After a decent tent...

[-Hox-]

Hey all,

Anyone into camping?? I'm climbing Kilimanjaro next year, and in the mean time I'm doing things around the UK to train a bit, starting with Snowdon in a couple of weeks. I've got an old 4 man tent, but I'm after a nice new 2 man, something lightweight, reasonable cost, and weather/wind tite!

Anyone got any ideas?

Cheers!

[^^TommyTee]

Hey all,

Anyone into camping?? I'm climbing Kilimanjaro next year, and in the mean time I'm doing things around the UK to train a bit, starting with Snowdon in a couple of weeks. I've got an old 4 man tent, but I'm after a nice new 2 man, something lightweight, reasonable cost, and weather/wind tite!

Anyone got any ideas?

Cheers!

hi

you want too buy something decent... i know in blacks they sometimes have offers on check them out

i like vangos tents Vango, manufacturer of tents, sleeping bags, rucsacs and accessories


blacks have got a clearance sale on here http://www.blacks.co.uk/category/Clearance/camping.html

[chroma]

Ive throw down some serious money on a Crux X2 Storm, i even called them up and had them sew me in some snow skirts to the porch.

A 2 man asymetric geodesic dual layer mountain tent
Normal mountain tents are geodesic (thats a dome for you uninitiated folks) for the simple reason that its the strongest structure you can nail to the side of a slope and will take a ton of snow before it collapses (hence the shape of igloos)
The asymetric just means its not a total dome its been aerodynamic'd up so instead of 2 entrances you get one at the front with a storage cupboard in the back. The upshot is that it cuts down on its wind profile so it will fare well in a mountain snowstorm.

WHY did i pick this particular tent?
A: It came highly reccomended by profesionals

B:Its just shy of 6.5lb packed and anything alse in its class was over double this (not ideal when your humphing it up a vertical slope hanging on with axes and crampons) so weight was a primary concern.
Especialy when you consider bedding, do you go for a heavier tent and skimp on your sleeping bag?
Box stitched Down V Cheaper although much lighter Synthetic?
Down is essential in my opinion at higher altitudes (rule of thumb is you lose 2c for every 1000feet*) then theres the windchill to take into account, so a sunny 20c at sealevel is 0c at 10,000ft (half way to summit) or -18c at 19,000ft (just shy of the summit of Kilimanjaro) Thats before windchill which can bring it down a further 20c to -36c, at night you can hit below -50c aka stupidly it hurts to breathe cold.

C: Simplicity its easy to set up, a factor thats always overlooked by inexperienced mountaineers who fail to realise that cloud cover can descend in an instant and where previously you had a view as far as the eye can see has been reduced to 2ft of nightmare white freezing fog.

D:Its proven entirely windproof and water/snowproof and its very warm (something you'll come to appreciate) The porch is large enough to get your brew done and its got more than enough storage space in the back for the rest of your gear.

E: Its from a reputble company with great customer service and aftersales help, if something malfunctions or breaks i know i can have a replacement shipped in a hurry (i wound up in Zermat Switzerland a tentpole down and they shipped me one overnight)

Its been the best tent ive ever owned and ive owned a few in my time. Its seen the swiss summit of the Matterhorn, most of the Bens in Scotland (summer autumn and winter climbing), Snowdon in Wales, Mont Blanc in Chamonix and its never slowed me down.

The only downside is that it set me back just shy of ?500 (with the mods i requested) and spares dont come cheap (although they can come fast), but when your half way up the side of a mountain with mere microns of nylon keeping you alive cost isnt an issue.

