What tents should we buy?

[frazzle]

We have been awarded some grant funding for new tents, but we are not sure which to buy - I wondered if anyone had any reccomendations for a good tent which is:

3 man (so ample for 2 adults, 3 scouts or 3-4 cubs)
Can be put up in the hut (for Beaver sleepovers or segregation) with only a bit of gaffa tape on the floor
Has a reasonable size porch (or 2) for boots, cooker (when not in use) etc...
Enough headroom for an adult to sit up and not feel cramped
Can be put up by cubs / scouts
Reasonably scout-proof
Reasonably weatherproof

They do not need to be light enough for easy carrying - we have tents for this - and we also have patrol tents for some camps.

They will be used for one / two night camps for cubs and scouts, and for use by leaders and young leaders for longer camps (and possibly scouts / cubs if we are seperating them on gender grounds, although we usually manage this in patrol tents)

They will be supplementing / replacing our 6/7 year old Coleman Exponents (3 pole tunnel tents) which don't meet all the requirements above and are starting to wear out.

Thanks in advance

[curtisuk]

Have alook at this
Hi Gear Rock 5 Tent - 2011 http://www.gooutdoors.co.uk/rock-5-black-rock--p179064

[Scary Monster]

As a general rule, tunnels don't do too well for staying up indoors.

i haven't got the answer, but am keen to hear as I want one too.

------ Update --- The Following was Added within 30 Minutes of the above ---

How about one of these?

http://www.gooutdoors.co.uk/halo-300-p149966

Would want to see it in reality, but it looks hopeful.

[RachelCC]

We use

http://www.gooutdoors.co.uk/hi-gear-...y-tent-p143499

Not sure about indoor use as never used them inside but They are fab tents - cubs can stand up in them, the porch is big enough for kit and boots. We love them.

[frazzle]

Thanks - the Vango Halo 300 is coming up as a good match for most of our criteria (and I like the fact the 3 poles are equal length, so they can't put them in the wrong sleeve).

Was also looking at these http://www.cave-crag.co.uk/easy-camp-eclipse-300-tent# which are a smaller version of ther same principle of the Atakama. The suggestions are making me re-appraise whether we want a 3 man or something bigger.....

[aldamaster]

I personally wouldn't go for those vango ones. They are expedition tents (which you say you already have) so are designed to be lightweight and good for just getting up for a night, not a long camp. I reckon your money would be better spent on one of the other ones reccomended which have better porches and more space inside.

[Scary Monster]

The Vango's claim to be taller inside than the Easy Camp.

Depending on how many you were planning on getting, you could always get a mix of ones like the Vango's and the Hi Gear Atakama 5 man ones.

The downsides of the bigger 5 man ones include:

They're a bit big for 1 or 2 leader/young leaders (and would be very cold)
They will be very dependant on gaffa tape if you want to put them up indoors.

On the plus side they'd be great for cubs/scouts for the weekend.

The downside of the Vango include:

They're designed for expeditions/weekends, so not as spacious as some of the bigger ones.

On the plus side, they'll go up indoors no problem, they're an absolute doddle to put up so perfect for leaders who end up putting their tents up last (assuming they're anything like similar ones I've dealt with), they've got a sensible inner volume - so won't be really cold with only 1 or 2 people in them.

I had a very similar shaped Coleman for years (but with only one door), that was perfect for everything you've described above. My only criticism of it was with only one door it got a bit stuffy if you were in it for a week as a leader - but the two doors on the vango would solve that problem.

(I'm now on a mission to hunt down a shop that's got one of the Vango's to check out the real thing)

[scoutgamer]

Also from Go Outdoors, I bought 4 of the Hi-gear Gobi 4 for Explorers.

They're heavy, but really good and match everything you asked for.

I wouldn't expect them to last for decades, but they do what I need.

If you pay the membership, you'll get the regular letters and emails.

I paid £90 two years ago for those tents and they are very very economical.

Peter

[lwg27]

We went for some of the Hi Gear Rocks from GoOutdoors, we have had them about 2 years now, and we have put them up in the hall and outside as well.
There great as a leaders tent where two can share and still have there own space. We have also used them to house cubs of different sexes with parental permission in different sleeping compartments.
I can't recall them being used by any of the sections in really bad weather but they have stood up well in the use we have given them so far, with no broken poles, rips etc, just bent and lost pegs.

[johnty1]

Try these we have two look at the faults though,but can save ££££££
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Hi-Gear-Ka...nt-Faulty-Z235

[Graham Hannam]

Our neighbours lost a number of tents from Go Outdoors at an event last year. The winds were not massively strong and they did look very functional beforehand - I think they may have been hi-gear ones - poles snapped and material tore.

We are looking for some 4/5 man Vango's but with Aluminium poles (if we can find them) - not sure which model they are, but they have a huge porch at the front for stowing gear.

[jshirra]

I love my Halo 300! Gaffa on the porches for sleepovers!

I can get a double air bed + kit for 2 inside! Can also sit up!

It has porch ground sheet but it's pants - just gets soaked. But then again if it's just for boots and stoves it doesn't matter!

[Scary Monster]

JShirra - I think you might have me sold.

[frazzle]

Me too - I looked at a number of the Hi Gears in Go-Outdoors today and they are bigger than I had in mind and I would worry about their durability in bad weather. I also fear that they might take up quote a lot of space on the limited amount of grass outside our HQ (I know that wasn't in my requirements!)

They had a smaller Vango dome with a similar design up and it looked pretty good.

I will see what the rest of the leaders think - thanks for all the input, it's made me think broader.

Fraser