Going camping

[Tel]

No posts since June 2022 so thought I would put something together.  The last item was a khyam tent for sale, I’ve had one for 21 years and it’s still OK, have bought a new one a biker plus se which I am using for the first time at the end of may, off to France with some pals.  The biker plus is a lot taller than my old biker tent which is easier to get dressed in and kinder to my old back, 71 now so hope I’m still around when this tent is 21 years old. I’ll put a review of the new tent when I return

[Mep]

 I enjoy moto camping. As for tents, I've had a few. Started out with a Banshee 200 with a gear store but that was too small. Then I resurrected an old family tent and ditched one of the sleeping compartments so I could have a decent vestibule for cooking etc, but that leaked and one of the poles broke in the wind. Last year I splashed out on a Lone Rider Mototent and am very pleased with it. OK, its not cheap but the quality and features are amazing. Plenty of doors, room, and height. I can't fault it. It weighs around 5.5kg and straps to my rear seat just fine. The photo  is of my recent trip to the Scottish borders.

[NeilM]

I only started moto camping a couple of years ago and went small and cheap with a Eurohike Backpacker DLX2 as it was light and big enough for me and my gear.

I did an overnight to Cornwall just to check out all my gear, made the relevant changes and then did a week in Scotland then later in the year another week in Wales (yes, including a night at the Bikers Campsite). The DLX2 is compact easy to put up and pack away but a little bit short in the sleeping compartment for me at just over 6' 1" tall and although I've never had any ingress, I worry slightly about my feet pushing the inner tent against the outer flysheet on a wet night.

I also have a Wild Country Zephyros (who comes up with these names?) which my wife bought me as a present when I was planning on cycle touring, which I still want to do. Earlier this week I used it for a couple of nights in the Lake District. It's a nice little tent, but it's a bit complicated to put up and slow to take down and although there is plenty of room to sleep, sitting up is almost impossible and getting in and out of the sde opening is just a b*gger... well it is for a 64 year old anyway.

I have another Scottish trip coming up, so following some advice from a YouTube traveller I watch I have recently bought a three man dome tent. A Highlander Birch 3. I bought it s/h, used once from Ebay and for the £35 I paid for it I am happy. If however I had paid the £100 and something new price I think I would be a little disappointed as it is a very basic inner tent with glassfibre poles and a separate fly. The tent has loads of room but the vestibule is small, so most of my gear will be stored in the tent rather than outside which is where the DLX2 is the winner so far.

I have looked at much more expensive tents, biker specific or otherwise,  but for the few weeks a year of UK camping that I do it's hard to justify the cost, although I'm always happy to be convinced otherwise.

[Rixington43]

We do a fair bit of camping on bikes but also in the car to go mountain biking and walking. I had a small 3 man dome for years which I used solo but changed once it was 2 of us.
I got sick of getting dressed sat down, lying on your arse shuffling your jeans up one rung at a time is just so undignified, so I bought a Vango Omega 350.
Been using it a few years now and I love it. Plenty of space for kit storage and still only 3 poles and under 10 minutes to put up. I have the additional ground sheet though as these modern super thin integrated ones don't handle waterlogged moss very well. Only drawback is remembering to knock the roof dry before opening the doors after a very wet night.
I love that the roll size is within the pannier width so they can be accessed without removing the tent and the diameter means it serves as a stop for the OEM top box lid which opens too far and knackers it's tethers if not treated with care.

[Steve T]

Its a thumbs up from me for the Vango Omega 3 as well 

[vstroman]

Has anyone any experience with this tent?

https://www.wowcamping.co.uk/productDetail/coleman-kobuk-valley-3-plus-tent-blackout-bedroom-technology/

[mr_diver]

I used to sell tents... in a bike dealership. We sold Coleman and Vango tents.

The Vango tent quality was higher, but so was the price tag.
Vango tend to do some budget tents that a good for the money, skip over the middle range and go straight to higher priced, lightweight back packing tents and massive family tents.

Coleman did quite a varied range but the cheaper options were a bit flimsy.
Quite a few of their tents are the same design with different colours and specs.

That Coleman Kobuk Valley 3 is a decent spec, 4500 hydrostatic head, I wouldn't bother with anything less than 3000.
Width is going to be snug for 3, you'd want 2m+ width rather than 1.8m, but 1.8m is good for 2 plus a couple of bags, clothes ect.
The porch is useable, but most of the space is effectively the doorway, but keep everything to the sides and leave the boots and coats in the middle.
I was looking at them a while ago when my daughter was first born as a tent for a couple of nights for 2 adults and a little one but I found a discontinued Vango Gamma 300 cheap.

2 major things to look at:
Pack size - anything over 48-50cm will cause issues trying to get it in hard boxes, meaning you'll need a roll bag on the back seat.
Weight - not so much of an issue on the bike as when you're back packing, but everything adds up.

