UKH

Get advice needed...

I'm torn between the Nordisk Oppland 2 SL, and the Vango Xenon UL 2+. Both are two person tunnel tents with extended vestibules.

Money is about the same (£400+), but the Vango is a 3 season and rolls in at 2.2kg, while the Nordisk is a 4 season and nudges past 3kg.

So, the question is, is it a straight choice, or is there nuance involved - when Vango say 3 season, do they mean 3 season on Cairngorm, or 3 season at the Old Dungeon Gyll? Is the Nordisk much stronger than the Vango, or just a little bit?

It's for 3/4 day backpacking trips in the UK, often with a child in tow - so the weight is important, but possibly not as important as getting a completely different class of weather protection for less than the weight of a bag of sugar...

Cheers.

I can't see anywhere the Nordisk tent being described as 4 season, maybe I'm just being blind though. The Vango one uses a 15 denier fly which from experience isn't that strong. I had the same fly material on a different tent and it got shredded on a windy night in Snowdonia. The Nordisk will almost certainly give you better protection. 

In typical UKC fashion I'd suggest this though

https://valleyandpeak.co.uk/products/lightwave-t20-hyper-xt?dfw_tracker=140... 

I have the Nordisk Oppland SI, and I bought it for 4 season use. Until now I’ve only used it for summer camping in Italy and France, and for that it’s too warm. The ventilation is simply not for 30C and no wind. The fly sheet goes all the way to the ground, but without valences. In winter I’d just shovel snow up the sides if needed. I think it’s very stable and durable. 

Not sure I can help with your dilemma, other than to say I have been very impressed with my Nordisk Oppland 2. I don’t know the vango version.

I have had the Oppland 3 Si for quite a few years now.  Very happy with it, warm, spacious for 2 , stable and good build quality.  

Can't comment on the Vango. 

You will get a lot of opinions, some purely speculative (like mine)...

Other based on partial info (I have XXX, it is stellar, or I had YYY it was crap). Very few have experience of both.

The best you can do, is to really assess the specs (I assume a local shop doesn't have both on display, so you could go there to "kick some tires"). And then try to find generic experience of the brands and their quality (kind of like what you're doing here).

Then add the quality info into the mix of the technical specs, and take your best bet.


For what it is worth, weight can come from two different things... using heavier fabrics/materials ('cause they are cheaper), or using more robust materials (and thus the product ends up being more robust). Can't say which is the case here, again perhaps some background diggin' might shed more light into it...


Oh, and lastly... Remember that most brands try to cater more than just one group of buyers, so some of the stuff is cheaper (and often less refined, and/or more prone to breakin'... being cheap in general). And other models might be more spendy (often, but not always being a higher quality product... so either lighter for the same performance... or more robust). 400 quid 2 person tent isn't imho in the budget bracket, but not in the gucci bracket either. So in the middle I'd say. In which case the weight difference between the models you listed most likely is the materials (I assume the volume/size of them are comparable), is the Nordisk more robust, has more things going for it... or simply using cheaper materials. Can't say.


Sorry to be of no use.

I have the F10 (Vango) Xenon UL 2+.  For the money (I got it for 300) it's a great tent.  Loads of space and plenty light.  For years I used it as my solo hiking tent as it was so light... being a Jacl Reacher size guy, I appreciate the space.  Since getting a Trekkertent Phreeranger, I no longer use the tent solo, but it's still good for dual hiking in mildish conditions.

The good:

- Very light for the size.  Enough so to carry solo (as part of a 11-12 kg load for 4-5 days).

- Vestibule is huge for foul weather cooking and I can even fit a bike in there when I've used it for bike packing.

- Easy to pitch and relatively stable in wind (for a tunnel).  I've had it in some storms in the Carpathians and it did ok.

The bad:

- It is NOT a 4 season tent.  Snow would get under the fly gap and the inner is too close to the fly so transfers moisture.

- It's nylon... a total pain in the wet!  It absorbs a tonne of water and needs to be retentioned if it gets even slightly damp.

- It's UL, but the fabric is thin.  I've had one small tear in the fly and the floor can seep some water in pressure areas.

- Despite one vent, it relies primarily on under-fly venting.

- Did I mention it's f**king nylon?  Horrible material for a tent... never again (except Hilleberg as its got a proper coating).

To be honest, for that price/weight, nothing will be a real 4 season tent.  You just need to ask yourself what you'll be actually using it for 90% of the time.