UKC

Been doing a lot of car camping in last few years, and looking to replace my aging tent. 

It seems pretty much all tents that you can stand up in are aimed at the family market and big enough for 4 or more, measuring at least 3m wide X 5m long. 

I'm looking for something that will only ever be used by 2 people, so an internal footprint more like  2 - 2.5m X 4m should be big enough, with a 2 m long sleeping compartment and a 2m entrance compartment for a small table and 2 chairs would be ideal.

Want something reasonably roubust for 3 season use, but only on campsites at valley level.

All suggestions welcome.

In reply to mountain.martin:

I have exactly your requirement bought from Decathlon, however it was about 15 years ago. It was about £80 and has been brilliant.

In reply to mountain.martin:

Can't recommend a particular tent but I think to get standing room you might have to look towards a 3 person tent. I don't think that is necessarily a bad idea as it gives you just a bit more room.

Dave

In reply to mountain.martin:

As a point of information, a tent you can stand up in will have a greater internal volume and so be a bit cooler.

Not a hard and fast rule of course, but of the wind's blowing briskly enough for this not to apply you're probably not going to be in that tent.  And a cooler tent can be a boon on warm nights, of course.

Just so's you're aware.

T.

In reply to mountain.martin:

Vango Omega 350

In reply to flour:

I second the recommendation for 'Vango Omega 350' as a great car-camping tent.  We've had ours for years and it's great!  A couple of low, folding chairs are perfect for the porch - something like;

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Yello-Chair-True-Blue-Size/dp/B09SZB1C3B

In reply to flour:

The footprint of that seems to be just what I'm looking for but headroom is only 135cm.

I think standing headroom is important for me when I'm car camping.

Which is 170cm for me.

In reply to mountain.martin:

Outwell make some - but maybe still a bit too large? but 3 person tent with relatively small footprint and standing room is Arizona 300 (last year stock) e.g.

https://www.campingworld.co.uk/en/Outwell-Arizona-300-Tent-2021-Campaign-Sp...

We are downsizing, and once I sell some of the other tents this is what I will buy. Not cheap, and tall enough for us, but perhaps not for you.

https://www.esvocampingshop.com/en/lightweight-cotton-tent-mandan/

Best of luck finding what you want, David

In reply to mountain.martin:

I think this Decathlon "4 person" tent is the current version of what my wife and I use for car camping:

https://www.decathlon.co.uk/p/4-person-air-tent-air-seconds-4-1xl/_/R-p-157...

It is one of those you pump up, so you need to get the pump. Very quick to put up and take down. One bedroom plus a stand-up space. 

We have been very happy with it.

In reply to Dave Todd:

Vango Omega 350 thirded. Loads of room for two, can have two people sat on chairs in the porch if the weather isn't playing ball

In reply to mountain.martin:

You definitely won't stand upright in an omega 350 but it's a damn good tent. We bought little short chairs and a table for ours but it's very nice and pretty sturdy in windy conditions. 

In reply to mbh:

Pump up tents seem a bit daft, they seem to be about three times the price of one with conventional poles.

In reply to Pedro50:

Umm...the one I posted costs maybe 10% more than the Vango 350 mentioned here, but you can stand up in it, and less than the other two posted here. Much less than one of them.

The pump-up thing is that you can put them up quickly. For us, it has been a good camp-site compromise between a tiny tent and a palace that takes up half a car and half a day to set up. Good for short stays.

In reply to mbh:

Fair enough 👌 

In reply to mbh:

Your decathlon suggestion does look good if you want something that size but for a 1 or 2 person tent looks bigger than I need (at nearly 3 X 5 m). Still hoping I might find a good stand up tent that doesn't cost more than £500 but with a footprint more like 2 X 4m. But that doesn't, strangely to me, seem to exist.

In reply to mbh

As someone with no experience of inflatable tents I would be interested to know how long they take to put up and take down? 

