The Vango Altas 300 is a 3 person dome tent that is provided exclusively to Amazon.co.uk. The tent is black in colour and is water resistant with a rating of 3000 hydrostatic head. According to the manufacturer, it only takes 5 minutes to set up the tent.

Vango claims that the tent is made from fire retardant material with high levels of ventilation and inner storage pockets. The Atlas 300 has a small porch and two entrances, one at each end. Included with the tent are 10 pegs, some grommets, a handy tent repair kit and some spare guy line. The tent’s inner dimensions are 2.15 metres (7.05 feet) by 1.80 metres (5.91 feet) and it is 1.35 metres (4.43 metres) high.

There are 22 customer reviews on Amazon.co.uk at the time of writing with an average rating of 4.5 out of 5 stars. Most reviewers agree that the tent is easy to set up and is water proof. As a matter of fact, one woman said that her husband has used the tent in very bad weather, but no rainwater has penetrated the tent.

A reviewer wrote that he has used the tent at the Download Festival and it remained dry on the inside even during a thunderstorm. Another guy stated that he used the Atlas 300 in Bavaria and it survived a heavy thunderstorm without any issues. Another man wrote that his son has used the tent during a storm in Scotland and he did not have any problems whatsoever.

Although the Atlas 300 is designed as a 3 person tent, some reviewers are also of the opinion that 3 people will have to squeeze in a bit. Having said this, reviewers generally agreed that 2 people plus their rucksacks or luggage fit in just fine.

Most reviewers also agreed on the fact that the Altas 300 is fairly robust. One Amazon customer wrote that this tent is better than other cheap tents he owned. On the negative side, the same reviewer stated that the porch is a bit small.

One Atlas 300 owner wrote that he has used the tent while camping with his Scout troop. The guy said that having two doors made life easier in getting essentials in and out of the camp. In fact he stated that some of his fellow scouts passed positive comments on the usability of the tent.

A man wrote that the tent is spacious and tall and it gives him enough room to move about. The man also stated that being light, the tent is great for carrying around in a bicycle. Another guy wrote that he bought the Atlas 300 for motorcycle trips and he thinks that the tent is perfectly suitable for this purpose.

Quite a few users have commented on the fact that there are not enough pegs with the tent. This is indeed a pity as tent pegs can be bought fairly cheaply nowadays. One user also commented that the pegs that are included with the tent are a bit big and heavy so he decided to replace them with smaller and lighter ones. The same guy also commented that pitch up time is more on the order of 10 minutes than the 5 minutes the manufacturer claims.

For more information about the Vango Atlas 300, please check it out here.

The Alps Mountaineering Meramac 2 Tent is a light and relatively low cost 2 person dome tent. As a matter of fact, the combined weight of the tent and fly is 6 pounds 2 ounces (2.78 kg). At the time of writing, the tent is being sold at $73.03, including free shipping to the US.

The tent has 2 doors and 2 windows which are meant to provide good ventilation. The windows have storm flaps which can be left open when the weather is fine and closed when the weather turns bad. The inside of the tent includes mesh storage pockets which facilitates in keeping personal belongings organized.

The frame of the tent is made of shock corded fiberglass poles, which according to the manufacturer, is strong and durable. Having said this, one can never expect any fiberglass poles to be as strong as aluminium ones. However, aluminium poles are usually only included in more expensive tents.

Thus, while the tent is waterproof, it is not designed to be used in the most extreme weather conditions. Having said this, the tent is still expected to take some weather beating without any issues and guy out loops are there to assist in keeping the tent secure in place.

 

User Reviews on Amazon.com

One reviewer wrote that he did set up the tent without reading any instructions and he did not encounter any issues. The same man said that he used the tent in heavy rain and no water leaked inside.

Another man wrote that he could set up the tent in as little as 30 seconds and it does not take him more than 3 minutes to disassemble it. The man also wrote that the ceiling is not too low and most people can sit in it without any issues.

Most reviewers are of the opinion that the Alps Meramac 2 Tent is more of a single person tent given that a double air mattress does not fit in with ease. A reviewer stated that while he and his partner managed to fit in a double mattress, they thought that they were going to break the tent in the process.

Another reviewer wrote that one can fit a queen size mattress but not a king size one. As a matter of fact, a woman wrote that she and her boyfriend did fit inside the tent without any issues.

A man wrote that he managed to fit in with another person and a small dog. Most reviewers agreed on the fact that if one has a large backpack, the Meramac 2 Tent can only accommodate a single person.

Some reviewers were also impressed with the robustness of the tent. One woman wrote that they have used the tent in a thunderstorm and while other people’s tents were broken, their Meramac 2 Tent did not suffer any damages. A man also wrote that their tent survived several days of high winds and heavy rains without any problems.