Yeah you migght also want to practice putting up whichever tent you decide on blindfold in the safety of your own garden, you'll thank me later for having you llook like a muppet to your neighbours, situaitions arise more often than not when you'll be wanting a tent up in a hurry in poor visibility.

offtopic but relevent
Might also want to take a course in mountain leadership before you go wandering into the hills, its entirely worthwhile, im not stating you need to get qualified as a leader but a course will definately make sure you dont wind up getting into trouble and getting yourself hurt (im in scotland so i hear news stories constantly of people wandering into the cairngorms or glen coe without any training and winding up injured or dead)
Simply register with the MLTE in england and they'll let you know whats available in your area.
Besides you'll meet people on these courses and make lasting friendships with people who want to go out and triain in the hills (giving you an ample excuse to tag along and carpool to far flung destinations)

An ML training course will provide you with the basic essentials on how to survive out in remote places by yourself or keep others alive. Stuff like groupworking, emergency procedures, first aid, navigation, equipment, bacground knowledge, expedition skills, rights of access, weather prediction etc.

All i know is that things sometimes go wrong, and when they do they do so in spectacular fashion and mindboggling speed. without training i can safely say id be dead by now.
But its your life, its up to you to place a value on it.
[b]/offtopic[b]

Hope you enjoy Kilmanjaro you jammy bastard, its one on my long (entirely too long) list of faces to get up, are you doing it alpine or expedition style?

[gmb45]

Ive throw down some serious money on a Crux X2 Storm, i even called them up and had them sew me in some snow skirts to the porch.

A 2 man asymetric geodesic dual layer mountain tent
Normal mountain tents are geodesic (thats a dome for you uninitiated folks) for the simple reason that its the strongest structure you can nail to the side of a slope and will take a ton of snow before it collapses (hence the shape of igloos)
The asymetric just means its not a total dome its been aerodynamic'd up so instead of 2 entrances you get one at the front with a storage cupboard in the back. The upshot is that it cuts down on its wind profile so it will fare well in a mountain snowstorm.

WHY did i pick this particular tent?
A: It came highly reccomended by profesionals

B:Its just shy of 6.5lb packed and anything alse in its class was over double this (not ideal when your humphing it up a vertical slope hanging on with axes and crampons) so weight was a primary concern.
Especialy when you consider bedding, do you go for a heavier tent and skimp on your sleeping bag?
Box stitched Down V Cheaper although much lighter Synthetic?
Down is essential in my opinion at higher altitudes (rule of thumb is you lose 2c for every 1000feet*) then theres the windchill to take into account, so a sunny 20c at sealevel is 0c at 10,000ft (half way to summit) or -18c at 19,000ft (just shy of the summit of Kilimanjaro) Thats before windchill which can bring it down a further 20c to -36c, at night you can hit below -50c aka stupidly it hurts to breathe cold.

C: Simplicity its easy to set up, a factor thats always overlooked by inexperienced mountaineers who fail to realise that cloud cover can descend in an instant and where previously you had a view as far as the eye can see has been reduced to 2ft of nightmare white freezing fog.

D:Its proven entirely windproof and water/snowproof and its very warm (something you'll come to appreciate) The porch is large enough to get your brew done and its got more than enough storage space in the back for the rest of your gear.

E: Its from a reputble company with great customer service and aftersales help, if something malfunctions or breaks i know i can have a replacement shipped in a hurry (i wound up in Zermat Switzerland a tentpole down and they shipped me one overnight)

Its been the best tent ive ever owned and ive owned a few in my time. Its seen the swiss summit of the Matterhorn, most of the Bens in Scotland (summer autumn and winter climbing), Snowdon in Wales, Mont Blanc in Chamonix and its never slowed me down.

The only downside is that it set me back just shy of ?500 (with the mods i requested) and spares dont come cheap (although they can come fast), but when your half way up the side of a mountain with mere microns of nylon keeping you alive cost isnt an issue.

