Author Topic: Tent pics...  (Read 215198 times)

fuaran

  • rothair gasta
Re: Tent pics...
« Reply #550 on: 22 June, 2017, 10:41:30 pm »
Trying out my new Alpkit Tetri tent.
It is not lightweight, but is quite spacious, comfy for me, and seems sturdy enough. It has stood up to a week of Scottish summer weather anyway...



Even includes a groundsheet for the porch.

And sensible instructions...

Feanor

  • It's mostly downhill from here.
Re: Tent pics...
« Reply #551 on: 28 June, 2017, 05:57:03 pm »
Just put up the old Vango Force 10, and found these stickers on the
guy-ropes, dated 1995...


20170628_174550 by Ron Lowe, on Flickr


20170628_174510 by Ron Lowe, on Flickr

Re: Tent pics...
« Reply #552 on: 29 June, 2017, 08:04:32 am »
 Wow. Looks like fabric/cotton. Reminds me of my old scout tents.

Re: Tent pics...
« Reply #553 on: 29 June, 2017, 07:20:17 pm »
Wow. Looks like fabric/cotton. Reminds me of my old scout tents.
Still available.
They were, and still are, very good tents, provided you don't have to carry them.
(Mk 3, 2 man, £250 new, on a quick google)
7 kg/15 lb dry, and substantially more than that if it's been getting rained on all night

Re: Tent pics...
« Reply #554 on: 29 June, 2017, 07:50:24 pm »
Any chance of a pic of that vango erected?

Re: Tent pics...
« Reply #555 on: 29 June, 2017, 09:47:08 pm »
This is rapidly turning into some sort of camping fetish thread...

Re: Tent pics...
« Reply #556 on: 29 June, 2017, 10:20:16 pm »
This is rapidly turning into some sort of camping fetish thread...

You say that as if it wasn't before  :-[

 ;)
Quote from: Kim
^ This woman knows what she's talking about.

Feanor

  • It's mostly downhill from here.
Re: Tent pics...
« Reply #557 on: 29 June, 2017, 10:37:51 pm »
Any chance of a pic of that vango erected?
Well, for you, big boy...

It's a Mk5 3-man tent and weighs about 100 tons dry.
But it does divide neatly into 3: Outer, Inner, Poles 'n' pegs.

The pictures were taken in the garden, where I was putting it up to check all the bits were there.
I've not bothered with the guy-ropes, either from the sides or from the A-frame apexes.

Yes, I *know* the flysheet is insides-out.
I was working on repairing it, and wanted the inner surface to the outside!


2017-06-29_10-31-37 by Ron Lowe, on Flickr


2017-06-29_10-32-50 by Ron Lowe, on Flickr


2017-06-29_10-33-21 by Ron Lowe, on Flickr

Re: Tent pics...
« Reply #558 on: 29 June, 2017, 11:03:22 pm »
Lovely  :D
Quote from: Kim
^ This woman knows what she's talking about.

IanDG

  • The p*** artist formerly known as 'Windy'
    • the_dandg_rouleur
Re: Tent pics...
« Reply #559 on: 30 June, 2017, 04:09:10 pm »
First tent I owned was a Force 10 mk3 :)

Re: Tent pics...
« Reply #560 on: 01 July, 2017, 05:50:30 am »
 Thanks feanor.

Am amazed that they are still available.

Presume that with care and the odd repair they will last a lifetime or could even be handed down to future generations?

Cudzoziemiec

  • Ride adventurously and stop for a brew.
Re: Tent pics...
« Reply #561 on: 03 July, 2017, 12:06:03 pm »
The Carradice of tents?
Riding a concrete path through the nebulous and chaotic future.

Juan Martín

  • Consigo mi abrigo
Re: Tent pics...
« Reply #562 on: 08 September, 2017, 06:45:29 pm »
Camp by JuanM58, on Flickr

Juan and Marco go camping. Rushbanks Farm in Suffolk (just) earlier this week. A great site but a long way to the pub, especially when it is closed.

Dave_C

  • Trying to get rid of my belly... and failing!
Re: Tent pics...
« Reply #563 on: 13 September, 2017, 01:37:02 pm »
I have just taken delivery of one of these :

http://www.blacksofgreenock.co.uk/patrol-tents/3-icelandic-i-tent.html#.WbklvcuWzmc

Icelandic I, Patrol Tent. My Employer's CSR bought it for my local Scout Group, but it needs weathering first, so I can see an impromptu camping trip to my Garden to see how it fares. It is not exactly manpackable, but instead designed to be driven to the campsite.

@DaveCrampton < wot a twit.
http://veloviewer.com/athlete/421683/

Re: Tent pics...
« Reply #564 on: 13 September, 2017, 07:19:56 pm »
Or, as our former Cub Scout Leader would remind me, put on a trekking cart and wheeled there. He could remember doing that when he was a Scout.

