Big Pack Summit 2-4 person Frame Tent

Advantages: Easy to erect, large, simple construction
Disadvantages: Heavy to Carry

...to buy look at how it has been put up, it may be really complicated. The Madrid 5DLX is very easy to put up. It consists of 6 poles, 4 of which are made up 0f 3 separate parts. In total in the pole bag you should have 8 steel poles that go with 4 carbon fibre ones. This makes the basic frame of the tent. Running along the insides of the tent are 2 longer poles which keep the whole thing rigid. There are also 2 poles for the side door. So, firstly you peg the back of the tent so that it stays in the intended position, secondly my advice is to thread the frame poles through the pockets (on the outside of the tent) without joining them up. Next you should join up the 3 sections of the back pole and pull the tent upright. Follow this procedure for the other 3 frame poles and then pull out to tighten the canvas. There is a strap system... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful

Advantages: Easy up and down, light weight, OUTER UP FIRST!
Disadvantages: Rather expensive, suffers from condensation if zips fully closed

...I purchased a VauDe MkII lite over 1 year ago and have never looked back! I put the tent up in the back garden as per the instructions that were easy to follow. When you first get the tent the inner is not attatched so you lay the outer on the floor and the elasticated frame is placed on top. The 4 corners of the outer are then inserted into the ends of the frame and the elastic of the outer easily clipped onto the frame. The inner is then attatched and can stay this way for the life of the tent! In use the tent is a roomy 2 man with ample space for kit or tight fitting 3 man. This tent has a huge hydrostatic head, meaning that it is very water proof. This does however bring it's own problems. The tent is coated in silicone which, although water resistant is not breathable. As such, when camping in warmer climates... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful

Advantages: Ultra light, roomy , quick to erect
Disadvantages: expensive

...“This ultralight, freestanding tent is for gram-counting geeks who like to swill their adventure in big gulps and have a little room to read at night!” Big Agnes We treated ourselves to this Seedhouse SL3 last year (SL3=super light 3 person). This is the tent we take with us our forays deep into the undergrowth and it was an extravagance as it cost us around £200. That probably sounds a bit steep but it was worth the money because its one of the lightest 3 man tents out there. It weighs in at a svelte 3 lb 15 oz and you can whittle that down to an anorexic 3 lb 2 oz if you are sure the weather will be decent and there is no nasty insect life by using the fast fly assembly When you are carrying everything you need every ounce makes a difference and the tent is big component of the overall weight. Cutting that weight down means you have... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful