Tent bargain?

[Sweep]

I doubt many of the tents produced now, regardless of price, will have it's longevity or reliability.

IMHO ultra light tents are a little like ultra light bikes.
The technology used is geared more towards performance than longevity.

Interesting opinion - as someone who has been having problems with a Vango Spirit 200+ (list price £300 - Vango maybe not the company you and I remember from our youth) and someone who thinks really lightweight bikes and components are essentially for racers or poseur racers, I'd be interested in what you consider to be a good tough roomy tent for cycle touring - though without dogs. The Vango Spirit 200+ is a compact pack and light for its erected size but I could stand carrying a slightly bigger pack and a bit more weight for something more dependable (and maybe a lot cheaper)

[al_yrpal]

Coleman Avior x2 or x3. See pics on pictures of my tent thread. Better design than the Vangos or lasers , well made and cheap as chips.

Al

[Sweep]

Coleman Avior x2 or x3. See pics on pictures of my tent thread. Better design than the Vangos or lasers , well made and cheap as chips.

Al

Interesting - I have a Coleman Cobra which I bought ages ago but have never used much as I eventually realised that I needed room to store my panniers etc.

But what seems very sensible about some of their designs is the significantly reduced height at one end. I'm kind of thinking this means less material/weight and maybe more strength/wind resistance with no loss of useful space.* After all, how much room do my feet need? What I need is comfotable space with a bit of nigh-time wriggle room plus space for all the junk inside.

* Folks feel free to criticise my logic/Coleman designs/quality

[Sweep]

Your views on this below, from escouts, al_yrpal?

read down to comment from MikeIOW

http://www.escouts.org.uk/forum/threads ... -kit/page2

I'm not overly surprised that it is no longer "current" as availability seems restricted, but if Coleman can no longer supply poles, or rig something from their other bits, it makes them seem very bad at basic support. It would put me off buying any of their tents, however good value they might seem initially.

Interested in yours and any other's views.

[al_yrpal]

Your views on this below, from escouts, al_yrpal?

read down to comment from MikeIOW

http://www.escouts.org.uk/forum/threads ... -kit/page2

I'm not overly surprised that it is no longer "current" as availability seems restricted, but if Coleman can no longer supply poles, or rig something from their other bits, it makes them seem very bad at basic support. It would put me off buying any of their tents, however good value they might seem initially.

Interested in yours and any other's views.

Avior is still on Colemans website and pole kits are still listed in the tent spares PDF. Has this person got his facts right? It's easy to make up a spare pole in any case. The only unique bit is the header piece. If this is still intactyou just need a piece of tube the right diameter.

Al

[Sweep]

Hi y al_yrpal

I checked Coleman's web page (an interesting experience, especially as the "customer service" phone number ended up advising you to email the Netherlands due to a supposedly temporary phone system problem.).

The spares list appeared to show the Avior X3 as having fibreglass poles though the tent's spec seems to say it has aluminium poles.

In order to try to check spares availability before maybe getting an Avior I called Lancashire Sports Repairs in Burnley as listed on the Coleman web page. They were very nice to speak to but said that they didn't send out spare bits of pole - they reckoned that folk often made a mistake and ended up with the wrong bit. Instead they seem to operate a system where you send them the broken pole and they repair the relevant section and send it back. This somewhat involved process costs between £15 and £20 including postage and isn't of course as convenient as sorting yourself.

What actually are the specs for the poles? Can you sort problems yourself? Lancashire Sports Repairs seemed to say that taking the pole sections apart wasn't very easy. (I know it's easy for my Vango as thanks to their wobbly product I've had to do it).

I'd be interested in your expertise.

I stress that I have no issue with Lancashire Sports Repairs - they were good to speak to and helpful.

[al_yrpal]

Portland, the poles are aluminium tubes. They do have the elastic bungy running through. Sorry, I have not had cause to replace a pole. Did those people confirm the Aviors is being retired? The spares PDF lists a whole set. I suppose buying any tent you risk a model change and thus non availability of spares. I think Coleman are actually Chinese or similar.

Al

[Sweep]

I didn't ask them if the Avior is being retired as they didn't seem to be the people to ask.

Thanks for confirming that the poles are aluminium with an elastic bungee.

I suppose that though some would claim that the poles have to be exact equivelents due to finely calculated bending parameters or whatever, that it is just a question of establishing the diamater of the section (I know that my Vango Spirit 200 uses 8.5mm diameter) and then ensuring that the ferrule is the same size diameter (maybe effectively defined by the diameter of the main section) and the correct length so that it slots into the next bit far enough to link up properly without causing undue strain on that next bit.

