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Which tent for touring?

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Monkeypony
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PostPosted: 21:08 - 30 Mar 2022    Post subject: Which tent for touring? Reply with quote

Evening all,

My trusty old tent is due for replacing, and I'd like to get some recommendations for it's replacement.

The must have requirements:

Compact
Light
Dry
Sleeps 2 comfortably
Porch area large enough for 2 sets of bike kit - This is a must have, there is nothing worse than getting out of (and storing) wet kit in the sleeping area!

My old tent is cheapish Colemans thing, which never really met the compact and light requirements, but did fine for everything else.

Any suggestions gratefully received Very Happy
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Nobby the Bastard
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PostPosted: 21:36 - 30 Mar 2022    Post subject: Reply with quote

https://i.imgur.com/K8gsRjX.jpeg
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Monkeypony
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PostPosted: 21:39 - 30 Mar 2022    Post subject: Reply with quote

Nobby the Bastard wrote:


Got one like that too. Not all that practical to lash to a motorcycle though! Laughing
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stinkwheel
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PostPosted: 22:33 - 30 Mar 2022    Post subject: Re: Which tent for touring? Reply with quote

Monkeypony wrote:

The must have requirements:

Compact
Light
Dry
Sleeps 2 comfortably
Porch area large enough for 2 sets of bike kit - This is a must have, there is nothing worse than getting out of (and storing) wet kit in the sleeping area!


I'd suggest one of the three-hoop tunnel tents in that case, they generally have a compact sleeping area big enough for two and the same again in porch space.

How much are you looking at spending?

I used to use a vango spirit 200 of this design. It ticked all your boxes. Looks like the equivalent model in the vango range has got WAY more expensive though. Still, with a pack size of 46x16cm and weight of 2.4kg it will (literally) fit in an oxford sports pannier leaving room for a couple of bottles of wine. Their TBS system makes them truly 4-season, I've had mine up in actual storm force winds.
https://www.vango.co.uk/gb/camping-equipment/743-f10-xenon-ul-2-plus.html

They do a cheaper version called the omega 250. Weighs about twice as much, still a fairly small pack size (48 x 18).
https://www.vango.co.uk/gb/camping-equipment/1326-omega-250.html

Lately however, I've bought most of my tents from Decathalon and they have proved to punch well above their weight. This thing is (comparatively) enormous. Pack size of 39 x 23. Again over 4kg but it's on a bike yeah? It's a 4 man tent with the same again in porch space, you could just about park the bike in it!
https://www.decathlon.co.uk/p/3-season-4-person-tunnel-tent-grey-orange/_/R-p-311208
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Monkeypony
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PostPosted: 22:48 - 30 Mar 2022    Post subject: Reply with quote

Thanks Stinkwheel,

The Vango Xenon might well be just what I'm looking for!

I generally have to carry pretty much bloody all of the kit on my bike. Mrs Monkeypony takes her own pants, and that's about it... Laughing

By the time I've got the stove, sleeping bags, air pads, chairs and my clothes on board, any weight I can save will be a luxury!
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doggone
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PostPosted: 08:14 - 31 Mar 2022    Post subject: Reply with quote

On a bike packed size and weight are not a massive issue within reason so no need to go for a backpacker style.
For two people get one that will fit three then you have space for your other items inside.
What exactly are you going to leave outside where they might get damper if not wet or *removed* in the night.
If it will fit across the bike securely it makes a useful platform to attach other items like waterproofs you might need through the day
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Monkeypony
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PostPosted: 09:39 - 31 Mar 2022    Post subject: Reply with quote

doggone wrote:
On a bike packed size and weight are not a massive issue within reason so no need to go for a backpacker style.
For two people get one that will fit three then you have space for your other items inside.
What exactly are you going to leave outside where they might get damper if not wet or *removed* in the night.
If it will fit across the bike securely it makes a useful platform to attach other items like waterproofs you might need through the day


When you're doing a couple of hundred miles of twisties every day with all the kit on board, the lighter you can get the overall pack weight, the more fun you can have!

After years of touring on lots of different bikes, everything is now pretty much as light and compact as it can be, with the exception of the tent, so it'll be nice to finish the job.

