Advantages: Lightweight, spacious, well made
Disadvantages: fiddly to put up

.... Besides it’s cheaper than hotels. But the good old Vango Force Ten was looking a bit the worse for wear so we decided to invest in a new luxurious but compact model large enough to accommodate 3 young children and 2 middle aged adults. Tent design changed a great deal about 10 years ago with the advent of dome tents and tunnel tents. These incorporate flexible jointed poles, made either of metal or glass fibre. They increase the usable space inside the tent, having a curved ceiling, take up less room when packing and are lighter. Tent material has also improved greatly; you are no longer restricted to heavy weight canvas and you can choose from a range of polyurethane coated materials in a variety of grades. Inner chambers are made with breathable cotton, or nylon with sewn in groundsheets. You can still buy traditional ‘A’ Frame... Read review

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Advantages: Good Size, Brilliant Value, High Quality, Sturdy, Easy to Erect
Disadvantages: None that I can think of!

...I purchased my Vango Venture 500 towards the end of 2006. For the bargain price of £85.00 and I haven't looked back since! Numourus camping trips have bee happily spent in this tent and it will see many more! The frame consists of 2 large poles crossing over to make the main dome, and a 3rd smaller pole creating a loop for the porch area. Once erect, with all pegs and guide ropes in place the tent is extremely strong and stable. We have camped in strong winds and strong rain and it has stood strong throughout. As long as there are two of you, erecting the tent is a swift and easy process. Funnily enough you tend to erect it faster when its raining! And packing it back into the bag is an art the first time but you tend to remember how to do it from then onwards and it's easy enough. When packaged, the tent is relatively heavy... Read review

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Advantages: Sturdy & Roomy
Disadvantages: Not a backpackers tent!

...Simply put...a good buy! If you are looking for a mid range tent with ample room and that doesn't blow away in a slight wind then this is a great tent. Shape. The Vango 300 (there is also a 200 & 400) is decribed as a Geodesic design , basically it looks like two dome tents that have been merged together, so is quite an odd looking shape. But this means that internally there is a lot of space and has 2 entrances with porches on either side. This is excellent for changing your exit/entrance when windy or in driving rain. Size. 240x 285 cm 150 cm high Sleeps 3 (comfortably) Weight 9.2 kg (a little on the heavy side, not a backpackers tent!) Pitching Relatively easy if you have a pitched a dome tent before. It has 5 collapsable poles that are colour coded. The Inner tent is put up first. The only problem... Read review

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Advantages: Large lightweight, yet strong, dome-shaped family tent for 4 people
Disadvantages: Zips in doorway not ideally positioned for rainy day use.

...The VaudeBase Dome 2 is a fairly large stable dome tent with two separate sleeping compartments. Two of the four poles intersect to form the central dome which is 1.9metres high. The other two poles support two separate sleeping compartments. Each one is large enough for a double airbed or two singles side by side. Either or both of these compartments can be removed for extra indoor space. It's an ideal family camping tent that's a manageable size and weight, around 9kg. With one of the sleeping compartments removed there is enough space inside to fit a small table and a couple of chairs. It's make a great luxury base camp for two adults with lots of space for gear. For four adults space is less but still good. We use it primarily as a summer base camp tent for climbing trips to the european alps (usually hot... Read review

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Advantages: Easy to erect, quality tent.
Disadvantages: Pricey for some.

...If you are looking for a spacious tent that is easy to erect then you need look no further. Description: The tourer 400 is a 4 person tent that has a central living space and two bedrooms, one to the right and one to the left. The main section is high enough for us to stand up in and both bedrooms are well sized. The tourer 400 is offered in khaki/dark green/pistachio colour scheme so may be a little on the boring side if you like a stand out colour for your tent but its functionality more than makes up for that. Erecting the tent: I've been a fan of Khyam's external click pole system since I first used it 12 years ago. The ease and speed of putting up the tent is worth every penny. To erect the tent you pull up on a central point at the roof apex and then click opposing elbow joints into place. Next you extend the 4 poles... Read review

