Tent recommendation?

[shed driver]

My partner and I are going island hopping in the Hebrides this August for two weeks. We are looking at doing a mixture of proper camp sites and a few nights of wild camping near the coast or in the hills. The majority of the time we will be living out of the boot of the car, but occasionally an overnighter into the wilds will be on the cards.

We need to buy a new tent with good interior space (so probably a 3 man) with some storage space for boots, rucksacks and camera gear.

It has to be light enough and pack away small enough so that it is able to be carried for a few miles - and sturdy enough to survive a typical British summer.

Any ideas?

SD.

[djsmith74]

Perhaps consider the Decathlon range of tents? I've bought a few bits from their Quechua range including waterproof jacket and various camping gear and have been very impressed with the quality. I had a look at their Air Seconds tent at my local branch (their version of the Vango AirBeam, but at a much cheaper price) and the quality looked fantastic....

http://www.decathlon.co.uk/C-359116-tents

[hornetrider]

I like Vango tents.

I have an Ark 300+ which I would recommend, it seems to be a fit with your requirements. Nice tent with porch space for times of inclement weather.

https://www.simplyhike.co.uk/products/Vango/Ark300...

[shed driver]

Pulled the trigger on this one - looks a lot of tent for the money.
http://www.outdoorworlddirect.co.uk/vango-aura-300...

SD.

[Rosedene]

I'm from Harris, if you are lucky you might get weather like this week. Have a great time, watch out for the midgies and do give the moonscape east coast a whirl if you like your roads a bit twisty! Oh and if you are partial, Isle of Harris gin is delicious!

[Zombie]

Anything by Hilleberg, I have a Nammajt 3 GT which has served 10 years of hard and frequent use.

They're not cheap though, but the price reflects the quality.

Cheapest place to buy is Alpenstock - Stockport, Manchester.

[Foliage]

DD Tarp no question

[marcosgt]

I bought myself a Coleman Darwin 2 Man tent recently.

I'm no expert, I've only ever slept under canvas once before on a Campsite near Venice, but I found the Darwin a doddle to put up and it was plenty big enough for me alone (they do a 3 man version, as you asked for).

My first 'in anger' use of the tent (aside from a test erection in the garden - No, missus, titter ye not!) was last weekend when it absolutely poured down for about 6 hours.

Result was a decent night's sleep and a bone dry tent (and me!) in the morning (I had my car and was all ready to abandon the tent if needed! ).

It was also easy to take down and pack back into the carrying bag, which I really hadn't expected!

Someone might be along to rubbish them in a minute, but I think my Coleman Darwin is brilliant and it'll be getting more use in the Summer.

It cost me £44, which means it's probably paid for itself in avoided B&B costs already!

M.

[tenohfive]

shed driver said:

It has to be light enough and pack away small enough so that it is able to be carried for a few miles

shed driver said:

Pulled the trigger on this one - looks a lot of tent for the money.
http://www.outdoorworlddirect.co.uk/vango-aura-300...

SD.

How did you get from the one quote to the other - 7.4kg is not light and small enough to carry a few miles?! That's a campsite tent.

Of course there's nothing to stop you trying to pick up a Vango Banshee 200 cheap (or even second hand, it's a 'first' wild camping tent for a lot of people) for any wild camping you plan to do provided you've got the boot space for two tents. 2kg is much more like it.

[shed driver]

tenohfive said:

shed driver said:

It has to be light enough and pack away small enough so that it is able to be carried for a few miles

shed driver said:

Pulled the trigger on this one - looks a lot of tent for the money.
http://www.outdoorworlddirect.co.uk/vango-aura-300...

SD.

How did you get from the one quote to the other - 7.4kg is not light and small enough to carry a few miles?! That's a campsite tent.

Of course there's nothing to stop you trying to pick up a Vango Banshee 200 cheap (or even second hand, it's a 'first' wild camping tent for a lot of people) for any wild camping you plan to do provided you've got the boot space for two tents. 2kg is much more like it.

Thanks - after taking it away to Swaledale for the last few days it was too heavy (maybe I under-estimated how powerfully built I was.) I will have to get a second tent - the vango has to be home for two weeks and the front porch was a wonderful place to sit and contemplate the gorgeous views over a bottle of wine.

SD.

[R1gtr]

Have a look at the MSR hubba hubba (ignore the daft name)
We have one and it is ridiculously light but very sturdy and well built, not the cheapest but money well spent