Too early to talk tents??

[Alvoram]

3 hours ago, Bileman said:

I have an Icarus 500 which i take to Glasto for just me and the misses, she has trouble if she is on her knees too much.  😬 its heavy compared to our 2 man vango but i have a good trolley with big wheels so easier to pull. also we do a second trip to the car after tent is up, i also have a 60L rucksack on while pulling it. we park in Ashcombe which is nearer and you can be through the gates in 15 mins. We had a horrendous 2016 with it though, an hour and a half through the mud from pink parking, nearly killed me, it was my first Glasto and i took too much stuff. So i still take the icarus but you need to limber up first at the car and take a few rest stops on the way. standing up in the tent is worth the effort.

We have an Icarus 500 Deluxe, very good tent (as you'd expect with Vango) Haven't used it for glasto before, as it's our "all bells and whistles" tent, with a footprint, carpet, porch addon etc... But I can vouch for it being rock solid in all weather conditions!

Edited November 7, 2022 by Alvoram

[Tranquility of Solitude]

I’m looking for a tent for just myself, which is tall enough to stand up in. None of the Fresh & Blacks look suitable; they are all either too low, or too big/pricey/heavy for just one person. The Icarus 500 looks like a good tent, and great value for the price, but again, a bit large, and at 15kg, pretty hefty for the queue at Glastonbury!
I am edging towards the Sendero 4, which looks like a decent and reasonably priced half way house, which at 195cm high and 9kg fits my criteria.

Anyone got one of these, or had any experience with one, and if so what are your thought? Or, given what I’m after.... any further sub £200 recommendations?

[Fred Zepplin]

A tent related question. I have a Fresh and black air tent and the pump that came with it broke at the festival this year, luckily I managed to borrow one of somebody. Has anyone purchased one separately before? There seems to be loads on Amazon and all the camping shops. Would rather have a smaller one that takes more effort to blow up the tent and airbeds but easier to carry in

[danssol]

29 minutes ago, Fred Zepplin said:

A tent related question. I have a Fresh and black air tent and the pump that came with it broke at the festival this year, luckily I managed to borrow one of somebody. Has anyone purchased one separately before? There seems to be loads on Amazon and all the camping shops. Would rather have a smaller one that takes more effort to blow up the tent and airbeds but easier to carry in

Available on the decathlon site. Search for hand pump

[gfa]

On 11/7/2022 at 11:28 AM, dondo said:

Agree fresh and black are great but when you get into family sized ones the price does get ££££££

We bought a hi gear eclipse tent as a family tent from an ebay seller called Camping Resources who sell Go Outdoors returns. It had a minor fault and is great.  It has blackout bedrooms but doesn't have the reflective element that the fresh and black do.  

Theres heaps of used once family ones on FB marketplace / ebay

[Dizzy2012]

On 11/7/2022 at 8:43 PM, Bileman said:

I have an Icarus 500 which i take to Glasto for just me and the misses, she has trouble if she is on her knees too much.  😬 its heavy compared to our 2 man vango but i have a good trolley with big wheels so easier to pull. also we do a second trip to the car after tent is up, i also have a 60L rucksack on while pulling it. we park in Ashcombe which is nearer and you can be through the gates in 15 mins. We had a horrendous 2016 with it though, an hour and a half through the mud from pink parking, nearly killed me, it was my first Glasto and i took too much stuff. So i still take the icarus but you need to limber up first at the car and take a few rest stops on the way. standing up in the tent is worth the effort.

Thanks for this!! We were in pink this year and thinking exactly the same - specially with two kids in tow. We are going for gate opening next year specifically in the hope of a closer car park.. we’ve never been so far from the gate in 10 years!!!

we did two trips also this year and worked well so will do the same.

have a good garden trolley but may invest in pneumatic wheels….. but it’s not going to rain is it!!!!! 

 

[Skip997]

If you're bringing a family or are with a group of mate willing to share a tent, then I'd suggest canvas.

A new quality canvas bell tent costs no more than a similar sized nylon tent, often cheaper (there are some amazing bargain available on various facebook groups for year old ex-clamping tents).

They are cooler, easier to stand up in, can easily be re-water proofed and look a lot nicer. They also last a lot longer, I've had one for around 15 years.

Disadvantages - heavy, will need two people to carry, can be very tricky to dry out after a wet festival, which must be done or they will rot.

[___DGH___]

4 of us going, what do you reckon, 5 man tent so we have plenty room for booze and extras? Any recommendations if we go 5 man?

[Skip997]

1 minute ago, ___DGH___ said:

4 of us going, what do you reckon, 5 man tent so we have plenty room for booze and extras? Any recommendations if we go 5 man?

