Walking Forum
Main Boards => Gear => Topic started by: Pitboot on 22:44:02, 14/04/19
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Could I please get a few views or advice?
My wife and I want to do some wild camping up here in the Lakes. No problem with locations etc, we are spoilt for choice.
I have a Terra Nova Laser from 2008, but I think it's too small for two of us and our gear for comfort.
I am looking to buy a tent that will be good for us, and ideally it would have the following features:
Double skin
Three season.
Two door
Free standing
Able to be split between us reasonably equally.
Weight when shared between us no more than 1.5 kg each.
Price not a big issue but I am not a rich man.
I've done lots of searches on the web only to be thoroughly confused by the sheer choice available.
I understand all about condensation, footprints, and various other factors that effect a good tent design, and I am not worried about the thing being a tunnel, dome, or what ever.
I know there is a vast amount of experience on here so over to you!
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A Vango Banshee Pro 300 would do except it’s not free standing.
Supposed to be a three man tent but actually works well for two, three would be a squeeze.
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We use an MSR Elixir and were very happy with it,
Nice headroom, two doors, and almost free standing apart from pegging out the vestibules, and the price is a steal,
Never had any problems with this tent, comes with a free footprint, so you can pitch just the fly sheet if you want, and it comes in handy as a sun shade, weve sat under it too in a downpour to keep dry,
8)
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They do a 3 person Elixir, don't they Beefy? I imagine that the 2 man would be big enough though.
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@ pitboot
Do you want to pitch fly first, 'all in one' or are you happy to pitch inner first (inner getting wet when pitching and breaking camp in the rain)?
I've owned all three types, and I love pitching 'all in one' when wild camping - a boon when you are tired, the weather is deteriorating and darkness is not far away.
edit - Another thing to consider is ventilation - I would tend to go for a tent with adjustable ventilation - a mesh door that has a solid panel that can be zipped up if it is cold and windy. Not many tents have this nowadays, a false economy when it comes to weight saving, in my opinion, as if you are cold in a draughty tent, then you will need a heavier sleeping bag or more clothes!
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Tunnel tents seem to be a bit out of fashion of late, but they are strong and light. They are not free standing, of course, and will flap in the wind, although this can be minimised by good pitching and tensioning of the fly. Tunnel tents do tend to be single ended though.
I use a small 2 man tunnel tent for wild camping; would be tiny for two but is generously sized for one, tough, easy to pitch, and it only cost £60!
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They do a 3 person Elixir, don't they Beefy? I imagine that the 2 man would be big enough though.
They do Richard,
We have pitched ours outer first it’s not that difficult O0
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They do Richard,
We have pitched ours outer first it’s not that difficult O0
Yes, very adaptable that they can be pitched fly first with the footprint. I would be tempted by the MSR Access 1 if the inner ventilation were not so limited.
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Yes, very adaptable that they can be pitched fly first with the footprint. I would be tempted by the MSR Access 1 if the inner ventilation were not so limited.
I was looking at the access 2 but the headroom looks less than the elixir,
I watched a YouTube vid about the access 1, they said there’s lots of condensation
Although as we know, its not a problem if it doesn’t get inside the inner
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Although as we know, its not a problem if it doesn’t get inside the inner
Indeed, who would want to sleep in a Drip Coffin :D
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Indeed, who would want to sleep in a Drip Coffin :D
;D
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.
.......And I am selling a brand new and unused MSR Elixir 2, same as what Beefy and April have used all year.
Whats not to like... O0 ;)
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.......And I am selling a brand new and unused MSR Elixir 2, same as what Beefy and April have used all year.
Whats not to like... O0 ;)
I’ll give ya £50 for it :D
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Cheeky
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Take a look at the Wild Country Helm 3, pitboot. No experience of them personally, but it looks like a well designed tent, and it's a good brand.
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Thanks for all of the replies, sorry I'm a bit late to respond, blame my weekend night shifts! I'll give those suggestions some consideration.
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richardh1905, ideally all in one, that's what I've got with the Laser. Having said that there will be two of us and I'm sure I can train the boss up to speed up the process if it's raining, but she won't need much motivation.
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Wild country helm 2 owner here, ticks all the boxes
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Wild country helm 2 owner here, ticks all the boxes
I'm interested - What is it like in strong winds?
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I'm interested - What is it like in strong winds?
Heres the helm 1 richard O0
https://youtu.be/B6H-vLPvidk (https://youtu.be/B6H-vLPvidk)
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Impressive, Beefy. Almost as windy as Orkney!
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After consideration I've ordered a Helm 2 and footprint. Thanks for the input lads.
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Let us know how you get on with it, pitboot, I for one am most interested.
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alpkit jaran 3 should do you
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Have you looked at Naturehike tents?
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No, see above. I've got a Helm 2 now. Wanted to get a tent from a nominally British or European brand even though I know they are made elsewhere, at least Wild Country have some sort of back up over here.
Also the Helm only cost me £160.
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Have you used your Helm properly yet, I've looked at the Helm 1 for ages but as yet cannot find a proper Review on it.
