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Compact, Quick, Easy setup 2 man tents...


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Just looking at the rally for this year has made me want to plan ahead for future events. Are there any tried and tested, cheap 2-man tents recommended?


My main concerns is how compact it is when collapsed as it's either got to go on a pillion seat or in a backpack.

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I'd recommend Vango tents......Our 3 man tent with front porch area is a few years old now, and still does us proud...... 8-)

I'd be looking at something with a front porch area that you can keep your wet gear away from the sleeping compartment.......I've shared my 2 man tent with soggy bike gear....it's not fun...... :shock:

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Define cheap.

 

Well if it's like with most things: "You get what you pay for", then I'm unsure if a £20, 2-man tent will serve me well!?


Ideally I'm looking to spend no more than £50 but I really have no idea if that's being reasonable in the world of camping.

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I have an old Vango Banshee 2 which is a small and light tent, though doesn't have much room for gear once a single person is in there. The 3 man option might be better. I've been impressed and tempted by the OEX tents at Go Outdoors, but can't vouch for their quality. £50 isn't much of a budget, so you're going to compromise on quality anyway. I'd say go to Go Outdoors and have a look at the multitude of options and prices.


Another idea would be to try Decathlon, they have some great kit and great prices.

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Just looking at the rally for this year has made me want to plan ahead for future events. Are there any tried and tested, cheap 2-man tents recommended?


My main concerns is how compact it is when collapsed as it's either got to go on a pillion seat or in a backpack.

 


So.. from this I take it that you want a 2 man tent for that little bit of extra space.. and as you mention it going on a pillion seat, you will not be carrying a passenger.


You dont mention it.. but do you fit panniers for touring?


if you do.. then use them as a basemark. fit them to the bike and measure the entire width. Like this

 

77-41-8-536-869-set2.thumb.jpg.915b1adda2cb8974e1ac44af59bc4371.jpg

 

My advice is then to buy a waterproof dry-bag... a holdall that will fit within this width.. so its supported by the pillion seat and the panniers. And then use this dry bag to carry all your camping gear. So.. everything will fit inside of it and you then have everything together in one place. Instead of multiple bundles. This makes life much simpler.. packing and repacking a doddle.


once you have that.. a bag of a known size, then it is much easier to work out what to add and what you can fit inside. You might find that you have room for a bigger 2 man. not all tents are created equal.. some 2 man tents are realy quite cramped.. and some have oodles of space.



but start off by working out exactly how much space you have to play with.. then move on from there.

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As with [mention]Tango[/mention] i can recomend Vango highly.


I've hiked across wales with my banshee 200 and i used it at last years rally, Spacious for 1 person + kit, lovely and dry and warm cost me about £90 brand new recently sold it for £75 almost 3 years later!!


http://www.vango.co.uk/gb/tents/1128-banshee-200.html


Upgraded to something a bit bulkier but more spacious and a little porch on it the Vango Omega 250, this i could comfortably have 2 people + gear inside (though whoever shares with me beware!!) A bit trickier to pitch but much more comfortable and great having somewhere to sit and either cook or put my boots on, which is where the banshee falls down in my book.


Recently used go out doors price match to get the omega for £130 approx


http://www.vango.co.uk/gb/tents/1154-omega-250.html


If you want any more help let me know :) Make sure you shop around! Also dont neglect your mat to lay on. Nothing worse than a thin mat..

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Ideally I'm looking to spend no more than £50

 

Anything you pick at that price is going to be made in China to a restricted budget. Brand names are irrelevant at this price point, even the Vangos may prove to be one-season wonders.


Go for something you think looks nice.

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I've just purchased a Quechua arpenaz 2+ From Decathlon, £29.99, nice and compact when packed away (57x18x9cm, 2.9kg).

I'm doing the Reaperfest Rally in Cambridge at the end of the month, I won't know until then if it's any good or not.

I'll report back with a review.


I have my fingers crossed. :shock:

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Upgraded to something a bit bulkier but more spacious and a little porch on it the Vango Omega 250, this i could comfortably have 2 people + gear inside (though whoever shares with me beware!!) A bit trickier to pitch but much more comfortable and great having somewhere to sit and either cook or put my boots on, which is where the banshee falls down in my book.


