In praise of vintage camping gear. (Also any one patched a force 10)

https://www.scottishmountaingear.com/    for stitching repair

https://www.pennineoutdoor.co.uk/   for buckles and clips and things

Still have my Force 10,once the gold standard for DOE and scouting 🙂
Great design 👍
Sadly,the fly sheet waterproofing delaminated ,so I chucked it(the flysheet).
The main tent is in good condition and was used as a play shelter in the summertime when the kids were wee.

My Force 10 is still in great nick even though it is many years old. It has however been languishing in storage for a long time following aquisition of a Mountain Hardware Trango (lighter, easier to pitch, more spacious).

A mate of mine had the old Blacks Mountain Tent with snow tunnel entrance and valances. Weighed a ton but was a lovely tent. Sat out some shit weather on Skye in it.

Delaminated... That will be a fancy modern one!

This one is now double the weight it was when I put it up 😁

Btw @fasthaggis I just remembered about roofbox chat and went to send you a message to see you sent me one ages ago. It's going to be too long for our wee car, I really appreciate the offer though.

They were branded 'Force 10' for a reason. We have a family recollection of a rough night, probably mid 1970s, at the Dol Gam campsite just outside Capel Curig. By the end of the night, literally the only things left standing were the orange Vangos - everything else had either been packed up in a wet hurry and stashed in cars, or it had redistributed itself onto the surrounding barbed wire fences and adjoining fields. The Force 10s we had (a Mk2 Std & a Mk3 Std, as I recall) basically just sat there and said to the weather, "Yep, OK, come and have a go if you think you're hard enough"

Mine got a repair once. Twas the Welsh Two day Enduro in 1983. We go some what hammered in the Llanerch in Llandod and naturally there was a midnight need to splash the daps. On the way back in, have pissed on my mates tent, I'm not that adft, Do you think I could find the front zip? Anyway eventually I did but it was zipped closed but I couldn't find the zipper. Never mind, with most zips if you pull the bottom they come apart. It did but it was zipped inside as well but there appeared to be no zip to pul. I collapsed between inner and outer to find in the morning that I had unzipped the side of the tent by pulling very hard on one of the peg loops. No wonder there was no way in.. As the tent was only 10 years old I mended it with a bit of canvas and it's still good to go although rarely used now.
F10's also lend themselves to lifting the fly off and replacing it 100 degrees out. Ideal when you do it to a pissed mate at 2am after a beer festival.

I just remembered about roofbox chat and went to send you a message to see you sent me one ages ago. It’s going to be too long for our wee car, I really appreciate the offer though.

No worries,do you want a Force 10? 😉🤣🤣🤣

#nottryingtooffloadallmyoldtat 😉👍

This lot were good when I had cause to use them.

https://lancashiresportsrepairs.co.uk/

I've still got my Blacks Timberline 2 from 1977. It's been a very long time since it was last used, at least 25 years but I can't see myself ever getting rid of it

try to use mine at least once a year, it's an absolute pleasure to pitch up. it's got a rip in the corner of the bathtub groundsheet, which has evidently been yanked to get a tent peg out of the ground. I don't fancy sending it to the UK for a pro repair so it's duct-taped up and only gets fair-weather use anyway, often don't even bother with the inner. Wish the fly hadn't faded to beige.

In my time I've had 2x Mk3's(cotton), 2x mk2's, one nylon, one cotton which came with ultra rare extension, and a mk3 expedition(nylon), thats about 3x longer than the standard mk3.

As much as my lightweight tents are great nothing really compared to a proper drum tight force 10 does it.

In what sense? Making you feel all nostalgic and not like this modern rubbish? Maybe. In terms of actually keeping you dry, not so much.

I've stayed in them and yes, I got soaked, the design has bugger all headroom, and they weigh a ton. As for the 'modern stuff' you see being blown down, are you sure you're comparing like with like? I suspect it's £150 Millets jobs getting blown down. Bearing in mind Force 10s are nearly £500 new, you can compare them to some serious gear. When I bought my North Face Westwind it was the same price as a Force 10 and it has taken the worst the UK and other countries can throw at it on many occasions. And yes I still have it, it's been repaired (it got cut by broken glass and the groundsheet got punctured on sharp rocks). So I'll pass on the Vango - nostalgia is no replacement for performance in my view.

