UKC

Has anyone any experience of this cheap one man tent from Argos, http://www.argos.co.uk/static/Product/partNumber/3409172.htm I want a one man bivvy tent for occasional use, and this is light and very cheap.

In reply to newhey:

I've heard it's little more than a play-tent. Last year's model was vastly superior.

I spent a london winter in a £25 argos tent to avoid paying rent - it was fine & didnt leak at all once seam sealed. I wouldnt really want to try it anywhere that wasn't a short squealy run away from a couch / cup of tea tho!

Loads of people buy bivis etc and never never use them, there must be some on fleabay etc?

In reply to newhey:
There was a classic Ebay auction last year from a guy selling one of these, the description was based around how soaked he got.

In summary, this tent rubbish and not worth considering.

In reply to Simon Caldwell:

8706890812


is the item number if you fancy looking it up

In reply to G. Tiger, Esq.: It's a classic.

The bloke on bbay ended up getting around £50 for it off some american buyer!!! fair play to the bloke who bought it for £25.
Ive bought one but not used it yet, can afford not to get one at £25 I wouldnt use it if you know its gonna rain tho.

In reply to Souljah:
No he didn't, following the widespread publicity the auction had, he got £360 for it, having announced that any profit would be going to charity.

In reply to newhey:

a couple of lads used one on the saunders last year.

i spoke to them in the morning to get more info about the tent.

they hadn't vented it enough and were quite damp - because of condensation caused by the single skin, not the rain.

it takes some careful pitching - get the tension correct in the pegs - too high or too low and it will sag in the middle.

the poles are glass fibre not alloy. replace these if you really want to save weight. (under a kg)

Add a vent panel (use midge net) underneath the cowl at the foot end of the tent to reduce condensation.

it is not the same bargain that the previous argos small tent was. it is not the same quality of design or manufacture.

In reply to newhey: i used one for 3 days backpacking in cornwall last summer

it was amusing enough - you do get a lot of condensation but it basically did the job (it was made worse of me as i kept it locked shut because i'd neglected to take a sleeping bag)

one thing is that there is no ridge pole - the 'ridge seam' is held tight by the tension in the little guy lines - i imagine it would sag quite badly in the rain - it also means that form a bivvying point of view you actually needed a pretty good spot where you could get good pegs in to hold it tight enough (i'd forgotten what non-geodesic tents are like)

if you want something that's just a tiny bit better than a bag then it should do the job

oh yeh, the predicatbly cheap steel pegs are heavy so i used the aluminium ones from my proper tent

In reply to newhey: I own one and have used it camping in Snowdinia in the rain and wind last september.
I woke up very wet.

In reply to newhey:

Ive got one of the 2 man £25 tents, its my festival/lend to mates I don't trust tent. its taken quite a hammering in the 2 years since i bought it, ive fallen on it in a drunken stupor, its got several cigarette holes burnt through the canvas, and the door has a dog shaped hole ripped in it, its still good for camping in a field but that’s about it.

In reply to King Rat:


Do you camp indoors sometimes then?

In reply to newhey:

Well if youre only after a bivvy type thing, get this and use your gortex outer liner for your sleepingbag.

Sorted.

I think I might get one, for £15 you cant go wrong. If it leaks, you can take it back anyway.


Mat

In reply to sutty:

only when I’m really bored, or when I’ve just bought a new tent and cant wait to use it.

Don't you?

In reply to King Rat:

All my tents needed pegs, the frame tent is too big to erect in the house.

In reply to newhey: My sister kindly bought me one when I first started camping (thinking she was doing me a favour). All was great until I woke up in the middle of the night wondering why it was raining inside the tent. I ended up covering the tent with plastic sheeting for a couple of days, then gave up and went and bought a proper one. You can only sleep with a waterproof over your head for so many nights.

In reply to Nim:

about 3 i reckon under ideal conditions - i think you could draw a graph against time with the extra weight of a comfy tent vs. the attrition factor of not sleeping properly and it would come out at about 3 days . . .

In reply to newhey: Have a look at The Outdoor Shop clearance,

http://www.theoutdoorshop.com/Outdoor/ProductList.aspx?cat=Tents2&langu...

there are some cheep tents there of better quality than the Argos tent, pay a bit more and be sure.

In reply to Richard Smith:

Thanks for all the replys. I already have a cheap tent, 15 Quid off EBay which has stood up to anything the weather can throw at it, although I have not used it too high up. Trouble is it weighed 3.5kg and I wanted something lightweight. Dont want to spend too much as I only use it 3-4 times a year. Bought one of these instead, I will report back soon

http://www.surplusandoutdoors.com/ishop/877/shopscr2280.html

In reply to newhey: That I'm sure that would be better than a cheep tent from Argos.

Have fun!