I suppose some of the non-Coleman spares from here might be handy - in addition to pole bits they also sell complete pole kits complete with tension cord and also the bits that screw into the bottom of a Vango pole to secure the shock cord.:

http://www.outdooraction.co.uk/camping- ... pc-301.php

I'd be interested in the spec of the Avior poles with regard to diameter. If you could check this and the ferrule dimensions, I can check the ferrule dimensions on my Vango poles as sold by the bods above.

I must say I like the look of the Avior X3 - hope you don't mind me saying so but it looks kind of ugly in many of the pics I've seen of it but it also looks very practical and potentially excellent value if it's still possible to find one at a good price. The X2 seems easier to find but the porch may be too small for all my junk

I'd be interested in any info you have on specs though.

all the best

[al_yrpal]

Yes, its a bit ugly, like so many tents. The height is at one end which makes good sense, 1100mm in the X3 and the real killer feature is the side entrance which leaves all your gear safe and sound in the large end where you can easily reach it from the sleeping compartment. I think its design is unique and eminently practical. I hate clutter and the Avior solves it. I had an X2 before and upgraded to the X3 on the basis that its a bit higher, there is more room to put your panniers to either side and crawl though easily when its raining and you are using the front entrance. Quite a few people have purchased Aviors after seeing my review of it and have contacted me with thanks after getting one. I do hope that Coleman don't stop making them because they are great tents for cycle touring (but not the most lightweight like some of the coffin like jobbies)

The pole diameter is 0.332" and the ferrule diameter is 0.275". Looks like 8.5mm will be ok.

Al

[Sweep]

Had to convert your inches!

Yes seems to be compatible - ferrule diameter on Vango spares is 7mm. Length of the ferrule is 38mm and the length of the ferrule on my old Coleman Cobra (never really used as it's a "coffin" design with no luggage space) is the same so I'm guessing yours is. So effectively no great problem with spares at all.

I'll look out for a good deal on an X3 I think, though the X2 now seems far more common.

How much luggage do you use? On my last trip I had 4 panniers - ever had four in the porch yourself?

[al_yrpal]

I take 2 panniers and a bar bag. Even if you had 2 extra panniers there would be plenty of room. Here's a photo, the pannier shown is a biggie, a 46 litre Altura Arran

http://www.flickr.com/photos/alyrpal/57 ... hotostream

Al

[Sweep]

Many thanks - great informative pics.

[nmnm]

http://www.flickr.com/photos/alyrpal/57 ... hotostream

Al

Nice costs spreadsheet, Al - especially the low/median/luxury thing, good for seeing the small decisions affecting the big picture. I have a paper system, noting my costs in a wee book where I also record my trips and distances, so I have a running total of £/mile. I've got quite a new bike and tent, so am still up at 45p per mile.

[al_yrpal]

I did that spreadsheet some time ago to highlight how one can trim costs and still have lots of touring fun. I am doing one at the moment to try and identify how I can flog off all the surplus stuff I have accumulated over the years to pay for an upgrade to a steel frame on my tourer? Spreadsheets are useful!

Al

[Tacascarow]

I doubt many of the tents produced now, regardless of price, will have it's longevity or reliability.

IMHO ultra light tents are a little like ultra light bikes.
The technology used is geared more towards performance than longevity.

Interesting opinion - as someone who has been having problems with a Vango Spirit 200+ (list price £300 - Vango maybe not the company you and I remember from our youth) and someone who thinks really lightweight bikes and components are essentially for racers or poseur racers, I'd be interested in what you consider to be a good tough roomy tent for cycle touring - though without dogs. The Vango Spirit 200+ is a compact pack and light for its erected size but I could stand carrying a slightly bigger pack and a bit more weight for something more dependable (and maybe a lot cheaper)

I'm currently using a North face tadpole which I bought second hand, & is probably 7 or 8 years old. But it only gets used a couple of weekends a year so I'm not best placed to recommend as to whether it's better or worse than new vango tents.
& yes the force ten is a blast from the past but if I was touring with a good friend, & could split the tent between two bikes I'd still consider it.
Still manufactured, second hand ones available on auction sites, spares readily available, & above all proven over 4 decades.
In four or five years time are you going to be able to source new poles or a flysheet for most of the ultralight tents being made now?
I doubt it.