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Budget festival tent.

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  • 09-07-2014 1:56pm
    #1
    Duff
    Registered Users Posts: 5,538 ✭✭✭


    Hey guys,

    I need a tent for me and my girlfriend for Electric Picnic next month. Since there's two of us with bags I'm guessing I'd need a 3-4 person tent? It doesn't have to be fancy just really waterproof because you know what the weather is like here. Basically what I'm looking for is a 3 or 4 person tent with a good HH rating and relatively lightweight and as cheap as possible as it will only be used for festivals maybe twice a year.

    Thanks.


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    #2
    sheesh
    Registered Users Posts: 4,080 ✭✭✭sheesh


    http://www.halfords.ie/camping-car-seats/camping-caravanning/3-4-man-tents/vacanza-by-outwell-hemisphere-300-3-man-tent#tab1

    something like this as long as it has metal or alloy poles should suit you

    http://www.amazon.co.uk/VANGO-Beta-350-XL-Tent/dp/B00B84GHIG/ref=sr_1_25?s=sports&ie=UTF8&qid=1404915467&sr=1-25&keywords=tents

    would be ideal

    http://www.amazon.co.uk/Vango-Aura-200-Person-Tent/dp/B0056STTHG/ref=sr_1_1?s=sports&ie=UTF8&qid=1404915564&sr=1-1&keywords=tents

    and this is similar but cheaper.


    I'm going with vango because they have a good reputation and are usually hard wearing I have one and it is over 10 years old.

    slightly cheaper again but Coleman which are probably ok.
    http://www.amazon.co.uk/Coleman-Coastline-Compact-Person-Tent/dp/B004LB4BP4/ref=sr_1_6?s=sports&ie=UTF8&qid=1404915946&sr=1-6&keywords=tents


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    #3
    Duff
    Registered Users Posts: 5,538 ✭✭✭Duff


    Thanks for that. The Halfords one looks grand but I can't tell if it comes with a flysheet or not? Would it not be cold/prone to leaks with just the outside sheet for protection? Sorry I'm a tent noob.


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    #4
    Pat Mustard
    Registered Users Posts: 9,554 ✭✭✭Pat Mustard


    I agree with Sheesh on Vango.

    It's a good but inexpensive brand. See Vango Alpha 300, which can be got in Outdoor shops for €60.http://www.amazon.co.uk/Vango-TEGALPHA-BTR165-Alpha-Black/dp/B0061JMC96

    The festival tents for €30 in the supermarkets and department stores are often bad quality. Even if they keep out the rain, they may not breathe, meaning that you wake up in a pool of your own sweat.


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    #5
    sheesh
    Registered Users Posts: 4,080 ✭✭✭sheesh


    Duff wrote: »
    Thanks for that. The Halfords one looks grand but I can't tell if it comes with a flysheet or not? Would it not be cold/prone to leaks with just the outside sheet for protection? Sorry I'm a tent noob.

    I looked at the video there seems to be an inner part as well the part you are looking at in the image is the waterproof outer.


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    #6
    Duff
    Registered Users Posts: 5,538 ✭✭✭Duff


    The Mustard wrote: »
    I agree with Sheesh on Vango.

    It's a good but inexpensive brand. See Vango Alpha 300, which can be got in Outdoor shops for €60.http://www.amazon.co.uk/Vango-TEGALPHA-BTR165-Alpha-Black/dp/B0061JMC96

    The festival tents for €30 in the supermarkets and department stores are often bad quality. Even if they keep out the rain, they may not breathe, meaning that you wake up in a pool of your own sweat.


    Thanks for the replies, lads. If I can find that Vango Alpha 300 for €60 then I'll definitely buy it!


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    #7
    Pat Mustard
    Registered Users Posts: 9,554 ✭✭✭Pat Mustard


    Here is a link to an Irish Times article entitled 'Value for Money'.

    The one from Argos is very cheap at €13, but they "are not entirely convinced it would cope well with a few hours of driving rain."

