Buying a camping tent: The ultimate guide.

Camping magazine reader Paula Sanders, from Barnsley in South Yorkshire, shows us round her Vango Edoras 600XL camping tent and tells us a bit more about her set-up and camping life.

Who are you?

I am Paula and my partner is Darren and we live in Barnsley in South Yorkshire. Our camping trips often include our grandchildren, Lucas and Levi, and three sons – Ashton, Corey and Jay. We have been avid campers since the early 1990s.

Where were you staying?

The pictures here were taken during a four-day trip last July, at Ingfield Farm campsite in the village of Ingbirchworth, near Penistone in South Yorkshire.

What’s your tent?

This is our much-loved Vango Edoras 600XL Airbeam, which we bought in 2019. It has an additional sun canopy that zips conveniently onto the front of the tent and provides us with excellent shade on hot days. This is our outdoor conservatory/terrace, where we sit out in the evening, enjoying a glass of wine and watching the sun go down.

What’s your favourite thing about your tent set-up?

Our carpeted outside area under the sun canopy. Many other campers often stop for a chat and nosey at this – we display our inflatable furniture and coffee table in this area.

How much has your set-up cost in total?

Our total Edoras set-up cost about £1,600, but we also own a Vango Rosewood tipi tent and all our equipment is worth around £2,200.

How long does it take to get set up?

Total pitch and set-up time is around one hour 20 mins. We take our time. We love setting up. It takes longer to unpack all the fancy cushions!

How do you transport it all to the site?

We previously transported our gear in a Vauxhall Zafira. However, we have upgraded our car for 2021 and now have a camping trailer which we were given which we have now restored.

How often do you go camping?

During the camping season (March to October) we go away every weekend and usually a full week's holiday in July in the Lake District. We often do the full set-up, but we also often take our smaller Rosewood tent and take a reduced set-up instead, especially when it is just the two of us camping.

Share your camping set-up pictures

Everyone has their own way of setting up their camping tent – and we'd love to see yours!  We're looking for inspiration, so show us your camping set-up, inside and outside.

Send us pictures or even a video of your tent and we will include the best set-ups in the print version of Camping magazine and on outandaboutlive.co.uk/camping

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