Hinterland Big W Tents - thoughts?

Sydney-bargainhunter on 11/06/2023 - 11:24

Howdy

In the market for a cheap tent. Just want to get something cheap and see if we actually enjoy camping, like 1 night at a time sort of camping, not a 3 day trip. The problem is, winter is coming, and the place we're looking at camping has minimum temperatures of only a couple degrees, and I see that a lot of tents are constructed with half the walls being mesh, presumably to allow airflow when it gets hot, and then the waterproof screen over that, but there's still a few cm gap between the two so pure airflow.

So I've been looking everywhere for a cheap tent that doesn't seem to have these mesh walls, and I found this one from Big W - https://www.bigw.com.au/product/hinterland-4-person-dome-ten…

Anyone have one, any thoughts? It says it has a 'mesh window' but I can't see it in the photo, though could be just around the other side I suppose…

Any thoughts on the mesh issue with very cold temps?

Sports & Outdoors Tent

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BIG W

Comments

  • Porker on 11/06/2023 - 12:18
    +2

    No tent will keep you 'warm' as such. The warmth overnight will come from a good sleeping bag and what you wear to sleep, good underlay etc.

    Mesh window is likely at the back of the tent to maximise airflow from the front (opening/door). The window will just be a zip that folds back the inner lining to expose a mesh window and likely another zipper in the waterproof screen.

    Stretch your budge a little and you could get something like this https://www.anacondastores.com/camping-hiking/tents/camping-…

    (I've not actually used the above tent, but it probably has more items/features than the Big W one including the internal mesh lining you mentioned).

  • Euphemistic on 11/06/2023 - 20:23
    +1

    If you ant to test out camping, going somewhere where it’s only a couple of degrees is not the best idea. Plus when tent camping it’s nice to stay an extra day or three otherwise it feels like all you do is set up or pack up.

  • rumblytangara on 12/06/2023 - 20:41
    +2

    Best way to stop yourself from ever spending more money on camping gear is to buy cheap garbage and then use it in just above freezing temperatures. You will never go camping again.

    That Big W tent, if it doesn't collapse on you in a heavy rain, will probably collect condensation like crazy and drip into your sleeping bag all night. One of the hallmarks of we well designed winter tent is that it has good ventilation. Otherwise all your breath just collects on the inner wall and drips down onto your sleeping gear.

    But otherwise, as someone said before, the key to keeping warm isn't just the tent, it's a whole system of decent tent, good sleeping bag, wearing the right clothes to bed, a good insulated sleeping mat, and even things like eating right before bed.

    Want a serious shot at enjoying camping? Wait for better weather.

  • bhubb18 on 13/06/2023 - 11:25

    IMO spend a bit more.
    I have a Coleman 4 person tent (though realistically its 2-3)
    It goes up nice and quickly, packs pretty densely, plenty of room inside, good airflow for summer but also has proven to be very weather resistant and stayed reasonably warm in cold temperatures.

    Swags are another good option for lower budget -
    https://www.4wdsupacentre.com.au/1m-height-big-70mm-mattress…

    My friends use that, they added additional foam for the mattress. Easy to set up, has held up well so far.

    As above, nothing will put you off a hobby faster than giving yourself a bad experience. You don't need to spend a lot, but theres some thing worth spending on.

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