I'm in the process of sorting out a trip from Scotland to Australia via Eastern Europe, India and SE Asia which will include some camping and was looking for some help!

It will be me and my girlfriend (I'm 6' 4") so we were thinking of either a large 2 man or average 3 man tent (geodesic rather than tunnel). I have searched and searched but still can't find any clear winner.

We were thinking of the Mountain Hardwear Trango 2 (we were thinking of getting it from the US for about £250 rather than the £400 over here!) but is a full on expedition tent really necessary? I am a bit concerned about weight but not overly bothered about the size of the poles (at present we are planning to strap the tent to the top of one of our panniers). Oh yeah and the last thing is because we are in Europe there isn't the huge variety that there is in the US so if it could be a tent that is available over on this side of the pond that would be even better

So any hints or pointers would be great.

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The Wonderful Wander To Oz

We bought a Robert Saunders tent. Ours is the mountain trek. Too small for you, but it looked almost identical in design as brands like North Face and Trango, Terra Nova, etc, but was at least £50 cheaper, in some cases more. Packs light, made to order and served us well. we must have slept about 25-30 nights int now.

Have a look on their website at some of the bigger designs. Start on this page and scroll down to suitablility listings.

Suitability

Still looks good, to me!

I would simply invest in hardy footprint (I made mine using PVC rubble bags and a steam iron!!)

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Adventure: it's an experience, not a style!
(so ride what you like, but ride it somewhere new!)

Hi,
I would go for a 3 man tent for the extra space, bikers tend to have a lot of gear, helmets, boots and such.

I just got a ex demo tent on ebay, 2007 Vango Hydro 3+ looks OK for £80.

Have a look at the Vango Equinox 250 or 350

Vango Tent Information

Take a look at Terra nova or Wild country tents
Terra Nova Lightweight backpacking tents - Mountain Tents - Family Tents - family camping - Gloves, Hats and Socks

Before that we used a Wild Country 2 man tent which had a great specification and lasted 14 years, bit tight for space. Although it was expencive it was excellent value.
Wild country have some end of line sales at the moment.
Terra Nova - Factory Seconds and Clearance

Hope this helps, do a search on here and you will find loads of info, like me, many people can only recommend what we have or tried.

Steve

No tent is "perfect" for long people like us. (Nobody makes an 8 foot tent, unless it is for 18 friggin people and weighs in at 45 Kg's.)

Being 6'4" you will have a hard time finding a decent tent. I am almost 6'5" and can relate to this.

I used a 2 man for myself and found it was merely adequate, I now have a 3-4 person and it is great. I have lots of room and I keep allot of gear inside too. I use the following:

Check out the Mutha Hubba by MSR

MSR Mountain Safety Research : Tents : Mutha Hubba™ Fast & Light ® Tent

It's got 2 big doors, which is nice. You can set it up in the dark, while drunk, without a flashlight in 6-8 minutes. My experience with MSR has been good so far. I think it is available in Europe.

Good Luck,

J

I found this product intriguing, particularly when you may get stuck for awhile in some bad weather. I haven't seen it in person, but maybe someone else has.

Biker Tent | Motorcycle Tent | Tent for Bikes | Tent for Motorcycles | Outdoor Camping

Eueka K2 - perfect for me, the missus and room to move . . .

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http://50-degrees-north.blogspot.com/

The Biker Tent posted by Bruce is interesting, but you indicated that weight is a concern, so at 26 pounds the Biker Tent is quite heavy. Typically, if you are looking for a lightweight, small-packing, high-quality tent, you need to go with one of the well-regarded backpacking equipment companies.

For a tall guy who is a little concerned about packed weight, isn't overly concerned about packed size, doesn't need a four-season or expedition grade tent and is sharing floor space with a second person, a great option is the Pine Island 4, a new tent from Big Agnes (Big Agnes). It weighs under 10 pounds, floor dimensions are 100 inches by 90 inches, it has double doors and vestibules for easy in-and-out, 51 inches of head height, packs in a briefcase style soft bag (4"x13"x24") that can be doubled over to fit on panniers, and is priced at $339 (173 GBP or 195 with optional footprint/ground cloth).

Set up is easy - one pole goes to all four corners (segments and sections are shock-corded through two hubs) and a side-to-side mid pole pulls out the walls to create lots of interior volume. The tent proper clips to and hangs from the exoskeleton, and the rain-fly drapes over the whole thing and clips to the corners and sides.

Material is rip-stop polyester rather than nylon, which accounts for the tent's relatively high weight and relatively low price.

Another great tent would be the Parkview 3 (PV3), also by Big Agnes. It is the larger version of the PV2 which came out atop Backpacker Magazine's 2007 search for the best two-person, three-season, double-wall tent in the industry. The PV3 has the same design as the Pine Island 4, with double doors and vestibules, but is smaller (50 vs 62 sq. ft. floor area), lighter (7.5 vs 9.5 pounds), has slightly less headroom (48" vs 51") and is nylon rather than polyester. Packed size with standard pole set is 9"x20", but a 15" pole set, manufactured by Big Agnes exclusively for my company, is available from Full Throttle Camping (Full Throttle Camping).

The standard PV3 is $329. Add the optional footprint/ground-cloth and it is $380 (193 GBP). The PV3-15 (short pole option) is $389 and with footprint would be $439 (223 GBP).

