New Tent Advice

[crazyferret]

Hi
After many years of heavy use i have decided that I need to replace my old tent. I have been using a 3 man Vango Tornado for touring, walking and just casual camping and was wondering what would be a good replacement. This previous tent was bought by my dad and so have little experience in different tents. I do know what i would like to get out of it though.
The main factors are:
1)Enough space for 2 people, I rarely camp alone so it would be pointless getting a single man tent.
2)Have a good size porch, enough space for panniers or rucksacks.
3)Not too heavy

Thanks for your help

[mercurykev]

You didn't mention a budget so I'll start off with a high bid - Hilleberg Nallo GT, either a 2 or a 3 depending on whether you'd want a bit extra living space at the cost of an extra 200g (2.7kg vs 2.9kg).

The tent has a good amount of living space and the GT vestibule is massive, you can fit a bike in the 3 person vestibule. It is also very well made and can stand up to some extreme weather. The drawback is that it costs about £650.

[profpointy]

I concur with the hilleberg recommendation. They are perfect in every respect bar price, which is indeed brutal.
They are just about worth the money. Their two man tents really are big enough for two, so you don't need the three man tent for two logic - although a nallo 3 does give an even rooomier tent for not much more weight. The quality, size for weight / weight for size, and attention to detail are outstanding. For what it's worth I gritted my teeth and got the even larger kaitum 2gt which is two porch design - with the gt porch being a monster, and also nallo 2 (non gt) which is still fairly roomy for a backpacking trip where weight really mattered. Perhaps the nallo2 gt or kaitum 2 non gt might be best for cycle camping

If you can't stretch to a hilleberg, and they are silly money, worth it as it may be, then vaude make some very good mid price lightweight tents which stand up to quite a lot

[phil parker]

If you're lucky you can get a second-hand, but good condition, Nallo2 GT for about £450 - and if you intend to cycle-camp regularly it would be a wise investment that I would recommend along with the other contributors to this thread!

It is a large tent, so if you don't need the porch space the standard Nallo or even the Anjan (3-man) would be a good choice.

If you have a limited or set budget to stick to there are plenty of mid-range second-hand tents on offer that have seen little use, I would be tempted to remain patient and keep an eye out for a bargain.

Good luck!

[foxyrider]

Vaude Taurus in its various guises gets my vote - quite rare on the campsites but its size and speed of erection often get admiring glances! I can have it ready to use in under five minutes completely pegged. Generous porch, plenty of headroom, very spacious for one, two won't be on top of each other, three if you're quite friendly!

Basic models can be had from under £300, the power ultralight (Vaude power range tents are designed to stand up in wind better) is closer to £400 but weight is only @ 2kg which puts it well into the ultra lightweight band.

Mine has seen duty over almost a dozen years in all weathers and from sea level to low alpine, even when my pitch became flooded in Switzerland a couple of years back i stayed dry inside!

[al_yrpal]

Coleman Avior X3 similar to the Vaude, but has a seperate front vestibule for your kit. You can also close the side up in inclement weather and enter and exit through that keeping the sleeping compartment cozy and dry. 5 minutes to pitch. It's also 1/3 of the cost of the Vaude.



Al

[flemingcool]

Further praise for the Hilleberg Nallo 2GT here. Expensive, but if you are going to be using it a lot you will get the benefits. Pitching is a breeze, loads of room and dependable. I woke up in the lakes once after a particularly rainy night, and my legs (and indeed the whole rear of the inner) were floating in the pond that had formed under the tent. Needless to say I was bone dry, and had learnt a valuable lesson about pitching on lower ground without getting soaked.

[crazyferret]

Thanks for all of the great suggestions, I'm looking at spending in the region of £300-£400. As good as the Hilleberg looks it also seems a lot larger than I am used to and probably would need, that and its very expensive. The Vaude looks good though, I will have a look at a few of them next time I pass by a camping shop. How small do they pack down, with the Vango we experimented with packing it in the panniers but in the end had to put it on the rack, do any of them fold small enough to fit into panniers (even without the poles), it would be nice to get the weight a bit lower and in the dry.

Thanks

[Sweep]

mm

I must say I'd be wary of trying to save money by buying a second-hand tent - you wouldn't really know what it's been subjected to in terms of wind and UV.

I'm also now rather wary of the word "ultralight" applied to bike stuff in general (I got back into cycling too old to be a skinny racer) and anything to do with bike touring in particular.