At the time of writing, there are no negative reviews for the tent. Having said this, a reviewer is of the opinion that the floor material of the Alps Mountaineering Meramac 2 Tent is not made from very strong material.

For more information about the Alps Mountaineering Meramac 2 Tent please click this link to visit the tent’s official page on Amazon.com.

Before buying any kind of tent, one should have a clear idea of what he or she really requires. For this reason the following questions have to be asked:

1. How many people will be accommodated in the tent?
2. How many days will the camping last?
3. Will the people to be accommodated in the tent have a backpack with them? How large will the backpacks be?
4. Will we be travelling by public transport to the camping site or will we travel by car?

Having a clear answer to each of the above question would ensure that one buys the correctly sized tent. Many people only buy tents according to the number of persons to be accommodated inside the tent. What these people forget to consider is that a large backpack takes as much space as a child. Added to this is the fact that if one intends to get some items out the backpack, then more space would be required in the tent. These items might be a jacket, toiletries and torch in case one needs to go to the toilet during the night or the clothes for the following morning.

 

Is a Single Person Tent Large Enough?

I too was going to make the big mistake of buying a single person tent for my trip to a music festival in June 2014. I ended up buying a Karrimor Elite Ridge 2 person tent from Sports Direct and I have to say that buying a 2 person tent was a very wise decision. The Elite Ridge Tent was just the right size for me and my luggage even considering the fact that I am of very small build. A man of huge built will still fit in together with his backpack but he might find a 3 person tent to be more suitable.

 

Does the Tent have a Porch?

Apart from the luggage size, the type of tent must also be taken into consideration. Due to the way they are constructed, some types of tents include a porch or storage area. While this feature is available in some tunnel tents, most other tent types do not possess such a feature. As a matter of fact semi-geodesic, geodesic, dome and pop-up tents do usually have a storage area.

As a matter of fact, two friends of mine have shared a two person tent between them without any issues at the same music festival I have been to. The tent in question was a Karrimor Discovery 2 Tent. This tunnel tent includes a fairly large porch at one end and sleeping quarters at the other end and thus it is perfectly suitable for any two adults with backpacks and/or luggage.

Being sold at £49.99, €59.99 or $79.98 at the time of writing, the Discovery 2 tent is also £40, €48 or $64 cheaper that the Elite Ridge 2 tent. The reason why I chose the latter is simple – the Ridge 2 tent is more robust than the Discovery 2 tent due to its semi-geodesic shape and aluminum poles. While the Discovery 2 is perfectly suitable as a festival tent, I preferred not to buy any tents with fiberglass poles.

 

Will the Backpacks be kept in the Car?

While a larger tent might be required is one is travelling by bus or train, the situation is different is one is travelling with his or her own vehicle. If the vehicle is parked near the camping site then any luggage or backpacks might simply be kept in the vehicle, thus saving space in the tent.

To conclude, this is a summary of the most important points to remember:

1. When looking for a tent, one should consider the fact that luggage and large backpacks can take the space of one person.
2. Some types of tents include a porch or storage area, making such tents perfectly suitable for those with luggage and/or backpacks.
3. If one is travelling by car then a larger sized tent might not be necessary.
4. If in doubt always go for a larger sized tent.

Anyone looking to buy his or her first camping tent may be confused to learn that there are different types of tents to consider. Camping tents come in different shapes and forms and though some people may only be interested in the price, buying the wrong type of tent is something that one may regret at a later stage. Below are some of the most popular types of tents that one can find on the marketplace.

 

Pop-Up Tents

One of the most popular types of tents is the pop-up tent. Most pop-up tents are relatively inexpensive and can be easily found in many camping sites and festival areas. Apart from the cost, the main reason for the popularity of the pop-up tent is that it is usually very easy to set up. As the name suggests, setting up a pop-up tent is usually a question of placing it on the ground and opening the carry bag. Getting the camp out of the carry bag will cause it to pop-up on its own in a matter of seconds. At this point one would only still need to peg the tent for optimum stability.

Pop-up tents usually use fiberglass poles however they are still relatively stable due to their shape. Having said this, they are not usually meant to be used in very windy conditions. Obviously not all pop-up tents are built the same way and this depends mainly on the type of materials used. As can be expected the higher the price, the better the materials that are used.