We used three Icelandics and similar on summer camp last month. Glad to know we're not the only ones :thumbsup:

Re: Tent pics...
« Reply #565 on: 06 June, 2018, 11:41:01 pm »
Vango Banshee 300 Pro,  picked up at Cotswold Outdoor inna sale  (~£105)
Weighs about 2.8kg.  Ventilation seems good, mesh panels on inner, low level zipped ventilation for head.  Door on each side.

Used it for the first time at Disserth, nr Llandrindod Wells for TINAT.  Test for two next month.

IMG_20180602_170702893 by ao, on Flickr

p.s. what's the elongated geodesic tent in the backgrd?

IMG_20180602_222406678 by ao, on Flickr

Tea by citronella candlelight


Cycle and recycle.   SS Wilson

Re: Tent pics...
« Reply #566 on: 07 June, 2018, 07:39:47 am »
The pro versions of vango's tents look interesting.

Difference is a tougher flysheet and better poles if I am correct?

Have you used the non pro version of the banshee? If so, I would be interested in your views.

Re: Tent pics...
« Reply #567 on: 07 June, 2018, 08:50:10 am »
The pro versions of vango's tents look interesting.

Difference is a tougher flysheet and better poles if I am correct?

Have you used the non pro version of the banshee? If so, I would be interested in your views.

I've not used the previous non-Pro version.  As you say the main diffs seem to be the Flysheet (68D 190T Ripstop Polyester 5000mm) and the Yunan Eco Alloy Poles.  Groundsheet base of the inner is 6000mm HH, but don't know if that's new.  Pegs are standard  - lightweight alloy.  Door panels when open can be stuffed into inner pockets.   Impressed with ease of pitching, goes up as all in one (if leave the inner attached packed).
Cycle and recycle.   SS Wilson

Jaded

  • The Codfather
  • Formerly known as Jaded
Re: Tent pics...
« Reply #568 on: 13 July, 2018, 07:05:29 pm »
I’ve just seen a heavyweight copy of a laser space 2

next to mine it looks like it is made of canvas.
It is simpler than it looks.

Kim

  • Timelord
    • Fediverse
Re: Tent pics...
« Reply #569 on: 16 July, 2018, 09:15:55 pm »
New tent!

Quechua Quick Hiker 3 Fresh & Black



After baking at the York Rally, I bought this for the WHPVA World Championships, which was due to be similarly scorchio.  I don't do well in the heat, and faced with the prospect of several hours of world championship rushing about over the course of a weekend, anything that would enhance the quality/quantity of sleep, or provide a bit of shade would be worth it.  As I was travelling by car, I considered buying one of the cheaper pop-up fresh & black tents, but I knew I'd only regret that later.

Anyway, instant review, based on a long weekend in increasingly hot and sunny, but not particularly windy conditions:

Firstly and foremost the Fresh & Black stuff actually works.  The outer successfully reflects an impressive amount of the sun's heat, so it doesn't turn into a sauna within an hour of dawn.  Indeed, even at noon the temperature was closer to the meteorological temperature than the 40C that you'd usually expect inside a closed tent.  The inner is a BLACK that any goth would be proud of, and the combined effect is such that in the midday sun it's useful to have a torch when rummaging about inside the tent.  At night, no wandering torchlight penetrates.  I woke up at bladder o'clock and took some time to grope around for my torch, as I could see literally nothing with dark-adapted eyes.  TBH, I found this level of darkness quite annoying, particularly when moving from bright sunlight into the tent to get things, but if you're someone who finds it difficult to sleep when there's light, it could be well worth it.  (This photo doesn't do it justice, obviously.)



In addition to the unconventional materials, the tent is extremely well ventilated, with generous amount of mesh and porous fabric on the inner, as well as a couple of ventilation flaps at low level.  The flysheet comes all the way to the ground (with a pair of additional openable vents top and bottom), and would appear to do as good a job keeping Weather out as it does with sunlight.  There was a moderate dew overnight, but not enough to cause any drips.  It doesn't *look* like they're going to land on your face.



The overall construction is the classic free-standing dome arrangement, with an additional cross-piece to add extra width at the top.  This makes it quite spacious inside, with plenty of headroom.  3 adults is, as usual, optimistic, but two would be reasonably comfortable.  I was able to fit barakta's Exped Airmat 12LXW in with ease, which is unusual in small tents.
 They've provided a generous assortment of pockets for storing stuff and loops for dangling things from, and included a little string with a guy-rope adjuster between two of them so that I always knew where my towel was.  There are symmetrical small porches either side, which you can just about squeeze a folded Brompton into.  My usual concern with this sort of outer door arrangement is that you get dripped on as soon as you open it, but the wet-weather performance remains untested.

Pitching is outer-first (or both together), as all good tents should be.  The inner is equipped with attachment points for the poles, so that it can be pitched without the fly, which is a nice touch, but something I'm unlikely to ever use.

Weight wise, it's just under 4kg, but it's quite a generously proportioned tent compared to say the Vango Banshee 300.  The lengthy aluminium poles are split into quite short sections, for pannier/backpack friendliness (though I suspect the weight of all the joints adds up).  Pegs are reasonably decent round alloy ones.  The supplied bag is generous enough that you can fit it back in without too much drama, even if you don't bother with careful folding.

