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Tent and camping mattress advice


Funkyfairy!
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Folks

I'll be onsite and camping next year for 3 weeks, (yes super excited) but that does for me bring new challenges

I last camped 8 years ago at Glastonbury so this is a newish / out of practice  experience, and since then have always hired a van and had the comfort of a van

So I'm looking for any advice on what tent and camp mattress to buy , bearing in mind its needs to be OK for a fair amount of time - yippppeeee

Anyone got a blackout tent - I guess they stay cooler, but are they worth it ?

Anyone got an inflatable tent (they didn;t even exist 8 years ago from memory) - pro's and cons

And I have no idea what I should be looking for in a camping matress, last time I had a 12.99 one from Millets and it deflated rather easily

I guess for a tent, ability to stand up would be great, and a porch in which to sit under

Do you think it would be better to buy a tent etc now while some are in end of season sales or are there normally deals to be had into the New Year ?

Any tips would be greatly appreciated

 

 

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If weight isn't an issue, i'd go for a camp bed like this:

https://www.decathlon.co.uk/camp-bed-camp-bed-60-blue-id_8382705.html

I have a similar metal framed one which I use with a Thermarest and I find it pretty comfortable for camping. I've not used the inflatable one posted above but have found that whenever I sleep on something inflatable it doesn't hold the air throughout the night.

Edited by Johnnyseven
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50 minutes ago, crazyfool1 said:

im seriously considering this one for a more comfortable night ... someone posted it on here before 

 

https://www.decathlon.co.uk/air-inflatable-camp-bed-70-cm-id_8352099.html

I'd definitely go for one of these with a thermarest at the very least - if you are camping for 3 weeks the comfort of your bed will be more important than usual.  If you are driving on site and not having to lug everything across site there are good frame camping beds which might be better than an inflatable one.

 

Regarding the blackout tents, check out this thread:

 

 

 

Edited by karaseen
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1 hour ago, crazyfool1 said:

im seriously considering this one for a more comfortable night ... someone posted it on here before 

 

https://www.decathlon.co.uk/air-inflatable-camp-bed-70-cm-id_8352099.html

I’ve got this and slept on it in G2017. Probably the best sleep I’ve had at a festival. The thing that used to wake me up was cold rising up through the ground though so it helped that I was raised up on it. Also if you get two you can clip them together (to share with your other half of course, not just to be super luxurious). It’s a little bit tricky to get back into the bag with a 5 day hangover but not too bad.

I did sleep on it at home recently though (gave my bed to friends) and found it a bit hard and quite small but then I think you’re in a different mindset at home than you are at a festival. 

I use one of those self inflating matresses by Mountain Equipment on top of the camp bed. I think they retail at about £50 now but I think we paid a bit more when we bought them back in 2009 but it’s seen me through a LOT of festivals and is just really lightweight and dead easy to blow up. 

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29 minutes ago, Phoenix Girl said:

I’ve got this and slept on it in G2017. Probably the best sleep I’ve had at a festival. The thing that used to wake me up was cold rising up through the ground though so it helped that I was raised up on it. Also if you get two you can clip them together (to share with your other half of course, not just to be super luxurious). It’s a little bit tricky to get back into the bag with a 5 day hangover but not too bad.

I did sleep on it at home recently though (gave my bed to friends) and found it a bit hard and quite small but then I think you’re in a different mindset at home than you are at a festival. 

I use one of those self inflating matresses by Mountain Equipment on top of the camp bed. I think they retail at about £50 now but I think we paid a bit more when we bought them back in 2009 but it’s seen me through a LOT of festivals and is just really lightweight and dead easy to blow up. 

no other half at the mo hence the time to do the fancy dress  :) so the luxury of a big enough tent to stand up up and one of these will be great :) thanks for the recommendation you have persuaded me 

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3 hours ago, Funkyfairy! said:

Folks

I'll be onsite and camping next year for 3 weeks, (yes super excited) but that does for me bring new challenges

I last camped 8 years ago at Glastonbury so this is a newish / out of practice  experience, and since then have always hired a van and had the comfort of a van

So I'm looking for any advice on what tent and camp mattress to buy , bearing in mind its needs to be OK for a fair amount of time - yippppeeee

Anyone got a blackout tent - I guess they stay cooler, but are they worth it ?

