UKH

My existing one is now 25 years old (called a Wild Country Terra Nova when I bought it) and I'm thinking of replacing like for like if I can arrange a second mortgage to buy one!

Question is: things have moved on massively in design etc and I wondered if anyone uses one of these for car camping in UK etc and if so whether they've found any drawbacks?

I like the size, especially the internal height, and the industrial quality gives a lot of reassurance when its battering down with rain in some wild place. Sadly it looks as if they only do green now - I always liked waking up in sunny yellow......

Any views out there?

In reply to Babika:

I will be watching the thread with interest as we are interested in potentially carry-able, strong 4 person tents too (us and the 2 kids anyway). The strong geodesic market is small but includes the Appkit Zhota (3+), the MEC Monadnock, a very expensive Hillelberg, the TNF Bastion 4 and the MHW Trango 4 plus the second-mortgage worthy Terra Firma.

There are a number of lighter models (MSR Pappa Hubba, Elixir 4, etc) that have mostly mesh inner plus lower strength poles, and a group of similarly specced Scandinavian tunnels (Hilleberg Nallo 4 and equivalent) that are lighter if prepared to move away from geodesic (something I'm a bit reluctant to do as really bad weather round here often involves huge shifts in wind direction and good pitches can be hard to find).

Ultimately in your case my suspicion is that you might as well save a whole heap of cash and just buy a car camping tent that doesn't need to be over-specced. There is a lot to be said for being able to stand up in a tent if you are going to be in it for a week or two. We've got an REI Kingdom 8 + Garage that was cheap as chips and is huge (have played cricket with the boys in it when it rains!)

Cheers

b

In reply to ben b:

I have a terra firma which gets used from time to time. Mostly as spacious car tent when I know it's going to be blowy at the likes of Gwen Gof Isaf or the likes in Snowdonia. It's great to be snuggled inside a sleeping bag hearing a bit of a rattle going on outside at night and then waking to see all the other tents strewn across the Ogwen Valley in the morning.

But it's a serious bit of kit in terms of expense- it even takes Terra Nova 60 odd days to make the tent! I would say that if money isn't much of an issue and you want a bomb proof tent then go for it. They are great. But you could buy a far cheaper tent for 70% of the weather and save money for when it's going to be grim and spend the rest in YHAs or B&Bs instead... you will still probably be quids in.

I've never split it down and carried it around the mountains, 2x smaller tents seem to be more sense and ease to me.

cheers
Jez

In reply to jezzah: Thanks for that feedback. The TF strikes me as the sort of South Georgia brick sh*thouse that fits the bill perfectly for extreme conditions but remains overspecced for UK conditions - not that that matters two hoots other than weight/price.

Yeah, we have a couple of 2 man tents (a Macpac Plateau, which is strong and not too heavy, and an REI Quarter Dome which is light but distinctly flimsy and more for 'race' use, certainly not as a bad weather backpacking tent).

As the kids are 6 and 10 if we go in two tents we also need two cookers etc if weather bad so paradoxically we may all be better off / warmer / better fed / less bitten in a 4 man tent. The other option I forgot to mention above is the Macpac Hemisphere which still works out a bit more than the Alpkit.

Also the kids scrap as to who gets to go in Mum's tent 'cos the cooking is better

cheers

b

In reply to Babika:

Thanks very much - some very helpful alternative suggestions here which I'll have a look at.

I do agree it's expensive and maybe over specc'd but like that MasterCard advert - piece of mind? Priceless.

In reply to Babika:

http://www.macpac.co.nz/hemisphere-alpine-tent.html
https://www.alpkit.com/products/zhota
http://www.mec.ca/product/5027-674/mec-monadnock-4-tent
https://www.rei.com/product/894568/the-north-face-bastion-4-tent
https://www.rei.com/product/864147/mountain-hardwear-trango-4-tent
http://www.cascadedesigns.com/msr/tents/all-season-tents/stormking-5-person...

That'll do for starters

b

In reply to ben b:

Thanks Ben!

I particularly like the MacPac and the MountainHardware Trango tents. More alternatives around than I thought.

If ever I doubt the need I just need to recall the Glenbrittle campsite last May with storm force winds and horizontal rain for 3 days.........