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Advantages: Overall quality, weather proof
Disadvantages: a bit heavy

...It is hard to give a balanced view of this tent as it is so god but i will try. I have had this tent for a year and it has been used about 15 times for an overall time period of 41 days. During that time it has been through baking heat, biblical rainfall (Wales this summer was not a dry place) heavy snow, very cold temperatures and high winds in the Cairngormes In Feburary (2007). It has coped to the higest level each time. No leakages after 5 days of heavy rain, the structure held the weight of 4-5cm of snow without the inner oand out layer touching (crutial for insulation). It coped with a blizzard so well i slept throught it. The build quality is great, it has been double stiched everywhere, and when it is put up it is all taught (seen a lot of tents where this does not happen). The insulation is very good, noramlly a great... Read review

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Advantages: Warm, Extreme
Disadvantages: Size

...The Vango Predator 450 is a flagship synthetic bag packed with features to make this one of the best bags proving plenty of bang, for your buck. "The Predator range of sleeping bags is designed for use at the extreme limit. Available in mummy or square. Predators will be used by experienced campers, mountaineers and expedition members who will only use the highest performance sleeping bag suitable for the most hostile environments. Highly compressible Dupont Thermolite Extra is used in conjunction with Thermolite Micro for the ultimate warmth to weight ratio." As stated this bag is for use in slightly more 'wild' conditions, where some down bags would provide to much heat and most synthetic bags wouldnt provide enough. Although this bag has the disadvantage with most synthetic bags, the size, it does hold most of the properties... Read review

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Advantages: very spacious, steel frame
Disadvantages: large pack, heavy

...Nice, robust, tent. Apparently some sellers discontinued it as there were concerns over it leaking, but we've had a couple of very rainy nights in ours and no problems. Durability - some of the hooks/clips that attach the bedroom pods to the tent have come off (due to children jumping around) but can be sewn back on. It comes with a DVD showing you how to put it up - you can do it without watching it but there are some handy tips so it's worth a watch. We only got round to watching it after 2 camping trips, but found it cut pitching time by 10 mins or so - it now takes us around 45 mins to pitch. Loads of room - spacious bedrooms (easily sleeps 6), large living area. Great for families as there's space for cooking, playing, etc. Good layout, with the bedroom/living room dividing line going along the lenght of the tent rather... Read review

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Advantages: Can stand up in it! Quite Big, pegs!
Disadvantages: Problems with condensation, groundsheet

...Coleman Bi-Space 300 This tent is ideal for two people - for three it might be a bit pushed for space! It features a tall living space - which comes with a groundsheet and a lower smaller sleeping area. The tent is fairly easy to put up! we have even done it in the dark, the poles and loops are colour coded so you know where to thread each rod. The rods fit together nicely and have no trouble getting them through or taking them out - remember to push the rod and not pull otherwise the connections with come loose! Once all the rods are in place you can see the shape of the tent - pegging it down is very time consuming, there are lots of peg loops and a skirt which runs right around the tent...this can be folded up in the day to let air in, we tend not to use it because of all the pegs, but its comforting knowing your... Read review

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Advantages: value for money, ease of erecting, space, ventilation, weight
Disadvantages: ventilation, mine leaked

...I bought this tent from a discount online store. This is a tunnel tent and relies entirely on being properly pegged to stay erect but once it's pitched I found it more stable in the wind than any dome. On my own I can have it up in 5 minutes. The living area is almost the same size as the inner tent and big enough to kneel up in. The tent comfortably sleeps 2 adults and accomodates 2 adults and a small child. The living area sets it apart from any dome tent especially for camping in the UK where the weather is so unpredictable. You could easily cook and spend a few hours in there without feeling uncomfortable! It's also good for cycling as bikes and luggage can be stored in the front and it only weighs 4.2kg which is a good bit less than similar makes. Inner tent has a lot of vents; good for summer but if it's cold... Read review

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