Author Topic: Vango Icarus 500  (Read 1615 times)

Wowbagger

  • Stout dipper
    • Stuff mostly about weather
Vango Icarus 500
« on: 29 April, 2015, 10:03:19 am »
Mrs. Wow and I bought one of these last year after being alerted by the excellent Butterfly OTP to a good bargain to be had at Go Outdoors. We have had three outings in it so far and it seems to attract the rain. Two of those have been in Oxfordshire, so perhaps that accounts for some of it.

It's a perfectly adequate tent that has a bedroom big enough for 4 people. We did have a puddle inside the tent last Sunday morning, but it hadn't found its way into the bedroom. Topologically, it pitches in exactly the same way as a Hilleberg Nallo 3. The difference, apart from size, is that the poles are cheap solid fibre glass with ferrules, and they can be annoying to thread through their tunnels, and even more annoying to remove again.

Go Outdoors are currently offering them at £189 with the discount card, which seems to me to be ridiculously cheap.
Quote from: Dez
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Re: Vango Icarus 500
« Reply #1 on: 29 April, 2015, 11:20:39 am »
We've had a Tigris 400 for some years now, very similar design, and the only issues are with the poles.  The ferrules can bend sharply on the poles causing fractures.  No failures on site but I bought a set of replacement poles and now have spare lengths JIC.  The design of the porch, the Icarus does not have one, could be better as it sets up a tension in the doorway making extremely difficult to use the zip.

We had one small puddle once, found on striking camp, and that's it.

If it suits it's def good value.

It has now been replaced by a hard tent on wheels!  ;D

Kim

  • Timelord
    • Fediverse
Re: Vango Icarus 500
« Reply #2 on: 29 April, 2015, 11:38:50 pm »
It appears to be a tent with your name on it...

http://www.gooutdoors.co.uk/vango-icarus-500-tent-2012-p201938

Dibdib

  • Fat'n'slow
Re: Vango Icarus 500
« Reply #3 on: 30 April, 2015, 12:10:16 am »
I do rather miss mine. On a still day I could, just about, put it up on my own - although I wouldn't want to try it in the wind, the rain, or with any less height (I'm just over 5'10") or arm-span than I have.

I bought my Vango Omega 350 as it's essentially a smaller version of the Icarus, with roomy headroom for a 3-berth tent and an extra-capacious porch.