Yeah you migght also want to practice putting up whichever tent you decide on blindfold in the safety of your own garden, you'll thank me later for having you llook like a muppet to your neighbours, situaitions arise more often than not when you'll be wanting a tent up in a hurry in poor visibility.

offtopic but relevent
Might also want to take a course in mountain leadership before you go wandering into the hills, its entirely worthwhile, im not stating you need to get qualified as a leader but a course will definately make sure you dont wind up getting into trouble and getting yourself hurt (im in scotland so i hear news stories constantly of people wandering into the cairngorms or glen coe without any training and winding up injured or dead)
Simply register with the MLTE in england and they'll let you know whats available in your area.
Besides you'll meet people on these courses and make lasting friendships with people who want to go out and triain in the hills (giving you an ample excuse to tag along and carpool to far flung destinations)

An ML training course will provide you with the basic essentials on how to survive out in remote places by yourself or keep others alive. Stuff like groupworking, emergency procedures, first aid, navigation, equipment, bacground knowledge, expedition skills, rights of access, weather prediction etc.

All i know is that things sometimes go wrong, and when they do they do so in spectacular fashion and mindboggling speed. without training i can safely say id be dead by now.
But its your life, its up to you to place a value on it.
[b]/offtopic[b]

Hope you enjoy Kilmanjaro you jammy bastard, its one on my long (entirely too long) list of faces to get up, are you doing it alpine or expedition style?

great post m8 i know a woman who went on the mountain leadership course, she said it was well worth while.

[chroma]

great post m8 i know a woman who went on the mountain leadership course, she said it was well worth while.

I loved mine, the only downsides are the initial expense (but what cost to you put on your safety?) and the fact that they dont cover ropework so you wind up on the SPA and some newfangled "Climbing Wall Award" courses. I had a blast on both mine (us scots get one for summer as an entry level then one for the more hardcore winter types MLA(s) and MLA(w) respectively, i think england and wales only have the one but may of course be incorrect)

I stumbled into mine, i was always more interested in climbing cliffs and boulders and wound up on ice and loved it. ice is found in mountains, i dunno how the hell id survive up a mountain, i guess i should look into that... kinda deal and it opened up an entire new world of climbing to me.

Truth be told though ive not been climbing in a while, fitness levels not being what they once wheree. Marriage stole that from me (women really do lead you to rack and ruin) i lost my 6 pack and replaced it with a keg
Besides its dangerous even when trained and i had a kid to worry about, didnt seem fair for me to be dangling off the face of the Eiger with them sat at home worried sick if i was going to come back.

Methinks its time to go and start hitting the gym to get back to my former yetti-esque mountainman glory.

[-Hox-]

Hope you enjoy Kilmanjaro you jammy bastard, its one on my long (entirely too long) list of faces to get up, are you doing it alpine or expedition style?

Cheers for the reply mate! I'm doing it expedition style, one of them sponsored things you can do... me and a mate have been doing quite a lot of hiking around, and just fancied more of a challange!

As for the tent, I think ?500's too much for me to afford, but I do understand that I need something decent. I won't be buying a cheap ?20 job from Argos, don't worry!

[-Hox-]

hi

you want too buy something decent... i know in blacks they sometimes have offers on check them out

i like vangos tents Vango, manufacturer of tents, sleeping bags, rucsacs and accessories


blacks have got a clearance sale on here Blacks - Camping Clearance at Blacks.

I was looking at Vangos last night, and they do seem pretty good. Mind you, I know nothing when it comes to serious tents! I'll have a look at Blacks, thanks for the tip

[dangermouse6986]

Ive throw down some serious money on a Crux X2 Storm, i even called them up and had them sew me in some snow skirts to the porch.

A 2 man asymetric geodesic dual layer mountain tent
Normal mountain tents are geodesic (thats a dome for you uninitiated folks) for the simple reason that its the strongest structure you can nail to the side of a slope and will take a ton of snow before it collapses (hence the shape of igloos)
The asymetric just means its not a total dome its been aerodynamic'd up so instead of 2 entrances you get one at the front with a storage cupboard in the back. The upshot is that it cuts down on its wind profile so it will fare well in a mountain snowstorm.

