We’ve become used to laying out some serious money when glamping but how about on the bog standard two man? There has been some notable attempts by the big brands to make their tents more interesting but Field Candy are taking the concept to a new level, basing their entire business around a range of designer tents. Each tent is limited to a few hundred and has been created by a designers such as David Bowie artwork creator Terry Pastor.

A designer tent?

The designs range from the comparatively understated Rule Britannia to the garish Don’t be a Leopard. All the designs scream for attention and are at odds with the understated , naturally coloured teepees and bell tents that have been popular in 2011.

The tent itself is a traditional two man ridge tent with a 100% cotton inner sheet and an impressive build quality that is comfortably reflected in the price. A basic black model is £265, rising to £650 for a ‘Terry Pastor’. You’re truly paying for the designer label here, with over the half the price accounting for the picture on the flysheet. In the world of fashion this is normal practise but it’s new to camping, traditionally you spent more on a tent and you would get, well, a better tent! It will be interesting to see how these flysheets ‘fly’.

You could certainly get a lot more tent for your money if you went with a traditional brand but as camping’s popularity has soared the designer tent is a striking symptom of how ‘cool’ it has become. They may have missed a trick with no Glastonbury in 2012 to showcase their designs but we love (some of) the designs and hope we a see a bit more leopard print in our fields next season.

Field Candy Tents is from Campr - Everything Camping

There comes a time when every casual camper grows tired of cheap tents and looks for a proper tent. And while there is a massive choice of tents available for camping holidays and festivals with friends, the Vango EOS 350 gives you quite a lot of tent for your money, making it a very sensible choice if you’re looking for your first decent tent.

Vango have been making tents for over 40 years with a particular emphasis on enhancing the outdoors experience. As a result, there’s a huge range of Vango tents, all renowned for being incredibly reliable without costing a fortune. So what makes the EOS 350 so special?

Technical Specifications

Berth: 3 (realistically 2)
Doors: 2
Height (cm): 145.00
Length (cm): 435.00
Width (cm): 220.00
Flysheet Hydrostatic Head (mm): 3000
Groundsheet Hydrostatic Head (mm): 10000
Weight (kg): 6.15
Pack Size (cm): 65 x 19 x 18 cm

Pitching:
With colour coded poles to assist us and pre attached guylines, this tent was really easy to pitch, even for beginners. Although the instructions were rather ambitious stating that it only takes 10 minutes. But maybe that comes down to practice?  It also pitches fly sheet first, so you’ll have a dry night if you’re pitching in the rain.

Bedroom Space:
We don’t think that 3 adults could lie comfortably for more than one night, but for two people there’s plenty of room with space on each side for all your kit.

Porch space:
The porch is incredibly spacious for a tent of this size, providing plenty of room to sit and eat while storing all our kit and even keeping our wet waterproofs away from everything else. The only downside is that the porch doesn’t have a storm flap, so it can get chilly when it’s windy. But this doesn’t really matter in mild weather.

Groundsheet:
With a Hydrostatic Head of 10,000 the ground sheet has a high value of the waterproofness and a good bath tub design so that water definitely wouldn’t get in from below.

Doors:
We soon learned to be careful when using the doors, because after rain we were likely to get wet. Because the tent doesn’t have great gutters, the rain runs down the tent when you open the door. It’s a basic design flaw, but things weren’t so bad once we used an old towel as a door mat. It’s still not ideal though.

Conclusion

As tunnel tents got, the Vango EOS 350 is good value for money with a double entrance and large porch that provides ample storage space for large items. It’s also easy to carry as it can be split into three sections while being quick and easy to pitch for beginners.
On our last trip the tent withstood a night and a half of heavy rain and strong winds without leaking. Although we did have to slightly re-tighten the guy ropes in the morning. The reflective webbing also caught the light in the evenings, making it much easier to spot amongst the constantly changing tent arrangements at our campsite.

