Tents?

[Jackman]

Hi Everyone,

I will be selling tents for Galsto this year. I need your help. Almost a survey if you'd like to call it. But I would really really appreciate your comments.

Do you think a festival camper would buy a pop up two man tent that has a ground sheet, is fire retardent, fully water resitant (not only in light rain like the other pop up tents out there ) and has a led light on the roof? Oh and one other thing that's a surprise

I expect to retail this at £49.99

Do you think this is a fair price? What would you like added to it?

I know that this thread is cheeky, but if you wouln't mind spending a minute or two to help me that would be great.

Many thanks for any comments,

Jackman

Edited March 18, 2009 by Jackman

[Mr Ploppy]

I would not pay £50 for a 2 man tent.

I usually get for us a 4 man tent for around £25 which is the tent and the extra cover on top and with a porch and vents.

Waterproofing does not matter as anyone can buy a can of strong waterproof spray for tents that cost around £5.

Seams are important tho.

But as an opinion, I would expect a pretty fantastic 2 man tent for £50 - ALTHOUGH I have seen the same thing more expensive and dont think it is a rip off - just that cheaper tents can be found nearer Summer that will do the job just as good and also give you more room.

Edited March 18, 2009 by Mr Ploppy

[Jackman]

Hi Mr Ploppy,

Thank you for you advice. It's not often people like these threads. I appeciate your reply.

The tent will be very similar to the Quetcha and Gerlet pop up tents. The difference will be the fact that it will actually resist the rain better (maybe double sheet tent and not single sheet), with the addition of the led light on the inside roof and included is a ground tent. I could be mistaken, but I am sure the other pop up tents do not include ground sheets and are sinlge sheet material?

It has a netted vent in the door and pouches on the side of the tent.

I can bring the price down by removing the ground sheet, led light and single sheet (not allowing full water proofing (as such).

I would not pay £50 for a 2 man tent.

I usually get for us a 4 man tent for around £25 which is the tent and the extra cover on top and with a porch and vents.

Waterproofing does not matter as anyone can buy a can of strong waterproof spray for tents that cost around £5.

Seams are important tho.

But as an opinion, I would expect a pretty fantastic 2 man tent for £50 - ALTHOUGH I have seen the same thing more expensive and dont think it is a rip off - just that cheaper tents can be found nearer Summer that will do the job just as good and also give you more room.

Edited March 18, 2009 by Jackman

[Mr Ploppy]

I suppose looking back that £50 might be suitable for some people that want a light tent and one that they are 100% sure will do the job and will last them for a good few festivals.

I personally will carry any weight and so dont mind if my tent is a bit too heavy and am not overly concerned about buying a dearer tent because it is lighter and professes to have all the bells and whistles.

The thing to remember is:

Waterproof spray (that will easily cover a 4 man tent) = £5

Circular AA Battery multi LED light for tent = £1 - £2

Duck tape to fix any dodgy tent seals = 70p

As I said before - your orignal price of £50 is not a rip off - but you can get cheaper which includes sown in groundsheets, porches, double layers, good hydrostatic head of around 2000.

[norainplease]

I think that the major problems of any pop up tent are:

A) not very waterproof in rain - due to being single skin

hellish for condensation when it is hot - again due to being single skin

C) they are nigh on imposible to get back in the bag

D) they are tiny and your feet stick out the bottom unless you are as tall as a small child!

If you have address these problems, I can't see that there should be any issues with this tent?

If you are trying to cut down on costs to make them cheaper, I would definately take away the LED light and not the second skin, most of regular Glasto goers would rather be dry! (In my opinion anyway!)

Hope this helps and good luck!

PS. How tall etc would the tent be? Good sized dimensions would be a good selling point too?

Edited March 18, 2009 by norainplease

[Jackman]

Wow! Some very good points there.

There are two sides on the spectrum, I guess.

Make cheap double sheet popup tents without any bells and whistles and sell many to festivals go'ers. OR Make highly durable waterproof popup tents that stand the test of time for at least a good few festivals increasing the price according to the bells and whistles

I agree the only downfall is that time to pack it back up.

I am back to the drawing board. I have researched this more and will come back. I want to sell a tent that stands out from the standard stuff out there, but I would also like them to be popular on price and quailty.

Our tent is:

Material is 190T polyester

Fabrice has PU1000mm Coating and water proof to 1000mm.

Height/Size: 245x145x95cm

I think that the major problems of any pop up tent are:

A) not very waterproof in rain - due to being single skin

hellish for condensation when it is hot - again due to being single skin

C) they are nigh on imposible to get back in the bag

D) they are tiny and your feet stick out the bottom unless you are as tall as a small child!

If you have address these problems, I can't see that there should be any issues with this tent?

If you are trying to cut down on costs to make them cheaper, I would definately take away the LED light and not the second skin, most of regular Glasto goers would rather be dry! (In my opinion anyway!)

Hope this helps and good luck!

PS. How tall etc would the tent be? Good sized dimensions would be a good selling point too?

[Mr Ploppy]

1000mm aint much is it - I thought a decent one (non-extreme conditions) was 2000?

[SunshineSky]

I would never buy a tent for camping or festivals that was under 2000mm hydrostatic head.

any lower and rain WILL get in if the weather gets rough/or it just stays wet all weekend.

sorry to be a party pooper/plopper

[Jackman]

I agree, I am going to go back to the drawing board and try bring the hydrostatic up to 2000mm and 3000mm. You ain't being a party pooper - this is all very good help and education. Thanks Sunshinesky and Mr. Ploppy!!!

I would never buy a tent for camping or festivals that was under 2000mm hydrostatic head.

any lower and rain WILL get in if the weather gets rough/or it just stays wet all weekend.

sorry to be a party pooper/plopper

[Chocscoffer]

I wouldn't touch a tent that wasn't at least 2000HH either. And as for single skin tents, they are absolutely pointless. They may keep the rain out but the amount of condensation build up in them means you still get soaked. Stick to a double skin. Also, what do you mean it has a ground sheet as an added extra? Don't all tents nowadays, they are normally already sown onto the main body of the tent.

From your original description of the tent you are proposing to sell I can honestly say I wouldn't pay a tenner for it. It's only water resistant with a single skin.

I think £50.00 is a huge amount to pay to be honest. You can get a Quechua much cheaper. My nearest Decathlon is about an hour away from my house and I have been there and bought a 2 second 2 man (with air vents) for £35.00. Stick a £10.00 on petrol and i've bought a high quality throw up tent for less than £50.00.

[MikeyB37]

Fabrice has PU1000mm Coating and water proof to 1000mm.

[Jackman]

Hahaha, that really made me laugh!!!

Is there any thing else one would like added.

1. 2000mm to 3000mm

2. built in ground sheet

One thing I am investigating is developing the tent so it's easy to take down, none of the 20 minutes take down time rubbish.

Anything else?

Otherwise known as a teabag

Sorry, could't resist. As others have said, i'd only go for a tent with a minimum 2000HH. Having said that there seem to be plenty of people happy to settle for less and take their chances.

[r0cky]

The tent will be very similar to the Quetcha and Gerlet pop up tents. The difference will be the fact that it will actually resist the rain better

[r0cky]

Otherwise known as a teabag

Sorry, could't resist. As others have said, i'd only go for a tent with a minimum 2000HH. Having said that there seem to be plenty of people happy to settle for less and take their chances.

[incident]

Almost all of the issues listed above aren't issues with Pop-Up tents, they're issues with badly designed (generally cheap and/or single skinned) tents. Single skinned Dome tents tend to suffer from all of the exact same problems as the Gelert Pop-ups. Same with the "size" issues - if your tent is too small it's because you've bought a tent that's too small. Just buy a bigger one next time..

There's plenty of Double Skinned models out there, it's only Gelert who insist on flooding the market with badly made single skinned models - those are almost always where any negative impression has come from.

I think all of the discussion about hydrostatic head is completely and utterly irrelevant. 2000hh would be more than enough for any Glastonbury weather, even for the 2005 massacre.. Hell, 1000hh would probably suffice - there's no reason whatsoever that a well made 1000hh tent couldn't be entirely watertight in a downpour.

When water gets in, it's very very rare that it seeps in through the actual tent material. Every time I've ever seen it happen, the problem has been due to a bad design or more commonly bad workmanship (joints, doors, stitching, etc). The only relevance the hh has is that tents with a lower hh often tend to be cheaper and lower quality all round and so suffer from those kind of issues more. Again, this is a general tent issue that can apply to and affect all types of tent.

For me the 5 things I look for are:

1. Double Skinned

2. A small Porch area

3. Lightweight

4. Long enough for 6'2" of me to stretch out

5. Well made/designed

On that basis, I don't think you'll find a better pop-up to model on than the Quechua 2 Second XL. The Vango Dart DS is also pretty nice.

[r0cky]

I think all of the discussion about hydrostatic head is completely and utterly irrelevant. 2000hh would be more than enough for any Glastonbury weather, even for the 2005 massacre.. Hell, 1000hh would probably suffice - there's no reason whatsoever that a well made 1000hh tent couldn't be entirely watertight in a downpour.

When water gets in, it's very very rare that it seeps in through the actual tent material.

[incident]

I do know that the storm Friday morning 2005, the rain drops were so heavy, they were going straight through my tent. It was rated as 1500mm HH.

[denwyn]

I have a Kyham 2 berth Igloo tent, it cost me £70 second hand a good few years back, it had only been used once, and since i have owned it i have found it perfect. It erects easy, it can be out of the bag, and you can be inside it in just over 3 mins,dismantles easy as well, light weight and compact when packed. There expensive new, but you get what you pay for,cheap tents are ok for occasional use, myself i would get the best you can afford and look after it.

[Jackman]

So...

Out with the cheap crap. Bring a quality brand introducing various models and make sure the stitching, quailty and specs are very good (with a LED Light on certain models - not sure if R0cky was being serious or not). With quailty comes reputation and brand awareness through word of mouth.

This is very important to me, fast and quick profits are worthless in the long run. I would like to bring something to market that is recognised for quality without costing the earth. This certainly possible is possible.

Sounds like a synch... lol

Edited March 18, 2009 by Jackman

[HurrahBrother]

Hmm. I'm not absolutely certain, but I believe my tent at the time was 1500hh and I was bone dry inside. Didn't notice a thing until I woke up and people were drowning outside..

[r0cky]

Hmm. I'm not absolutely certain, but I believe my tent at the time was 1500hh and I was bone dry inside. Didn't notice a thing until I woke up and people were drowning outside..

Edited March 18, 2009 by r0cky

[r0cky]

with a LED Light on certain models - not sure if R0cky was being serious or not

[incident]

Could be that I had a defective material on that cheap no-brand tent. A can of Fabsil sorted it out though.

It was only at the height of the storm, where the drops were really large and heavy. They 'exploded' on the tent and I could feel tiny droplets coming through!

[r0cky]

If it's a cheap no-brander, then the other possibility is that the claim of 1500hh was.. well.. bollocks.

[HurrahBrother]

Hi Everyone,

Do you think a festival camper would buy a pop up two man tent that has a ground sheet, is fire retardent, fully water resitant (not only in light rain like the other pop up tents out there ) and has a led light on the roof? Oh and one other thing that's a surprise

I expect to retail this at £49.99

Do you think this is a fair price? What would you like added to it?

Jackman

Edited March 18, 2009 by HurrahBrother