The UK Big Agnes website (Big Agnes UK) does not yet include the Pine Island 4, and the PV3 is priced at 280 GBP without the footprint. The Dealer Locater is helpful - you might not find many Big Agnes products but you can check out a lot of other tents.

Buying imported goods in the UK is costly. Do you have a friend touring the States right now, or a friend from the U.S. heading your way before long? Maybe they could pick something up for you?

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www.fullthrottlecamping.com

I bought a tent from this company a couple of years ago - they even had direct sale at that time. Mine was a 2-person tent - at a special discounted price - because of very minor deficiencies ( nothing I had to worry about). I used the tent for almost 6 years so far and it is just GREAT - small to pack, not that heavy, easy to set-up, 4-season design, 2 entrances, with lots of space ( it is the "Olanka" tent). URL is: Rejka Outgear.

Sorry that it's all in German, but at least you should get an idea. In case of questions, please get with me!

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Absolutely no need to buy a mountain tent at huge needless expense. You can get a tent in Millets for 30 -40- pounds, or get the wonderful Khyam fast erect tents for 70 -100 pounds. Happy camping!

Could you tell me what weather conditions you expect to encounter. For warm climates, being well ventilated and still be insect proof is very important. I am a fair to good weather camper and mine is suitable for both of these. It is not suitable for cold climes though, which is fine as I would not knowing camp in the cold, although last September I had ice on teh tent and grass around me. I bought it from a local supermarket. it is quick erect, no need of pegs although they do make it more stable. It cost £10. four or five years ago. It paid for itself the first night I used it. Chines manufacture has aluminised fabric and fiberglass poles to make its s elf supporting dome shape. Weights very little. 2-3 Kilos perhaps?

You don't want to get a tent with fiberglass poles! They are just too cheap and will break with very little wind only. Then again - I don't know when or where you are planning to use your tent. As for me - yes, 12 months a year, any time I did my motorcycle touring and camping (of course not continuously!!). I experienced temperatures from around -10 degrees Celsius upto high 30's. Besides I am a person who prefers to invest a little more, get something decent and a product that will last for quite some years.

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Thanks for all the replies so far, they have thrown up a few interesting looking alternatives. For a little more info, the tent will be used as often as we can on our trip to the land down under so will be used in hot and cold climates, mainly through Europe and the mountain areas of India. The tent will also be used if we decide to do any winter trekking when we are in Australia/New Zealand and on our return trip through South America (if we decide to make a return trip ) So basically it has to be a cheap, large, light do everything tent ..... easy eh!!?

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The Wonderful Wander To Oz

Hi
You want to check out the BigAgnes website.Their selection of tents cover all you need (the seedhouse range is superb)What you need to remember when camping esp in Iran Pak,India and SE Asia is that a tent you would use in Europe will be like a mini portable sauna in these countries.You need an inner tent made entirely of mesh to allow air flow and a fly sheet that does not go all the way to the ground for the same reason .Otherwise camping wont be much fun.A lightweight (2 season) bag from say snugfit with a silk liner and an inflatable mat (foam no good) make it better.You can get all this gear ,for two, coming in at under 5 kilos.
Have a good,and restful,trip.

Through the years we have owned many tents, all of them in the mid to lower price bracket. I would advise the 3 man Coleman Cobra, for the following reasons:
* its long, very long, the width is adequate for two
* It has two doors and two mossy nets, which is good for hot countries, and you don't have to climb over each other to get in and out
* It has two porches so each of you can store your own wet gear
* Its small and light enough to fit on your pannier

We travelled for six months in Oz with one in 2001 and its still going strong, so its durable and hard wearing, if you google it I'm sure you'll get an up to date price, and remember it's the 3 man not the two man you will need.

Enjoy your trip

Joyce
UK now in Thai

Hi
One of the things i would say is.....durability! even the top names make rubbish tents.

My wife & i come from a background of long distance backpacking & wild camping & have learnt from bitter experience that the best tents:

• have 2 openings
• have 2 porches/ stores, 1 for gear & 1 for cook.
• Easton aluminium poles (they kink instead of breaking ( can be splinted)
• Have high ceiling enough to have a mesh 'loft' for drying kit.
• big enough to chill out in if it rains alot.
• strong waterproof base.
• high entrance for getting in & out after a night on the cold ground.
• Quick & easy to pitch in rain.
• Sub 3kg.

I know this is probably just for dodgy climates (wet) but we have tried at least 15 tents in the last few years! & have found we use either the tried & tested Terranova Quasar (the tent of legends) or the VauDe Mark 2 (3 man my favourite). The other 'top name' tents such as North Face just seem too flimsy after a year of use (we have tried 3).

I personally would avoid any non-geodesic type as the tunnel types are a bit like sleeping with a flappy sheet overhead by comparison & are a sod to put up on anything but a croquet lawn. I would also carry a big US or german army rainsheet in case you have to do any bike maintenance, these have kept me dry a few nights fettling & weigh virtually nothing when rolled up with the tent. The latest thing in tents seems to be to use large mesh side panels in the inner to save weight which is fine in the day but cool down drastically at night in anything but the hottest climates & therefore recommend a fully sealable inner for those super-cold nights, you can then carry a lighter sleeping bag.

Good luck with the shopping & remember....if it leaks....its trash & take it back no matter what the shop says!

Regards

Tim