Tent Buying Guide

Our Tents Explained

We humans have been sleeping in tents as far back as the Iron Age. For thousands of years, the promise of waking up to the magic of the great outdoors has held its allure. And over the centuries and even year-on-year our tents have got lighter, stronger, easier to pitch and better at handling the weather. So why, we asked ourselves had it become so complicated to buy one? So many shapes, sizes and what on earth is geodesic we hear you cry?

Well, don't panic. We have kept ourselves busy here at Regatta HQ (and out in the fields) developing a range of easy pitch, true performance tents for the seasoned camper and those new to the game.

We have kept everything, but our technology simple, because that's what camping is all about.

Every Regatta Tent

  • Made using tried and tested waterproof and windproof Hydrafort fabric technology
  • Fire retardant
  • Include vents to reduce condensation
  • Zipped mesh doors to keep insects at bay
  • Use brightly coloured guylines for extra visibility
  • Feature handy internal storage pockets to help keep you organised (avoid the where's the car keys/torch/baby wipes conversation every five minutes)
  • Pitched and ready in twenty minutes or under

Tunnel Tents

  • 4 or 6 man options with a twenty-minute pitch time
  • The larger tents have a spacious design with a communal room, bedroom and storage porch, windows and three doors
  • And are great for family holidays, longer trips with friends or festival go-ers looking for a bit more 'luxury'
  • A lightweight 2 man expedition tent with a ten minute pitch time

The Vanern tunnel tent comes in a 4 and 6 man option. It uses a line of colour coded poles arched to create a spacious semi-circular shape with lots of head height.

It has an 'outer pitch' construction, so the outer flysheet goes up first followed by the room, which is super handy if you pitch in the rain as the inside doesn't get wet. It also helps to keep kids with pointy 'hole making' pencils away from your protective outer layer.

The doors on each side can be converted into extra porch space if needed. Plus you can leave them open to watch the sun rise and set from the comfort of your bed.

The Vanern has a large communal area with a canopy, lots of windows and a sectioned off sleeping area. The one large bedroom makes this a brilliant choice for anyone camping with young kids and the light reducing lining makes for a darker room and better nights sleep.

Our two man option, the Halin, is a backpacking tent perfect for adventurers, as it uses the same solid construction as the larger family tents, but with alloy poles for a reduced pack weight. It has a spacious one metre porch to the front with a bathtub groundsheet to keep your gear dry.

'VIS-À-VIS'

  • Two separate bedrooms leading off from the communal space

The Atlin uses a 'vis-à-vis' layout. Vis-à-vis is a French phrase meaning "face to face" which relates to the two separate bedrooms leading off from the communal space, which is great for those looking for a bit more privacy or families camping with older kids.

It uses a line of colour coded poles that cross over each other to create a very sturdy construction with lots of head height in the central room.

DOME TENTS

  • Strong and sturdy with a single room and storage porch. Can be adapted for dry or wet weather.
  • Ideal for shorter trips, backpackers, festivals, touring and expeditions.

The Kivu tent uses two crossed poles for a strong and sturdy construction. It has a zipped room for sleeping and a spacious, waterproof porch to store muddy boots, camping stoves and bags.

Dome tents differ from tunnel tents as they're designed with an inner section that goes up first, and then the removable second sheet which is handy for hotter, dry conditions as you can remove the outer sheet to make it airier.

You will also find all the poles are colour coded, so you can spend less time reading instructions and more time doing what you enjoy the most

Pop Up Tents

  • 2 man pop up in 2 seconds or under.
  • Fuss-free one compartment design.
  • Perfect for festivals, beach shelter and kids play area.

Our Malawi Tent is a fuss-free, single compartment tent that pops up in less than two seconds. It uses strong fibreglass poles and has a hardwearing, protective groundsheet to provide reliable protection.

If you are simply looking for somewhere to put your head down or an additional tent for the kids to play in, you can't go wrong with a pop up tent.