This is the old Busa, when I was travelling heavy!
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doggone
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PostPosted: 10:21 - 31 Mar 2022    Post subject: Reply with quote

You won't notice the difference in weight it will be about the same as a tin of beans or can of beer.
Not many tents when packed stick out more than your leg or the bars let alone panniers or throwovers
I'd be mainly concerned about how quick and easy it can be put up even in strong wind, rain or midge ridden hell hole aka west scotland.
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ThunderGuts
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PostPosted: 11:52 - 31 Mar 2022    Post subject: Reply with quote

I think light weight is everything; some of the bigger/cheaper tents are very heavy - it WILL affect the bike handling. If you're just cruising down motorways and straightish roads all day long then sure, no difference, but if you're enjoying twisties it's definitely worth getting lightweight gear as much as possible. If you've ever done day rides from a camping base it's night and day with the bike unloaded, and I notice this even with my lightweight kit (decades of mountaineering means I'm fortunately already well equipped for lightweight camping).

I use a Terra Nova Voyager XL which has a massive porch yet sleeps two (inner was fairly cosy though), weighs about 2.5kg is compact. Not available anymore by the looks of it though.

One thing to look for (and you're more likely to get this in a backpacking tent) is short folded pole length. Not all tent poles are born equally, many have quite few joints and longer sections - not a problem in a car, but if you want compact stowage on a bike, it's helpful to have shorter folded lengths.

With tents you really do get what you pay for though. Cheap tents will always lack in some way, be it weight, size or strength (sometimes all of these). My Terra Nova was about £350 10 years ago, reduced at the time from something silly like £550. It's still going strong and actually looks no different to the day I bought it (I reckon I've slept a three figure number of nights in it at least, everywhere from Scotland to the Pyrenees). A groundsheet protector is tiny and cheap, yet keeps the base of the tent dry (useful in muddier fields as you then have a clean tent to put away). Get one when you buy the tent if the manufacturer makes one as getting one at a later date if they stop making the tent will be difficult. I've made one for another tent out of a tarp, but it isn't as good a the proper item (which has elasticated bungees to attach to the pegs, perfect sizing, good material etc..).

Edit: other advantage of lightweight backpacking tents is, as per the previous poster, they're designed to be put up quickly and easily. Cheaper tents lose out here too with naff pole colour coding, poor pole sleeves, complex pitching, ludicrous numbers of guy lines (to compensate for a flimsy tent design). I can get my Terra Nova from bag to fully pitched in less than 5 minutes, even if strong winds.
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stinkwheel
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PostPosted: 13:31 - 31 Mar 2022    Post subject: Reply with quote

I've certainly gone for ease of erection over compactness and weight these days. I'm mostly using a quechua 2-man popup. The disc is smaller in diameter than the width of the panniers so it straps on top. It goes up quick, puts away quick and after this years Dragon Rally, I'm confident it will stand up to any weather you're likely to experience in the UK.

It does not however have much of a porch. I generally carry a tarp too so wet gear can be wrapped up in that or put under it if I put it up. You also can't really cook in the tent.

I do have a very small backpacking tent that I'll take as a backup if I'm touring and not really intending to camp.

Tyvek sheeting that they use to cover the timber frames on houses makes a very good, tough and ultimately disposable footprint for under a flimsy groundsheet. My popup has one of those crinkly woven strand polypropylene groundsheets though which is tough as old boots.
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Tracey Suntan-King
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PostPosted: 13:37 - 31 Mar 2022    Post subject: Reply with quote

Monkeypony wrote:
Nobby the Bastard wrote:


Got one like that too. Not all that practical to lash to a motorcycle though! Laughing


Oh I don't know. Skudd turned up at a BCF BBQ one year with a 6 berth frame tent and 42 toilet rolls strapped to his bike. Plus a week's worth of food.

Mind you it was a Honda Varadero or something similar Very Happy
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virus
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PostPosted: 16:33 - 31 Mar 2022    Post subject: Reply with quote

Vango sigma 300, packs small enough to not be too much hassle to put on a bike, sleeps 2 comfortably and has a porch at both ends so plenty 'wet' storage space.
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Weisse Schlange
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PostPosted: 09:32 - 01 Apr 2022    Post subject: Reply with quote

Vango Omega 350.
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Moxey
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PostPosted: 10:06 - 01 Apr 2022    Post subject: Reply with quote

Weisse Schlange wrote:
Vango Omega 350.


