anybody else wants a tent consider all year rounder husky fighter 3 , around 200 euros , guys on himlayas use it a lot and swear on it

A mountain tent is overkill for bike camping and unnecessarily expensive.

On the face of it I'd agree. Not only are they more expensive but they're bulkier and heavier as well. Here's a picture comparison between two of mine, an "old skool" mountaineering tent and a recently bought (2010) cheap and cheerful festival type tent. Both are two man capacity with similar amounts of porch storage.




The top one weighs in at around seven kilos. That's well over twice the weight of the bottom one and it feels like it when you pick them up.

So why do I bother with the heavy, bulky one? Partly it's because when the weather takes a turn for the worst I know it's going to survive. I've spent many days inside it sheltering from thunderstorms and nights where I'm not worried about non stop rain and / or high winds because I know it's not going to leak or blow down. It's over 20yrs old now without any real sign of decay so I'm still happy to use it regularly. Having that confidence in the tent does make for relaxing nights - it does for me anyway.

It also makes the cost per year a lot more acceptable. I'm not a gear junky and I'm not really bothered whether I have this years model or not. When I buy something it tends to get used until it falls apart and then replaced. The high initial purchase price can be painful but spread over 20+yrs (or in the case of my Vango Force 10 nearly 40yrs) it represents a lower cost per year than the smaller one above. That's only a couple of years old but already it's showing signs of wear despite only being used for dry(ish) summer nights. I'd guess another couple of years and that'll be it for that tent. I've no problems with it though, it was cheap and on hot nights it's better ventilated than the heavyweight ones. It's when the weather turns nasty that the overspecced tents earn their keep. I've been flooded out of enough campsites over the years to value the extra weather resistance that mountaineering tents incorporate.

I must say, Back, that I can't see past the Khyam tents. For bike travel I think they are fantastic. Now on sale at 30£ reduced from 70£. But till you said you weren't a gear junkie, I didnt mention this tent because I know that there are some (not on this thread) who think that dearer means better. And the Khyam is suitable for purpose, unlike a mountain tent for biketravel needs. But people want sophisticated tents so .........

I have an Exped venus II tent. Quite expensive was it. Used it in my M/C trip to Europe in May-June.

For such expensive tent, it kept me cold inside though lightweight and easy to set up and down.

I don't agree with Caminando "A mountain tent is overkill for bike camping and unnecessarily expensive.". If you have harsh and strong weather, good equipment is must.

My Exped tent is for summer only.

Next time I will take a mountain tent even for spring rides.

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"where the traveller goes, nobody knows ! "

If any one is still looking......You wont go far wrong with the vango spirit 200. 2.5kg's, sleeps 2 comfortably and shed loads of porch space. I've had the same one for about 4 years and stilll going strong. infact i had it up last week in torrential north wales rain and strong winds without any probs at all. half the price ( £240) of my previous terra nova and just as good, if not better!

I did the usual thing of getting a 2-man tent for solo travel. Mine was a cheap-as-chips Eurohike in a Milletts sale - under £20. It was a two-man tent if the two men were each 9 stone and very good friends. I am 15 stone and it fitted so closely that my Danish friends called it my 'condom'.

So the next tent I went for was a Vango Beta 350 (similar design to Touring Ted's Omega 350 but I would guess lower quality). Ebay, one season's use, £38. This is a three-man tent (after my experience with the Eurohike) and I could have parties in there! It's huge - possibly too big for solo trips. The porch is great though and takes all my bike gear, plus it is high enough for me to sit upright in a camping chair. The sleeping area can take a double airbed if necessary. It's a very nice tent, and well made. I carry it strapped across the seat, so I can't comment if the poles will fit into panniers or not. Never let me down, so I would say a big +1 for Vango.

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