A tent for every occasion

As a lifelong camper and festival goer, I keep 3 tents, to suit the needs of each trip.

For tricky festivals where the pitch may be some distance from the car and everything needs carrying (at Glastonbury this can be miles),  I have a lightweight 2 man classic dome nylon tent. I like the dome shape as it gives a bit of head space. Not so common now, although I got mine new it already has a vintage feel. You can still find them, sometimes called igloo tents.

If I have my trolley my next step up is a 4 man (they call it 6 man) tent with a room at each end and a middle section that opens up on either side. This one makes a great festival base station, plenty of room to sit around with the sides open and room to cook and store equipment.

My biggest and best tent is for pitching straight from the boot. My 4m bell tent. Glorious space within and cosy with a wood fired stove. This one is a real home from home. Upside, it’s just fantastic. Easy to put up with just one person. Decorate it and make it your own.

Downside, it’s heavy, and it really does have to be packed away bone dry. Even if you need to put it up somewhere when you return to dry out.