This, mine worked well over a week in Scotland
https://i.imgur.com/pRyrKJC.jpg

You can still get them for reasonable money (IMO) at least less than the Xenon although it is 1.5kg heavier
https://www.millets.co.uk/15894121/vango-omega-350-tent-15894121/?utm_source=Google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=Shopping&gclid=CjwKCAjwxZqSBhAHEiwASr9n9ITHbtDfNfcAwkpjIo9JGIooOQsLrxGzCJpCiC_jDp_vDCYEb3S1rBoCc6UQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

Some criticisms of it I found, at 6'2 its a bit tiring not being able to stand after a day in the tent due to bad weather etc and my mates in their Khyams were always setting up a lot quicker than me (similar time for packing though, recall having to lend a hand a few times to collapse theirs)

Should easily fit 2 people + luggage - I had plenty of room Thumbs Up
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A100man
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PostPosted: 12:40 - 01 Apr 2022    Post subject: Reply with quote

ThunderGuts wrote:
I can get my Terra Nova from bag to fully pitched in less than 5 minutes, even if strong winds.


Deliberate avoidance of the word 'erect' but you can't fool me. Wink
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Nobby the Bastard
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PostPosted: 12:55 - 01 Apr 2022    Post subject: Reply with quote

A100man wrote:


Deliberate avoidance of the word 'erect' but you can't fool me. Wink



Mmmm, tenting....
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lingeringstin...
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PostPosted: 04:42 - 22 Jul 2022    Post subject: French F1 Reply with quote

This is probably a moot post, but the army surplus French F1 tent is fecking simplicity, Only needs two straight one meter poles to set up so you could actually cut tree branches for it in a fix, and it's pretty roomy for one. It's a really good tent for inclement weather as it's low to the ground so it stays up when other people's bendy fibreglass pole tents are being blown sideways.

The canvas ones like mine are superb but you can't get them any more but the nylon ones are still pretty good, I have both. It's just that the nylon ones get hot in the sun. But for one person they're good and roomy and pack away pretty small for what they are. Quite roomy, nice vents etc.

I also have one of those wee Dutch army canvas ridge tents that you can pick up really cheap but they're bulky and HEAVY. Made very well and can withstand a hundred mile per hour sideways Shetland sleet but they're canvas and weigh a ton.

Cheapest and easiest to set up lightweight sturdy tent I know of is the French F1. Any old tent is fine when the weather's good, but when it gets Biblical you need something with a low wedge shaped profile and sturdy poles.
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MCN
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PostPosted: 11:41 - 22 Jul 2022    Post subject: Reply with quote

Vango have. Very good reasonably priced range.
I was concerned about weight and Vango publish that in the specs.
I got a sweet ex-demo at Go outdoors. £60
The guy gave. Set of pins for free.

It's a two-man bivi style. (Suitable for 2 they men)
I can get my fat arse and my side panniers in the 'vestibule' no problemo.
Tip... Buy a butyl ground sheet to pitch on. That helps insulate from the bumps and the extra material provides a landing area for crawling in out.
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Ayrton
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PostPosted: 13:21 - 22 Jul 2022    Post subject: Reply with quote

I bought a Vango Omega 350 last month and was quite impressed with it. I usually don't enjoy camping because I've always used cheap tents that always seem to be wet when you wake up, but this was perfect. the packed size is really small too.

I did find it too big for one person though, but I'm occasionally going to have 2 people in it and i'm not buying two Laughing
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MCN
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PostPosted: 21:27 - 22 Jul 2022    Post subject: Reply with quote

Add a factor of 0.5 to the rating of hour sleeping bag.
The TOG rating is clothes on.
If you look for comfort, less clothing and thicker insulation is the go-to.
It means a substantial amount of extra bulk but our UK weather will ensure a massive benefit from the extra lagging. I find it most difficult to leave my sleeping bag in the morning.
Fresh brew espresso gets me moving. Cool
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