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Next week if the gods be kind. I've seen some Helm reviews and it seems ok. We don't camp in extreme conditions, yet, and will have to accept any weather that arrives when we start our wild camping. Will report once we've had some use of the tent.
https://youtu.be/_lMQZ4vNHfQ
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Having watched your YouTube video of the Helm tent I can see one potential problem for you, which broke one segment of my pole. The solution is very easy.
My Zephyros One tent also requires a long pole to be pushed through a nylon sleeve. One end goes in an eyelet then the pole is held at the other end and then pushed into another eyelet which creates a curve along its whole length. In the YouTube video, the weather is dry so the blue pole slides easily in the nylon sleeve, the curve is created and then the other end is secured to the second eyelet.
My mistake was to try to erect my tent in exactly the same way when it was wet! I pushed the pole through the nylon sleeve and secured it to the first eyelet. I then attempted to put the other end in the second eyelet and didn't think about the curve at all, I just assumed it would slide easily like always. I then heard a CLICK and one section of the pole just snapped!
The snap occurred because I didn't realise at the time, that when wet the pole does not slide easily through the nylon tube! In damp or wet conditions the metal pole and the nylon sleeve can make each other stick together like glue which can stop the pole sliding through as it is supposed to. I've repaired my pole now and if its damp, wet or even dry I always ease the pole with my fingers fully into its curve BEFORE I fit it into the second eyelet.
Now that I know what happens I can now easily ensure that the pole does not snap again.
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Always worth taking your time and being careful when inserting the poles into the sleeve.
I damaged the sleeve netting on my now sold Coleman Phad 3 tent as I was heavy handed whilst trying to pitch it in a hurry before the Loch Lomond midges ate me alive.
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..and as for threading fibreglass poles on a 5 man family tent! :tickedoff:
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AF1QipNS7VSFG5uIGZ2OwWoU5lfcQHnybR8WM91uKA4E (https://photos.google.com/photo/AF1QipNS7VSFG5uIGZ2OwWoU5lfcQHnybR8WM91uKA4E)
AF1Q (https://photos.google.com/photo/AF1QipNJArXbcraVtO8F9Edz2OLHFPUyeXc62KxlZObw)ipNJArXbcraVtO8F9Edz2OLHFPUyeXc62KxlZObw (https://photos.google.com/photo/AF1QipNJArXbcraVtO8F9Edz2OLHFPUyeXc62KxlZObw)
AF1QipNPKba4ts8PEfEK_JRUlfFNYT6MXjdZs-oS6suH (https://photos.google.com/photo/AF1QipNPKba4ts8PEfEK_JRUlfFNYT6MXjdZs-oS6suH)
A few thoughts on the Helm 2 tent. Not an in depth review, just thoughts after one night out.
The liveable space is not good, a plan view shows enough room for two sleepers, however once inside the tent walls sloping towards the roof make the thing feel a lot smaller.
General construction was ok, it's a cheap tent after all. I would have liked an extra toggle to hold back the flysheet door but it's not that important to me, I can improvise and fit one myself.
The poles fit well and putting the tent up is easy. The supplied red coloured aluminium pegs were very good, plenty of grip and easy on the hands.
The footprint was not that well made, aligning the inner , outer , and the footprint was not easy, in the end I pegged the footprint separately.
The tent was stable and felt secure but it is not free standing as advertised, you definitely have to use all of the guys.
Mrs P thinks this tent was made for midgets,( I don't think I sold camping to her very well.) I have shown her an advert for an MSR Hubba Hubba, maybe I'll get the green light!
Would I recommend the Helm 2?
Overall, no, there are better and lighter tents out there, but at greater cost.
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AF1QipNS7VSFG5uIGZ2OwWoU5lfcQHnybR8WM91uKA4E (https://photos.google.com/photo/AF1QipNS7VSFG5uIGZ2OwWoU5lfcQHnybR8WM91uKA4E)
AF1Q (https://photos.google.com/photo/AF1QipNJArXbcraVtO8F9Edz2OLHFPUyeXc62KxlZObw)ipNJArXbcraVtO8F9Edz2OLHFPUyeXc62KxlZObw (https://photos.google.com/photo/AF1QipNJArXbcraVtO8F9Edz2OLHFPUyeXc62KxlZObw)
AF1QipNPKba4ts8PEfEK_JRUlfFNYT6MXjdZs-oS6suH (https://photos.google.com/photo/AF1QipNPKba4ts8PEfEK_JRUlfFNYT6MXjdZs-oS6suH)
A few thoughts on the Helm 2 tent. Not an in depth review, just thoughts after one night out.
The liveable space is not good, a plan view shows enough room for two sleepers, however once inside the tent walls sloping towards the roof make the thing feel a lot smaller.
General construction was ok, it's a cheap tent after all. I would have liked an extra toggle to hold back the flysheet door but it's not that important to me, I can improvise and fit one myself.
The poles fit well and putting the tent up is easy. The supplied red coloured aluminium pegs were very good, plenty of grip and easy on the hands.
The footprint was not that well made, aligning the inner , outer , and the footprint was not easy, in the end I pegged the footprint separately.
The tent was stable and felt secure but it is not free standing as advertised, you definitely have to use all of the guys.
Mrs P thinks this tent was made for midgets,( I don't think I sold camping to her very well.) I have shown her an advert for an MSR Hubba Hubba, maybe I'll get the green light!
Would I recommend the Helm 2?
Overall, no, there are better and lighter tents out there, but at greater cost.
Thanks for that, I’ve been looking at these myself and any feedback on them is very helpful.
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Thanks for the review, Pitboot.
Yes a bit naughty of them to claim it is free standing, when the poles don't go down to the corners. I suppose technically it would stand without pegs, but I cannot imagine that it would be useable!
The same will apply to the Hubba Hubba, of course - the porches will need pegging out.
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Hmm, yes, good point about the Hubba Hubba, thanks. So still looking then! No rush, something will turn up.
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Is free standing important to you?
I wild camp with a small tunnel tent, which is most definitely NOT free standing! But it is tough, easy to pitch, and does the job just fine.
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Another point - if Mrs P finds the Helm 2 small, maybe you should consider getting a 3 person tent - they often do not weigh much more than the 2 man equivalent.
One thing that I note with the Helm 1, 2 and 3 is that the 8.5mm pole diameter stays the same throughout the range. The engineer in me would expect it to increase with increasing pole length.
PS - your links do not work for me, all I get is this:
"404. That’s an error.
The requested URL was not found on this server. That’s all we know."
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Thanks for the review, it looks like I'll take the Helm 1 off my list. From your experience, it looks like I'll stick with my Marmot for a while longer.
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Glad to be of help!
Tried various ways to put up pics, I used google photos but I guess it's not correct.
My old photobucket account keeps asking me to confirm my email address, and when I do I get the same message again!!
Wonder why I can't just drag a photo onto here from my desk top, is it a band width thing?
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Tried various ways to put up pics, I used google photos but I guess it's not correct.
My old photobucket account keeps asking me to confirm my email address, and when I do I get the same message again!!
Wonder why I can't just drag a photo onto here from my desk top, is it a band width thing?
This might be worth a read http://www.walkingforum.co.uk/index.php?topic=38109 (http://www.walkingforum.co.uk/index.php?topic=38109)
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Many thanks, I'll try ImgBB.
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https://ibb.co/5nCZ2Fm
https://ibb.co/Mk6j9B0
https://ibb.co/Pm1D4Xc
Try this:
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That works, pitboot - I use imgbb.
I'm still interested in the Helm 1 myself, but I'm going to hold off a while as the tunnel tent that I have does the job for 3 season wild camping, even if it is a little heavy. I suspect that the Helm 1 is a tough little tent that would stretch to 4 season use, judging by this video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B6H-vLPvidk (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B6H-vLPvidk)
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I'm cold just looking at it!
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Tents are odd things that I like for a while and then go off them as I find fault with this and that. I haven't used my Marmot Pulsar 1P tent for a while, one of my poles broke and I only repaired it recently. After using it from Keswick to Edinburgh recently and from Bodiam to Crowbridge at the weekend I am now back to having a love affair with it. I just can't find anything that matches its headroom, internal space and ease of erection. Marmot doesn't make it now so I'm now glad I bought it when I did.
I discovered a new way of using it on Sunday. It was pouring with rain and the campsite had a 'lounge,' a shed with two easy chairs and a sofa in it about 25 yards away. To keep myself and the contents dry (clothing, sleeping quilt) I zipped it all up, took out all of the tent pegs, lifted up one end and pulled the whole tent and all its contents to the door of the 'lounge.' Worked really well.
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That works, pitboot - I use imgbb.
I'm still interested in the Helm 1 myself, but I'm going to hold off a while as the tunnel tent that I have does the job for 3 season wild camping, even if it is a little heavy.
My tunnel tent front pole has broken at the apex, where the pole has a quite sharp 30 degree bend; this puts me off tents that have a sharp bend in the poles (such as the Wild Country Helm and MSR Access) - bound to be a stress point. Also more difficult to get generic replacements.
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If you need a tent pole bender, you can borrow mine.
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Thanks GWM, but I managed to bend a bit of tough aluminium tube by packing it with sand, putting it over a scaffold pole, and then standing on either end of it! Worked a treat, but I subsequently discovered several other hairline cracks in the broken pole (mentioned on another thread).
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Have a look at the Mountain Equipment Dragonfly. I love mine and should tick all your boxes (depending on amount of kit you need to store for the pair if you you might consider the 2xt version but I haven't tried that).
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We use the Vaude Mark UL 3 Person. Weighs 3kg and it is freestanding apart from the ends. Plenty of room for two people and their gear.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00HM29J6U?pf_rd_p=330fbd82-d4fe-42e5-9c16-d4b886747c64&pf_rd_r=ATYZ91XMF0DJNYBVR81Q