Chockstone Forum

      Sponsored By
      ROCK
   HARDWARE

Chockstone Photography

Australian Landscape Prints

Chockstone Forum - Gear Lust / Lost & Found

Rave About Your Rack Please do not post retail SPAM.

Author

Vango tents

rhyso

11-Sep-2007
2:31:08 PM

anyone know from experience are they any good?
i was looking at the Tempest 200 which seemed half decent
i really dont have a massive budget, i rekon $250 - $300 will get me out of trouble for a 2 man tent.
if these Vangos are shit, is there anything else, say a black wolf, eureka or a fairydown for example that would stand up to rugged conditions and fit into the budget?
cheers

wallwombat

11-Sep-2007
2:46:50 PM

Vango seem popular in the UK. They look alright.

Fairydown used to make good tents. I don't know about now

gfdonc

11-Sep-2007
4:10:20 PM

If you don't mind a little extra weight and can get to Melbourne, check out Nightingale Electrics in Spencer St.

What? I hear you say. Tents at an electrical shop?

Yep. These dudes import lots of stuff out of China, sort of a dumping ground for Chinese brands that never make it here in retail. Some of it is crap but some is amazing value.

They stock some "Toread" tents that are really well made - good quality materials, proper seam sealing, good zips. Basically they're an attempt to make Chinese copies of the higher-end brands. I've been using a 3/4 man dome as my car camping tent on climbing trips for over a year and it's holding up very well. It has snow flaps, good fly, 2 vestibules, lots of vents, pockets, the lot. It weighs a little more than I'd expect a $600 or $800 version but cost me .. $190. This is their top-end model, but they have 2 man versions without the vestibules for around $100 which I expect would be similarly constructed.

Sabu

11-Sep-2007
4:34:17 PM

rhyso, if you are based in melbourne there is an australian outlet for some Vango products, the place is "ansco" http://www.ansco.com.au/ i found them when i was searching for my sleeping bag. What you can do is find the model you're after on the net and if you want to check it out for real, head over there. Then buy it over the net for a cheaper price cos they're a touch on the expensive side! not entirely sure the range of tents they stock but hey the answer is merely a phone call away!
cheers!

dave h.

11-Sep-2007
9:19:17 PM

I've had a Tempest 200 since last September. I've been quite pleased with it so far. Loads of room if it's just me, sitting may be a bit squished if you're tall. It will sleep two people, but I'd say you would want to be on good terms with the other person (I don't know if it really is small for a 2 man tent or not).

I've used it for a week at Araps in some moderate winds which it shrugged off without any problems. Also at Frog this July it got quite windy, again no worries. And it kept me nice and dry at Nowra in some rain at Easter.

I'd recommend you do check it out in person though, it has some unorthodox features which could either endear it to you or disappoint you. The tent (at least my model) has a sort of 'skylight' above the vestibule: at the highest point of the tent, the fly isn't a single sheet. Instead there's a second flap, which covers a mesh panel. The flap is secured by velcro (not so good), and by two plastic backpack-style clips (decent ones which can be tensioned). Also, the internal door has some mesh in it: one half of the door is a nylon fabric, the other upper half is mesh. Finally, the connection of the inner to the fly is elastic (once you have a look at it you will see what I mean).

Hope this helps.

rhyso

12-Sep-2007
12:01:23 PM

thanks muchly
ill keep that in mind and have a good look around, see what i come up with
take it easy
cheers
rhys

Benno

13-Sep-2007
12:43:44 PM

I used a Vango tent whilst travelling/climbing around Europe a few years back. I just had a look at the website and I couldn't see the exact model, but from memory it was similar to the Tornado 200. I thought the tent was great, a little on the heavy side but nice and roomy with a big vestibule. I spent a couple of weeks camping on the Col de Midi in it without too many problems. Not too bad for the price I reckon.

Cheers,

Benno

There are 7 messages in this topic.