So if you’re looking for your first good quality tent and you don’t want to pay a great deal, then the Vango EOS 350 comes highly recommended. Especially when you get so much tent for your money.

The Vango EOS 350 is exclusive to GO Outdoors and considering just how spacious it is compared to other tents of a similar price, we think GO Outdoors have done very well for themselves. Fortunately, with their stores dotted across the length and breadth of the UK, it makes finding a Vango EOS 350 very easy, which can only be a good thing. It also means that there are a plentiful supply of spare parts should anything need replacing.

Vango EOS 350 Tent Review is from Campr - Everything Camping

Well, we’re bored of retro. If you bought a pop-up tent and tried to put it back in the bag you may feel you’ve been burnt by tent technology. But progress must go on, contemporary tent designers are using modern materials to create outlandish tents that solve problems our forefathers could never have envisioned.

OK, some of these don’t exist yet but when you’re charging your iPhone 8GP from your in-tent hookup point at Glastonbury 2016 you’ll be glad you didn’t opt for the Bell Tent.

‘Bedu’ Emergency Rapid Response

‘Bedu’ Emergency Rapid Response

The Bedu Emergency Response (BERR?) unit is aimed at disaster zones, placing all your survival needs into a big orange barrel.

The kit includes a funky looking tunnel tent and some very pale looking people. Designer Toby McInnes should contact Micheal Evais, a few of these wouldm’t go amiss at most Glastonburys. Via Yankodesign

Orange Solar Concept Tent

Orange Solar Concept Tent

Another useful addition to the Glastonbury camping experience, the Orange Solar Concept Tent uses “photovoltaic”  solar threads to create flexible solar panels so the entire tent becomes a solar panel.

This allows the tent to become a wireless internet hub, glowing beacon and powerpoint (for plugs, not presentations. That would be dull).  Topping this off is a heated groundsheet. No word on how the tent copes with mud, cider or drunken hippies tripping into it’s fragile, electronic shell.

Kahuna Adventure Tent

The Kahuna Kayak

Combining a tent and Kayak, the Kahuna Adventure tent is designed by Mario Weiss as a solution to the age old problem of pitching your Kayak at night. The tent is housed in the outrigger and forms a camp bed when pitched.

But like the Orange Solar Concept Tent and the Bedu Emergency Rapid Response the Kahuna Kayak doesn’t exist and maybe never will. So in the spirit of concept design we propose the Campr Super Tent: The Campr Super Tent can fly (like Superman), has a food replicator (like in Startrek) and pitches itself (Oh… that does exist, sort of).

If you would like to develop this proposal just drop us a line at whatwaswrongwithcanvasanyway@campr.co.uk

Via Yankodesign

Outwell Indian Lake

Outwell Indian Lake

This one you can buy!

The Outwell Indian Lake combines the iconic form of a classic tipi with modern tent materials. Housing up to six people the Indian lake improves on the traditional tipi with windows and a front porch. We wouldn’t recommend starting a fire in the centre though.

Clark Vertex Jungle Hammock

Clark Vertex Jungle Hammock

Another hyprid of the classic and modern, Clark specialises in contemporary Jungle Hammocks.

If you have ever scrambled into a traditional hammock you’ll know the peril of rolling onto your side – you may end up on the ground. But Clark Hammocks have an innovative ‘no-tip’ design, built in pockets and multiple points of entry.

The Vertix is their top of the line model taking two jungle swingers… cosy!

5 Futuristic Tents is from Campr - Everything Camping

Take care of your tent

With the first week of August behind us we may only have a few weeks of warm weather ahead of us sadly and so this is really the ideal time to pitch our tents and get to work with some cleaning and re proofing products.

The best way to clean a tent properly is to firstly choose a bright sunny day, pitch the tent and then take some time and have a good look over it, both inside and out, for any signs of mould that may have crept into the fabric from a damp guy line or a tent that was not completely dry when last packed away.

