The last thing we needed this year to be totally honest was a new tent. But when life throws an opportunity at you, sometimes you just have to take it and say "what the heck." We originally used our Gelert Utah 4+4. A great tent, plenty of space for the five of us and really easy to erect. We were in the Go Outdoors shop in Coatbridge (Scotland), just after christmas and to our surprise they were selling off all the ex-display tents. I initially was very interested in buying the Outwell Hartford XL, but when I spotted the Norfolk Lake, It was love at first sight. We all looked at the tent and just knew it would be ideal as a step up from our beloved Utah. So when the guy in the shop said it was reduced from round about £900 to £110, We just had to buy it. First impressions of the tent told me that although it was wind and watertight, It was quite dirty and needing a little bit of TLC to get it worthy of taking on our travels with us. So two weeks later, the tent was dried, bagged and ready to pick up. This is when I have to admit the doubts started kicking in. The bags for the tent are ENORMOUS - So big infact they alone take up a good portion of boot space in our Vauxhall Zafira. Despite the doubts, I was delighted to finally have the tent our kids could enjoy many years of camping trips, and with care possibly our grand children one day too. When I got the tent home we unpacked it and tried our hardest to compact it into the bag better, which we did, but not to any great reduction of sheer size. Did I mention the weight? Its VERY heavy, so I think we may need a weekender tent too. Its just too big and heavy for short breaks (unless the weather is going to be extreme). I sold our other tents due to the lack of space we had in our last house for storage. Something I would learn to regret - but not because the Lake isnt the best tent we've ever had! It ticks every box! I will reveal later why I regret selling the other 2 tents we owned.
Wednesday, 1 July 2009
Our World of Camping
The last thing we needed this year to be totally honest was a new tent. But when life throws an opportunity at you, sometimes you just have to take it and say "what the heck." We originally used our Gelert Utah 4+4. A great tent, plenty of space for the five of us and really easy to erect. We were in the Go Outdoors shop in Coatbridge (Scotland), just after christmas and to our surprise they were selling off all the ex-display tents. I initially was very interested in buying the Outwell Hartford XL, but when I spotted the Norfolk Lake, It was love at first sight. We all looked at the tent and just knew it would be ideal as a step up from our beloved Utah. So when the guy in the shop said it was reduced from round about £900 to £110, We just had to buy it. First impressions of the tent told me that although it was wind and watertight, It was quite dirty and needing a little bit of TLC to get it worthy of taking on our travels with us. So two weeks later, the tent was dried, bagged and ready to pick up. This is when I have to admit the doubts started kicking in. The bags for the tent are ENORMOUS - So big infact they alone take up a good portion of boot space in our Vauxhall Zafira. Despite the doubts, I was delighted to finally have the tent our kids could enjoy many years of camping trips, and with care possibly our grand children one day too. When I got the tent home we unpacked it and tried our hardest to compact it into the bag better, which we did, but not to any great reduction of sheer size. Did I mention the weight? Its VERY heavy, so I think we may need a weekender tent too. Its just too big and heavy for short breaks (unless the weather is going to be extreme). I sold our other tents due to the lack of space we had in our last house for storage. Something I would learn to regret - but not because the Lake isnt the best tent we've ever had! It ticks every box! I will reveal later why I regret selling the other 2 tents we owned.
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