Bushwalk Australia

Hi all. My 15yo Macpac three man tent is showing it's age and about to be retired. Now the problem is getting a suitable replacement - light but tough and roomy. 3 man makes sense for taking the kids but Macpac don't seem to have one. Spotted one called Vango Tempest on ebay. Anyone had any experience with them? It's description is:

Vango TBS®II Tempest 300

This is what I do to start the "what if" process


I d

iI did this for another member but cannot remember if it was the Vango or another 3 person tent with a similar floor plan.
From the floor diagram I see on the net, the outside dimensions of the 300 are 330x165cm (see under "specifications") .
The drawing is a bit misleading because it seems to indicate the 165 cm to be about 2/3ds along not the widest gap. However if you compare the widest with the 125 cm at the head it will confirm 165cm to be the outside widest point.
That makes the widest point of the inner about 150 cm (the usual gap between inner and fly at the base is about 7cm...

In your case I would spread out the floor of your Macpac and compare it with that....

Franco

Hi Franco,

I have no experience with the Vango but we take a 3 man tent on most walks ( and spent a lot of time researching them before purchasing one). We eventually settled on a Nemo Losi3 (available from REI in the states http://www.rei.com/product/765714 )cause of its length (I'm 6'4") and the two large vestibules. The floor plan is near enough to being square as well, so plenty of room gear etc. Its also relatively lite ~ 3.4 kilo which is not too bad shared among friends. We've had two adults and my 9 year old in it with no problems. Check it out, see what you think

Cheers

The nakedape

Sorry to butt in but just noticed this nemo tent, are those 'blow up poles' I'm sure others will find interesting also....
They sure are getting 'hi-tech'.
(the three man looks like a nice big roomy tent (probably not so adaptable for really cold weather))

, sorry, the link might help:

http://www.rei.com/product/764415

i actually daydreamed about something like this years ago... mine had a blow up floor... and a paddle

Macpac do have a new 3 person tent out cant place the name of it right now but it is quite quite big!

nakedape
I know some manufacturers that would label the Nemo Losi as a 4 person tent, so yes rather large for 3..
A friend , Yair,used the Nemo Moki in Alaska in Feb (middle of winter) . That was the tent supplied by the local guide/celebrity Bill Merchant.
Yair is mostly familiar with expedition/high altitude tents and really liked the Moki. (he asks me about the other kind..)

Nuts
The above mentioned tents use DAC aluminium poles, only some of their shelters use Air Support beams. They now also have bamboo poles...

ILUVSWTAS
Macpac has a 4 person tent, the Hemisphere, but that is over 5KG. Otherwise 1/2 or 6 person for the rest of the range.

Franco

ILUVSWTAS wrote:Macpac do have a new 3 person tent out cant place the name of it right now but it is quite quite big!

Do you mean the Citadel?
Friends of mine have one, and you can use the vestibule for a picnic.

The Citadel is not listed in the new brochure. Discontinued ?
Franco

no 3 person this summer, they will be back though.
cheers

Nuts

(the three man looks like a nice big roomy tent (probably not so adaptable for really cold weather))

We've had ours out on a 1.5m snow pack at Mt Feild - was a little on the cool side but I put that down to a thin therma-rest and a cheaper sleeping bag. You may be right however; the mesh inner is not all that conducive to warmth - think the theory is that you need to upgrade mat and bag as a trade-off for a lite large tent, and thats a trade-off I'm happy with - love being able to sit up in the tent and enter/exit with minimal contortions (As I've mentioned, I'm 6'4").

nakedape

yer, was just more the mesh that I though some people would find made the tent a little breezy. Personally, it wouldnt phase me much if it can handle a snow load, and as an 'all season', one tent...tent... you can always find ways to cut the wind.

Its even possible to have a comfortable night through winter with a tarp... ...

Hi all this has been great. I ended up buying the VAngo. It was $250 on Ebay and so pretty cheap. The floor plan is supposed to be 3 man but would be a squeeze. Other fact is the floor is definitely thinner but that's the price of less weight. Nice vestibule though. We're walking through from Marlborough Highway to Little Fisher on our next trip so it will get a work out then.

I have a Macpac Citadel and it is an awesome tent. I have just seen one on ebay if your intrested:

http://cgi.ebay.com.au/Macpac-Citadel-3-Man-Buswalking-Tent_W0QQitemZ300362076207QQcmdZViewItemQQptZAU_Tents?hash=item45eef9902f

Wow - looks great. I;ll follow it. I just bought a Vango. Wish I'd seen this first.