Author Topic: Tents for one......and a dog.  (Read 5860 times)

Man wae a dug

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Re: Tents for one......and a dog.
« Reply #60 on: 21:06:42, 29/09/19 »
My dog is still too wee to be taking out and about on the hills, but more importantly I haven't got a sleeping bag etc sorted out yet. Well, I'm sure I've got a couple of T in the park / Glastonbury style bags (cheap and useless) kicking around...........but I aint going in them, probably still got empty beer cans and half eaten hot dogs in them! lol

I'm gonna set it up in the living room, check it over and  then pitch it out the back door as soon as the ground dries out a bit. So, I'll be able to comment on the tents ability to withstand the wind from a door opening at least.   :D
Be ye man or bairn or wumman
Be ye gaun or be ye comin
For Scotlands pride no Scotlands shame
Gether yer litter and tak it hame!

gunwharfman

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Re: Tents for one......and a dog.
« Reply #61 on: 17:27:14, 30/09/19 »
I've been looking for a new tent for a while now, with criteria of a side entry, enough room to sit upright, fairly light in weight, easy to pitch and not too much cost (just less than £100, I can't see why I would want an expensive one?) and I keep getting drawn to the Robens Arrowhead. Apart from adverts, I've only managed to find one review, from a woman who says in essence that it's fine. Has anyone bought one? If so, what do you think?

gunwharfman

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Re: Tents for one......and a dog.
« Reply #62 on: 17:31:35, 30/09/19 »
Have you had a look at the Robens Boulder 2 for you and dog? Two entrances.

richardh1905

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Re: Tents for one......and a dog.
« Reply #63 on: 17:46:00, 30/09/19 »
The Arrow Head looks like a pretty capable tent for the money, gwm. Robens subject their tents to some pretty severe wind speed tests!
WildAboutWalking - Join me on my walks through the wilder parts of Britain

kinkyboots

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Re: Tents for one......and a dog.
« Reply #64 on: 18:03:13, 30/09/19 »
I've been looking for a new tent for a while now, with criteria of a side entry, enough room to sit upright, fairly light in weight, easy to pitch and not too much cost (just less than £100, I can't see why I would want an expensive one?) and I keep getting drawn to the Robens Arrowhead. Apart from adverts, I've only managed to find one review, from a woman who says in essence that it's fine. Has anyone bought one? If so, what do you think?

Does a total price of £70.98 (£64.99 plus £5.99 Post) or less help to make up your mind for you?  ;)

Free Delivery is available on all orders over £75 and a further 5% OFF is available if you sign up to their newsletter and buy before midnight tonight. (see popup which appears just as you are about to leave the website)

https://www.leisureoutlet.com/tents/duke-of-edinburgh/outdoor-pursuits/150504-robens-arrow-head-single-berth-tunnel-tent

fernman

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Re: Tents for one......and a dog.
« Reply #65 on: 18:29:02, 30/09/19 »
Aargh, it's red! Plus it's an old tunnel tent design notorious for sagging in the middle.

vghikers

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Re: Tents for one......and a dog.
« Reply #66 on: 18:44:20, 30/09/19 »
Quote
Aargh, it's red! ...

I wouldn't mind that, after all my Big Agnes is orange and grey, but there's a much bigger problem (for me anyway, being right-handed): it's the wrong handedness!. As you lie inside on your back, the door should be on your left. This is true for almost all solo tents with one side door that I know of. The only other perverse example I've seen is one of the Terra Novas from a few years ago, a Photon I think.

Man wae a dug

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Re: Tents for one......and a dog.
« Reply #67 on: 18:45:46, 30/09/19 »
GWM - Already ordered the F10 Makalu 2. I did look at a Robens tent, a 2 man one similar to the Terra Nova Laser design,  can't remember the name though. It looked decent enough, pretty sturdy and decent space. I might have shortlisted it if it wasn't for the weight, think it was just over 3Kg.
Be ye man or bairn or wumman
Be ye gaun or be ye comin
For Scotlands pride no Scotlands shame
Gether yer litter and tak it hame!

kinkyboots

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Re: Tents for one......and a dog.
« Reply #68 on: 19:01:47, 30/09/19 »
Aargh, it's red!

