Simple question really. I’m thinking of getting a Bell Tent and I’m wanting to know peoples experience of traders and where is the best to buy. there seems to be a significant variance in price (I’m looking at the 5m bell tents).
The main sites that turn up in searches are these: belltent.co.uk/ canvastentshop.co.uk/ belltent.biz/ karmacanvas.co.uk/bell-tents/
I’m honestly not sure which one is the best, I’d rather want a better quality tent than a cheaper tent. The 5m Ultimate Bell Tent PRO initially caught my eye on belltents.co.uk but I’m not sure if something is equal quality for a cheaper price.
Lastly what’s everyones thoughts on stoves, I was looking at the pioneer stove, but I some have said the idea of cutting their tent is unsettling.
We’ve got the 4m from belltents.co.uk, no zip to remove base though. It’s cracking. The doorway with the ‘roof’ means no water in the tent (other than the inevitable one bring sin with you) and the whole thing is easy as anything to put up (two people recommended but one can do it). No idea what the other firms are like. You can, if lucky, get them cheaper of ebay but sometimes they have mould which is a pig to get rid of. We can get two folk comfortable with space in the 4m (I’ve had 6 people in it sleeping, it was a squish but we had space to stretch out, rucksacks and a gas stove for brews). I’d kill for a 5m luxury though
We are looking at the frontier stove as it is portable. With the baffle it comes in about 180 quid. I understand the worry of cutting a hole but the baffel makes it a lot less risky as it hold the hole together when not in use. It is recommended for a 5m tent though as it has quite tall and spreads out.
I got my 5m bell from the Canvas Tent Shop. Dealing with them was straightforward and delivery was quick.
I would strongly, strongly advise you to get one with zip-door rather than Dutch lacing. I love my bell tent but getting a Dutch laced one is a thing I regret a lot!
I’ve not heard of Pioneer stoves, but I know someone who has a Frontier and is happy with it. She has used it in her yurt at a lot of PD events. Cost is around £150 from various sellers. Here’s a review: permaculture.co.uk/reviews/f … ping-stove
Little box-stoves like that tend to burn somewhat inefficiently and smokily though (although the smoke goes up the chimney), especially if the intake and/or damper is closed for a slower lower-power burn. It’s pretty much inevitable because the box has to serve as combustion-chamber (which should be hot for good efficient burning) and also as the surface through which the heat is transferred to the tent.
(A rocket-stove design would be more efficient, but bulkier to transport, and no-one’s selling portable space-heating ones, sadly.)
If you’re pitching a bell-tent alone, it’s a lot easier if the tent has the groundsheet attached to the rest of the tent at the time. (Generally this means a sewn-in or zipped-in groundsheet.)
Was considering one as a less faff alternative to a bell but interested in how much smaller and how much easier to transport this would be, if anyone knows?
That page says the Festy is 4m diameter and 30kg, so I don’t think it’s lighter than a bell of the same size… and a 4m bell would have more usable space because of the vertical walls.
The Festy price isn’t listed there (“Call for price”) but I seem to remember it being in the £800-1000 range a few years ago: significantly more than a bell.
One other site I would recommend is boutiquecamping.com/ - largely because they have an annual sale where they get rid of all the last year’s hire tents (they get new tents each year, so the old ones are in very good nick). We got a 4m bell with zip-in ground sheet , no wear beyond a few small mud stains, for about £100 less than the new price.
Try Soulpad. They’re the cheapest I’ve seen and a few of my friends have attested to their quality. I’m off to the showroom soon and likely buy one myself.