4m bell tent should do it

[cerv]

15 hours ago, Tranquility of Solitude said:

I’m looking for a tent for just myself, which is tall enough to stand up in. None of the Fresh & Blacks look suitable; they are all either too low, or too big/pricey/heavy for just one person. The Icarus 500 looks like a good tent, and great value for the price, but again, a bit large, and at 15kg, pretty hefty for the queue at Glastonbury!
I am edging towards the Sendero 4, which looks like a decent and reasonably priced half way house, which at 195cm high and 9kg fits my criteria.

Anyone got one of these, or had any experience with one, and if so what are your thought? Or, given what I’m after.... any further sub £200 recommendations?

You, like me, are after the holy grail of festival tents. If you don't mind being a bit hunched then Easycamp Blazar 400 looks a good option at 6.4kg and around £150

[mark_87]

Which Fresh & Black tent would you all recommend for 2 people?

[FrankieX]

9 minutes ago, mark_87 said:

Which Fresh & Black tent would you all recommend for 2 people?

At least a three person model, as Decathlon tents tend to be quite tight for size (although this is true for virtually all manufacturers). Beyond that, it depends what you are looking for in a tent. The MH100 is the cheapest three-person option (£65), a basic tent with three poles. There's also two popup options with a similar size, either the 2 Seconds (which folds into a disc) or the 2 Seconds Easy (which folds into the same size as a normal tent), although they both cost quite a bit more.

If you are expecting to spend a lot of time in your tent, you might want to consider a taller, longer model to be more comfortable. This starts around £200 for the Arpenaz 4.1, which weighs twice as much as the smaller ones and comes in a holdall bag. There is also a popup version of these, using air pumps to put up, which again quite significantly increases the price.

Which you'd prefer depends on a number of factors, not least your budget and how much weight you are prepared to carry. It is worth investing in a decent tent though. I bought my Fresh & Black tent in 2014 and it's been to eight festivals so far (I'm weighing up whether to get a new one or not this year, but it seems fine), so paying a bit more now can save you money in the long run.

[GeezLouise]

not to sound like a broken record but FRESH AND BLACK. it's such a game changer. 

[Dark Star]

On 11/6/2022 at 8:44 PM, marathonsteve said:

I should have said that this tent served me well for over 25 festivals . I do a lot in a year !. Last year was exceptional with the hot weather so  I am happy to get another tent of the same brand

Is it not possible to get a replacement outer sheet? Might be cheaper than replacing the whole thing?

[Pinhead]

My tent is 20 years old. Cost 30 quid from Tesco back in the day. Ive sealed it and maintained it ever since and its probably done about 25 festivals since. Its only a 1-2 man Eurohike thing.

[Leyrulion]

On 11/8/2022 at 10:02 PM, ___DGH___ said:

4 of us going, what do you reckon, 5 man tent so we have plenty room for booze and extras? Any recommendations if we go 5 man?

I'd go for 2 three man tents. Can position them so there's a little communal area out front making brews in a morning. 

[marathonsteve]

14 hours ago, Dark Star said:

Is it not possible to get a replacement outer sheet? Might be cheaper than replacing the whole thing?

I have managed to get a spare  second hand but thanks for you advice

[Tranquility of Solitude]

On 11/8/2022 at 11:07 PM, FrankieX said:

At least a three person model, as Decathlon tents tend to be quite tight for size (although this is true for virtually all manufacturers). Beyond that, it depends what you are looking for in a tent. The MH100 is the cheapest three-person option (£65), a basic tent with three poles. There's also two popup options with a similar size, either the 2 Seconds (which folds into a disc) or the 2 Seconds Easy (which folds into the same size as a normal tent), although they both cost quite a bit more.

If you are expecting to spend a lot of time in your tent, you might want to consider a taller, longer model to be more comfortable. This starts around £200 for the Arpenaz 4.1, which weighs twice as much as the smaller ones and comes in a holdall bag. There is also a popup version of these, using air pumps to put up, which again quite significantly increases the price.

Which you'd prefer depends on a number of factors, not least your budget and how much weight you are prepared to carry. It is worth investing in a decent tent though. I bought my Fresh & Black tent in 2014 and it's been to eight festivals so far (I'm weighing up whether to get a new one or not this year, but it seems fine), so paying a bit more now can save you money in the long run.

I’ve had a wee look at the Arpenaz 4.1 which looks to more or less be the sort of thing I’m after, so thanks for the pointer. Also worth noting is that Decathlon are showing it at £139.99 at the moment, so well under £200.

Does anyone have one of these, what are they like? Any drawbacks I should be aware of? How easy is it for one person to put up?

thanks

[FrankieX]

10 hours ago, Tranquility of Solitude said:

I’ve had a wee look at the Arpenaz 4.1 which looks to more or less be the sort of thing I’m after, so thanks for the pointer. Also worth noting is that Decathlon are showing it at £139.99 at the moment, so well under £200.

