UKH

Hi,

My wife and I are looking at getting a new tent for weekend trips that has a bit of space inside so that we can cook and store kit etc. if the weather is horrible.

The three options that I've come up with so far are:
1) WC Hoolie 3 ETC: pros light enough to backpack with if necessary, looks the best made, cons: smallest of the three
2) Vango Pulsar 300: pros cheaper, cons also quite small
3) Vango Omega 350: pros tall and spacious, cons: heavier not sure how well it would stand up to bad weather

Does anyone have any experience with any of them, particularly are they any good for what I described above, and are my pros and cons right?

Thanks in advance!

In reply to kestrelspl:

Hoolies are great tents.

In reply to kestrelspl:

I'm looking for the same, was thinking about the vango halo 300...I stayed in a mates omega 350 and whilst it was ok I just didn't like it (hard to say why as it performed ok at was dale in wet weather) but I can't see myself getting one.

In reply to kestrelspl:

I have a Halo 200, and really like the design. Freestanding, so pitchable on any surface, and I do like a tent where you sleep side on to the decent sized porches. Its also very stable in wind. However, there are a few minor quality issues (stitching on the inner mostly), and I doubt it will last more than another couple of years (of quite heavy use, to be fair). Not the lightest either.

Not used or pitched a Pulsar.

The Wild Country fabrics and stitching feel a little bit better, though their pegs are made of cheese, and they're a bugger to get back in the bag. The Hoolie's basic design is good, but they are quite low to the ground so lacking headroom.

Omega would be good in bad weather, as long as you have decent enough ground to get the pegs at each end in well. (as with the Hoolie) With their Tension Band System, if you pitch it well it will stand up to pretty rough weather. Heavy though, but if its for car camping, definitely an option.

In reply to kestrelspl:

The Omega 350 is a good tent. It stands up to bad weather as long as you're canny when you pitch it. We've tested ours in a very windy week in Northumbria in May, and a very windy, and wet, fortnight in Cornwall this September. Spacious enough for when you need to stay in it for extended periods, and a very usable porch area for cooking and storage and dog accommodation.

In reply to EarlyBird:

Thanks all for the advice in the end we went with something a bit bigger that was on offer. The WC etesian 4.