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Just found out that my eldest daughter is working at a festival this weekend and will be camping.
We've got an old tent but it's a massive 8 person thing so that's no good and we need to source a small[er] one.
It needs to be easy and quick to put up with minimum pieces to get lost! A little research on here has shown the Vango Halo as being well regarded by those that really do know about these things.
In the absence of anything on eBay I see I can get a new 200 or 300 for £155 at the moment which I could cope with.
Alternatively I could get a cheaper one from Decathlon and save about £70 - but is this a false economy?
This trip she's going to be in it for 5 days (and some rain is forecast) and in a couple of months she's going to Lost Village festival so will use it for that also. Plus she may work at other festivals and then there's potential use next year by her and my other two daughters who have just reached 'festival age'.
So, spend a bit more or go cheaper?
The Eurohike range is on sale at the moment at really good prices and if the smaller tents are as good as the 500 and 600s I think they are worth a look. Wish we had one given what you get for the price. They appeared as good as our Vango.
The decathlon ones arent really a step down in quality and if it's going to a festival, not worth getting something too pricey that a drunk festival goer is likely to trip over the corner or urinate/vomit down the side of
Importantly decathlon do blackout tents, no one wants to wake up at 530am with the sun beaming in turning your hangover up to 11.
the old strong / light/ cheap pick any two is true for tents. For the usage you want I would go strong and cheap and forget light
I had a vango 350 something or other that lasted me a good 5 years of festivals/bike things etc. The porch was really handy. Paid for itself in the end.
https://www.gooutdoors.co.uk/15895447/vango-vg-omega-250-15895447
Vango is pretty much the default option for middle market tents. Just a really good balance of decent design, good construction and proven materials. I don't think you can really go wrong with them at that price point.
Personally I'd buy Vango over other stuff, if only for consistent durability.
Are you going to give her a lift there and set it up as well?
Decathlon/Quechua pop-up tent did us great for a dozen festivals, a few holidays and is still in good nick. Quick and easy to put up and down (practice the folding technique first though), at festivals I leave the guy ropes off so there's nothing for people to fall over in the dark. Only need them at all if there's really high winds forecast.
£60 now gets the 2-man one with blackout material and the opening sides so you can get a bit of breeze. Perfect festival tent and way better than the cheapo pop-up ones you see. And cheap enough that if one of your kids does lose/leave/set fire to it you can buy another and still be better off than a posh "proper" tent.
Vango Tango was very cheap from Go Outdoors (£40?) last year and ticks the box for reasonably likely to stay dry place to sleep. I did a bit of additional waterproofing, and the boy uses it as a pup tent when we're camping. Also entirely feasible to carry in to a festival .. not hiking light, but not a silly weight and size either. They probably have a similar offer on.
Decathlon ones are good too, though I prefer the non pop up versions - I am far from an 18 year old at multiple festivals though 😀
Went with a Eurohike Cairns 2 in the end (reduced from £100 to £40). Although she's camping in a separate area from the masses - so hopefully less prone to damage - even she said to get a cheap one just in case!
Doubt she'll be in it that much as they're working 8am - 11pm so as long as there's enough space inside and it's dry then I think it will do the job nicely.
I'm one of those always blatting on about how great a Vango Halo is. Just a great, roomy design (not perfect) in so many ways, and supersturdy for the dosh. Mine finally died from many summers/UV taking toll on the flysheet + unable able to source a replacement at the time. I kept the rest for spares as was fine after 8 years of heavy use. Have sinced sourced a virtually new Vango Spirit 200 (predecessor of the Halo 200) and am beyond chuffed with it.
However, I value it highly (beyond the cost) for (hopefully a decade or more) of holiday/car camping use and so would think twice about using it a festival if there was any increased risk of damage/theft etc.
A few weeks ago I camped for 7 days and nights at an event and the week before I claimed a virtually NOS 2 person dome tent from the local 'Trash Nothing' forum. Bag ripped but tent like new. I like to keep a 'rough' tent just for events and festivals as in such environs it literally is just for sleep and shelter, not so much living in. So my recommendation is to try find a decent tent locally at giveaway price or free and recycle for festivals etc. Or else Decathlon.
*edit cross post. Well, that was fun 😑
Erratum
Have sinced sourced a virtually new Vango
SpiritStorm 200 (predecessor of the Halo 200)
Sounds like you got it sorted OP, good deal and choice.
👍🏼
I’ve got a Eurohike tent I bought several years ago for £70, it served me very well for the IoW Festival, Greenman and nine days camping in South Devon, fantastic little tent, a three-person, IIRC, but really ideal for just one.
Here it is, looking out across Start Bay towards Dartmouth, served me very well for nine days, can’t fault it. That was 2015, so the current models will likely be different...
