ProAction One Man Lives!

Phil Cook said:

The old ProAction tent is availabe from here
http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/tg/detail/offer-listing/-/B000N6J8RC/

Did you not manage to get one last time round, Phil? I've not seen
you using one.

My Dad managed to straighten the long pole from PA1 #1 (after New Year
gales at Great Langdale) and I still have PA1 #2 if I need it!

I'm actually thinking of getting a two-man tent for
campsite/car-camping usage. The Pro-Action original Argos tent is
smashing, but I may as well have a little extra space if I'm carrying
everything in the car. A few weeks ago in the Peak District, I
decided it was too windy to cook whilst using the PA1 as the porch is
tiny and there was an increased risk of setting light to the fly;
maybe a bigger tent would be more habitable in harsh weather?
(Although the Akto is still my first choice for backpacking.)

Judith

Judith said:

I'm actually thinking of getting a two-man tent for
campsite/car-camping usage. The Pro-Action original Argos tent is
smashing, but I may as well have a little extra space if I'm carrying
everything in the car.

My thoughts exactly. I'm currently considering the Vango Omega 250, check it
out. Note that the Omega and Beta range are pretty much identical but the
Beta has fibre-glass poles and the Omega alloy poles.

We've been discussing this in the "4 berth tent recommendation sought"
thread. There are plenty of other options, check out the links in the
thread. There are some dome/tunnel hybrids with large porches which may be
more stable in bad weather.

Paul
--
http://www.wilderness-wales.co.uk

Phil Cook said:

The old ProAction tent is availabe from here
http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/tg/detail/offer-listing/-/B000N6J8RC/

Link doesn't work for me, it keeps changing to my Amazon homepage instead.

Not that I need another one...

Paul
--
http://www.wilderness-wales.co.uk

Paul Saunders said:

I'm currently considering the Vango Omega 250, check it
out. Note that the Omega and Beta range are pretty much identical but the
Beta has fibre-glass poles and the Omega alloy poles.

We've been discussing this in the "4 berth tent recommendation sought"
thread.

Er, yes, I was following that thread until someone said "Photoshop".

;-)

Judith

Paul Saunders said:

Phil Cook said:

The old ProAction tent is availabe from here
http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/tg/detail/offer-listing/-/B000N6J8RC/

Link doesn't work for me, it keeps changing to my Amazon homepage instead.

Amazon links are strange. I haven't fully figured them out. I was
trying to make a long URL into something managable.

Does this one work? http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B000N6J8RC/

Quoted message said:

Not that I need another one...

Yeah, I don't really /need/ one but I bought one anyway. But at that
price....
--
Phil Cook, last hill: Heron Pike via Nab Scar.

Judith said:

Phil Cook said:

The old ProAction tent is availabe from here
http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/tg/detail/offer-listing/-/B000N6J8RC/

Did you not manage to get one last time round, Phil? I've not seen
you using one.

No.

Quoted message said:

I'm actually thinking of getting a two-man tent for
campsite/car-camping usage.

That's probably why. I like the space in my semi-goedesic two-man.

Quoted message said:

maybe a bigger tent would be more habitable in harsh weather?

It depends. Some big tents flap about alarminly. My "big tent" is nice
and solid provided I have it pitched in the right direction.

Quoted message said:

(Although the Akto is still my first choice for backpacking.)

I have been musing over getting one or a Laser...

--
Phil Cook, last hill: Heron Pike via Nab Scar.

Talking of the old proaction tent; Argos now do a "disposable 2 person
tent"

http://www.argos.co.uk/static/Product/partNumber/3409756.htm

disposable persons? Now there's an innovation!

Keith

Although with a packed size of "Packed size 24 x 68kg" it might be a
bit on the heavy side. That's what comes of disposing of people I
guess!

Paul Saunders said:

Judith said:

I'm actually thinking of getting a two-man tent for
campsite/car-camping usage. The Pro-Action original Argos tent is
smashing, but I may as well have a little extra space if I'm carrying
everything in the car.

My thoughts exactly. I'm currently considering the Vango Omega 250, check it
out. Note that the Omega and Beta range are pretty much identical but the
Beta has fibre-glass poles and the Omega alloy poles.

We've been discussing this in the "4 berth tent recommendation sought"
thread. There are plenty of other options, check out the links in the
thread. There are some dome/tunnel hybrids with large porches which may be
more stable in bad weather.

Maybe look at a fairly major wendy house family tent with standing
room and space for deckchairs if you're not having to lug it
anywhere and you're assured of benign pitching space. We put up
with pretty disgusting weather over the years camping in a big
family frame tent when I was a sprog: enough guy lines and you need
a /real/ blow to do one much harm (we'd upgraded to a trailer tent
for the Gower in '74, where the extra weight helped it take a Force
9 gale, aside from us only a Force 10 hadn't surrendered!)