However pop-up tents do have their drawbacks and the major disadvantages of the pop-up tent is that it is normally pretty large in its packed form. A packed pop-up takes a circular form, however a one person pop-up tent is usually no smaller than 60cm in diameter. In view of this a pop-up tent would usually need to be carried on its own as unlike many other tent types, as it is almost impossible to carry a pop-up tent in a luggage. Thus a pop-up tent is not really recommended if one is travelling by plane or by train. Obviously, if one is travelling by car to the camp site then it is a completely different story.

 

Dome Tents

Dome tents can be widely found in camping sites as they are not complicated to set up and are usually not too heavy. The most basic form of dome tent consists of a single flexible pole upon which a canvas sheath is then placed on the top. Single pole tents are not usually very stable and proper pegging is essential for ensuring that the tent remains in place in windy conditions.

When using such a tent in bad weather it is usually essential to set it up so that it is looking into the direction of the wind. If the tent is set up in an incorrect orientation it will act as a sail. Even if the tent holds in place it will tent to flap which will make it difficult to sleep in due to the flapping sound.

Most dome tents consist of two or three flexible fiberglass poles crossing each other in the centre. In general, the more the poles, the more stable the tent, especially in the case of smaller tents. Having said this, the larger the tent gets the less stable it usually gets.

 

Tunnel Tents

Another popular type of tent is the tunnel tent. Tunnel tents usually consist of two or more flexible fiberglass poles placed in a semicircular shape. The canvas is placed over the poles forming a tunnel. One of the main advantages of tunnel tents is that they are relatively light while allowing the maximum possible usage of available space.

One can find many models of tunnel tents on the market that are relatively inexpensive. Some types of tunnel tents contain a porch area apart from the sleeping, where one can keep any backpacks, shoes and so on. As a matter of fact, tunnel tents can make excellent family tents.

On the downside is the fact that tunnel tents can be a bit unstable and as a matter of fact, they are not properly suited for bad weather conditions. Proper pegging is essential, especially in the case of larger tunnel tents.

 

Semi-Geodesic and Geodesic Tents

Geodesic tents consist of several flexible poles that cross each other at various positions, forming triangles in the process. Geodesic tents are usually very stable and are built to be used in very windy conditions. In view of this most geodesic tents do not use fiberglass poles in favour of stronger quality poles. Steel and aluminum alloys are two such materials that are widely used in geodesic tent designs.

The materials used for geodesic tents are usually also stronger in order to be able to withstand bad weather. As can be expected, geodesic tents tend to be heavier than some other types of tents. Having said this, some manufacturers make use of strong lightweight materials in order to keep the weight relatively down.

Semi-geodesic tents are similar to geodesic tents; the main difference being that fewer poles are utilized in the process. This makes the tents usually less expensive and lighter to carry around. As can be expected, semi-geodesic tents are not usually meant to be used in conditions of extreme weather. Having said this, most semi-geodesic tents are still perfectly suited for moderate mountaineering expeditions.

 

Ridge Tents

A couple of decades ago, the only tent form one could find was the ridge tent. A typical ridge tent consists of one vertical pole at each end. A canvas is then placed over the poles and everything is held in place by several pegs. Some forms of ridge tent also contain a horizontal pole that is placed on top of the vertical poles. Other variations also do exist and one can find ridge tents with several vertical poles.

Ridge tents are usually pretty stable and provided they are properly pegged some ridge tent models can also be used in bad weather conditions. Small ridge tents tend to be fairly low in height and the limited head height is one of the reasons why many people prefer to go for other types of tents. Having said this, ridge tents are usually available in various sizes, from small one person tents to large tents that can be used by several people at the same time and have ample head space.

 

Pyramid Tents

Pyramid tents are similar to ridge tents with the difference that they only contain one vertical pole. While one can find a several different models on the market, pyramid models are not usually very popular.

The main problem with pyramid tents is the lack of available inside space. While pyramid tents may have enough head space in the centre (at least for sitting up), the low angled walls on the sides is usually a cause of concern. The lack of space maximization can be an issue if one has a large rucksack. The angle of the walls also means that one would need to sleep with his or her face almost touching the inside of the tent. While one might not mind this in warm weather, this may become an issue as the weather becomes cooler.

 

Inflatable Tents

Inflatable tents have only been around for a few years and as a matter of fact, they are still relatively unknown to many people. Inflatable tents do not contain rigid poles as do conventional tents. Instead of pole they contain tubes which when filled with air become rigid causing the tent to stand up on its own.

The advantage of inflatable tents is that they can be set up in a few minutes, mainly depending on the power of the air pump. Inflatable tents are also perfectly suitable for anyone who finds it difficult to pitch up a tent or for people with physical difficulties. High quality inflatable tents have also be designed to withstand stormy weather conditions. On the downside is the fact that inflatable tents are usually more expensive than other types of tents.