going to buy a new tent so have defo decided on a blowup one. vango celino air 4 looks fave as has big porch area but kampa brean air 3 also in running as bit smaller.
celino seems to gather water on roof a bit but could just be because one i saw had been up a while. 3 year warranty
kampa has smaller porch but thicker fabric and more waterproof.
anyone have experience of these tents? or their larger siblings etc
tents!!
relax!!
I've used a few of the Vango AirBeam tents and awnings and they've been reliable and well designed - bar a really early one that exploded at 24/12, after which they upped the spec of the AirBeams. Some of the detailing around the door was a bit fiddly on our van awning and could let water drip inside and onto the ground sheet, but the basics have generally been sound. Super easy to put up and take down.
I haven't used any of the current ones, but as brand Vango is pretty much a known quantity and their stuff mostly just works. Can't really comment on Kampa. And blimey, the Vango AirBeam range has grown.
relax!! its only one week till mayhem i cant😬
Are air tents really worth paying extra for? We've got a 6 man kampa oxwich which works pretty well. It's a few years old now so might be worth getting a new one soon but some friends have an air tent and it takes just as long to put up as ours does. They've also had issues with it holding air so it's been back twice for repairs.
was looking for really quick up and down for last minute surf weekends etc. which air tent did they have?
The concept of an air beam tent is a good one. In practice, I've seen more than a few floppy/punctured tents on campsites over the last couple of years.
Not sure I would be spending my money on one anytime soon.
have to say they really should be more reliable then they sound
They are very reliable - you just need to buy the right one.
Vango are good - Decathlon are better and much cheaper.
Big benefit to the air tents IMO is that one person can put up single-handed. For a family, it means one parent can keep the kids amused (or go off and pick up stuff from the supermarket) while the other puts up the tent.
Less worthwhile for a couple who can work together to get a pole-type tent up.
And lots of people overinflate airbeam tents which can cause leaks. The limits on them are very low.
Had a few tents over the years, I wouldn’t buy Kampa again. Our £900 awning lasted a year before we needed to re-proof it. A year on it needs doing again. Kampa couldn’t give a toss. Their kit looks very good but one bitten etc.
Outwell Montana hasn’t leaked, in almost 10 years. Would happily buy again.
Coleman even longer than that. But this is Coleman of old, not sure what new stuff is like.
Avoid anything with large, flat areas unless they have a good slope on them.
Yesterday I was amazed to discover that you can still buy the good old Vango Force 10 base camp tents, not cheap but amazing quality. Our 4 person Vango lasted for years of family holidays, the worst damage happened when we lent it to one of my school friends and he brought it back with black paint all over the flysheet.
And lots of people overinflate airbeam tents which can cause leaks. The limits on them are very low.
I think they vary. The very first Vango ones were under-specced and they had a few incidents with AirBeams popping, but they pretty much doubled the pressure limit and the pump supplied has a blow-off valve so you physically can't over-inflate the beams.
The other factor, which only occasionally comes into play, is that in really savage conditions where conventional poles tend to fail catastrophically once bent beyond a certain point, air beams simply deform and then spring back. You might never use it in those conditions, but if you do find yourself in a proper storm-force wind, it's reassuring to know.
Otherwise, the main benefit is simply ease and speed of pitching.
hmmm defo veering towards vango. i prefer their porch area and entrance lip is higher.