At a big camp for the Scottish 6 Days Orienteering a couple of
years back there were hundreds of big family tents like that, with
IIRC a couple of thousand total entrants (many international
arrivals). Roos was there for the week in our Tarra, which is a
nice and spacious 2 person geodesic with plenty of porch space, but
it just can't compete with a (much, much cheaper) family tent for
comfortable space if weight and bulk aren't an issue.

Or you can be a lightweight gear freak /and/ have a huge tent all
at the same time with the Hilleberg Atlas: originally designed for
mobile research stations in the Arctic, you can have one for the
bargain price of £975! Or buy 2, zip them together and use the
extra space for an en-suite swimming pool! ;-)

Pete.
--
Peter Clinch Medical Physics IT Officer
Tel 44 1382 660111 ext. 33637 Univ. of Dundee, Ninewells Hospital
Fax 44 1382 640177 Dundee DD1 9SY Scotland UK
net [email hidden] http://www.dundee.ac.uk/~pjclinch/

Judith <[email hidden]> writes

Quoted message said:

"Photoshop".

<Kill Thread>
--
Gordon H
(Remove invalid to email)

Judith said:

Er, yes, I was following that thread until someone said "Photoshop".

;-)

Whoever could have mentioned that? ;-)

Paul
--
http://www.wilderness-wales.co.uk

Phil Cook said:

Amazon links are strange. I haven't fully figured them out. I was
trying to make a long URL into something managable.

Does this one work? http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B000N6J8RC/

Yeah, that works, thanks.

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Not that I need another one...

Yeah, I don't really /need/ one but I bought one anyway. But at that
price....

Well I've got three already...

Paul
--
http://www.wilderness-wales.co.uk

Phil Cook said:

Quoted message said:

(Although the Akto is still my first choice for backpacking.)

I have been musing over getting one or a Laser...

Although I've heard that the Laser can stand up well to strong winds, I'm
not yet convinced. But I haven't yet used it in really strong winds yet.

My gut feeling is that the Laser wins on light weight, but the Akto probably
wins on ruggedness. The headroom is lower in the Akto and I think it's a
little more aerodynamic, and is probably stronger due to its heavier weight,
so I'd go for that if you plan to use it in a lot of rough weather.
Otherwise the Laser is better for sitting up in, particularly if you're
tall, and has the advantage of two doors, so you can open either side
depending on wind direction, or both when it's hot and you want a panoramic
view.

Paul
--
http://www.wilderness-wales.co.uk

Keith Rhyl said:

Talking of the old proaction tent; Argos now do a "disposable 2 person
tent"

http://www.argos.co.uk/static/Product/partNumber/3409756.htm

Well it's very light for the price, but it probably melts in the rain.

Since it's "Waterproof 800mm", it'll probably stand up okay to a short spell
of fine drizzle. So it's probably a good buy if you want to go camping on a
budget in the Sahara Desert.

Paul
--
http://www.wilderness-wales.co.uk

Peter Clinch said:

Maybe look at a fairly major wendy house family tent with standing
room and space for deckchairs if you're not having to lug it
anywhere and you're assured of benign pitching space.

But how easy is it to pitch something that big on your own? Bill kindly
donated his old frame tent to me, but it was such a hassle to put it up solo
that I never actually used it, hence my desire for a spacious but manageable
tent for campsites. Something that doesn't take an hour to erect!

Quoted message said:

We put up
with pretty disgusting weather over the years camping in a big
family frame tent when I was a sprog: enough guy lines and you need
a /real/ blow to do one much harm (we'd upgraded to a trailer tent
for the Gower in '74, where the extra weight helped it take a Force
9 gale, aside from us only a Force 10 hadn't surrendered!)

A force 9 gale in Gower? That's unheard of! ;-)

Paul
--
http://www.wilderness-wales.co.uk

Judith said:

I'm actually thinking of getting a two-man tent for
campsite/car-camping usage.

You know I mentioned the Vango Omega, which is a slightly more expensive
version of the Beta, with alloy poles rather than fibre-glass. Well they
also do a much more expensive version, the Equinox. Same design, but this is
rated as an expedition/mountain tent. May be overkill for a campsite, but I
just thought I'd mention it if you've got the cash to spare, SRP £220.
http://www.vango.co.uk/products/tentsinfo.asp?typename=160

At the other extreme, if you want a tent just for summer (and it's cheap
enough) have you seen the Khyam Sherpa 2? Only £60. It's got fibre-glass
poles but the big advantage is the huge number of doors and vents that you
can open up and prop up on poles. Now that's what I call ventilation! And
they'll shelter you from the sun as you sit outside. That's one of the main
problems with tents in the summer IMO, too hot to sit in!
http://www.outdoormegastore.co.uk/acatalog/Khyam_Sherpa_2_Leisure_Tunnel_Tent.html

Paul
--
http://www.wilderness-wales.co.uk

Paul Saunders said:

Although I've heard that the Laser can stand up well to strong winds, I'm
not yet convinced. But I haven't yet used it in really strong winds yet.