My current car camping tent takes about 20 mins single handed, of 15 mins with 2 people. Are inflatables significantly quicker? Would be a big selling point and could justify the price difference if they were.

In reply to mountain.martin:

I've used a Decathalon pop-up tent for quite a few years now. Goes up in a few seconds, but takes a bit of practice to take down and pack. Once you've got it wired about 5 minutes or so.
It's actually my favorite UK tent, keeps bugs out really well, great in the wind (I've destroyed quite a few conventional tents over the years) and rain... all for less than $100. Liked it so much I imported one to the US and use it for all my trips over here.
The biggest negative is that the small vestibule (and the fact that it's so dark in there) makes cooking in the tent a bit awkward.

In reply to mountain.martin:

My 4 person Decathlon inflatable takes 4 minutes inner and outer together, it's slightly slower with an electric pump but one can sit drinking a beer while watching it grow. Bit longer with all the guys but never timed that.

In reply to jimtitt:

That does sound good. Do they take long to deflate and pack away?

In reply to mountain.martin:

We are not as quick as Jim, but probably 10-20 minutes to put it up, with no faffing about which pole goes where. It deflates instantly so quicker to take it down. Just take the plugs out and poof! Usual struggles to get it back in the bag, but no worse than any other tent.

In reply to mountain.martin:

I've got a hi gear aura 3....great car camping tent....loads of room, great stand up height and very comfy to sit in if the weather isn't great. I've had it up in lake District rain and winds....nothing too stormy and it's been fine. Walking in to a tent rather than stooping or crawling is great....

One drawback is that it takes 2 to put it up....buying now I'd definitely get a blow up tent, my mate has one and it's really very good...

In reply to mountain.martin:

I've got a Luxe Octopeak F8 that I really like
https://en.aventurenordique.com/luxe-outdoor-octopeak-f8.html

However - that doesn't give you the extra cooking area you want. On mine I use a 3x3m tarp to provide that (downside is that the sides are open to the wind)

In reply to mountain.martin:

Came across a pair of German cycle tourers in Scotland recently who had this tent.

https://www.vaude.com/en-GB/Equipment/Tents/Backpacking-Tents/Chapel-L-XT-3...

Might fit the bill? Certainly looked good. I've not come across a tent design like that before

In reply to GraB:

I like the look of that one.

In reply to mountain.martin:

Thanks to all for contributions/suggestions.

In reply to mountain.martin:

I think it's because of geometry; it's not easy to make a tent that tall, but with that small a footprint. It would need very steep walls, and would be tricky with tunnel or dome construction.

An old skool frame tent might be more feasible; a mate of mine had one that we took the piss of as a 'harem tent'. He ended up selling it to someone in Japan, bizarrely... Might have been this lot:

https://trade.pajamamoon.net/

In reply to mountain.martin:

Take a look at the Alpkit Axiom. 4-man but I got it for 2 with room for gear storage and sitting out rain. £329 plus another £40 if you want the footprint. 2.5m x 4.7m so slightly bigger than you want. Bedroom compartment at the rear, open living/cooking area at the front that's high enough to stand in (I'm 5'11") with room for table and chairs.

Much prefer it to my 2-man Terra Nova if me and the other half are doing a campsite.

https://alpkit.com/products/axiom-4

In reply to mountain.martin: sorry if this has been covered above and you’ve already said yeah or nay to pump up but : I have a berghaus air beam 4 , it might be a tad big for you , but it is an excellent tent and for car camping I wouldn’t go back to poles . It is very easy and quick  to put up , I do it with three kids helping but have gone it on my own easily . Less than 10 minutes . I got it off ebay for £200 ish  and it was difficult to tell it gas ever been used . I got paisley freight to ship it from somewhere below the wall . Massive reduction in faf when setting up after a long drive . I had an air beam 6 which had loads of room but was too big and heavy.

I’ve also got the berghaus inflatable porch which is an excellent for longer trips .