Need a new tent

Santa-2512 said:
Ability to store all your gear inside wthout it touching the sides of the 2 man tent thus getting everything wet ,

Ability to get dressed standing up, instead of floppign around like a fish trying to get dressed / undressed

Ability to sit in the porch area while it's raining, brew up and watch everyone else sitting in the tiny 2 man tent fully zipped up ..

There are pro's and cons to everything
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I would always go as small as I can put up with.
My biggest tents are a Vango Equinox and Jack Wolfskin Time Tunnel.
Both of these I can sit in a chair with inches to spare. I can be bolt upright on my knees with inches to spare, and to enter the tent is no more than a bow.
I feel no need to be able to stand up in any tent.
The only tents I can't sit bolt upright in, are the Akto (95cm) & a Lightwave that I believe is 105cm high.

The best tent in the world, the Hilleberg Nammatj 3 (GT) has the perfect combination of headroom, width, strength and weight for this 6' 3" middle, middle aged, slightly stiff, Homo Sapien.
 
I can't be arsed with wriggling in and getting morning dew all over my feet trying to slide shoes, boots etc on. Stiff as hell I am , oo er, I have my eye on something but will need to seel mine first. It'll be in the FS section next week....
 
adventuredon said:
I can't be arsed with wriggling in and getting morning dew all over my feet trying to slide shoes, boots etc on. Stiff as hell I am , oo er, I have my eye on something but will need to seel mine first. It'll be in the FS section next week....
Click to expand...

Sit up to put my socks and shoes on is a minimum requirement unless it's just a night away.
The Akto has me wiping my face on my own expelled moisture just trying to put a shirt on.

There is better and lighter out there like the Superlight Voyager - What a tent!
 
I tend to put all my outdoor kit (whatever the activity) in waterproof bags then leave them either in a porch or outside depending on where I am. To me it’s far more important to have two decent porches than to be able to stand up and I’m perfectly happy to fire up the stove, make a brew then drink it while I’m still in my sleeping bag which is why a second porch to boil the water in is essential.

Honestly, big tents that you can stand up in will be noisy if wind and rain hit them hard and in the worst of conditions I’ve always been able to eat, drink and get dressed without getting wet when using a good quality geodesic tent.
 
Yeah I get the small v big arguments. I have now been using a 2 man tunnel tent for the last 16 years. I don't need a large stand up tent. I want one as a change now. I have 2 side porches which house my gear, my inner tent is big enough to sit up in but its just awkward. We could all probably get by on a Honda cub, but choose big, oversized adventure bikes...needs and wants.
 
adventuredon said:
Yeah I get the small v big arguments. I have now been using a 2 man tunnel tent for the last 16 years. I don't need a large stand up tent. I want one as a change now. I have 2 side porches which house my gear, my inner tent is big enough to sit up in but its just awkward. We could all probably get by on a Honda cub, but choose big, oversized adventure bikes...needs and wants.
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My big adventure bike hasn’t been out of the garage since February but the two 500cc bikes have both been out fairly frequently with Covid lockdowns being the limiting factor.

The last proper camping trip I did was to Denmark very early last year and because my wife was coming I took a Vango Force 10 which is a 3 man tent so more than big enough for 2 plus bike gear and allowing enough room to cook in the porch. I’d have taken something lighter but the Force 10 is made from cotton so significantly warmer than nylon and far quieter in crap weather.

It really is up to the individual but apart from the extra space bigger tents are considerably more hassle and tall tents in high winds are a total nightmare.
 
Ok so I've finally bought one.

I already own a large Outwell family tent and its been great, so i looked at the Outwell "Earth" range.

At first i fancied the Earth 4
the porch looks good for in wet weather, but the pack size put me off

The Earth 2
Small pack size but tiny porch

So.... i bought the Outwell Earth 3
Small pack size and a big enough porch to hide in when the weather turns, for £120 its a bargain.
Camping in Portsoy in September, so that will be my first chance to test it out

I was going to get the Kyham Biker plus tent, but was hoping to find one around £150 second hand.
for a tent that sells for £379 they are going for £300 after they have been used and abused, not worth it.
 
So you sent back 2 cheap Vango's cuz they wuz crap!
Asked on here for a better quality tent ... but went cheaper still?
 
I'm also looking for a larger tent. I've used this Coleman a few times, purchased used a few years ago. Packs up really small and quick to set up but I'm looking for something larger to sit up in and store my gear.
 

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DeanoBeano said:
I'm also looking for a larger tent. I've used this Coleman a few times, purchased used a few years ago. Packs up really small and quick to set up but I'm looking for something larger to sit up in and store my gear.
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If this thread (and others like it) doesn’t tell you that every man and his dog has their favourites, nothing will.

If in doubt, look at the pictures of any UKGSer gathering of tents, where you’ll see every shape, colour, make, size and price, known to man and more besides. Just pick the one you like. Failing that, just buy a Hilleberg. Which one? Well there’s a question…. You decide.
 
Yes it’s mainly the length of the pole sections which limit how pack-able a tent is on a motorbike … plenty of very light tents still have long pole sections .
Have a look at bike packing tents ( ie designed for bicycle touring ).
Big Agnes do some of these.
Very light and pack up to a loaf of bread size, including the poles.
Not a well known brand in UK but quite well known in USA …


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Wapping said:
If this thread (and others like it) doesn’t tell you that every man and his dog has their favourites, nothing will.

If in doubt, look at the pictures of any UKGSer gathering of tents, where you’ll see every shape, colour, make, size and price, known to man and more besides. Just pick the one you like. Failing that, just buy a Hilleberg. Which one? Well there’s a question…. You decide.
Click to expand...

And as well as the huge variety and solutions to the same problem on display at any bike friendly campsite… you will see lots of ultra light tents with extra ground sheets … because those ultra light sewn in ground sheets aren’t robust enough.
Best to allow for a proper groundsheet in any weight / volume calculations …

And don’t even get anyone started on the tarp topic … I think my tarp ( inc poles , guys etc) probably weighs 50% of my tent ⛺️! But adds a lot of functionality in terms of external area, stand up area, cooking when it’s raining etc etc


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I started with a Hilleberg Soulo, used once but TBH it’s far too small for a 6ft tall, 100 Kg biker. Extremely well made, very nice, but not big enough.

I bought a lone rider adventure and a Tarp from Wapping, very pleased with this setup, but each to their own.
 
Hilleberg Staika for me. Great tent but I’d rather it was a little larger. Am sticking with it though as its never let me down through some shocking weather and it’s ideal for wild camping with Mrs S.
 
I now have a nice shiny new Hilleberg Allak 3 as well as my Hilleberg Kaitum 3GT. Two absolutely top class tents. :thumb2 The Allak’s inner tent is the same size ( volume wise ) as the bigger Kaitum despite being a dome tent. I also have 3x3 and a 4.5 x 4.5 tarps so I can mix and match which ever suits for the trip I’m going to do. Oh and a Haven lay flat hammock which is as of now,I’ve still not tried. :blast
I did look at the Soulo and Staika but decided they’d be a bit on the small side for me.
 
I’ve also been looking at the various styles and sizes of bivi bags! :D:blast
I really don’t need one.
 
Nippy Normans supply Touratech, Wunderlich, Desert Fox and many other makes of accessories.
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