Vango Tempest 200

Hi,

I'm an Adult instructor in the ACF ( Army Cadet Force ) I' also a keen hiker, canoe-ist, camper etc... This tent has been on Exped's, DofE, hikes, in all conditions.

I've had a lot of Vango equipment over the years and I love their products.. Mainly because of price, product and build quality.

The Vango Tempest 200 is a fantastic tent! I've had mine for about 8 years. Mine's the original one which is a bit lighter than the current model, with a lower HH and no porch ground sheet..

This tent has taken some serious weather over the years and is still going strong with no sign of wear. I use it as a one man as I'm 6'2". Fits me all my kit and I'm able to cook in the porch. It would easily take 2 people and kit with the usual snugness.

No issue's with condensation, is super stable with the TDS system, very easy one pitch design. Takes me about 5 mins to put up. It's very light to. I strip it down for the trail ( No tent, pole bag ) and have cut out labels etc. So it's about 2.4kg.. OK, it's not the lightest out there but, you can save weight else where. ( Check out the Vango Venom range of sleeping bags!!)

The reason why I'm writing this is because I've been looking for an up grade.. Well, I simply can't find one! It's such a good tent, I would just be spending money for the sake of it!

And, if your humming and haring about buying one think about this.

I was out with a friend canoe-ing down the Wye. He put his £550+ 2 man hilliberg tent next to mine and turned round and said " That tent's awesome! Buger, I've wasted £400 pounds!"

Actually I got mine for £80 but I didn't have the heart to tell him!

If your looking for an all round tent. This is it!

Vango do make slightly lighter 2 man tents which I would have no reason not to recommend but, why would I spend more money for a few 100g's weight saving?????

Hope this helps?

Happy trials folks!

" leave only footprints, only take away memories"

I use this tent as a single man tent when I work leading groups in the UK mountains. I have also used this on my own trips covering Snowdonia, Coast to Coast and Great Glen Way. Great for D of E type groups and individuals that don't want to go camping in a storm.

Pros

Easy to erect without assistance, colour coded poles. Good size porch that i've cooked in and stored plenty of kit. Plenty of useful pockets and storage space. Highly waterproof, i've had no issues in prolonged heavy rainful. Strong bath tub groundsheet protects well too. Very well ventilated. Easily carried individually, or slit between two.

Cons

Tunnel tent design requires effective pegging utilising all guide ropes to avoid the inner tent sagging. Not suitable for places where the ground might be too hard for suitable peg placements (such as Botswana I have used them). This is not a 4 season tent, ventilation holes at the rear of the tent can not be closed meaning the tent is well ventilated in summer, but very cold in typical UK winter conditions. The sides of the porch buckle easily so anything towards the sides will get wet. I'm 6'3 and the limit that this tent will contain. The inner tent slopes heavily at the foot, this has often ment I wake up with the foot of my sleeping bags wet.

Overall its well priced and as usually with outdoor equipment you get what you pay for. You will be happy if you are using it for UK spring, summer and autumn trips but will be better off with something more significant (Terra Nova Quaser) in severe conditions.

I bought this tent as I needed a lighter one for my DofE Gold Expeditions this year. It works very well as an expedition tent but also well as an everyday tent all year round.

Firstly, it is simple to put up. The same as any other Vango with the slight exception of a third pole for the porch which seems unusual for such a small man tent. The pegs bend very easily, so it may be worth getting some better ones (but they do also bend back easily).

Secondly, It really is suitable all year round. The tent is really designed for coping with harsh winds and terrential rain which it does superbly as I had no weather problems having returned from the Dales in winter; but it also works just as well in summer. The TBS system absorbs the wind well if the guys are pitched correctly.

Thirdly, many people say that this tent isn't big enough for 2 people. I have found this not to be the case as 2 males fitted in fine with 65L bags in the porch. There isn't much room, but you can't expect there to be. The porch stays dry as long as you pitch the tent well so there is no concern with gear getting wet. But, it is much more comfortable as one man which is how I use for a majority of the time. (With 2 people you have to sleep with your heads by the door as otherwise you don't fit so you must pitch the tent the correct way on a hill)

Lastly, the tent does actually fit in the bag easily even when it is soaking wet which makes a nice change. The tent bag is perfect for backpacking and weights about 2.8kg.

I have been very impressed so far, no major problems found yet. It is certainly value for money if you pay around the £100 mark.

I bought this tent (THE VANGO TEMPEST 200) 2 years ago to take with me on cycling trips. Easy to pitch fly sheet first and also erect with the inner tent already connected. Plenty of room for me, my son and both our gear.

The colour coded poles make this as simple as possible for the type of tent. I have been caught out in VERY high winds and the tent just soaked it up. Yes it did deform as the wind was so strong but just kept bouncing back. All through that night of wind and driving rain me and my son were kept warm and dry. I was panicking about the wind and thought about how horrible it was going to be if the tent failed and left me with my 11 year old son in the middle of a rain and wind lashed night. It never happened. Day broke and my son, myself and the tent were none the worse for our stormy night.

Since then I have gone out in weather that would have made me cringe in a lesser tent and in the 2 + years not 1 leak, not 1 repair and not at any point disappointed.

for a tent of that weight and that price it is miraculous. If I ever need to replace that tent I will get exactly the same make, model without hesitation. I can depend upon my Vango Tempest and that is worth a huge amount. If it had been 3 times the price it would still be worth it.

Even when My car broke down on the way back across the moors from Whitby and I pitched the tent in the snow, in the morning same result. No problems at all.

I was fortunate enough to find mine at Crag & Moor of Scarborough. I bought it for £89.99. Excellent product, excellent price and an excellent shopping experience at Crag & Moor!

I would recommend this tent to anyone for hiking, cycling in all four seasons without reservation or qualification.

As soon as my son gets old enough for the Duke of Edinburgh Award then this is the tent I will be buying him. Not only will he get a tent that is more than up to the job, but it will give me peace of mind that I have provided him with the best and most reliable gear I could and that it will keep him safe, warm and dry no matter what the weather throws at him.

Great tent for all season use easy to assemble durable in high winds (tested) very comfortable for two people excelent product for this (273 BG Lv) price.

Have bought a lot of Vango gear over the years ie. rucksacks, sleeping bags, clothing and am a big Vango fan. Doing Pennine Way next month and have bought the Tempest 200 for the wife and I. We have a Equinox 450 for usual camping and that is one excellent tent! The Tempest has no bad points - can easily store rucksacks in entrance and the ease of erection/dismantling is unbelievable. 5 star!!!!

Bought on mates recomendation as a one man lightweight tent for backpacking and mountain summer running/treking routes. Used it in snow, rain, sun and high winds.great for one man but cramped for two (with kit). Easy to put up and the colour coded poles help when exhausted after a days running. stuf-sac with compression straps is good idea. should be advertised as a one man tent. not ideal in high winds but that might be due to "operator error" in putting up.Not really strong enough for snow-but really warm in snow!! All good really and happy with it as a one man treking tent or carried between two for mountain running. Replacing color coded spare poles might be an issue as sales person wasnt sure of avalibility.

Haven't actually slept in the tent yet but I pitched it as soon as I got home. got the exterior skin up in about four minutes and the interior in about two. From what I can see it's a brilliant tent, my only fault is that I would like another window at the back of the tent.

Easy to pitch light and robust. very competitively priced (bought it to replace a terra nova laser which was three times the price and tore after one use).

Lightweight solid tent bargain. I really don't think you can go wrong with this as it is such good value. I am very very pleased with it.

Easy to erect, easy to take down. Light weight with loads of room for one and adequate for two if you're friendly. Very stable and durable tent for under £100.00