Cycling UK Forum

A friend of mine purchased a Vango Helium 200 last year to use when he goes cycle touring,and he is very happy with it. I have been thinking about getting one myself (although it is a two person tent, it seems a bit cosy to me and I have been thinking about getting one as a one person tent). Field and Trek have a sale on at present and this tent is on their website at £110 inc free delivery, which seems a very good deal so I have ordered one. Thought I would mention it for anyone else looking a tent that has received some good reviews, normally over £200

i use a jack wolfskin gossamer 1.7kg cost £79 from cotswold

I did two months in france, going well into the fall. I had a vango banshee 200 and it did me great the whole way. Not a complicated setup, quite light and compact. Dont remember what I paid, but I found it new from an online retailer for less than 100£.

A touring companion had one of those Heliums. He is quite a small fella 5' 6" or so. He spent a whole week complaining it was cramped and gloomy. It also sagged a lot in the moring in the dew.

Al

In my opinion, despite the popularity, quality, value for money and light weight of both the banshee and its lighter version the helium, both are based on a fataly flawed design.

Any tent which has the groundsheet patialy open to the skies when the entrance is open is almost useless in the UK climate. Not much of an improvement over a bivy bag.

I leave the inner at home and use mine as a single skin one person tent. With the extra space gained from no inner you can push your bedding etc towards the back when you open the entrance. The Banshee is still a bargin at £60 or so as a single skin.

The Wolfskin suffers the same problem and with an all mesh inner, might as well be single skin.

tramponabike wrote:The Wolfskin suffers the same problem and with an all mesh inner, might as well be single skin.

you wouldn't say that if you were camping in midge territory

andrew_s wrote:

tramponabike wrote:The Wolfskin suffers the same problem and with an all mesh inner, might as well be single skin.

you wouldn't say that if you were camping in midge territory

Good point! I have been caught out like that. Chased from West coast up into the Highlands by the little blighters.

Mind you, I think I spend far more time in p'ing down country than midge country. As I said though imo a tent that allows your groundsheet to become a paddling pool if you open the entrance is not a good idea in the UK. And a mesh inner is only good in midge country, it doesn't stop the wind or the drops of condensation from the inside of the flysheet. They are simply not designed for the UK climate.

Based on the weight and the extended awning, we bought a Terra Nova Voyager XL for a 3-month tour of European rivers last summer. During the time we were away, BOTH zips on the flysheet failed. The tension put on the doorway causes stress at the apex of the door arch and this, coupled with pretty flimsy nylon zips is a major drawback. I would definitely not recommend this tent.

I went walking in Lake District is Sept, when weather was really bad ( I know I wasn't biking, but variety is the spice of life!!), anyway, I used my Terra Nova Wild country Duolite tourer and yet again it served me brilliantly. it is strong and not too heavy and has a large porch for your extra stuff. whilst we were camping on coniston hall farm campsite a large Gazebo blew onto my tent. The Gazebo was goosed, but my tent is still alive and kicking. Not the cheapest tent though.

I lost 6 kilos through divorce. The world beating Hilleberg Staika thus becomes relatively light.

I swear by my Vaude Taurus Ultralight - not the cheapest but its roomy, quick to put up and light. Mine has managed to survive Alpine thunderstorms, gale force winds and general mis treatment over 10 years of use and apart from replacing bent pegs has only suffered a couple of stress fractures on the poles after being literally flattened by Baltic gales a couple of years ago.

theres even a pic of the flattened tent here http://cycletouringstuff.eu/ostseegallery.aspx !

I'm thinking of replacing before my next trip - the latest version of the Taurus is top of my list!

There's somebody selling off a couple of the Vaude Taurus Ultrlights on eBay at the moment, for a good price!

I use a Wild Country Duolite Tourer when cycle camping. I chose this after an exhaustive search mainly because it has an extended porch(ideal for storage), is so easy to put up (it takes about 5 mins) ,can be erected fly sheet first (thus keeping the inner dry) and can take a good battering from strong winds no problem..
With lightweight tents like this, the flysheet isn`t especially thick so I bought a Gelert survival bag and cut to fit under the sleeping area to add some additional protection from stones. The pegs are a `V` shape and help prevent bending in stony/hard ground. The sleeping area is fairly cramped as is the case with most small, lightweight tents and sleeps 2 people. I`m 6`1" tall and fit in with my girlfriend no problem, but it is fairly `cosy`. I don`t mind as I spend most of the time outside.
I bought this tent in spring 2011 and it cost £200. I`ve used it on 2, two-week tours and was thoroughly impressed with it. Therefore I would recommend to anyone thinking of buying it.
One tip I`d give when looking at buying a tent - take the advertised weight with a pinch of salt. I couldn`t get mine down to within 150g of that advertised even after ditching the tent/pole/peg bags!

I find a tent with a porch either side works well for me. Stowage one side and access/cooking/panoramic views from the other. The Terra Nova Solar 2.2 is a good example. Easy to get in and out of and I can sit upright in comfort. A downside is that it pitches inner first so I need to get it pitched pretty quickly if it is raining but in warm dry climates it is great to use it without the fly sheet.

I only use rear panniers and a bar bag so the stowed volume is important.

Currently looking at the Tarptent Notch. I have a fetish on tents.

http://www.tarptent.com/notch.html#faq