Mould is a living organism and it needs to be killed or it will spread rapidly. However, in its early stages it can be easily missed as the black dots that start the process can be minimal so look carefully.

If you are unlucky and the dreaded black dots have found a new home in your tents fabric you need to get yourself a bucket, a clean sponge, and a bottle of Milton Sterilising Fluid.

1. Prepare and sponge

Mix 1 part of Milton fluid with 10 parts warm water and gently sponge the solution into the area affected and then leave it for around half an hour before thoroughly rinsing the area with clean cold water.

Sunlight will also help to kill any mould spores as will a little Lemon Juice, but be very careful as this will bleach some fabrics.

2. Cleaning the grime

Fabsil Tent Cleaner

Once any mould has be delt with, and lets hope you were able to skip that stage, its time to look at cleaning the tent of general mud and grime that may have been picked up during the season. Again a bucket of warm water to start with and then add a general cleaner such as Fabsil Universal Cleaner or Nikwax Tech Wash but NEVER be tempted to use a detergent type washing powder as this will strip a tents water repelant qualities.

Bucket and soft sponge in hand and starting at the top of each panel, wash downwards to ensure the dirt is washed away and not into the fabric.

Always wash a complete panel, even if only a small area is dirty, otherwise you may end up with a rather patchy looking tent when dry. Once all the panels have been cleaned thouroughly wash down the tent with plain water. This is to ensure that all the cleaning solution is washed out of the fabric.

Now leave the tent to dry naturally in the sun and go and put the kettle on, you deserve a cuppa by now.

3. Re proofing your tent

Fabsil Waterproofer

Now that you have a clean tent its time to look at re proofing the flysheet. Waterproofing a tent not only helps to keep it watertight, it also helps prevent UV damage to the material over time.

Again Fabsil and Nikwax do a great range of re proofing products but it is always best to check that the solution you buy is suitable for your tents flysheet fabric as cotton, polycotton or polyester flysheets all differ slightly in the way they repel water and as such the re proofing solution should be purchased to match your tents fabric.

Also some solutions need to be applied when the tent is damp whilst others require the tent to be totally dry, so again read the instructions on the tin before you start and always make sure that the tent is totally dry before packing it away as some treatments can become very sticky if packed away before they have dryed fully.

4. Check for damage

Lastly, check all zips for damage and if need be run a wax candle up and down the teeth a few times to help smooth the zips movement. Tent pegs should be washed off in a bucket and dried before packing away and guy lines checked and replaced if necessary.

You can now pack your tent away in the knowledge that when the time comes, and the sun breaks through again next year, that you will be ready, with a clean, waterproof and fault free tent for the first of many trips throughout the season.

Cleaning and Reproofing your tent is from Campr - Everything Camping

The company philosophy is “Respect for man and nature” and they heavily support and enforce the green ethics approach in all of their manufacturing whilst at the same time producing equipment that is without doubt second to none.

A beautiful tent

We tested one of their more recent models, the Lodge 6 Air, a family sized frame tent made from the company’s own untreated poly cotton known as their Air range. The Air indicates that the material is a natural, untreated weave, of poly cotton which allows greater air circulation throughout the tent. The fabric is considerably heavier than other poly cottons available and feels more like a high quality smooth cotton canvas with a reassuring weight and strength and at every seam the stitching is perfectly straight and very neatly finished with no hint of over stitching or cut threads anywhere.

The framework, of preformed alloy poles, is even finished to a high standard with an anodised smooth finish to the poles and secure joints that give a strong and robust feel to them. Once formed simply locate each pole into one of the 5 sleeves, connect the ring and pin system and peg out, pitching this tent is simplicity itself.

The inner pods are suspended by simple ring and peg points and give ample room, in 2/3 separate pods for a family and all their essentials. The larger of the two pods has a zipped dividing panel to give one large or two double rooms and each room has storage pockets and secondary mesh panel to the doors. The living area is vast measuring just short of 3 mtrs x 4.65 mtrs and 2.35 mtrs high and comes with a large organiser pocket system to keep thing tidy.

