I am seriously considering investing in a bell tent for family camping trips next year… anyone got one/had experience of one and the myriad of makers that are out there?

Thinking of a 5m job with a zip on groundsheet to make life easier.

Very far away from my usual tent experience of proper 4 season mountaineering tents, but I have been banned from buying bigger ones of them as t’misses wants a bit of comfort and the ability to stand up!

buy one, they is well pukka

i timed a leisurly erection (fnar fnar) of ours the other week, just me and my 5 year old son, it took under 25mins to put up. Just spread it out, peg the footprint out, insert the 3m centre pole and the door V pole, peg the guy ropes out and tension, job done, could be done in 15min on the hurry up if your slick and have a hand i reckon

my only concern would / could be the 3m metal central pole that i have been lying next to watching sheet lightening light up the tent canvas!!!!!!!

its a great space inside, can be used for 1 year continually before reproofing is advised

takes a bit longer to pack, keeping the groundsheet attached, ensuring its clean on the base, can be packed wet but must be aired / dried within 24hrs so ensure you have somewhere at home to pitch it if you pack it wet (7m+ diameter inc pegging out)

weighs 30kg so not suitable for backpacking

they have great space inside for wet days, great to roll up the sides on hot days

once you buy you glamp, not camp

ours came from http://www.belltent.co.uk/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=1&products_id=72

Hmmm – drying space I hadn’t thought about… then again I do have a vast pagoda thing in the back garden and I could just drape it over that to dry I suspect!

I will keep the mountain tents for backpacking and motorbiking – this is a pure car transported tent that I am looking for! Probably fill it with loads of stuff to be a comfy home from home!

Just unpacked after another weekend in ours (5m ultimate with zipped in groundsheet)
As above I can pitch single handed in 15 minutes on good ground (most of the time is pegging so difficult ground takes longer) and packing away is very quick too once you’ve worked out a system. Contrast that to the much smaller dome tent I also put up for the in-laws which is almost impossible singlehanded and takes a good deal longer even with 2.
Obviously loads of space inside but you do need to make an effort to keep tidy as it’s one big area.
We were on an exposed clifftop site in Yorkshire this weekend and in the wind and rain it was rock solid and 100% dry.
Nice place to sit of an evening once it’s too cold to sit outside, and with the tealight chandelier, solar fairylights and gas lamp it’s even better.
Wee slept 8+large dog in there no problem, but for the 4+dog there’s tons of room.
Best of all, you don’t wake up sticky with condensation and it stays cool when the sun comes up so you get a longer lie.
Mrs petrieboy was totally unconvinced before it was delivered and thought it was a bit “look at me” but even she’s totally won over
Only possible downside is every nutjob on the campsite comes to say helo and ask about it, but personally I quite like that so it’s all good.

Ask away if theres anything you want to know

Tentipi 🙂

Tentipi was where this started, but I can’t afford/justify the cost of one of them. By the time you have bought a “cheap” one and an “optional” groundsheet you are looking at the best part of a grand!

Oh yeah, drying – we don’t have the width to pitch it at home (sadly as it’d be great for visitors) but draping it over the car works fine

I have a 5m deluxe (sewn in ground sheet) so much nicer than the nylon mass Market jobbies. Used it for the first time last weekend up in north yorks last weekend. Lashed it down on the Friday night when we arrived but despite only unpacking it once, to make sure everything was there, I had it up in under 15 minutes, to the utter amazement of our neighbours who battled for over an hour with their various rods and attachments.

Got ours from belltent.co.uk but since found that they’re a fraction of the price at Obelink in holland (same product) but they won’t/don’t sell them direct to uk.

but since found that they’re a fraction of the price at Obelink in holland

i’d heard they were Dutch, you could just drive out and collect and Euro camp all in one 💡

Lol – like the drying over the car!

Any problems on campsites with pitch size? I guess some of the family tents are as big/bigger though….

Any problems on campsites with pitch size?

no not yet, but then we tend to go to quieter sites with space

I have two more trips booked in the next month (peak season) and both sites more than happy with the dimensions. Some of the tunnel tents are massive.

If you’re still not convinced, have a search of uk campsite forums for some amazing pics.

This is a recent one ( not me btw)

http://www.ukcampsite.co.uk/chatter/display_topic_threads.asp?ForumID=3&TopicID=253387&PagePosition=1

I wouldn’t buy another one; I’ve got a Soulpad 5000-lite (clever detachable groundsheet).

I’m pretty well rehearsed with putting up the Soulpad and can achieve it, single handedly, in about 15 minutes. It really is pretty simple in the dry. In the wet on a muddy pitch it’s a little bit more of an ordeal but a sacrificial towline or mop and bucket will put everything right.

As a tent it’s okay, but it is a compromise over conventional designs. There’s a lot of unusable space, it’s quite cold, it’s incredibly hard to maintain a tidy site due to the circular design, the lack of porch is a massive issue; impossible to maintain cleanliness in damp conditions especially with children, the colour attracts black flies, persistent rain will penetrate the canvas – even when new, nowhere to hang dap coats or place damp shoes other than in the family living space.

Eh, okay. After all that; it does make a fantastic beach base for days down the beach. I love the roll up sides.

Hey – I was pretty much sold on the idea anyway after “discovering” them on the web last week… we need a tent by September (motorbike rally – Stromin’ The Castle – got a car ticket so I don’t need to put the tent on the ‘Guzzi).

But then there are much bigger plans for next year. And perhaps a week in Cornwall in September too….

yeah i dont think you will regret getting one. we have the 5m one which is palatial. I also recommend the inner that makes the two bedrooms as it makes it a bit warmer for scottish summer camping. My kids also love to play their ‘bedroom’ when its raining. Its expensive but we have had a lot of use out of it. No trouble with pitch sizes anywhere either. i tend to abandon it for a few days in the garage to dry before rolling it away.

Bought one after having various other tunnel/dome tents.

BRILLIANT! So much easier to erect/take down. Loads of room. Just about to take it to cornwall for two weeks so we’ll see how it does in the rain.

Made a double layer tea light for the central pole, much cheaper than buying one already made (get the patio table light ring form Sainsburys, and just add chains)

Would not go back to the other tents now.

Captaincarbon – I did exactly that (pic above), patio table tealight holder from tesco with an old chain from a hanging basket. Might get another and do a tandem as you describe.

We bought a 4m one from Bell tent company for use on the garden last year. It stayed up for most of summer as a spare room in the gargen for the kids and also got used overnight to get them used to camping in the garden. Got a lot of fun out of it and its been back up since Easter. Good for the kids for play or privacy.