3: "Secondhand" and "ultralight" sounds like dangerous combination.

Consider seeking out al_yrpal's song of praise for the Avior X3 - I've also posted on that thread.

I will be using it alone though - partner not into what I call proper camping and I need a lot of space for junk/faffing.

[nmnm]

Field and Trek had some great Terra Nova discounts in the spring and I have read that the 2013 TN Wild Country offerings are looking good. Do you need the new tent over winter? May be worth considering an early season purchase in 2013 unless you are seeing end-of-line discounts at the moment.

[simonineaston]

The main factors are:
1)Enough space for 2 people, I rarely camp alone so it would be pointless getting a single man tent.
2)Have a good size porch, enough space for panniers or rucksacks.
3)Not too heavy
Thanks

Of course there are lots of tents that fit your criteria, some better made than others (Terra Nova are good in my experience) but the 3 above are also a Hilleberg GT variant to a tee... they make 'GT' versions of a lot of their tents. 'GT' signifies an extra pole and so a huuuuuge vestibule. I would say if you are regular cycle-tourers, i.e. several times a year, and you favour northern Europe (by which I mean you camp in the rain/mist/fog/drizzle a lot) splash the cash - you won't regret it!
It hasn't been mentioned, but one of the factors you pay premium product money for when you get a Hilleberg is the fact that they are pro quality, 4 season tents (although they are just starting to venture into 3 season land with, amongst others the Anjan), so if you don't camp frequently and, as far as the Nallo range is concerned, you don't camp in foul weather frequently, you could be wasting your money.

[pjclinch]

I personally prefer the Kaitum to the Nallo GT (less porch volume but more inner volume, and an entrance and porch each), but even more expensive. Having said that, I recently picked up another hardly used one for £450 for the kids to use when we're touring as a family, so they do come up in great condition at relatively sane prices.

seems a lot larger than I am used to and probably would need

Strikes me as a bit like someone who'd got away with a 3 speed Sturmey Archer hub for years saying they don't want a Rohloff because it's more gears than they need or are used to... If you're changing it's a nice chance to improve things, and instances of wishing I was in a smaller tent aren't springing readily in to my head!

Pete.

[eezypeazy]

Having only done a little cycle camping in the recent years, using an inexpensive Pro Action Hike Lite one person tent from Argos, (ie., I only camp out for a couple of summer nights in any year), can I just chip in and say that it's not the speed of erection that I've found particularly burdensome, but the amount of time it takes to properly pack away. Add to that stuffing a sleeping bag back into its stuff sack, and I've found that it takes me about an hour to rouse myself, eat, pack everything onto the bike and get on the move - a not insignificant amount of time if, like me, you need on occasion to get away to catch an early train home...

[andymiller]

Strikes me as a bit like someone who'd got away with a 3 speed Sturmey Archer hub for years saying they don't want a Rohloff because it's more gears than they need or are used to... If you're changing it's a nice chance to improve things, and instances of wishing I was in a smaller tent aren't springing readily in to my head!

Well maybe, but you rarely get something for nothing in life and in this case more space is almost always at the cost of greater weight. I'm sure not many people want a smaller tent, but equally who wants to carry a heavier tent . If you can live with a smaller tent then I'd stick with it.

[pjclinch]

Well maybe, but you rarely get something for nothing in life and in this case more space is almost always at the cost of greater weight. I'm sure not many people want a smaller tent, but equally who wants to carry a heavier tent . If you can live with a smaller tent then I'd stick with it.

Up to a point. You can throw technology/money at it and use lighter fabrics that are just as strong. Of course you can also use the same fabrics in a smaller tent and come out lighter, but tents are compromises and if you're changing it's a good time to crawl around a few and decide where you want the compromises.

My wife and I have found we're happier to keep weight constant (we don't want to cart more than about 3 Kg about) and get more living space, rather than go lighter and smaller. We do have a choice of tents, but the one we use most is the Kaitum 3 (for two of us, it's very generously sized). Everyone has the line in different places, and the best way to decide IME is from inside a pitched example. Good tent suppliers will pitch an example for you to play with, or if you can't get to one then another possibility is just asking folk on popular campsites (Lake District sites like Langdale usually have a huge choice of modern lightweight designs for owner-quizzing) if you can have a look, and what do they think.

Pete.