Travel

Camping

Travel

Posted by: shelly47

28th Aug 2012 11:05am

We are planning on going camping for weekend trips and wish to buy a tent. Does anyone know the best brand at a reasonable cost? We want to be able to put it up easily.

Comments 13

annezane
  • 12th Mar 2015 02:31am

An Oztent Tourer is ideal center pole they go up in about 10 minutes and are very sturdy room tent which you can stand up area around $400 can get them cheaper on sale Domes are quick but many you can't stand up in and the flys rip over a period of time

kanu
  • 9th May 2014 11:25am

If its just a one off short sort of camping trip just buy one from Big W / Kmart. They do the trick and for the price they cost you can't go wrong (and they should be good for at least a few days .. provided you don't get insane weather conditions)

If you are planning to do it for extended periods (like say longer than 2 weeks or places with extreme weather like rain or snow) or repeatedly in the future then I would suggest looking for brands like MSR, Exped, Macpac, Mountain Designs etc. I wouldn't go for for Katmandu, which tends to make low quality technical camping gear that has the appearance of higher grade stuff.
If you want to have one that is easy to use, go for a free standing one (one that has no or minimal requirement for tent pegs (although if it is windy you will need to use whatever tent pegs are supplied)

Whatever tent you get you can increase the quality of it by seam sealing the seams of the fly rain cover with a silicon sealant. Usually available from all and any camping stores and costs about $10

Anonymous
  • 30th May 2013 08:49pm

There are several types of tents to buy out there but really you need to look for the one that's going to suit you and your needs.

shelly47
  • 3rd Jun 2013 01:51pm

Thanks Jet94, We ended up buying a great tent from Kangaroo Tent City in Parramatta. Have only used it once but it was really comfortable and easy to put up as well.

Suzitonto
  • 27th May 2013 08:55pm

If you're ever camping in SA - Deep Creek Conservation Park is absolute heaven. Our favourite campsite is Trig, down the bottom half. We once experienced the most incredible electrical storm at 2am in our tent - we figured that if we weren't about to die of this experience, it was the most dramatic bit of nature to be part of from inside a tent! Hope you come and see the unique scrub, dramatic coastline and heaps of roos sometime.

shelly47
  • 3rd Jun 2013 01:50pm
If you're ever camping in SA - Deep Creek Conservation Park is absolute heaven. Our favourite campsite is Trig, down the bottom half. We once experienced the most incredible electrical storm at 2am...

Thanks Suzitonto, Deep Creek Conservation Park, Trig campsite sounds great. - But I don't think we will get the opportunity to camp down that far. We would have a very long drive to SA from Sydney. We have visited Adelaide once and spent a couple of weeks driving a hired car around the Barossa Valley which was terrific. I would be a bit scared with the thunder and lightning too but it would be amazing to experience. Good luck with your camping and thanks for your post. Happy Camping!

simla
  • 6th May 2013 12:41pm

That tent sounds like a bargain! Seems like it is still possible to have a cheap holiday in reasonable comfort.Air bed as well! Cool!

simla
  • 2nd May 2013 08:50pm

hi shelly, camping is my favourite holiday, because you get close to nature.
The one time that comes to mind in relation to your question was at the gold fields.
Depending on the time of the year, [summer] you can get away with just a large tarp strung up between trees. if you have smaller tarps, they act as side curtains. We slept in campervans and some people were comfortable enough in their station wagons.
A gable type can be erected if you have a strong rope to act as ridge pole, or a long aluminium pole works well.
If you are worried about snakes, boil up a mixture of cloves and cinnamon and make a strong smelling tea out of it(bark honey coloured) and spray it around your campsite as a repellant. They don't the smell. If it dosn't rain, it lasts for a few days.

shelly47
  • 6th May 2013 10:43am
hi shelly, camping is my favourite holiday, because you get close to nature.
The one time that comes to mind in relation to your question was at the gold fields.
Depending on the time of...

Thanks for your reply Simla, Sounds like you have been enjoying the great outdoors for a while. I love your recipe for snake repellant - I wonder if it works !! Unfortunately we haven't had a chance to go camping again yet since October last year but we certainly plan to again. We ended up getting Trailmaster tent from Kangaroo Tent City and it is very easy to put up and very comfortable with a airbed. It was $79 at 40% off the usual price so we were pleased. Thanks again.

hick
  • 26th Oct 2012 09:41am

Hi Shelley. We bought a 4 man tent from BCF that is great for us. We got a discount because i am a member of their club. So easy to erect. Roll out, four corner pegs and a pole in the middle. While the kids are setting up the stretchers/sleeping bags I put the guy ropes up. takes about 5 to 10 minutes tops.

shelly47
  • 29th Oct 2012 02:21pm
Good to see you got what you needed at a good price too! Our last trip during the school holidays was along the dinosaur trail in western Qld. Definitely no snow out there. 38 degree days and...

Sounds like you had a great time with your family along the dinosaur trail in western queensland. It would be great to visit there sometime. We are planning on some 3 day weekends away when the weather is warmer.

hick
  • 26th Oct 2012 05:34pm
Thanks Hick for your suggestion. We ended up getting a good 4 man tent at Kangaroo Tent City. It was on special and the salesgirl was very helpful in helping us to decide on the right one for us....

Good to see you got what you needed at a good price too! Our last trip during the school holidays was along the dinosaur trail in western Qld. Definitely no snow out there. 38 degree days and warm nights too. We ended up ditching the tent and rented a cabin for the air-con. Definitely a great trip if you ever get up this way.

shelly47
  • 26th Oct 2012 11:45am
Hi Shelley. We bought a 4 man tent from BCF that is great for us. We got a discount because i am a member of their club. So easy to erect. Roll out, four corner pegs and a pole in the middle. ...

Thanks Hick for your suggestion. We ended up getting a good 4 man tent at Kangaroo Tent City. It was on special and the salesgirl was very helpful in helping us to decide on the right one for us. My husband found it very easy to put up and we used it when we went to my sisters in Mudgee a couple of weeks ago. The Oztrail Tasman Dome tent cost only $79 and it is high enough that you can stand up in it to change etc. We found the first night it was a bit cold sleeping but unfortuneatly the weather on 13th Oct was unusually cold because of snow at Lithgow and surrounding areas which we weren't expecting. After being lent some extra blankets the next night was quite okay. We are looking forward to more weekends away when the weather is warmer though! We might also invest in a double sleeping bag for next time. Thanks again and happy camping.

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