Club Arnage

For the last few years I have taken a huge tent, which I can stand up in, and shared with my wife.  This year she is not coming and space requirements in the car mean a smaller tent is required.

I do have my small 3 man tent somewhere (need to check the mice haven't found it!), but am tempted by a pop-up or easy up tent.  Anyone got any recomendations?

Quechua "Two Seconds".

So easy to put up, move, take down.

Available in the UK from Decathlon, or eBay.

http://www.decathlon.co.uk/EN/camping-pop-up-tents-13801414/

I second that, we used to take two nine man tents and they were a pain in the back side. When we got there it would take 1.5 hours to put them up. We now take a whole world of pop-up Quechua tents. We have not looked back since. Would recommend that you go at least one person bigger than you need (i.e. 2 people in a three man).

Agree with that.

I have a two-man Quechua, but there's no way I can get an inflatable mattress and a second person in my tent...not that I want to.

Totally agree, the Quechua pop up is the way to go, pop it, up plug the inflator in for the mattress, job done, get back to drinking . Have yet to use the heat ventalation flaps ( >:D) though.

The only thing i would add is dont bother with an XL in any size as they are more expensive with very little extra room better off by buying the next size up.

Sorry, do not agree with the throwy Quechua tents, yes they are probably great for a one/two nighter but really do not work for more time than that. Quite obviously they are practical as far as erection etc. but the limited amount of space for storage etc. is not good for a long period especially when bad weather is involved. I used a three man tent, for my own use only, for a few years and while this had a little storage area in the front porch it could not be stood up in you could only kneel. This tent was easy erection with built in poles, and I did enjoy it, BUT, crawling out of it in the rain into muddy grass is not a good way to start a day, also if you are 18 stone movement is restricted. I purchased a Quechua tent from Decathlon a few years ago and it was a bargain at £60 now €99, this has a sleeping area which easily take a double blow up bed with plenty of room around plus a reception/living area, which you can stand in, which is great for your cooker/chair/table etc. and the door converts to a canopy which is great for when it rains (as proved in Spa a couple of years ago) though I would suggest the use of a B&Q £13 gazebo in conjunction with this for when friends pop in.. I would suggest that the extra time it takes to put the tent up and dismantle is well worth the hassle.

So Chris I would stick with what you have, why not borrow a throwy tent from a friend and sleep in the garden for a few days, that will make your mind up.

Bigger is better, trust me.

>Martini...LB

Pop ups are useful/easy for sleeping, but you need something else for kit, chairs and cooking. A Khyam Sherpa 3 has done me fine for the last few years.

MG Mark

The Quechua pop ups are certainly good but can take up a suprising amount of room when folded, particularly if they end up as a big circle.  I also recommend the "quick erect" Khyam tents.  The Igloo goes up in 3 minutes and mine is a veteran of 17 Le Mans and is still going strong, at 116 pounds it's a bargain.  See http://www.khyam.co.uk/ 

I use a 3 man Quechua pop-up just for myself and it fits a large double inflatable bed. It's great when you arrive knackered and the tent is erected in 3 seconds. As mentioned it does take up a lot of room as a 1 meter flat disk when unopened. It also takes a fair time to put away until you've got the hang of it.

I also use Que Que Qwe...sod it...I use one of those throwy tents :)

It's not great for anything other than sleeping in - but then thats why you get people to bring cars and old commer vans....lock your kit in those, sleep in the tent...SEEEEEMPLES!!!

he doesnt mention that the only way to get it folded away is to find a passing Danish student to show him how (read this as DO IT FOR HIM)

I wish I was coming  buggerit, I could do with a larf

bill

Had some problems with my tent a few years ago and headed over to the Decathlon to get me such a Quecha 3-seconds tent.
Stood up in seconds, but took me about 45 minutes to get it back together on Sunday ... I gave up after a while and binded it together with duck tape  ;D

As Perdu says you really need to have a spare Danish person around to help you put it away again.
The words "Only a genius could manage to put this away properly" has done the rick for me over the last three years ;D

Debating whether to take big tents this year or 2 second/3 second tents to sleep in plus gazebos. Then found these! The 2 second tents fit under the flaps, two tents per gazebo. So plenty of place to stand, but privacy to sleep. You can also get an inner tent for these to turn them into a stand up, op up tent!

http://tiny.cc/oz48j

And once you have the hang of putting the two second tents away it's pretty easy. Takes less than 30 seconds! Lessons will be given on Bleu Nord in June!!!  ;)

It's quite easy to fold them up, IF you read the instructions.

Very nice but won't fit in the Frogeye. It doesn't say how big the disk is when packed.

We have a 4 man pop up about the same size, and packed it's a disc 1m wide.
It's a shame that they pack up this way, because they would be ideal for using with a motorcycle.

The "gazebo" style one is 85cm diameter and about 10cm thick when new. Since I've opened mine and repacked it, it's now about 15cm deep!

The one thing you have to watch out for ,when packing away Quechea 2 second "air" tents is not to take advice from a fellow camper who has the  MK1 version,as the MK2 version folds down in a different format....just ask the DFH guys who watched me for 1/2 an hour trying to pack mine away at Silvestone 2 years ago.

Apart from the packing issues they are a first class tent and will witstand torrential rain and high winds like we had a t LM 3 years ago

My big 2 bedroom pole tent accidentally got burned last year so I'll be in need of a new one for this June.
Pop ups look good but aftermy trusty fishing bivvy accidentally caught fire a few years ago I really dont relish the idea of trying to get one back to the same size as it popped out from!! ;D

The tent is merely for sleeping in, will be taking a gazebo etc for other comforts!

In which case, the pop ups are your friend if you can fit them in your car  ;D

MG Mark

Popped along to SK Camping yesterday where they had the Vango Dart 200DS on offer.  Asked if they could demonstrate it and they said "whilst it takes seconds to put up it takes longer to put away!  However went ahead and purchased it (along with a lot of other stuff for family camping trips) and they then said we suggest you try it before you go away.  I said what so that when I can't get it back down I have to come and buy a new one? At least if its up in a campsite there are lots of people to help (maybe I should have said make unhelpful suggestion!) get it back down.

Anyway put it up in the lounge at 11.30 last night, finally got it back down by 12.30!  Whoever said follow the instructions you are joking.  The instructions say Unpeg, leave door open, turn upside twist (with a picture of a surfboard with a slight twist), Then sau Surfboard with a picture of a surfboard, then say twist(again with a pic of a slightly twisted sufboard, then say secure with a picture of a circle.

Luckily googling reveals a video on how to do it!

We did the same last year, set the tent up in the brother inlaws front room and then took 3 of us an hour to master the tent folding sequence; now its a walk in the park. We used you Tube in the end for the folding instructions.

Try here

http://www.yeomansoutdoors.co.uk/email/peakland-sale-260310/peakland-sale-260310-001.html

I can't believe you lot are talking about tent folding on this forum. Put it up, sleep in it, set fire to it. Carrefour will provide next year!
Dont worry, relax