Anyone got an inflatable tent (they didn;t even exist 8 years ago from memory) - pro's and cons

And I have no idea what I should be looking for in a camping matress, last time I had a 12.99 one from Millets and it deflated rather easily

I guess for a tent, ability to stand up would be great, and a porch in which to sit under

Do you think it would be better to buy a tent etc now while some are in end of season sales or are there normally deals to be had into the New Year ?

Any tips would be greatly appreciated

 

 

As far as the tent goes, someone had posted the thread for the Fresh and Black tent. Can't recommend it enough, let's you easily sleep in till noon and isn't really that much more than a big standard tent. From memory I think you might need to spend a fair bit more however to get one with a porch.

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That inflatable bed looks interesting- from the pic it looks like the large gaps could make the mattress above squidge through- but presumably not. For 3 weeks and with a vehicle I think I can understand the need. I'm still using my Therm-a-rest Pro XL from a ridiculous number of years ago. Still going strong and therefore was absolutely worth the large price tag. Very light and comfy.

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If you're camping for 3 weeks then I would say.

  1. Make sure the tent you buy is properly waterproof, in the Oxfam field at WOMAD this year somebody with a cheap pop up tent woke up to find her air bed floating inside the tent after a nights rain.
  2. Go for headroom, you want to be able to at least kneel up in it. 3 weeks of trying to get dressed while lying on your back will be hell.
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4 hours ago, Funkyfairy! said:

Anyone got a blackout tent - I guess they stay cooler, but are they worth it ?

Yes, Yes. Yes.

Yes.

Absolutely yes.

Oh, and,

4 hours ago, Funkyfairy! said:

And I have no idea what I should be looking for in a camping matress, last time I had a 12.99 one from Millets and it deflated rather easily

Camp Bed.

Head down to your local branch of Go Outdoors, they should have a decent range and probably have one of each ready-assembled so you can lie down on it and see if it's going to be for you or not. I've heard a couple of people say they didn't like them, but for me there's no going back to air beds / mattresses now, my aching back would never forgive me.

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Outwell Dreamboat 12cm. It’s a bit on the expensive side of things but it is a very comfortable warm mattress. The cold doesn’t penetrate the mattress from the ground and I sleep as well on this mattress as I do at home. We have a double and it’s perfect for me and my wife.  If this works with your budget and you’re looking for a bit of luxury that guarantees a good nights sleep I would highly recommend this.

We have a blow up vango tent and it is very quick to put up and easy enough if you’re on your own. Only downside is that you do get condensation that collects at the base of the inflatable poles. This is common with any inflatable tent and might sway your opinion. 

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2 hours ago, ticketboy69 said:

Outwell Dreamboat 12cm. It’s a bit on the expensive side of things but it is a very comfortable warm mattress. The cold doesn’t penetrate the mattress from the ground and I sleep as well on this mattress as I do at home. We have a double and it’s perfect for me and my wife.  If this works with your budget and you’re looking for a bit of luxury that guarantees a good nights sleep I would highly recommend this.

We have a blow up vango tent and it is very quick to put up and easy enough if you’re on your own. Only downside is that you do get condensation that collects at the base of the inflatable poles. This is common with any inflatable tent and might sway your opinion. 

Been looking at the inflatables last year or so. Would you recommend? Two things I'm worried about is how tough are the inflatable sections,would you need to worry about stones etc?.secondly I assume the valves are on the inside of the tent to stop some little scamp letting it down in middle of the night?

