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Regatta 2 Man Pop Up Tent Set
by robosharkatron
I bought this tent as a general day-use tent to be used at the beach, for picnics, open air events etc. Having researched it on the internet before buying, I assumed that this would do the job. I suspected that it probably would not be suitable for the die-hard camper, and now, having owned it, I think I'm probably right.
The ... tent can be put up easily. It practically just springs into shape. Putting it away is a little more tricky, but once you've got the hang of it, it's no problem. The instructions are clear and logical.
Although I have not used my tent in any serious conditions, it has been subject to a bit of weather. It has fared well through strong winds and light rain. The included ground sheet was fine for keeping the water out, but I don't think I would want to have to rely on it on a real camping trip. The pegs included look a bit flimsy, again, if I was to use the tent on a proper camping trip, I would invest in something a little more heavy duty.
All in all, I think that this tent is fine for day use. I'd also be happy to sleep in it overnight as long as I knew the weather would hold out! If you're looking for a tent to take with you on a camping holiday or to take to a festival, I would not recommend this one. It's not heavy duty and wouldn't be suitable for these situations. Having said that, I'm very fond of my tent and get a lot of use out of it!
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Vango Banshee 200
by sympatic
This Vango Banshee 200 is the tent that I took with me on my travels before settling down and it did a number of trips. Unfortunately it succumbed to a few years of abuse but it was a great tent that only weighed about 2kg in weight making it nice and light and very easy to story in a rucksack. You can still buy an updated version of ... this tent now for around £120, I paid about £105.00 for mine and to be honest the design has hardly changed over the years as it is a design that works really well.
The one thing you instantly have to be aware of is although this is sold as a two man tent that would be a pretty snug fit for two people and leave no space at all for rucksacks, there is also a very limited porch area which is fine to store muddy boots and keep them dry but is not big enough for a rucksack so if you wanted to have two people in here the kit would be outside in the elements. The reason I bought the two man version for my trekking days was the fact that I could sleep alongside my rucksack and have everything secure and to hand. This is a tent designed for trekking where weight is everything, side opening which I prefer to the tunnel design of the front entry tents you can access all four corners from the entrance and there is enough height to sit up and certainly for myself get changed in fairly easily but then I have a petite dancer frame so flexibility is not an issue.
The tent is really easy to put up in all conditions. It is an all in one pitching design and there are only two poles to content with, a large one running through the highest point and a smaller one to provide additional ghead space at one end of the tent. The poles are from the powerlight range and are pre shaped and very strong, add in the fact that they are easy to fit and dismantle and they never failed me once. There are a minimal number of pegs and no long guy ropes to content with so he tent takes up little room which is good if camping in close proximity to other trekkers and when space is limited.
There is a flysheet door which can be opened to provide ventilation in warmer climates but without letting in horrible flying things as there is a mossie net across it as well with a seperate zip. The tent itself came with a compression stuff sack to reduce teh amount of space that it took up in my rucksack which was another essentail requirement. The instructions were very clear but the construction is so basic it is pretty much straight forward and intuitive to assemble and after a couple of test runs I was competent enough in darkness and bad weather and could put the tent up in about ten minutes or less single handedly.
This tent design is well made and functional, the inside has enough room for a sleeping mat as well as storing your kit, it provides the basics that you need for a dry nights sleep which is the most important thing. It is well made, I never had any issues with water getting in or it collapsing in high winds, it is designed for trekking and the fact that the basic design has not really changed over the past few years tells you that it is a design that works and can be trusted.
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Regatta 2 Man Pop Up Tent
by broxi3781
I think all children love tents, huts, or dens of any kind. We have a massive tent made of bedsheets, chairs and TV tables upstairs right now, but for outdoor use sometimes it is best to have something just a bit more stable. When my husband saw these on special at Argos for £17.49, he picked up two. These have been used indoors and out ... - my son even had this on top of his bed for two weeks before his room was redone.
The best thing about this tent is the set up. You just pull it out of the bag and give it a quick flick or toss and it pops up. It is literally a matter of seconds. If you are using this outdoors you will need to put in the tent pegs, which are included in their own wee camouflage bag, but even so, you can be completely set up in roughly 1 minute. Putting this away doesn't take much longer. A couple of quick folds and it fits nicely back in it's original bag - which is something I have often found a real challenge with camping supplies. they seem to grow after you unpack them.
This comes in a round camouflage bag which is thin, compact and light weight. Argos gives the packed dimensions as: L68, W10, D10cm, but this is incorrect. When packed up, this is a circle. the diameter is roughly 68 centimeters, and it is about 3 -4 centimeters thick, although it will puff up in the middle if there is no weight on it. I have no way to weigh this and verify the weight, which Argos gives as 1.8kg, but I think this is probably about right, if there is any mistake - I would guess it to be lighter, not heavier.
The Argos description says this tent has two air flaps and two windows. It does not. There is the large door to the front and a small flap/ window at the back. You can not open this window fully, it is sewn down, but you can pull it up a wee bit and put a small brace in, allowing an opening of less than 2". Still with the big door open, this will be well ventilated enough. This is also advertised as a two man tent, but I find all tent manufactures seem to over estimate the number of people who could comfortably sleep inside. Keep in mind this fits on a twin size bed with a bit of overhang at the end - you could fit two people, but you would not have room for anything else, and it will be a tight squeeze. Likely fine for a couple, not as nice for two fellows on a fishing trip. There are also two small pockets hanging near the roof inside. My son's quite like these as place for action figures to be kept - or an mp-3 player, but I suspect they are intended to keep your keys, wallet or phone.
This tent is made of thin nylon with a plasticky bottom groundsheet that wipes clean easily. This is fine for our purposes, but I don't think such a thin tent would do much to hold in body heat if camping in the mountains. We have found it water proof in light rain, we have not tried it in heavy rain. On the plus side, the bottom section in front of the door has a slight upwards curve, meaning water won't get in the doorway easily. The pegs are thin and lightweight, and unless there is adequate weight in the tent, they can pull up in heavy wind. I would class this tent as fine for indoor or outdoor use - short camping trips in mild weather, or festivals. In more extreme conditions, I would want a bit heavier gear, and at the very least, I would invest in sturdier pegs. I also think this would be lovely for a day at the beach. It would provide a bit of shade, a place to store your stuff and even a changing room if needed - but be sure to keep it weighted down, or get much longer stakes as sand doesn't provide much grip.
Our tent is camouflage as shown, which perfectly suits my army mad boys. Argos does have this same tent in a number of other colours right now including a light blue with a floral design at only £16.99, and geometric and checkered pattern at £17.49, but some colours will cost as much as £49.99.
My sons have seen me open this up to make sure there really are no windows - so even though they already have a tent upstairs this is going up now in my younger sons room to be joined by a series of tunnels, as well as connected to an under the bed tent. The whole upstairs ends up turned into a large base camp - but the great part is they hide up there from enemy agents Mom and Dad for hours if I remember to pack enough provisions. The play value is really endless with these, and I can't recommend them enough for children. I also feel they make a easy to carry and set up choice for camping, but they aren't very roomy, and I don't think I would fancy this in really extreme weather.
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