That's to attract the bulls but it's nowt a can of green spray paint won't put right.  ::)

Granted it's not one of those new fangled £1000 ultra lightweight plastic bags they try to sell as tents these days but what do you expect for £65!  ;D

fernman

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Re: Tents for one......and a dog.
« Reply #69 on: 20:33:46, 30/09/19 »
there's a much bigger problem (for me anyway, being right-handed): it's the wrong handedness!. As you lie inside on your back, the door should be on your left. This is true for almost all solo tents with one side door that I know of.

Going off the main topic a bit, I know, but I don't wholly agree.
One way in which my Zephyros 1 differs from my previous end-entry tent is that I can sleep with my head at either end. Thus I can pitch the tent and if the ground's not quite level I can choose which way round I'm going to sleep.

vghikers

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Re: Tents for one......and a dog.
« Reply #70 on: 20:55:49, 30/09/19 »
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... I can sleep with my head at either end...

Yes, now you mention it I'm sure there are some solo symmetrical tents like that, I couldn't think of one off hand. When there is a specific head end/foot end and one side door, the handedness is crucial to me  :)

Bigfoot_Mike

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Re: Tents for one......and a dog.
« Reply #71 on: 22:07:48, 30/09/19 »
Why should the door be on the left? I am very right handed and the door on the right would seem more natural to me. Maybe it depends on what side of the bed you get out of (normally the wrong side for me).

gunwharfman

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Re: Tents for one......and a dog.
« Reply #72 on: 22:13:11, 30/09/19 »
Thanks for the tip to buy the Arrowhead, but I decided to wait, I often dither! And the other point is true as well about which side the door opening is on. The Arrowhead door opening for me is on the wrong side. When I get into my Marmot tent to sleep I lie on my left side and I face the door, so perfect for me. I've suffered from a hiatus hernia for about 10 years and to try to avoid the burning sensation in the lower part of my oesophagus I need to lie on my left side so the curve of my stomach is at its lowest point. When I'm camping I also have to take tablets to neutralise the stomach acid. I've learned to live with it. I can only turn onto my right side after about 3-4 hours when my food, beer etc has been digested properly. That's where my bivi is irritating when I get into it the zip opening is on the wrong side! I never thought of this problem when I bought it.

richardh1905

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Re: Tents for one......and a dog.
« Reply #73 on: 08:46:49, 01/10/19 »
Never thought of the left or right handedness of tents before, but it is a consideration.
Not sold on the idea of side entry at all, to be honest,  but maybe that is just me being a stick in the mud.
And the colour of the Arrow Head is far from ideal for wild camping - I like to be inconspicuous.
Good tent for the money, though.
WildAboutWalking - Join me on my walks through the wilder parts of Britain

Man wae a dug

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Re: Tents for one......and a dog.
« Reply #74 on: 16:34:42, 01/10/19 »
Tent arrived today. I set it up in the living room (much faffing about) to get a look at it before pitching it out the back properly (and getting much needed practice) when the ground dries up.  To be fair it was relatively straight forward and I should be able to fire it up pretty quick outdoors where I'll have a bit more space to work with.

First impressions are that I like it and think it'll serve my needs very well.
More than enough room for me and my wee dog, never had the porch pegged out, but stretching it out I reckon there's enough room to dry him off before he gets inside. There'll certainly be plenty of room for my kit. I can sit up in it with a little bit of clearance (and not just slap bang in the middle) and there's plenty room to lie out without touching the walls; that might change when I have a mat and bag but if it does there's ample room to lie at an angle. It doesn't appear to slope in too much, but as I never had it pegged out it's a rough guess based on it being pitched with poles only.
I'm thinking that when pitching it properly it might be an idea to peg one end (before bending the poles up) as an insurance against the wind blowing it away. Is that the normal way to go about pitching a tent?

Obviously I'll have to reserve judgement till I try it out, but as I say, first impressions are very good and I'm delighted with it.

It came with it's own stuff sack, I managed to pack it back down to 3 times the size it arrived and twice (not quite) the size of my rucksack.......so maybe I'll need to be less gentle when packing it away! lol


The pegs weigh 9gms (16 of the blighters!). Before it arrived I was planning to shave a little bit of weight by ditching the stuff sack and purchasing light pegs but I reckon 9gms must be pretty light weight anyway.
Be ye man or bairn or wumman
Be ye gaun or be ye comin
For Scotlands pride no Scotlands shame
Gether yer litter and tak it hame!

 

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