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I got one of those compact inflatable pad/mat things For Glastonbury 2017 (before that I used to be able to sleep on just the ground!)- they’re much easier to pack, and the one I got you inflate using a bag that comes with it, but as they require a lot less air to inflate some you can just blow them up with 10 or 15 breaths. It cost about £30 and was quite comfortable.cant remember the make but they’re this sort of thing:

 

 

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In 2017 I took a fishing bivvy rather than a tent which meant I could fit a proper steel framed campbed in it, with plenty room to store gear underneath the bed. Put a foam mat on it and slept like a log all 5 nights in an xxl 3 season sleeping bag. Yes, the gear was heavier going in but I carried the bivvy on my shoulder and got the sleeping gear in a cheap trolley. 

Was worth making another run to the car for beers/clothes etc once camp was set up and comfy. 

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11 hours ago, glastolover19 said:

Been looking at the inflatables last year or so. Would you recommend? Two things I'm worried about is how tough are the inflatable sections,would you need to worry about stones etc?.secondly I assume the valves are on the inside of the tent to stop some little scamp letting it down in middle of the night?

The main advantage of the inflatable tent is that it’s quick to put up and none of that pissing around with poles. Our tent is huge so it does need two of us, but I reckon anything up to a 4 man should be easy to do on your own.

Im disappointed by the gathering of condensation that pools at the base of the inflatable poles. 

The valves are on the outside of the tent, so there is potential for scamp based shenanigans. 

The inflatable poles seem really strong, but I think it’s wise to have a spare tube just in case! They are apparently easy to replace. 

I’ve pretty much only had Vango tents and they’ve always been brilliant. The one I have now is one of their technical cotton models which keeps it cool in the sun and warm when it’s cold...it works!

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1 hour ago, ticketboy69 said:

The main advantage of the inflatable tent is that it’s quick to put up and none of that pissing around with poles. Our tent is huge so it does need two of us, but I reckon anything up to a 4 man should be easy to do on your own.

Im disappointed by the gathering of condensation that pools at the base of the inflatable poles. 

The valves are on the outside of the tent, so there is potential for scamp based shenanigans. 

The inflatable poles seem really strong, but I think it’s wise to have a spare tube just in case! They are apparently easy to replace. 

I’ve pretty much only had Vango tents and they’ve always been brilliant. The one I have now is one of their technical cotton models which keeps it cool in the sun and warm when it’s cold...it works!

Cool,thanks for letting me know. Tbh the ease of set up is a big selling point,I must stress I'm extremely lazy. Currently have 5-6 normal pole tents but now considering clear out,been using the Eurohike Tay dlx for last couple of years and fantastic little tent 10min set up on my own but could do with something a touch roomier

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3 hours ago, glastolover19 said:

Cool,thanks for letting me know. Tbh the ease of set up is a big selling point,I must stress I'm extremely lazy. Currently have 5-6 normal pole tents but now considering clear out,been using the Eurohike Tay dlx for last couple of years and fantastic little tent 10min set up on my own but could do with something a touch roomier

Haha, my laziness and constant drive to make everything as easy as possible led me to an inflatable tent!  They go up very quickly and without too much sweat! The quicker I’m sat outside my tent with a drink the better!

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Thanks everyone for replies, so much to think about. Defo going to look at blackout tents, maybe not an inflatable and try out some campbeds with mattress on top - 3 weeks is a long time with bad nights sleep at my age :-) - let the exploration commence. The challenge I now have is not living on the mainland, so I need to plan a trip or two back to an area with a number of good camping / outdoor shops to get stocked up and then a weekend away in the early summer to try everything out and not look totally useless on my first day onsite :-)

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Rather surprised the Fresh and Black klaxon hasn't gone off for @stuartbert two hats

Definitely sort the bed though. 5 days is bad enough with discomfort but 3 weeks will be a killer. We took duvets and pillows with us last time and it does make a difference to the comfort factor and that snuggly feeling. I know it might seem like a lot to carry but with the amount of time you'll be on site it will be work the extra trip to get you set up for the long haul. You're gonna have a blast. :D 

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