EDIT It weighs 10kg! lol

Still use mine, great as a Basecamp for one, it survived hurricane Charlie. Picture from the penultimate twentyfour12 🙁

[img] [/img]

I used tear-aid fabric repair when a drunk clown nearly ripped the side guy out.

I’ll stick with my Hillebergs. The force 10 was a great tent but has been surpassed. Don’t get me wrong I have fond memories of a lot of gear, from external frame rucksacks to heavy weight clothes and boots. It was all good in it’s day but you would be mad to use it these days unless you like punishment.

In what sense? Making you feel all nostalgic and not like this modern rubbish? Maybe. In terms of actually keeping you dry, not so much.

Yeah. I was never that impressed with Force 10s. Used them for years. Never got wet, but I didn't think they were great tents.

They felt very small inside for their footprint, had limited porch space (which did make keeping things dry a challenge), the apex pieces broke regularly. They were very stable in wind... until they weren't, I found they just fell over, where tents with more flex in them survived a bit better.

Alpkit are doing an A Frame tent; reminds me of a F-10.

Always wanted one, got a Peapod instead back in the day. Had many an adventure in it, but no way comparable to the Vango of its day.

I got wet in the Alps, with four of us teenagers in the 4 man one. It rained so hard during summer storms that some water was forced through the fly and some splashed up from the ground onto the inner, where thanks to capillary action it spread all through and onto our clothes and gear that were touching the inner. Thanks to the angled sides it wasn't really possible to sleep without touching the sides either so we got wet that way as well.

They felt very small inside for their footprint, had limited porch space (which did make keeping things dry a challenge), the apex pieces broke regularly. They were very stable in wind… until they weren’t, I found they just fell over, where tents with more flex in them survived a bit better

I think from your description you have experienced a newer one and possibly a mk3 which is snaller. My apex pieces are steel. My mk4 is plenty big enough for the three it's designed for. Bigger than most 3man tents I've come across. Won't disagree about porch space.

Molgrips, we seem to have different experiences of alot of stuff because from my 38 years of experience in this tent in weather up to and including a storm on skye sligachan campsite that really did flatten most tents and stoved in the toilet windows we were all bone dry... You do have to put it up correctly. And please let me know when your westwind reaches its 50th birthday and is still going strong.

As for weight. It's never been advertised as a lightweight tent, it's always been a Basecamp tent for hauling in and leaving up for ages.

Whether it's been surpassed or not is irrelevant. It's still a great tent that has paid itself over and over and is still robust enough to not worry about a hound piercing the groundsheet.

It’s never been advertised as a lightweight tent, it’s always been a Basecamp tent for hauling in and leaving up for ages.

As a scout I did a long distance walk with one shared between the three of us. Ok when the tent was dry when struck. Weighed a tonne when the flysheet was wet though, those were not a good day walking.

We used to walk to campsites near crags with a force 10. Well, Mrs Yak would carry it and I would carry all the rope and rack, because it was about the same weight/bulk. Yeah, not light, but sleeping under polycotton is nicer than polyester. So much so that for our first family tent we bought a polycotton outwell. Yeah, I would buy polycotton again for car camping, but for carrying - no.

You do have to put it up correctly.

If you knew how utterly obsessive I am about putting up tents properly you wouldn't say that 🙂

And please let me know when your westwind reaches its 50th birthday and is still going strong.

I'd rather not have to live with all those faults for 50 years 🙂

it’s always been a Basecamp tent for hauling in and leaving up for ages.

Not really big enough for that, IMO.

a storm on skye sligachan campsite that really did flatten most tents

What were those 'most tents' ? Were they all put up properly? Was your Force 10 end-on or side-on to the wind?

They are brilliant tents. As a youth group we camped for many many weeks in them. Our stock of them died about 15 years ago the fly sheets would eventually get sun bleached to the point that they couldn't be patched effectively. Kids are pretty rough on gound sheets and zips as well.

I did love the way that the particular shade of orange made it completely impossible to see what colour something was inside them. It was a complete lottery to what colour clothes you had put on inside one.

I did love the way that the particular shade of orange made it completely impossible to see what colour something was inside them. It was a complete lottery to what colour clothes you had put on inside one.