    The next one is made by Regatta. Also, it is a pop up tent, about which they say: "While putting it up is simple, getting it to fold down neatly was beyond us." I'm not a fan of pop up tents or of Regatta.

    The next one is a Kampa Mersea 3. I've never heard of it. It has 'cute windows' though. :pac:

    Lastly, there is a Gelert pop up tent for £25. I have mixed feelings about Gelert. It's an inexpensive brand, but there are many better brands out there. It's a brand that I tend to avoid. I don't have mixed feelings about pop up tents, in general. They tend to be large, heavy and awkward to carry. They are very easy to set up but not so easy to pack. Often, in the aftermath of festivals, there can be rows of abandoned pop up tents. Pop up tents are often more trouble than they are worth to bring home. I don't know if this Gelert would be any different, but it has good reviews elsewhere.

    The article had no mention of the poles, the seams, or the hydrostatic head of the groundsheet/ flysheet.

    I would recommend Vango over any of the tents mentioned above.


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    #8
    BeardySi
    Registered Users Posts: 1,705 ✭✭✭BeardySi


    Good HH and cheap are mutually exclusive....

    If you want a cheap "disposable" festival tent prepare to be damp if it pelts it down and to have a lot of condensation if it's hot.

    If you want to invest in a good tent that'll keep you dry and last a while, you'll have to pay for it.

    A reasonable tent for reasonable money would be somehting like:
    http://www.ramblersway.ie/camping/tents/lewis-4-dome-tent.html

    It says HH is only 1000 though I'd swear mine says it's higher - I know mine's stood up to a fair bit of rain in its time!... Either way, it's got lots of space and is reasonably sturdy and doesn't cost the earth.

    That said, mine's been gathering dust since I got a Vango Omega, a far better tent all round though rather pricier....


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    #9
    Duff
    Registered Users Posts: 5,538 ✭✭✭Duff


    Copying this from the Electric Picnic thread.

    Due to Amazon fecking up my tent order a week and a half ago and me only finding out today, I'm left with panic buying another. Anyone ever used this? Looks decent for the price, good HH rating anyway.

    http://www.halfords.ie/camping-car-s...aki-3-man-tent


    EDIT: Or this?

    http://www.ramblersway.ie/highlander...-man-tent.html


    Which would you recommend?


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    #10
    Pat Mustard
    Registered Users Posts: 9,554 ✭✭✭Pat Mustard


    Neither of those links worked.

    I'd recommend going into an Outdoor Shop at this stage and getting a good brand of tent; not Regatta and probably not Gelert.


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    #11
    Duff
    Registered Users Posts: 5,538 ✭✭✭Duff


    The Mustard wrote: »
    Neither of those links worked.

    I'd recommend going into an Outdoor Shop at this stage and getting a good brand of tent; not Regatta and probably not Gelert.

    I agree, but I'm on a measly budget of about €80 as I haven't received my refund from the tent I had ordered yet, and the outdoor shop near me hasn't anything half decent for that price.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E1jsx1Frg7M

    This is the best I can find online on short notice. Although, being Halfords it doesn't fill me with confidence.


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    #12
    Pat Mustard
    Registered Users Posts: 9,554 ✭✭✭Pat Mustard


    http://www.greatoutdoors.ie/product_info.php?cPath=27_370_647&products_id=199029

    If you up your budget you'd get the Vango Alpha 250. Good budget tent. Can be got cheaper at different places if you keep an eye out. I've seen the Vango Alpha 300 for 60 or 70 euro, years ago.

    http://www.outdooradventurestore.ie/products/tents/1-8_person/solo_tent-3531.html
    For less than €60 you'd get a Gelert Solo. They are supposed to have condensation issues. I suppose that you could leave the zip open a bit for extra ventilation.

    The Halfords tent looks bulky and quite heavy. The guy mentioned hydrostatic head of 2000 which seems okay. There weren't many details otherwise, which leads me to doubt if this would be good.


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