New tent... Polycotton

[MYOB]

Hi

Thinking of getting back into camping now I have 2 young kids. Like the look of the Kampa Croyde 6 classic air. But am put off by the low cotton mix compared to other leading brand which have a higher cotton ratio.

Is it worth paying extra for another brand, like Outwell, for a higher cotton count on their polycotton tents? We will mostly camp in the UK.

Is the Kampa quality good or have compromises been made to reflect their cheaper prices?

Thanks all.

[tenohfive]

In my experience (not of polycotton mind) Kampa and Outwell are on par. Vango can be very close to the other two but it does depend on the tent - some in the Vango range are as well specced, others are more built to budget.

[Olgit]

If you're looking for a top quality tent then you will struggle to beat Cabanon. The Biscaya / Awaya ranges are large tents that pitch very quickly due to the design. The tents are heavy-weight canvas with large diameter aluminium poles that zip into tubes within the tent and really good quality zips. The groundsheet is a heavy duty 'rubberised' affair that fully zips to the canvas outer, making the whole tent totally wind and waterproof. In my view the only real drawbacks to these tents are the price and size when packed. We have a Biscaya 500 (now discontinued) that has been used for a total of 12 weeks so far, has withstood all that the UK weather can throw at it and it still looks like new.

[chrisga]

I don't have any experience of the tent you are asking about specifically but we have an outwell bear lake 6 polycotton and it is simply the best tent we have ever had. Has stood up to some crazy weather and we have never had a single leak. Would recommend outwell polycotton in a heartbeat (as long as you have enough spare space/weight to transport as its not a lightweight option).

[MYOB]

Thanks chaps. Have looked at the above suggestions. The Bear Lake has great reviews but having to get an extension to the front simply means pushing the price up further more. The Kampa Croyde Classic 6 is available in polycotton for only circa £1200. Anything similar provided by Outsell is double the cost. We are also only interested in inflatable rather than poles.

Now, I'm a strong advocate in buying the best quality products where possible, but in this instance, I'm leaning toward listening to my wallet plump for the Kampa at roughly half the cost. I'm also having to consider a trailer too as we are a family of 4 with two dogs. We have a roof box already which is normally packed to the rafters when we have a jolly.

Ok, thanks again. We are have driving to different shops to see what there is available out there and will most probably attend the tent show at the NEC next time around.

[chasingracecars]

Camping World Dorset have a show on this weekend....

http://www.campingworld.co.uk/en/Tent-Shows/cc-6.a...

[Nezquick]

For something a bit different, check out Nordisk - we stayed in one of their Alfheim 19.6 tipi tents this weekend and it was absolutely brilliant. Dry, breathable, and very very easy to put up and take down.

[Lady Summerisle]

I'm a fan of full on cotton canvas tents as they will last a lifetime if looked after. But if you want polycotton (or cotton!) then Obelink have a fantastic range and the quality is better then most of the big brands in the UK. Shipping to the UK is no problem either. https://www.obelink.co.uk/tents/tunnel-tents.html

We have a Hypercamp Eldorado and a Palamos 6

[MYOB]

Thanks - none of the last 2 suggestions appear to have inflatable beams...

Thanks though - some nice tents there, albeit with poles.

[clarkey]

I have had an Outwell Bear Lake 6 - it was great, but heavy and pretty tough to put up by yourself or with a wife who needed to look after 2 young kids!
I replaced it with an Oztent (RV4 with a tagalong) - it is expensive but beautiful, well made, goes up in no time at all (by one person) and sell for very close to the new price second hand.
Oztent for me, but you need a big car as the bag is 2.4m long!

[Chicken Chaser]

I've been looking at these myself the last few days. VW Transporter being a bit too small and cramped so thinking of polycotton air. Found the Outwell Harriet 6ATC which looks like a good design, spacious but pricey. Having had comfort and warmth in the VW, I'm not sure if it's a regressive step to a tent again after all, this country seem largely cold wet and grey during our supposed summer.