WHY did i pick this particular tent?
A: It came highly reccomended by profesionals

B:Its just shy of 6.5lb packed and anything alse in its class was over double this (not ideal when your humphing it up a vertical slope hanging on with axes and crampons) so weight was a primary concern.
Especialy when you consider bedding, do you go for a heavier tent and skimp on your sleeping bag?
Box stitched Down V Cheaper although much lighter Synthetic?
Down is essential in my opinion at higher altitudes (rule of thumb is you lose 2c for every 1000feet*) then theres the windchill to take into account, so a sunny 20c at sealevel is 0c at 10,000ft (half way to summit) or -18c at 19,000ft (just shy of the summit of Kilimanjaro) Thats before windchill which can bring it down a further 20c to -36c, at night you can hit below -50c aka stupidly it hurts to breathe cold.

C: Simplicity its easy to set up, a factor thats always overlooked by inexperienced mountaineers who fail to realise that cloud cover can descend in an instant and where previously you had a view as far as the eye can see has been reduced to 2ft of nightmare white freezing fog.

D:Its proven entirely windproof and water/snowproof and its very warm (something you'll come to appreciate) The porch is large enough to get your brew done and its got more than enough storage space in the back for the rest of your gear.

E: Its from a reputble company with great customer service and aftersales help, if something malfunctions or breaks i know i can have a replacement shipped in a hurry (i wound up in Zermat Switzerland a tentpole down and they shipped me one overnight)

Its been the best tent ive ever owned and ive owned a few in my time. Its seen the swiss summit of the Matterhorn, most of the Bens in Scotland (summer autumn and winter climbing), Snowdon in Wales, Mont Blanc in Chamonix and its never slowed me down.

The only downside is that it set me back just shy of ?500 (with the mods i requested) and spares dont come cheap (although they can come fast), but when your half way up the side of a mountain with mere microns of nylon keeping you alive cost isnt an issue.

Yeah you migght also want to practice putting up whichever tent you decide on blindfold in the safety of your own garden, you'll thank me later for having you llook like a muppet to your neighbours, situaitions arise more often than not when you'll be wanting a tent up in a hurry in poor visibility.

offtopic but relevent
Might also want to take a course in mountain leadership before you go wandering into the hills, its entirely worthwhile, im not stating you need to get qualified as a leader but a course will definately make sure you dont wind up getting into trouble and getting yourself hurt (im in scotland so i hear news stories constantly of people wandering into the cairngorms or glen coe without any training and winding up injured or dead)
Simply register with the MLTE in england and they'll let you know whats available in your area.
Besides you'll meet people on these courses and make lasting friendships with people who want to go out and triain in the hills (giving you an ample excuse to tag along and carpool to far flung destinations)

An ML training course will provide you with the basic essentials on how to survive out in remote places by yourself or keep others alive. Stuff like groupworking, emergency procedures, first aid, navigation, equipment, bacground knowledge, expedition skills, rights of access, weather prediction etc.

All i know is that things sometimes go wrong, and when they do they do so in spectacular fashion and mindboggling speed. without training i can safely say id be dead by now.
But its your life, its up to you to place a value on it.
[b]/offtopic[b]

Hope you enjoy Kilmanjaro you jammy bastard, its one on my long (entirely too long) list of faces to get up, are you doing it alpine or expedition style?

kddididididleeieiei

[Mr Pumpy]

Can't say i know owt aboot tents, but i'll take me hat off to yer and say good luck with your climb.

[-Hox-]

Can't say i know owt aboot tents, but i'll take me hat off to yer and say good luck with your climb.

Cheers Mr P!

[chroma]

Have you considered the effects of altitude?