There are 3 doors into the Lodge, one on either side, both with secondary mesh panels and an external rain cowl to keep things dry, and a 3rd and very clever main front door set within a larger zipped panel incorporating a large side window which can be completely opened up to increase the living area into the large covered front canopy. To finish off the lodge there is a heavy-duty zip in ground sheet to ensure that the entire living area is kept dry and draft free as well as zipped power access points.

Pure Quality

To sum up, this is more than just another good family sized tunnel tent, this is pure quality through and through, even down to the subtle colours of the flysheet this tent just oozes perfection.

The Lodge Air range is available in 2, 4 and 6 birth configurations for most needs and I would suggest that a look around the Nomad website at some of their other creations would be time well spent as they do make some very nice looking tents:

The Nomad Lodge 6 is £1360 direct from Nomad

Nomad Lodge 6 Air Review is from Campr - Everything Camping

Created by The Monster Factory and sold by Firebox.com the VW Camper Tent  is a 4 man tent that will make you stand out amongst the more traditional campers this summer.  With original vans fetching up to £25,000 this may be the closest many of us get to a night in a VW Camper. The tent is available in red, yellow and blue and has two rooms with the tent doors even positioned to open like the original VW Camper Van doors.

There is 182cm of headroom and the tent weighs in at a credible 12.5kg.

Retro camping a go-go

“We are incredibly excited about the VW Camper Van Tent”, says Ryan Collins, Head of Buying at Firebox.com “Not only is it on trend, with the 1970s already taking over summer fashion, but we believe there will be a huge appetite for retro themed camping products. In fact, we predict the VW camper tents will become as iconic as the van itself.”

The VW Camper Tent is available in Red, Yellow and Blue

We’re tickled by the VW Camper Van Tent, it’s not going to replace your favourite Outwell but if you’re looking for something to take to a festival or want to stand out amongst the ‘cool campers’ in their tasteful teepees then the VW Camper Tent could be for you. If you don’t like it, just chill (man).

The VW Tent is £299.99 from firebox.com and also available from iwantoneofthose.com with a FREE festival bundle worth £70!

Order now

VW Camper Van Tent is from Campr - Everything Camping

If you’re going to any festivals this summer and think you’re going to behave badly it’s only appropriate you kip in the dog house. The Dog House tent is a two man (canine?) single skin tent complete with complimentary dog bowl!

The Dog House Tent is another Monster Factory product, after their VW Camper Van Tent caused a stir with it’s exact replica of a classic VW Camper Van tent. If anyone has any ideas for more novelty tents bark them in the comments and we’ll woof them over to Monster Factory.

Whilst not for serious camping the tent is big enough for fair sized two pups, measuring 120cm(W) x 110cm(H) x 200cm(D) with a 3000mm by 1100 mm groundsheet. A waterproof seam will stop water or anyone cocking  a leg outside your camp ground. The tent weighs 2.8kg so you’ll have the strength to carry a few more cases of the scooby snacks that’ll make sleeping in a dog house a good idea.

The Dog House Tent is £59.99 from Firebox.com

The Dog House Tent is from Campr - Everything Camping

The Topeak Bikamper is one of the most compact, lightweight one person tents available and achieves this with a unique twist.

Weighing in at an amazing 1.63kg this poll free tent tent uses the front forks of any 25″ mountain bike or 700c road pike to pitch the tent. So if you want to extend your next bike ride overnight the Bikamper is an amazing lightweight solution, and if someone tried to nab your bike you’d know about it!

Topeak make a huge range of innovative cycling accessories and the Bikamper is one of their most innovative releases to date. When packed the tent is around the size of a regular travel pillow yet boasts a three-season rating. The tent body is water resistent urethane coated 45d ripstop nylon whilst the fly is fully waterproof. The floor is made from 70D 210T taffeta nylon with 3000 mm PU. Three mesh windows allow ventilation and gazing out to the trail whilst it’s pouch is even designed to fix to handlebars.

