Yet Another Cycling Forum
General Category => The Knowledge => Camping It Up => Topic started by: Polar Bear on 11 July, 2023, 02:20:42 pm
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Now that we are car campers we have a Vango Brecon 450 airbeam (National Trust partner) which I bagged for half price when nobody wanted them. It appears to be similar in features and size to the old Stargrove and new Lismore 450 models.
Admittedly this was the first time out of the bag and only the second time that I have put up an air tent but the overly optimistic erection time of ten minutes turned into around 1 hour. I noted that one guy rope was missing and the assortment of cheap and nasty pegs was a huge disappointment. I had remembered to take the Hilleberg Y pegs from our ageing Nammatj 3GT and glad I was that I did. Those Vango pegs are good nor absolutely nothing.
With the tent up and carpets laid in the parlour and the bedroom I set about establishing the kitchen in the porch area with a table and a Camping Gaz double burner and grill. There followed a Vango Family Shelter (misshaped tarp) over the long side and high back Helinox chairs with a second table for general use. And finally the super large Exped air mattress, pillows and sleeping bags with some rechargeable lights hung from convenient hanging points around the inside of the tent with one under the tarp by the side door.
Camp established.
And just when I settled down a ridiculous crimped bungee peg loop at the back of the tent just let go requiring some fettling with a short loop of spare guy line.
We finally settled down to a comfy weekend of camping where stooping and crawling was not necessary and generally all was well.
And then came the wind and the rain with mighty force.
The weird tarpaulin came down of it's own volition and the guy lines slackened off. The cause of the latter was ridiculous knots which were effectively slip knots thus they simply "slipped" when the wind buffered the walls of Castell Brecon.
Still, the tent remained waterproof and a cloudy but mildly warm and dry morning enabled me to pack it away dry. We'll, I say pack it away but no matter what I did, it simply would not fit into it's bag. A larger bag is required.
Vango seem to have a habit of providing their tents in bags which just fit a tightly factory packed new tent but take no account of a tent once released into the wild. I eventually persuaded the tent into the bag but one seam of the bag has started to complain just like the waistband of my trousers does.
The less-than-perfect quality of Vango necessitates a full set of Y pegs, a guy line to fill the gap where a guy line should already be, a bungee and a larger bag of approximately 180 litres of capacity to hold said tent when not in use.
As for Twitey's: Mike Twite was very pleasant and helpful, the site is quite fabulous although the showers leave much to be desired. We had a fire in the fire pit on pitch on Sunday evening and enjoyed the company of three friends. The Garden Shed cyclist friendly cafe in Wellesbourne is superb and we also enjoyed a visit to Hill Close Gardens in Warwick. A very enjoyable two night break.
Recommendations for a suitable 180 litre bag for the tent would be helpful, please.
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I reckon pegs on new tents are like pedals on a new bike; where supplied, they're the first thing you'll want to change.
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Vango seem to have a habit of providing their tents in bags which just fit a tightly factory packed new tent but take no account of a tent once released into the wild.
TBH, I think this is the default, and manufacturers who do otherwise are the exception and should be commended. Hilleberg obviously, as their tents are designed by people who camp, but it's also something that Decathlon are notable for getting right, even on the cheaper models. I have two Decathlon tents with extracurricular heavy-duty groundsheets that live in the bag with minimal drama.
I reckon pegs on new tents are like pedals on a new bike; where supplied, they're the first thing you'll want to change.
GPWM
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https://www.aliexpress.com/item/33018756441.html
"Large capacity moving house No smell Travel bag Oxford cloth woven snakeskin 150L 180L big Storage bag luggage bag sack canvas £13.16"
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I had to downsize the bag on my tent (Luxe Hex Peak) because it was too big! :facepalm:
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My previous one and only experience with an inflatable tent was a Zempire just a few weeks back. We had absolutely no issues getting that into it's bag.
I am tempted to move on the Vango and buy a Zempire instead ... 🤔
Perhaps not.
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Our new Decathlon inflatable tent is my one and only experience of the genre. I reckon there's just about enough space left in the bag to cram the pump in with it if you're that way inclined.
Still, I was feeling that it was a bit OTT at ~15kg, so googling "Vango Brecon 450 airbeam" has made me feel a bit better ;D
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I started out looking for something similar to your Decathlon tent but Castell Brecon was on offer and I jumped in. Perhaps there is a good reason why it was on offer after all ... The pump hides amongst the acres of fabric when packed. The pegs were there too but they will be separate from now on for pure convenience.
It was very nice having space and being able to stand though. And I discovered that I could lean on the airbeams when slipping on shoes etc which was very handy. 👍
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I am keeping an eye out for the Berghaus Air 400. Supply seems to be restricted from time to time so as to maintain retail price levels but bargains are to be had occasionally. All of the benefits outlined above greatly appeal to me these days particularly so being able to dress and stand up normally.
https://www.gooutdoors.co.uk/16537526/berghaus-air-400-nightfall-tent-16537526 (https://www.gooutdoors.co.uk/16537526/berghaus-air-400-nightfall-tent-16537526)
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Our new Decathlon inflatable tent is my one and only experience of the genre. I reckon there's just about enough space left in the bag to cram the pump in with it if you're that way inclined.
Is there room in the bag for the feather duster as well ?
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I am keeping an eye out for the Berghaus Air 400. Supply seems to be restricted from time to time so as to maintain retail price levels but bargains are to be had occasionally. All of the benefits outlined above greatly appeal to me these days particularly so being able to dress and stand up normally.
https://www.gooutdoors.co.uk/16537526/berghaus-air-400-nightfall-tent-16537526 (https://www.gooutdoors.co.uk/16537526/berghaus-air-400-nightfall-tent-16537526)
Get away with you Bob, you've never dressed normally!! ;D
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Tiso were the cheapest I could see and they have an extra 10% off if you are a first time customer signing up.
Go Outdoors had the tent listed for over a grand and Tiso for about half that.
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I am keeping an eye out for the Berghaus Air 400. Supply seems to be restricted from time to time so as to maintain retail price levels but bargains are to be had occasionally. All of the benefits outlined above greatly appeal to me these days particularly so being able to dress and stand up normally.
https://www.gooutdoors.co.uk/16537526/berghaus-air-400-nightfall-tent-16537526 (https://www.gooutdoors.co.uk/16537526/berghaus-air-400-nightfall-tent-16537526)
Get away with you Bob, you've never dressed normally!! :-D
Well you know what I mean.........Knees are shot old thing.
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I've bought a second hand Wild Country 4 man inflatable. It's very well thought out and the bag is designed so you roll the tent into it then do up the pull cord. Generally impressed by.build quality an thoughtful design.
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A 4 man inflatable? I hardly dare ask... ! :o
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A 4 man inflatable? I hardly dare ask... ! :o
Now then Daniel ;D a 4 berth inflatable tent...