Proper backpacking tents tend to be the best way to go as the smaller pack size and shorter aluminium poles make them more suited to moto camping.

I have a the old Vango Turini which very similar to the lone rider... these tents are big and lightweight, but tent to be fragile and catch the wind.
I've stopped using mine as I had to replace all the poles due to metal fatigue. When my daughter is old enough to come away in the bike with me I'll likely go back to using it.

My go to tent is the Vango Banshee 300, a very low tent, I can just about sit up in it, but small pack size and weight.
There is also the Vango Pulsar 300+ which I have the older smaller model (Spriit 200+) good porch size, enough head height to sit up, (300+ is taller) and decent sized sleeping area. But it's quite pricey.

I have a collection of tents and they get used for different reasons.

The best addition you can use is a tarp, like Vango Trek Tarp, gives shelter with minimal weight to carry. Good for cooking in the rain or just a bit of shade in needed.

[dave1888]

I now use a Robens boulder 3 for the odd night away or Vango Galaxy 300 for more than a night. I do need to split the Vango up though as it doesn’t fit in any of my cases.

[Mojo-Jojo]

Vango get a big  from me, I've used them when moutaineering and now use a Cairngorm 100 when travelling solo. Extremely small and lightweight, but I like to leave space for more esssential things like beer. 

[AdvntureSi]

So.. all good info here..  and I am just looking at getting a new tent specifically for Moto camping.. I have at least 2 vangos on the shelf.  An air beam "family" tent and a very old dome tent that must be 36 years old.. so it's past it's best (it's done a lot of camping).
The Coleman Cobra seems to come highly recommended here.. but seen the Darwin both in the 3 "person" size..  the Darwin is only slightly bigger bigger pack size but offers a bit more head room and practical storage space..
I haven't seen a Vango quite suitable yet.. but I guess there must be one out there.. Theta or Alpha 300???? Packed size seems similar.. seem to be the same tent, not as much porch space as the Coleman Darwin.
Cheers

[NeilM]

I invested in a Vango Scafell 300 + last year, as having spent two years with a basic two man tunnel tent, then bought a Highlander dome tent, which I set up in the garden twice and decided...ummm, no, I finally thought it was time to spend some money and get something with a bit of room.

So far I have done a few weekenders and a week in Scotland and I am more than happy with it, although I may add a footprint at sometime, just to cover the floor in the large vestibule.

It does not have standing room, but I am not too bothered by that as legroom at night and the ability to sit inside the vestibule when it is wet or there are too many bugs about was one of the features I was after.

Overall the quality is excellent and just a bit better in every respect than the Eurohike I was previously using. That said, I would be more than happy to break out the Eurohike again, it has done me proud for several years, is light and very easy / quick to put up, I only retired it as I want a little bit more room.

Vango have an online factory outlet shop. I have used it a couple of times for sleeping bags purchased as gifts and the stuff arrives super quick. I bought my tent from a camping shop rather than online, just in case of any warranty issues.

Vango: https://www.campingrecycled.co.uk/

[AdvntureSi]

Nevis 300 seems to be the Vango equivalent of the Cobra.. 
Will check out the scafell too

[mr_diver]

The Cobra 3 man is a copy of the Vango Banshee 300, the Nevis 300 is a new option as Vango have been trying to phase out the Banshee's for a number of years.
I think finally the Banshee has been killed off 
I have both 200 + 300 and won't be swapping to the Nevis until I have to, which is likely to be some time due to the banshee's build quality, the Nevis isn't quiet in the same high quality bracket, but it'd rather have a Nevis over the Cobra.

The Cobra's inside is dark and miserable and the material of the inner is that of a Eurohike (Millet's own brand) from the early 90's. 
in a bigger tent I'd like the black out bedrooms, but the Cobra's dark interior is going to feel quite oppressive in such a small space.

[The Doctor 46]

I used a Vango tent when I was an outward bound instructor for four years in the army, I did 13 years total. The tent was used in some extreme conditions and never let me or any of the other instructors down. It was very heavy when wet though. If I had bought a tent instead of using what was issued, it would have been a slightly smaller, lighter Vango. 

[AdvntureSi]

Some unfavorable reviews of the Nevis 300, saying they are virtually impossible to tension right.. the smaller ones work better apparently.
Can't seem to find a banshee anywhere.. last year's Cobra out there for under 80 quid, new...
May look at 2 person tents.. as it will only be me and my kit for the foreseeable... Would prefer something with a lobby so can knock up a brew etc if the weather shite....
Station 13 on fleabay have plenty of different options .  No idea who and what quality though...

[Andy_J]

I splashed out last year on a Kyham Biker tent. Quick erect tent.  Up in literally a minute. I love it.