Innovative tents!

We love innovative tents like the Bikamper, modern materials are pushing camping into more and more places as the days of bags and bags of polls and leaky tents recede into memory. From the Vango Airbeam solving the problem of pop-up tents to the hilarious VW Camper Van Tent we are seeing a real rush of innovation this year.

What sci-fi tent would you love to pitch? Tell us in the comments!

Product info

The Topeak Bikamper is £148 from Wiggle.co.uk

Topeak Bikamper is from Campr - Everything Camping

Teepee (also tipi, tepee and teepee) tents are instantly recognisable for their conical structure. Popularised by the Native Americans from the Great Plains, Teepees (also known incorrectly as a Wigwam) were traditionally made from animal skins and bark. But today you’re more likely to find a polycotton or polyester tipii that has additional mod cons. Modern tepees are relatively easy to pitch due to their single poll construction and their large sleeping capacities making them one of the cheapest ways to sleep up to twelve people.

Teepees make a great summer tent (most are single lined so not suitable for winter!), so as well as looking cool you’ll be sleeping cool.

We’ve rounded up a selection of the best…

Cath Kidston Cowboy Tepee Tent

The Cath Kidston Cowboy Teepee Tent

Cath Kidston have always had distinctive range of camping gear, and the The Cath Kidston Cowboy Tepee Tent proudly continues the trend. Teepees and glamping go hand in hand, there is nothing more luxurious than the image of a animal skin filled tent on the great plains and Cath Kidston have put their retro twist on this iconic style of tent.

The Cowboy Teepee will sleep up to three people and is considerably larger than it appears in the picture! A reg flag tops off the point making it a doddle to find at festivals and the cowboy print is a classic Cath Kidston touch. If you want to take the accessorising one step further they offer a matching sleeping bag. It’s only a single skin tent but it wears it’s summer leanings on it’s sleeve, anyone pitching up in Autumn would look rather out of place.

The Cath Kidston Cowboy Tepee is £75 from Cathkidston.co.uk

Outwell Indian Lake Tipi Tent

The Outwell Indian Lake

The current daddy of Tepee tents, don’t let the form factor fool (say that triple fast) you, the Outwell Indian lake is a serious tent. It will sleep up to six people and boasts four panoramic windows with roll down curtains. The Tepee form is not just for show with the roof vent creating a cooling affect.

An adjoining porch is a useful feature with a detachable bathtub groundsheet and it will pitch flysheet first or as one, supported by just one telescopic alloy poll. The tent stands at over three meters high and has two bedrooms with an adjoining living area. It’s not going to be suitable for a extreme camping expedition and at 36kg it’s fairly heavy but the cotton canvas will make it a great summer tent.

If you looking for a Teepee that will serve as a general purpose family tent with style, the Outwell Indian Lake is good bet.

The Indian Lake is £699.99 from Yeomans Outdoors

NORDISK Cotton teepee tent SIOUX 12

The Nordisk Soux

The Nordisk Cotton tepee tent is another serious cotton canvas tent that will sleep up to twelve (!) people. A more traditional design than the Indian Lake, the Nordisk Sioux consists of a single suspended poll with one large sleeping area giving it an impressive weight of 12kg for such a large capacity tent.

There is no groundsheet and it’s a single skin so like most modern Teepees it’s best suited to one season camping. But if you’re looking for a modern light weight teepee with high quality materials and a more classic design than the Indian Lake the Nordisk Sioux could be the Teepee for you.

The Nordisk Sioux is £498 from Amazon.co.uk

Skandika Tipii 300

The Skandika Tipii 300

We previously featured The Skandika Tipii 300 and it’s still one of the best budget teepees available. Again it’ll sleep up to twelve and has a single skin with a  central poll. There are reports online of slightly dubious build quality (the central poll snapped in high winds) but at a fraction of the cost of some teepees the Skandika is worth a look if you will be camping only in the high season.