Recently used go out doors price match to get the omega for £130 approx


http://www.vango.co.uk/gb/tents/1154-omega-250.html


 

 

I've been having thoughts about tents too. When planning to be away for a week or so hotels soon add up. Was looking at the Omega 250 as it had the groundsheet bit in the porch.


What sort of size is it when it's packed down?

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Upgraded to something a bit bulkier but more spacious and a little porch on it the Vango Omega 250, this i could comfortably have 2 people + gear inside (though whoever shares with me beware!!) A bit trickier to pitch but much more comfortable and great having somewhere to sit and either cook or put my boots on, which is where the banshee falls down in my book.


Recently used go out doors price match to get the omega for £130 approx


http://www.vango.co.uk/gb/tents/1154-omega-250.html


 

 

I've been having thoughts about tents too. When planning to be away for a week or so hotels soon add up. Was looking at the Omega 250 as it had the groundsheet bit in the porch.


What sort of size is it when it's packed down?

 

Large enough i wouldn't want to hike with it. Small enough it goes fine on a bike :) It's a very good tent, Surely a local camp shop will have one you can view.

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I have a Vango Banshee 2 for trips where i stay 1 night in each place. But only if it is dry. There is no where for wet kit. It packs back into the bag ok and fits in my pannier.


I have a Vango Stelvio for rallies and if it is wet. It is made for bikers with space for wet kit. I pack it back into a dry bag I got from Aldi.


The dry bag packing also suggested above makes life on the road with a tent 100% easier. Just get a dry bag longer than the folded tent poles.

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I have a Vango Banshee 2 for trips where i stay 1 night in each place. But only if it is dry. There is no where for wet kit. It packs back into the bag ok and fits in my pannier.


I have a Vango Stelvio for rallies and if it is wet. It is made for bikers with space for wet kit. I pack it back into a dry bag I got from Aldi.


The dry bag packing also suggested above makes life on the road with a tent 100% easier. Just get a dry bag longer than the folded tent poles.

 

This was my problem with the banshee in the most part. there is the tent you can fit inside with gear but changing is a pain and damp gear inside? no thanks.. Why i upgraded to the omega


I'm interested in that dry bag though does it make it easier to pack then?

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I have a Vango Stelvio for rallies and if it is wet. It is made for bikers with space for wet kit. I pack it back into a dry bag I got from Aldi.

 

 

I've just found a Vango Tour which is similar to the Stelvio. Not seen one in the flesh so be interesting to see what it's like when it turns up!

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I have a Vango Stelvio for rallies and if it is wet. It is made for bikers with space for wet kit. I pack it back into a dry bag I got from Aldi.

 

 

I've just found a Vango Tour which is similar to the Stelvio. Not seen one in the flesh so be interesting to see what it's like when it turns up!

 

The Vango Tour does look decent but it's mighty heavy! I'd rather save weight and have the bike outside, perhaps with a cover on.

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no mention thus far of using a footprint.. something i consider essential... particularly if the tent you have bought does not have a floor in the porch area. This was the only downside with my 'basecamp' tent.. it came with a huge porch but it had no floor. so I bought a lightweight tarp for a few quid and cut it to size. This offers two major advantages.. you get that extra space with a floor.. and the actual groundsheet for the tent gets an extra protective layer beneath it. this helps protect it from sharps that you may not have noticed and helps reduce condensation. it also helps keep the tent clean. all this for just 2 or 3 quid.


These things are usually only sold as accessories for higher quality tents.. but they're really easy to DIY. and weigh next to nothing.

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I have a Vango Stelvio for rallies and if it is wet. It is made for bikers with space for wet kit. I pack it back into a dry bag I got from Aldi.

 

 

I've just found a Vango Tour which is similar to the Stelvio. Not seen one in the flesh so be interesting to see what it's like when it turns up!

 


The Vango Tour does look decent but it's mighty heavy! I'd rather save weight and have the bike outside, perhaps with a cover on.

 

That's my only concern. It's a tad over 9kg. However it's the space which interests me in case of wet kit. My second choice is the vango omega 250 which seems to have a reasonable amount of space but not the height. And is about 4kg lighter. My plan was to give it a go and I picked it up for a decent price so worst case scenario I sell it on and pick something else up.

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https://www.simplyhike.co.uk/collections/3-man-tents/products/wild-country-hoolie-3-etc-tent


I'm no fan of vango I have had many over the years and although they have some nice features they are made to a budget


https://adventuremotorcycle.com/gear/gear-review-lonerider-mototent


Plenty to choose from


http://newatlas.com/series-ii-expedition-tent/26124/


Might just need to up the budget :)

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If you are going to be spending that kind of money... circa £200. I would go for this: http://tinyurl.com/yb68osku


Robens tents are fantastic... but as with any tent, be patient.. if you dont need it this year then definitely wait. leave it until the winter and buy then when the sales are on and sellers need to get rid because the 2018 ranges are about to appear. Current RRP is quite steep (though its already being discounted by 25%) but you get what you pay for, In the winter sales these can quickly become stunning bargains.



25% off at taunton leisure http://tinyurl.com/y9cbvetl



I have a very similar tent to that one.. bought in 2008 and still going strong. Bought for the huge porch and because the sleeping area is also very long.. much longer than usual. 240cm. This one is 220cm long.. which means there is plenty of space inside the tent if you're of average height.

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FWIW, I bought an MSR Elixir 3 last year.


In the past, I've hovered around the £100-mark for 2/3 person tents and been perfectly happy. This time I fancied treating myself to something a bit more pricey. I grabbed it at an end of season knockdown price, which meant settling for brown instead of the white I wanted. It's identical to the one being sold this season.


First and foremost, this tent will be one of the lightest you will ever own, knocking around 3kg all in.


It's ridiculously simple to pitch - three colour-coded poles, four pegs, throw over the flysheet. Done. It comes with a groundsheet to protect the base of the tent and can be set up without the inner for hot days away. Or, without the flysheet, you can stare up at space. Real space where aliens live.


They say it's a genuine roomy 3-person tent. They lie. Fat lies. If you are in any way human, you will like some kind of bed to lie on. So will your mate. And your mate's mate, but screw them as they'll have to lie on it outside the tent. It's three slim people squishing together - or one fat Mawsley with space to spread out and scratch the bits that need rubbing after a day's fun.

 

msr7.web_.thumb.jpg.8e8e639896c3d1faa7e2e01fa5509590.jpg

 

"But hey! I don't want to lob my mate's mate out. And I want somewhere to put all my gear."


Pfft. Some people want the moon on a stick. You can buy the MSR "Shed" to extend the tent (for the price of a whole other tent). I got one of these when my wife wasn't looking and it adds a good space for a third person to kip or for all the kit you don't want to store in the eaves of the tent.

 

Elixir_Gear_Shed.thumb.jpg.f9b0e6e236364cf636ebcbe4a94a5b7d.jpg

 

I'm not even going to bother listing out how much this stuff is. MSR have a reputation for seriously well-made stuff that'll perform in rank conditions and last an age. It packs up tiny too; I got the tent, the shed and all the extra pegs into one pannier with a fair bit of space left over for other stuff.


All told, if you're in the market for a lightweight, small pack size, high-quality bit of kit...

 

msr8.web_.thumb.jpg.06c23d41cffcac74808cc8b0c15ae54e.jpg

 

*images stolen from the internets.

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I'm too late to the party but for what it's worth (and future reference for anyone else reading this) Coleman tents are absolutely top notch if you need a good tent on a budget! I've got one of the Darwin series tents (current versions go for ~£75) and it's been stunning. By my count I've had it since 2007, in which time it's done various music festivals, rallies, stag parties, travelled all the way around the American midwest (deserts of south Dakota, woodlands of Yellowstone, wild camping along the Ozark River, etc) and endured every kind of weather imaginable many times over. Finally starting to get a little bit worse for wear, but I certainly feel I got my moneys worth. It was only £35 back when I bought it! Prices these days are horrifying :lol:

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I have a Vango Banshee 2 for trips where i stay 1 night in each place. But only if it is dry. There is no where for wet kit. It packs back into the bag ok and fits in my pannier.


I have a Vango Stelvio for rallies and if it is wet. It is made for bikers with space for wet kit. I pack it back into a dry bag I got from Aldi.


The dry bag packing also suggested above makes life on the road with a tent 100% easier. Just get a dry bag longer than the folded tent poles.

 

This was my problem with the banshee in the most part. there is the tent you can fit inside with gear but changing is a pain and damp gear inside? no thanks.. Why i upgraded to the omega


I'm interested in that dry bag though does it make it easier to pack then?

 

Oh yes! You will get an Omega in a 44l dry bag no problem, with room for any extras like a tarp and poles.

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