you "double pole" your existing tent? Was the issue in the wind the pole (and staying upright) or the fabric?

Ian

I was so disappointed with its performance that I figured that it was unfit for purpose, i.e. 3 season use on lowland campsites in the UK. It also had some holes ripped in it so I salvaged a few bits then binned it. It was 4 years old. It was also very noisy in the wind; apparently smooth dome tents are quieter than tunnels so that is another reason to be interested in the former as a replacement.

I would suggest that its main weakness was the poles being too flexible and weak, followed by its height. It was great for standing up straight in and that was my main reason for buying it.

Posted: **24 Apr 2023, 9:18pm**

I have the 2EX version of this tent:

https://www.wowcamping.co.uk/productDet ... DcQAvD_BwE

According to spec, the wind limit is Wind test: MAX 140km/h AVG 125km/h . My 2EX has a wind limit of: Wind test: MAX 168km/h AVG 160km/h which probably means that the lower tent is capable of withstanding higher winds. That is a 100 mph wind they reckon it will withstand.

On these tents (and I suspect others of other brands), two guy ropes are routed to the same peg. I've separated all mine out - more pegs but higher strength perhaps. I think you need to use all the guy ropes on these tunnel tents - and more. I'm baffled as to how large tunnel tents became popular - small ones, yes.

I love my Voyager 2EX and have complete confidence in it - the fact that it is a tunnel is what makes it so practical. But I would still do the following:

Avoid an exposed coastal site
Try to pitch behind wind breaks (e.g. the toilet block)
Actually not pitch if winds are expected above 50 mph
Get all pegs well dug in (at the right angle)
Pitch behind the car if car-camping
Pitch in line with the wind
Add guy lines to any available point (doubling up if necessary)
Avoid camping near or under trees

Posted: **24 Apr 2023, 11:12pm**

I can 100% recommend this decathlon tent.
https://www.decathlon.co.uk/p/camping-t ... 237&c=GREY
Now, I know it doesn't have the posh label and high price tag like some other tents by Hilleberg etc but ours was one of few tents left standing after what felt like a hurricane swept through a hillside campsite in mid Wales a few years ago. It is bombproof.
There's a huge vent in the roof so even with the missus, 3 kids, the dog and I stuck inside while it poured outside, there was no condensation. Not a drop. Get yourself an extra set of poles and the front door can be opened up and used as a canopy. Possibly the best tent we/I ever had. Shame I killed it in the dryer...won't be making that mistake again

Posted: **24 Apr 2023, 11:44pm**

Vantage wrote: ↑24 Apr 2023, 11:12pm but ours was one of few tents left standing after what felt like a hurricane swept through a hillside campsite in mid Wales a few years ago. It is bombproof.

So, Vantage, please can you explain why your tent was left standing and the others not and which features of the tent were so different from the Vango Beta that meant the latter was prey to a 40 mph gust and your Decathlon would not be.

Posted: **25 Apr 2023, 8:48am**

rotavator wrote: ↑24 Apr 2023, 7:28pm
It basically shook the tent down, guylines pulled off pegs, pegs pulled out. Pegs were heavy steel shepherd's crook shaped: may be not the best but sturdy.

I think you've identified the problem here. Tunnel tents generally don't perform as well as domes and other geodesic designs in windy conditions, they rely heavily on guy line security under such circumstances. Did you also deploy the internal tension bands (TBS) that Vango supply with their tunnel tents?

I know that hindsight is a wonderful thing but it also pays to be prepared. Manufacturers often make cost cutting compromises when it comes to specifying pegs, and on budget tents it's worth replacing cheap pegs with something better. Aluminium Y or V section pegs are a good general purpose choice but it's also worth carrying more specialist pegs to cope with varying ground conditions. Extra guy line material also takes up very little space and can be used in emergencies to improvise extra security.

Posted: **25 Apr 2023, 9:23am**

What is it like for waterproofing? I have read that similar looking tents can be leaky. Does the fabric soak up water and take ages to dry?

My experience has been mixed. It's plain canvas & the maker advises not to coat the material. In the rainy weather I've used it, there was one drip from centre top, which I just moved to avoid. The maker supplies a pole cap which I didn't spot until after the rainy nights... I've been lucky in that rain has been followed by sunshine so it's always been dry when it came time to strike the camp, but I have a sneaking feeling it might be a bit of a handful if I had to strike it soaking wet... the tent is already heavy when dry, at around 15kg. * But that's where it gets its integral strength from - heavy materials.
I've since bought the matching cabin - aka an inner. I imagine that & the pole cap would fix the drip issue.
I was out in it when snow fell once and it just rolled off it, as all sides are steep. The bell tent was commonly used by arctic expeditions. Brrrr...
* the bigger models are even heavier - which I suppose is self solving in that you only need one of the bigger ones if you need to accomodate more people and if you have more people, they can help deal with the tent!

Posted: **25 Apr 2023, 9:46am**

ps one other attribute I haven't mentioned, which will either be of interest or not, according to your preferences. It's almost completely silent. I've had lighter weight, tunnel tents, which have been fabulously weather proof, praise be, but which flapped noisily and endlessly in anything remotely like a breeze. The canvas bell tent was a revelation the first night it was windy - in fact the only things that made any noise at all were the collection of zip pull tabs fitted to the open vents round the base. And they were effectively silenced once I'd got home.

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