The Skandika Tipii 300 is £179 from Amazon.co.uk

Tesco 12 Man Teepee

Tesco 12 Man Teepee

Another good budget option from Tesco, the new frills 12 man teepee is part of their camping gear range and the cheapest in our roundup at £143. Very similar in size and weight to the Skandika the Tesco is slightly cheaper and has a built in window.

Whilst we prefer the classic white of the Skandika the Tesco is a great option if you’re looking for a reliable budget tent.

The Tesco 12 Man Teepee is £143 from Tesco.com

Vango Peace Tipi 800

The Vango peace Tipi 800

The Peace Tipi 800 is an 8 man polycotton tepee from the ever reliable Vango. As a polycotton tent the Peace Tipi 800 is breathable which if we have another scorching summer could make the Peace Tipi 800 a great festival option. The lack of shade at festivals makes hot weather camping a chore, so this single skin, easy to pitch Teepee is a great choice if you’re heading to Glastonbury this summer. Fingers crossed on the weather!

The Peace Tipi 800 is £182 from Amazon.co.uk

Photocredit

The Best Teepee Tents is from Campr - Everything Camping

We have been through various configurations of polyester tents and we have hauled a few cotton canvas frames around in our time, we have even triedother Outwell’s before the BL6, the last one being a Norfolk Lake, but the Bear just ticks all the boxes for so many reasons.

Outwell’s Poly Cotton

Outwell’s Poly Cotton, in our opinion, is about the best mix of polyester and cotton on the market, the feel of the tent every time you step inside is reassuringly solid, warm and quiet with no fluttering or flapping of the flysheet. The alloy framework is simple to erect with all the poles being the same and once the two side brace bars are slotted into place and adjusted the bear stands strong and firm. The heavy duty zip in groundsheet fits snugly and pegging out is child’s play, in fact it is possible to pitch the bear single handed in about 45 minutes with a bit of practice.

Once pitched and all pegged out the inner sleeping pods slot simply into place and offer either 2 seperate compartments, a 4 and a 2 birth, or with the internal divider unzipped and rolled back one large sleeping pod with 2 low level windows and handy storage pockets at both ends. Both doors are double zipped and have full mesh panels and between the two doors, on the outside of the sleeping pod, is a handy range of storage pockets that gives you a place to put those odds and ends that normally end up being left on a table and in the way.

Large family tent

The living area is large enough for the family on those wet days but when its fine and time to head out then there are three doors, one central on the front panel and two directly opposite each other on each side of the tent.

The two side doors have mesh panels, as do both the opening side windows, which allows you to unzip and roll back the doors in warmer weather to allow air to circulate whilst keeping the bugs at bay. The main door, on the front panel, is protected by the large canopy which during rainy times is a god send as the tent remains dry when the door is open, the main problem with the Norfolk and most other tents we found, whilst also large enough to offer a shady spot to sit under when the sun does come out.

Outwell Bear Lake 6 Interior

All in all the bear lake is the perfect family tent in our books, it leaves you feeling secure and comfortable no matter what the weather is like outside, yet is simple to pitch and will last a lifetime if its looked after properly.

The perfect tent?

So why have I not scored it a 5 out of 5 ? Firstly the curtains on the two front windows roll from the bottom upwards and the velcro tabs at the top are not strong enough to hold the curtain flat against the window so they sag badly. We simply stitched 2 small plastic rings to the flysheet on both sides and toggles to the top of both curtains to overcome the problem. Secondly, and this is not just a fault with the BL6, Outwell’s quality control, check all the stitching the minute you get the tent home as they have been known to not be perfect every time.

Oh and one finally tip, treat all the pole joints to a dab of dry lube, a non silicone one though, as this will stop the annoying squeak at 3am.

The Outwell Bear Lake 6 is £949.99 at Amazon.

This review can also be read on In a Tent

Outwell Bear Lake 6 Tent review is from Campr - Everything Camping