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Thread: £190 off quality light weight one man tent..

  1. #11
    Chave Direct has it same price too (link button not working)

    http://www.sportsdirect.com/terra-no...an-tent-789055

  2. #12
    Moderator jus_young's Avatar
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    Open up both those links side by side and they are almost exactly the same. Is F&T owned by Sports Direct?

  3. #13
    Moderator & Poshcrafter™ Martin's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by jus_young View Post
    Open up both those links side by side and they are almost exactly the same. Is F&T owned by Sports Direct?
    Yes it is.

    Martin
    Sometimes your joy is the source of your smile, but sometimes your smile can be the source of your joy.

  4. #14
    Native cuppa joe's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Martin View Post
    Yes it is.

    Martin
    F & T is inside sports direct stores in Leeds and Bradford but I have never seen any of the more expensive gear in there....I wonder if these are on-line only offers ?
    oh well try again

  5. #15
    Samuel Hearne happybonzo's Avatar
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    I've always thought these Terra Novas were a dead crib of the Hilleberg Akto - great price though
    Only my dog can judge me

    http://www.devilark.com.au/

  6. #16
    Native cuppa joe's Avatar
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    Just out of curiosity does anyone use either a Terra nova or Hilleberg tent in conjunction with a camp fire when camping ?.....If I had spent this type of money on a tent I wouldn't dare pitch it within 50 metres of a wood fire lol .
    oh well try again

  7. #17
    Moderator & Poshcrafter™ Martin's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by cuppa joe View Post
    Just out of curiosity does anyone use either a Terra nova or Hilleberg tent in conjunction with a camp fire when camping ?.....If I had spent this type of money on a tent I wouldn't dare pitch it within 50 metres of a wood fire lol .
    Only if I'm pitched a minimum of 50 meters from the fire!

    Martin
    Sometimes your joy is the source of your smile, but sometimes your smile can be the source of your joy.

  8. #18
    Native cuppa joe's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Martin View Post
    Only if I'm pitched a minimum of 50 meters from the fire!

    Martin
    Ha martin ...funny(made me chuckle )...I think that if I had the money I would probably go for a Terra nova simply for the weight or a force ten helium as the price of a Hilleberg is just not justifiable to me at a whopping 1.6 kg......in fact I have a Lichfield treklite 200 which I paid £34.99 for which is a great little tent and has coped well with the British weather and is only 300 grams more than the Akto.
    I am not in any way saying that low end tents can be as good as the top end offerings but just that they can cope well with the weather we have in the uk and that being the case why spend the extra money unless weight is an issue.
    oh well try again

  9. #19
    Moderator & Poshcrafter™ Martin's Avatar
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    I really understand the cost versus function argument on tents and particularly trying to justify the cost of the Hilleberg Akto at over £300 but I don't think it's comparing apples with apples.

    I don't have a Hilleberg (as I said above, I have a Terra Nova Laser) but it is a truly fantastic tent. Such tents have superior materials, which cost a lot of money, and have a high degree of research and development put into them.

    In terms of the materials, I wouldn't want to be in a tent on a mountain in 60 - 70 mph winds in a tent with fibreglass poles. Fibreglass won't bend out of shape, it will just snap and it gets weaker over time. Aluminium is not really a suitable material for such uses either as it bends too easily and then stays out of shape which is not great.

    In terms of fabrics, it's not only hydrostatic head that should be considered but also the weight of such fabric compared to it's waterproof qualities. Ultra light fabrics which are waterproof are very expensive compared to their heavier weight counterparts.

    Finally, design shouldn't be discounted in the costings. My Terra Nova pitches both inner and outer together meaning that, with careful pitching, I won't get the inner wet even if I pitch in a downpour (which I probably wouldn't do except in extreme cases). The tent is effectively pitched once the pole is inserted in the pole sleeve and two pegs are inserted. After that, a further four titanium pegs and the tent is ready to go and a further four pegs and it's fully guyed too.

    Once inside, I have a variety of ventilation options which can be fully operated from inside the tent including mesh panels and a pulley system to open and close vents at both ends of the fly sheet. I have a door either side in case I want to use it as a two person tent and I can cook in the small porch as long as I leave the top of the fly open for ventilation.

    I get all this functionality at a fraction over 1kg and could make this lighter by leaving the bags at home and by giving the poles to a walking companion. 100's of grammes shouldn't be scoffed at as they very soon add up to become Kg's and I don't like carrying any more weight than I consider to be necessary.

    I can't remember exactly how much I paid for this tent as I bought it a couple of years ago and it was in the sale which helped. I know I gagged a bit at the price at the time but that is long forgotten now I have lugged it over many miles.

    I totally understand that a high end backpacking tent is not for everyone, let's face it most of us don't camp more than a few yards from the car or a mile or so at the most, but if you are planning on doing any serious, multi day trips, over reasonable distances in wild country then I would strongly recommend that you consider a quality tent. It should last you many years and you'll love it every time you get into it after a hard day's walking.

    Ultimately, this is a case of 'horses for courses' but I love my Terra Nova.

    Martin
    Sometimes your joy is the source of your smile, but sometimes your smile can be the source of your joy.

  10. #20
    Native cuppa joe's Avatar
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    I agree with you Martin , you use your gear well I loved your Dartmoor trip report and kit list...very well thought out and of help to others looking to do the same (myself included ).
    I would no doubt splash out on a top end tent had I the funds ..at the moment I spend the odd night out here and there (mainly lake district and yorkshire dales ) and use a highlander hooped bivi in conjunction with a tarp but together they weigh twice what your tent does,I also have the above mentioned treklite 200 but the bright blue colour is not always useful when wanting to be unseen and so I stick to the bivi most of the time.
    Lets see what the future holds Martin as the idea of using a bivi was to be lightweight but when I realised I needed a tarp for cooking and changing then I had defeated the object .
    oh well try again

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