Pending a test of the wet-weather performance, my main complaint is that the groundsheet of the inner seems quite flimsy.  Pitching on the mess of hacked-back brambles and thistle that passes for Betteshanger's overflow car park meant that I was prickled as soon as I crawled in to inflate the mat.  (Fortunately I was able to re-purpose the tarp that lines the car boot as a surprisingly well-fitted footprint, and both I and the mat remained unpunctured.)

In summary: Worthwhile if you know it's going to be silly hot, seems like good value.  While it does combine the useful features of European and Leftpondian tent design, it's unlikely to be the best choice for cold weather.

Jaded

  • The Codfather
  • Formerly known as Jaded
Re: Tent pics...
« Reply #570 on: 16 July, 2018, 11:15:54 pm »
Interesting report!

I was about to post that I’d seen one of these over the weekend and had a mental note to look it up.

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/outbacklogic/siesta4-heat-and-light-blocking-tent-with-built-in

The users were waxing lyrical about it.
It is simpler than it looks.

Kim

  • Timelord
    • Fediverse
Re: Tent pics...
« Reply #571 on: 16 July, 2018, 11:53:41 pm »
The idea of using a reflective material for the fly seems sound, though presumably it's a heavier material, and it probably takes a fair bit longer to dry if the weather isn't scorchio.

The rest is in the details.  I've considered using a solar-powered computer fan to increase airflow in my Akto, but a couple of well-placed vents ought to achieve the same thing in less weight/bulk.

I've also noticed Decathlon do a tarp of a similar material, which might be a decent summer enhancement for an otherwise-good tent.

Marco Stefano

  • Apply some pressure, you lose some pressure...
Re: Tent pics...
« Reply #572 on: 24 July, 2018, 12:48:39 pm »
The pro versions of vango's tents look interesting.

Difference is a tougher flysheet and better poles if I am correct?

Have you used the non pro version of the banshee? If so, I would be interested in your views.

I've not used the previous non-Pro version.  As you say the main diffs seem to be the Flysheet (68D 190T Ripstop Polyester 5000mm) and the Yunan Eco Alloy Poles.  Groundsheet base of the inner is 6000mm HH, but don't know if that's new.  Pegs are standard  - lightweight alloy.  Door panels when open can be stuffed into inner pockets.   Impressed with ease of pitching, goes up as all in one (if leave the inner attached packed).

See 'Juan & Marco go off to Suffolk' further upthread; Vango Banshee 300 used for trips on bike and in car, loads of room for one, okay for two, three in extremis, I guess. Pitched all in one with inner attached at the bottom, quick to do. Mine has a hexagonal pattern ripstop fly, but quite a thin groundsheet; I use a cheap woven polyprop oblong 'footprint' to protect it, which also fits around the tent in the bag. Well vented, two doors & small port to the bell end from the inner (ejection of smelly shoes?). Seems very stable, don't think I have ever used the side guys as not yet required. I like it, think I got it about 4 years ago for about £75.

Kim

  • Timelord
    • Fediverse
Re: Tent pics...
« Reply #573 on: 24 July, 2018, 01:09:11 pm »
I also have a non-pro Banshee 300, purchased for a similar price.  My main complaint is that the you tend to end up with wet feet (well, damp foot end of sleeping bag) in high-condensation conditions, due to a combination of drips from the fly falling through the vent on the bottom end of the inner, and lack of lengthwise room meaning that if you sleep on your back it's easy for your toes to touch the inner and potentially push it against the fly, unless you're very short.  If it's just one person, you can lay your mat diagonally and avoid the problem entirely.

It's sturdy (I've had idiots cycle into the guy ropes at the York Rally), quick-drying in exactly the way that Hilleberg tents aren't (this may have changed with the fly material in the pro), and excellent value for money.  Well-ventilated, which means relatively cold, but not to the point of draughty.

The smelly shoe compartment seems like a waste of space that would be better used to make the inner a few inches longer.

Re: Tent pics...
« Reply #574 on: 24 July, 2018, 06:59:13 pm »
Some more pics (post-rain) of the Banshee 300 Pro, from recent Barmouth, Wales camp.  Picked up a vango tarp off ebay for a reasonable price - used for the first time.  Had significant rain overnight, so the tarp was useful.  No tent leaks, or condensation as warmer at night I guess.  The rear main vent has a rigid velcro tab to keep it open.  I used a thick plastic sheet, of more or less the same size, under the groundsheet for a bit of extra protection.  Two of us, was comfortable - space not an issue.   Notice the tent is £108 currently.  Not tried cycle camping with it all yet.

IMG_20180716_103508880 by ao, on Flickr

IMG_20180716_103451685 by ao, on Flickr

IMG_20180716_103528563 by ao, on Flickr

IMG_20180716_103628314 by ao, on Flickr

IMG_20180716_103613143_HDR by ao, on Flickr
Cycle and recycle.   SS Wilson