Does anyone have one of these, what are they like? Any drawbacks I should be aware of? How easy is it for one person to put up?

thanks

The regular (non-Fresh & Black) Arpenaz 4.1 is £139.99. https://www.decathlon.co.uk/p/camping-tent-with-poles-arpenaz-4-1-4-person-1-bedroom/_/R-p-4123?mc=8378237&c=GREY

The Fresh & Black variant is £199.99. https://www.decathlon.co.uk/p/camping-tent-with-poles-arpenaz-4-1-f-b-4-persons-1-bedroom/_/R-p-177332?mc=8492957&c=BLUE_TURQUOISE

Obviously you might feel the £60 saving is a tradeoff worth making, and the majority of people manage just fine without a dark and cool tent in the morning, but you are getting something extra for the money.

[gfa]

On 11/9/2022 at 9:44 PM, Pinhead said:

My tent is 20 years old. Cost 30 quid from Tesco back in the day. Ive sealed it and maintained it ever since and its probably done about 25 festivals since. Its only a 1-2 man Eurohike thing.

5 more fests and thats a £ a festival!

4 minutes ago, FrankieX said:

The regular (non-Fresh & Black) Arpenaz 4.1 is £139.99. https://www.decathlon.co.uk/p/camping-tent-with-poles-arpenaz-4-1-4-person-1-bedroom/_/R-p-4123?mc=8378237&c=GREY

The Fresh & Black variant is £199.99. https://www.decathlon.co.uk/p/camping-tent-with-poles-arpenaz-4-1-f-b-4-persons-1-bedroom/_/R-p-177332?mc=8492957&c=BLUE_TURQUOISE

Obviously you might feel the £60 saving is a tradeoff worth making, and the majority of people manage just fine without a dark and cool tent in the morning, but you are getting something extra for the money.

cheaper on next, few others too 🙂 probably can get cashback / other discounts too on next

https://www.next.co.uk/search?w=quechua&p=1#22

[lingle]

20 hours ago, FrankieX said:

The regular (non-Fresh & Black) Arpenaz 4.1 is £139.99. https://www.decathlon.co.uk/p/camping-tent-with-poles-arpenaz-4-1-4-person-1-bedroom/_/R-p-4123?mc=8378237&c=GREY

The Fresh & Black variant is £199.99. https://www.decathlon.co.uk/p/camping-tent-with-poles-arpenaz-4-1-f-b-4-persons-1-bedroom/_/R-p-177332?mc=8492957&c=BLUE_TURQUOISE

Obviously you might feel the £60 saving is a tradeoff worth making, and the majority of people manage just fine without a dark and cool tent in the morning, but you are getting something extra for the money.

Next have this one fresh and black £167. 
great tent!!! 

[RustyBee]

We got ourselves one of these for the 2 of us: https://www.decathlon.co.uk/p/camping-tent-2-seconds-easy-3-p-fresh-black/_/R-p-313048?mc=8576110 

No way we'll be able to stand up in it, but as we're 180/190cm we're just happy it has space for us to lie down! Has a small outside flap, so should be able to leave boots there, if not actually sit there.

We gave it a test today. Very impressed. Take out and find the two umbrella like pull cords, pull and... pop! TENT! 

More impressive, pop the umbrella thingies, and fold up like umbrellas, all very gently and simple. Hold them together, roll up.. and it went back in the bag without any issue!

[Ayrshire Chris]

Go outdoors are having a sale at the moment 

[___DGH___]

Been looking and I keep coming back to this one - https://www.decathlon.co.uk/p/4-person-blackout-poled-tent-arpenaz-4-2-fresh-black/_/R-p-310022 Anyone got one of these? Is it better with additional groundsheet? Or is it not required?

[Fearless_Fish]

Oooh tent talk! Now - who can help me with my specific requirements? 😃

I went to Bearded Theory with my then 8-month pregnant partner this year, so we bought an Outwell Posadas Double camp bed, with an inflatable mattress to go on top of it. It was epic - so comfortable at a festival. Problem is - it didn't really fit in our tent. When looking at the dimensions it seemed there'd be loads of room, but of course with the shape of the tent you lose a load of that sleeping area having to move the raised camp bed away from the edges in order to fit it in.

So we're after a tent that will fit that double camp bed in the bedroom, and also have space for our child! We're not taking the camp bed to Glastonbury unfortunately, but this tent will do most of our future camping trips. Out existing tent is a Freedom Trail Ullswater 4. I've only got the overall dimensions of 455l and 260w. Will have to see if I get more details on the tent itself when I next go into the loft.