You're telling me. We tried playing Uno flip, it was pretty intents. Blue green red orange and pink... All variations of brown.

What were those ‘most tents’ ? Were they all put up properly? Was your Force 10 end-on or side-on to the wind?

Totally irrelevant it stayed up when loads didn't I am not comparing modern hitech to vintage classics. I am saying the vintage tent I own is great. It's still going strong with none of these faults you claim. And chiefly... I love it. I find it kinda weird how obsessive you were over a clapped out old car but dismissive of how old gear still being a good option.

I totally believe you your north face tent is great. But I bet you are reluctant to have a fire right next to it...

We managed to set the fly sheet on fire one D of E  expedition. Made it a bit lighter to carry for the rest of the weekend but didn't help with the waterproofing.

I think I've still got a 1/3 share in one, but not sure where it is.

I find it kinda weird how obsessive you were over a clapped out old car

I like to repair things where I can, when they were good to begin with. I wouldn't have put all that effort into a Morris Marina.

I am not comparing modern hitech to vintage classics.

I am. I'm evaluating my experiences with a Force 10 based on the requirements for a tent to be 'good' which in my view are:

Sturdy
Waterproof
Spacious
Light
Durable

Of those, I reckon waterproof is top of the list. Space/weight is the key ratio really, since anything can be big enough if you are prepared to deal with enough weight.

Fair enough. I still think you are talking nonsense about it not being good based on either user error or poor care. Or potentially a less gooderer later version. Comparing it to. Morris marina is hilarious in how wide the mark you are. It's at least an allegro

And I don't see where weight comes into it in situations where the carry is a maximum 100m from the car.

I am trolling slightly, but I honestly don't think cotton canvas is a good material for tents and I don't think an A-frame design give you a lot of interior space. That's why we moved on to domes and tunnels. Weight can be important though. I have a 4 man car camping tent that I often take on planes for example. It's a Marmot Limelight 4p and as a 3 season tent it's good but it's not as solid as some others I've used. But it has FAR more interior space than a Force 10.

If we are swapping tall tales on an expedition in patagonia all the nylon force tens tore badly from the side guy.  About 30 tents

A pal has a big cotton vango.  Nostalgic smell in it

That's where my cotton one is about to go TJ.

I think I will just iron on and stitch a piece to the back and call it good

I have patched lots either inside or outside in my time. I found it best to make the patch diamond shape so there was no flat seam on the top to leak.

What did you use big surfer?

As a basic tent the Force 10 is fine, and sure the porch isnt big, though plenty of the modern tents also fail in that department, unless it has a kind of extension built in, but the vast majority that isnt the case, especially in the 1 and 2 man versions.

What worked best was the extension you could get. That on a mk5(or mk2/3) gave you a lot of extra room, certainly enough to sit up in,cook etc.

The without the extension on my mk2 it was tall enough for me to sit comfortable and look out into the rain.

including a storm on skye sligachan campsite that really did flatten most tents

I've also had the same experience at the same campsite, which normally is a bit blowy,but I've went to sleep in the Mk2, and awoken to fine a lot of the previous nights tents no longer there, and the owners kipping in their cars.

Gales on that campsite are common and it is quite the open place.
Maybe its a case of the hillbergs etc just took too much of a battering and the owners became worried their 600 quid tent might not survive the night, so voluntary took them down just in case.

Were they all put up properly?

And the funniest statement on the thread goes to this one 😆 of course they were.

We have a Force 10 from my wife's parents. White on the outside, orange on the inside and another shade of orange for the bin bag like extension. Resto modded with elastic shock cord to replace the rubbers.
My wife can't believe they used to camp in it as a family of 4.

Had a rough night in it, continually woken by the sounds of slamming car boots and doors on a site that was a lot emptier when we woke up in the morning 😄

Edit to add: in a previous life, temporary patches on the marquees were circles cut out of the bags stuck on with copy dex. Some temporary patches could last a season.

Sorry to drag this back in topic but do Vango not repair them? Had it in my head that they did for some reason.

Anyway, I remember dragging those things about back in cadets, great fun sleeping on a freezing wet slope at Cultybraggan (as opposed to a freezing damp Nissen hut).

[LMAO, just looked up the wiki and it's a picture of those same damn huts!]