New Tent

There comes a time when you have to accept the realities of life. A friend that in the past, has looked after you, sheltered you from the storms, protected you from torrential rain, and provided a haven from the elements and midges, is now looking tired, weary and fray around the edges. Tents are sometimes taken for granted: they are dried/aired after each trip, and stowed away for the next trip. However, there will be no next trip for the intrepid Wynnster Praire 2 man tent that was bought for £40 about seven years ago, off the bargain shelf of an outdoor retailer. It has travel with me throughout the past years providing a sanctuary at the end of a day’s paddling: overnight, weekends, and extended trips. From the Outer Hebrides, Islay, Mull to the many small islands and skerries of the West Coast of Scotland, never has it let me down, even camping in a force 8. Yes, it was battered and bruised, but it kept me dry.
My old Wynnster tent. One of the problems was that you had to put the inner tent up first before putting on the flysheet.

The porch of the Wynnster was too small to keep kit in, and cook at the same time if the weather was poor, but I did like the windows.

My new tent is a Coleman Phad 3. It is meant to be a 3 man tent, but I would call it a large 2 man tent. There is plenty of space in the inner compartment and a large porch area that will take some kit and allow me to cook at the same time if the weather is poor. Some people might say that this is a bit extravagant for one person, but I have never been a minimalist when it comes kayaking and camping. I like my space and luxury when out in the wild. The weight is just under 4KG and has a 4000 hydrostatic head flysheet, and the whole tent can be put up at once as the inner is attached to the flysheet with togs. One other important feature is you can have access through two sides into the porch. The tent cost £109 pp included, through Amazon, it is by no means a top of the range tent for extreme weather, but it does get some very good reviews from other outdoor enthusiasts.

What put me off getting a more expensive, better/well known makes was the problems associated with pole breakages (£150-350, and the poles break!!!). Only time will tell if the Coleman Phad lives up to the standard and reliability of my old Wynnster.
Bye for know.
David A