I got a gift certificate a few years back for a few gym sessions at some gym in Soho, London for myself and a partner (i took my wife).
They had an altitude chamber, you go in and they reduce the atmosphere to that of 8500feet and let you exercise, it was total eyeopener for her (and i admit it kicked my ass, pullups suck, pullups at 8500ft suck even more) she never saw the point of climbing and perpetualy asked "whats the big deal? walking up a bloody hill doesnt look that hard" after the session (which only lasts an hour) she had a newfound respect for the sport.
That and the sheer buzz you get when you come out, a notmal gym session gives you a bit of a buzz but this is like a gym on steroids or drugs or something, you feel BULLITPROOF after it.
So much so that i looked into building one (i found out you can get respirator gear that does essentialy the same thing albeit more cumbersome) the sheer costs involved where more than prohibitive though, but man the buzz is amazing.

Its also good for guaging if your at risk from oedema which is good to find out before your halfway up a hill and need to descend before the summit after putting in all the hard work

I cant for the life of me remember the name of the place, but i can remember it was excelent fun and a good day out.

[Umbongo]

I bought many items from Gooutdoors and at the moment they have a sale on try them.
Link
Tents | Tent Accessories | Family Tents | Camping Tent

[grex]

If you're still looking for a tent have a look at:
Power Odyssee - VAUDE - The Spirit of Mountain Sports

I totally agree with Chroma's point about the tent being easy to put up, there's nothing worse than messing about with stupid clips or tie cords when the wind's up or it's raining!!
Some of the Vaude tents have external poles and elastic loops on the tent outer, really easy to set up as you can peg the whole tent down, put the poles over it and hook the tent to them, tent up

As for Kili, good luck, if you have any control over the route you take or the number of days you spend on the climb up go for longer.
I did it a few years ago and we took 5.5 days to the summit, a mate did it last year and tried in less time and got altitude sickness and had to turn back!
It's all about the acclimatisation, the longer you take (within reason) the better it'll be.

Good luck

[-Hox-]

Have you considered the effects of altitude?

I got a gift certificate a few years back for a few gym sessions at some gym in Soho, London for myself and a partner (i took my wife).
They had an altitude chamber, you go in and they reduce the atmosphere to that of 8500feet and let you exercise, it was total eyeopener for her (and i admit it kicked my ass, pullups suck, pullups at 8500ft suck even more) she never saw the point of climbing and perpetualy asked "whats the big deal? walking up a bloody hill doesnt look that hard" after the session (which only lasts an hour) she had a newfound respect for the sport.
That and the sheer buzz you get when you come out, a notmal gym session gives you a bit of a buzz but this is like a gym on steroids or drugs or something, you feel BULLITPROOF after it.
So much so that i looked into building one (i found out you can get respirator gear that does essentialy the same thing albeit more cumbersome) the sheer costs involved where more than prohibitive though, but man the buzz is amazing.

Its also good for guaging if your at risk from oedema which is good to find out before your halfway up a hill and need to descend before the summit after putting in all the hard work

I cant for the life of me remember the name of the place, but i can remember it was excelent fun and a good day out.

I'm off to a place in London before I go for some tests... so hopefully I'll be well aware and get the drugs that I need, if I need them!!

[-Hox-]

If you're still looking for a tent have a look at:
Power Odyssee - VAUDE - The Spirit of Mountain Sports

I totally agree with Chroma's point about the tent being easy to put up, there's nothing worse than messing about with stupid clips or tie cords when the wind's up or it's raining!!
Some of the Vaude tents have external poles and elastic loops on the tent outer, really easy to set up as you can peg the whole tent down, put the poles over it and hook the tent to them, tent up

As for Kili, good luck, if you have any control over the route you take or the number of days you spend on the climb up go for longer.
I did it a few years ago and we took 5.5 days to the summit, a mate did it last year and tried in less time and got altitude sickness and had to turn back!
It's all about the acclimatisation, the longer you take (within reason) the better it'll be.

Good luck

Cheers mate! The whole things spread over 10 days, with about 6 of them being trekking days. It's an average route so I'm told (Machame), but at that height, even a slight incline's gonna feel like a mountain all by itself!