UKC

Having tested this tent last weekend, here's my2p!

Supplier: Argos
Product: Pro Action 1 person backpacking tent
Code: 340/8207
Cost: £29.99

Design: 2 skin, single person, 2 pole tunnel tent with Alloy poles. Note: The catalog says fibre glass poles but it is wrong. They are alloy poles.

Weight: On my scales, unpacked & still in the Argos carrier bag, 2kg.

Parts List: 2 alloy poles + bag, 10 alloy tent pegs + bag, outer fly sheet with 3 guy lines, inner tent, compression sac, manual.

Construction: Well-made but of cheap materials.
1. The ground sheet is of 1 piece, The walls are 8' high, stitched onto the one-piece ground sheet. Seams are not sealed but the tension of the pitch lifts the seam slightly above the ground. You may want to seam seal it.
2. The outer fly comes very close to the ground so no problems with splashing.
3. There is a vent made of some foam material.
4. There was a good gap between the fly and inner.
5. The inner is made mainly from mesh, with 1 utility pocket.
6. The inner is attached to the poles by clips.
7. The zips were a bit sticky - nothing some silicon grease can't sort out.
8. Poles are pre-bent & look good; Solid alloy pegs.
9 There is a small porch for storage & cooking.

Pitching: It took me less than 2.5 minutes to get it up.
1. Peg out the inner
2. Attach the poles intot he grommets & clip the inner to them
3. Clip the flysheet onto the peg points & tension
4. Guy as required.

Other comments: For it's price, this is an excellent bargin. Once the poles + pegs were removed, it compressed down really small; about 6' dia, 6' length.

I have some concerns with the ground sheet on very wet ground; this is essentially a spring/summer tent for drier conditions. You can pitch the inner without the fly sheet for hot countries.

Pitched & guyed out it was pretty stable but would suggest pitching into the prevailing wind would help.

It is surprisingly large for 1 person with adequate headroom. I 5" 7'.

I would recommend this tent for a first time buyer.

Cheerio

In reply to chris tan:

I take it it is impossible to take it down by removing the inner first and then taking down the outer?

Not surprised if that is the case as many tents are like that, but it was something I swore I wouldn't have again after getting caught out in rain when taking my tent down - I just couldn't avoid getting the inner wet, which meant that that night, I was putting up and sleeping in, a wet tent.

Other than that though, the tent sounds like a really good bargain!

Thanks for taking the time to review it - this information is always useful!

In reply to cleddy:

Yes! Usual problem shared with all inner pitch first tents - including the more expensive makes.

In reply to chris tan: Interesting review. I have seen many recomendations for this tent but no accompanying personal experience.

A couple of questions,

Is the inner mesh midge proof or sized for mozzies?

You say that the porch is big enough to cook in? on the pic it looks really small. I wondered when looking at the pic whether it would be possible to unclip the inner extension and fold it back leaving the main pole held by the shape of the flysheet, at least in moderate wind conditions?

Also the square shaped poles must create a flat roof with only a shallow slope to the foot of the tent. This would seem to potentially allow rain to seap through instead of running of or for condensation to collect and drip, did you have any such problems?

thanks

bailout

ps I agree with the inner pitching first complaints but unfortunately there are few alternatives and none for £30! Usually when I rant on this point I get labelled a curmudgeonly old git who doesn't know what he is talking about. Glad to see someone who agrees with me.

In reply to bailout:

Mesh size looks quite large - so I would say it would not stop the Scottish variety But then again Scotland would probably be too wet for this tent.

The porch is bigger than it looks - But please no MSRs! Personally, I wouldn't like to cook in it with the fly down. But with the fly up it makes a good windbreak.

The fly slopes quite well & looks as though it will shed water. It didn't rain last weekend - in a perverse sort of way I wish it did; would have made for better testing conditions. No condensation problems as the venting/circulation is very good. You have a 3' gap between fy & inner & a venting duct in the front.

Although it is an inner pitch first tent - it comes up very quickly. My 2.5 minutes was at a lesiurely pace. I'm sure you can get it up faster than that - if need requires.

In reply to chris tan:

Agree with all your review points, except possibly 'mainly mesh' - there's quite a bit, but I'd venture it's less than 30%. Oh, and you've used ' (feet) when you meant " (inches)

my brief review is at:

http://www.ukclimbing.com/forums/t.php?t=50896&v=1#675231

I suspect the mesh is too large to be midge-proof.

I found the pitching improved if the rear pole was held vertical by tying a guyrope around it and anchoring to a peg, all underneath the fly.

In reply to captain paranoia: It looks and sound very very similar to my old tent that I bought in Oz in 1992, mine is a make called "Sherpa". It had the same ground sheet construction by the sounds of it, I used mine hard for 10 years, including a lot of Scottish winter, and it was never a problem. Eventually the proofing on the floor gave out (the Rocktalk Clachaig soggy picnic of 2002 being the last time it was out - and that weekend was wet!), but the sewn construction never bothered me at all. Obviously a cheaper way of making it.

My tent was quite incredibly stable despite not having any guys. Low profile helps, but it stood up to a storm on the Ben that trashed a quasar. I was pretty smug as a result.

How friendly would 2 people need to be to fit in it, or is this just plain impossible?

In reply to Laura:
Having seen the tent, I think that two people could fit in if they were very very small, or if they enjoyed sleeping touching each other and the walls of the tent.

In reply to Laura:

Two people is possible.
No extra space for any gear.

.. And you have to be on very good terms with the person you are sharing with.

Would be ok at a push for a night or two, but you wouldn't want to spent too much longer in such a small space together.

Good bargain btw. - Very easy to put up and packs down quite small.

LDB.