Well, there's strong winds, and there's strong winds... Force 6 is
a pretty strong wind by a lot of standards, but other people
might define "strong" as "gale force", or even high gale force.

Also, define "stand up well"... I've yet to have my Spacepacker
taken out, and it's been through (I guess) Force 8 in exposed
locations. But it was no fun inside, and every now and again the
pole would bend down and whack the occupants on the head. OTOH it
did stay up and wasn't damaged (even if the pole came out a rather
different shape to that in which it went in!) and I was remarkably
impressed that it did, but if you're comparing "standing up well"
to what a Quasar can do it's just not playing in the same league.
You pays your money (or pack weight) and you takes your choice.

I would expect a Laser to stand up to /most/ of what the UK will
throw at it, especially if pitched well in sheltered locations.
How often does one camp in the "danger zone"? I've had, I'd guess,
half a dozen really worryingly windy nights in ~20 years of fairly
regular camping in lightweight tents: most of the stuff we use
these days is fairly over-specified for what it gets used for.

Quoted message said:

My gut feeling is that the Laser wins on light weight, but the Akto probably
wins on ruggedness. The headroom is lower in the Akto and I think it's a
little more aerodynamic, and is probably stronger due to its heavier weight,
so I'd go for that if you plan to use it in a lot of rough weather.

It's not just wind that deserves ruggedness. Take a look at the
groundsheets and you'll find Hilleberg's idea of "ultralight" is
thicker than Terra Nova's, and a tougher groundsheet will last
longer and allow a freer choice of pitch. As Hilleberg's catalogue
points out, they could make tents lighter, but have chosen a
certain degree of strength to stop at. I think that point is
higher than TN's for ultralights, but that's a difference rather
than a good/bad thing, and it's what helps the Laser weigh in at
less. If you're doing the odd few night's camping the TN may make
more sense, a prolonged trip then Hilleberg's way may seem preferable.

Quoted message said:

Otherwise the Laser is better for sitting up in, particularly if you're
tall,

Worth checking this out by sitting in a pitched example. If the
Akto has enough then I doubt the laser would be better, as enough
is enough, but if it hasn't then it'll be a constant source of
annoyance.

Pete.
--
Peter Clinch Medical Physics IT Officer
Tel 44 1382 660111 ext. 33637 Univ. of Dundee, Ninewells Hospital
Fax 44 1382 640177 Dundee DD1 9SY Scotland UK
net [email hidden] http://www.dundee.ac.uk/~pjclinch/

Paul Saunders said:

But how easy is it to pitch something that big on your own?

Don't know... I'd suggest see if there are any tent shows in your
area and see for yourself. I imagine the sort of thing Wild
Country and Vango are turning out these days is probably rather
easier to get up than the sort of thing my family used to use when
I was a sprog.

Quoted message said:

A force 9 gale in Gower? That's unheard of! ;-)

I'm pretty sure it was '74, check the weather records!

Pete.
--
Peter Clinch Medical Physics IT Officer
Tel 44 1382 660111 ext. 33637 Univ. of Dundee, Ninewells Hospital
Fax 44 1382 640177 Dundee DD1 9SY Scotland UK
net [email hidden] http://www.dundee.ac.uk/~pjclinch/

Paul Saunders said:

At the other extreme, if you want a tent just for summer (and it's cheap
enough) have you seen the Khyam Sherpa 2? Only £60. It's got fibre-glass
poles but the big advantage is the huge number of doors and vents that you
can open up and prop up on poles. Now that's what I call ventilation! And
they'll shelter you from the sun as you sit outside. That's one of the main
problems with tents in the summer IMO, too hot to sit in!
http://www.outdoormegastore.co.uk/acatalog/Khyam_Sherpa_2_Leisure_Tunnel_Tent.html

I may well consider selling my Snowcat. It's a modified Saunders
Galaxy, with a semi-structural optional ridgepole to help with snow
loading. Dimensions are as for the Galaxy, which you can see at
www.robertsaunders.co.uk With the exra ridge pole, and a full
complemet of pegs plus stuffsacks it's 3060g according to my scales.

The inner's not huge, but is plenty big enough for 2 and very
gnerous for 1, and the porch space is colossal. Unhooking the
inner, I've had 8 people inside for breakfast on a rather grotty
morning.

Why am I thinking of selling? Roos has never really taken to it,
and much prefers the Tarra for a base camp, so it's not getting
much use any more.

If anyone's interested, drop me a line and I can describe it
further, send some pictures etc.

Pete.
--
Peter Clinch Medical Physics IT Officer
Tel 44 1382 660111 ext. 33637 Univ. of Dundee, Ninewells Hospital
Fax 44 1382 640177 Dundee DD1 9SY Scotland UK
net [email hidden] http://www.dundee.ac.uk/~pjclinch/