I've been camping since I was a kid so I know a reasonable amount about tents. Usually, when I go camping, there are others with me, such as family, or friends. As a result, I've had 6-man frame tents that come in two 30kg bags, 4-man dome tents, 5 man dome tents, and now a huge 9-man dome tent.
But this is the only 1-man tent I've ever had. And believe it or not, I bought this for work!!!
You see, I'm a courier and I occassionally get jobs to Western EU countries. I could get a hotel, but as I'm self employed, it's another extra coming out of my profits. And as the Europeans do camp sites far better than we do in the UK, it'd be a shame not to make
use of them. Besides, £50 for a night in a hotel, or £10 for a campsite... why not?
But of course, since I drive a small van, space is of a premium. There's no point having a large tent if it's just me, and besides, a bigger tent would take up more room leaving less for whatever I'm carrying. It's something hikers and bikers consider, too, so the size of this tent is perfect. I simply strap it to the ceiling of the van out the way of me or the load.
Now, being the first 1-man tent I've had, I thought I'd get to my local camping shop to have a look at what was available. Most of the big names had similar tents, but this one offered the right tent at the right price. The rest either had looks or colours to put me off or were too pricey for what they were. The Coleman Viper was just right... for me, at least!
When I decided on the Viper, though, I had a good look round it in the shop. I've never had a Coleman tent before so I didn't really know how good they were. But from what I saw, I was impressed. The quality and feel of the tent was superb and I couldn't really find anything I didn't like.
So, I left with one:
What you get: You get an inner tent, outer tent, tent pegs, one pole, guy ropes, tent repair kit, and a pole repair kit. The pegs, repair kit, and pole all come in individual bags. The whole lot is stored in a nylon bag, which is then stored in a thick plastic like bag to provide more waterproofing if you need it. This bag also has instructions showing you how to put it up.
Construction Simple, really. One flexi-pole threaded through a sleeve on the inner tent. Bend it so it's in the eyelets at either end and then peg the tent out at the sides. The outer tent gets thrown on top and tied the the pole on the inside. That then gets pegged out as well. Peg the guy ropes out too and that's it. The first time I put this up, it took 20 mins. The second time, once I knew how it went up, took me 10!
The Inner and Outer Tents The inner tent is made of a softer fabric with net ventilatoin areas along the top. Think of mosquito netting. It has a large opening that is closed with a double zip. The base of the inner tent is made of grounsheet material coming up a few inches above the ground.
The outer tent is made from a weather proof material that Coleman call Weathertec. The opening on this tent is also closed with a double zip or can be tied back with two hooked ties inside. There is also a flap on the top of the tent for guy ropes and under that is another mosquito net covered ventilation hole. The peg eyes are made from a strong rubber band and are secured to the tent with heavily stitched material.
The two tents are seperated at the front enough to give a small porch space. I wouldn't say it's huge, but you could store gear in it or cook with the door open.
Carrying it What can I say? As it's only a 1-man tent and it's aimed at people carrying it in a backpack, it's going to be light. It weighs in at around 2kg, so it's not a strain to carry it in a backpack. But, as I strap to the ceiling of a van, I notice the weight even less!! It's also pretty small when packed down, measuring a few inches in diameter and about 18 inches long.
Sleeping and living in it Like most tents it can get cold at night and pretty warm in direct sunlight. But the ventilation holes ensure that it doesn't get too stuffy inside and it can hold on to the heat until well into the night. I actually had a comfortable sleep in it the few times I've used it, with enough room to move around during the night.
Getting up and opening the inner tent door, there's enough space to swing your legs around. At only 1 metre high, though, don't expect to be able to stand up. In fact, kneeling down might have you brushing your head on the tent pole! But given the aim of this tent, that's not a problem.
All in all, this is a superb little tent. For what I use it for, it's ideal. It saves me money on hotels, it's light and doesn't take up much space in my van. As long as the campsite has the ammenities, who needs a hotel?
Just go to their's if you get lucky in the campsite bar... there'll be more room!?!
Cheers,
Schneckster
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Having used everything from 2-man to 8 person frame tents, I understand what you are saying ! - however the best review in the world would not entice me into a tent again at my advanced stage of life !! ( anything over 40 ! ) - well reviewed - Trevor
eve6kicksass 29.07.2006 10:51
Excellent review there Iain...very well done!!! Chris :)))
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