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Assuming a £250 Tera Nova is out of the question, what's £50-£100, light enough to take on a weekend hike/bike and can be cooked from if it's pissing down with rain (otherwise a Gelert solo looks good).
I use a vango banshee 200 for that purpose, ok it's a little bit bigger than you might like and the porch isn't great for cooking in the rain unless it's blowing away from the opening, but i couldn't find anything better for less than £100.
Edit: just had a look and probably pretty similar to the solo you mention, that's a cracking tent for under £30.
Wild country coshee?
Thoughts on this? Presumably as good as the comp, but 1/3 the price for a 500g penalty? Or is is just the weight that makes the comp good and a heavy version isn't much cop?
http://www.terra-nova.co.uk/tents-and-spares/all-tents/zephyros-1-tent/
I think it's just a cheaper material version of the Laser. The poles are Alu and not DAC, fly and inner are probably heavier weight nylon and the pegs are alloy and not Ti. However the design is good (my Laser pitches very quickly on anything).
The Gelert Solo is a great tent for the price. My friend camped in one at around 2500ft in Aonach Mor area while I was in my Laser. If you can find one, the Argos Hike Lite is also another excellent bargain tent. It's about 2kg but I paid £18 for mine and it's been through plenty of stormy nights without issue.
Looks good. I've got a quasar and my biking buddy has a duolite tourer. There doesn't appear to be any difference in manufacturing quality between the two brands. The materials used are where the savings are made. So the duolite has thicker, heavier inners and uses wild country's own alloy poles. The quasar has Easton poles & the inner fly is fine rip stop material just like the fly.. My quasar would have been about £600 to the original owner and my mates duolite was 180. There's very little to chose between the two. If I was buying now if have no qualms about going for the wild country offering.
The only downside to the laser/zypheros design is the total lack of interior space for kit and stuff. They really are bijoux on the inside.,
If you want a Zephyros 1, I'm about to sell mine. It is a nice design and very light, I just want something more roomy for touring. I'm after £50 inc postage, pm me if you're interested.
I too use a Vango Banshee 200, had it for years and its never let me down yet... 🙂
Blacks have got TNF Tadpoles (well, it's the version with the extended flysheet called Big Fat Frog) for a measly £125! They're left over from pre-bankruptcy stock so don't appear on the inventory. it'll have to be a personal visit or phone call. Aberdeen George Street still had plenty left about 3 weeks ago.
I've got the Karrimor X Lite 1 man tent. It's not the lightest but it's sturdy and weatherproof and allows you to cook in comfort from your bed. Was about £35 and seems good quality for the price.
Oh, just looked for a link and it seems it may have been discontinued ...