After months of searching both on the internet and in various camping stores I’ve finally ordered a new tent in readiness for my forthcoming Easter break. Finding a tent exactly the same as my old one has proved impossible so I’ve gone for the next best thing; it’s a Kampa Burnham 4 in blue (my preferred colour) and although brand new it’s theoretically three years old as that model came out in 2015 – it’s since been discontinued but it’s the only one I could find which matched my criteria and is similar to my previous tent.
The most important ‘must haves’ for me were a good head height, a bedroom at each side and a fully integrated groundsheet, and although my searches have found several of the right style they’ve all been lacking in one of the most important points, usually the integrated groundsheet. After my very wet experience last September with the tent given to me by a friend, and which doesn’t have an integrated groundsheet, I would never now consider camping in a tent without one, but although I’ve been able to find tents 6-berth or larger with integrated groundsheets it seems that, with the exception of the Kampa Burnham, smaller tents of that style don’t have them.
So the Kampa Burnham has been ordered and all being well should arrive sometime next week. I got a good deal on it too – the price on the store’s website had already been reduced by £50 but I found a voucher code giving £15 off orders over £150 so that brought the price down below my budget. And with free delivery thrown in I really feel like I’m on a winner here.
Life In The Mouse House 
Wishing you lots of happy trips away in your new tent. X
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I’m keeping my fingers crossed that Easter will be dry and sunny, I don’t want the new tent to get wet the first time out – although saying that it would be a good test if it does 🙂
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That looks perfect for you, and Kampa do make nice kit. Our big caravan awning is Kampa and I’m very impressed with it.
I’m with you on the groundsheet issue – it is the one thing our big awning doesn’t have and I just cannot face the thought of sewing velcro around the bottom and fitting one myself. Our other awning does have one and it makes so much difference.
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My first tent as a solo camper was a Kampa, the quality was excellent and it was a great little tent except it was only my head height, 5ft, so more than two nights doing everything in a stooping position played havoc with my back. That’s when I decided I had to have something bigger and got the last one which was a Vango – I just wish now that when I got that one I’d got a second one to put by as a spare as it’s been a great tent with loads of room. It’s just a shame that the sunlight has degraded the fabric so much that it ripped last summer but I’d had over four years use out of it. Fingers crossed that this new one will last me quite a while too – this style of tent really works for me and the dogs so I dread the time when I can’t find another one with a fully integrated groundsheet.
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Your new tent looks really nice. I do not use a tent myself so I am slightly surprised that they do not seem to last long. Mind you, I expect things to last for ever !
How many nights do you think you got out of the last one ?
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Without tracking back through my camping blog to add it up properly it would be about 150 days/nights use since I got the last one – first use at Easter 2013 – up to July last year. If it had been a canvas tent it would last for years but polyester doesn’t take long to degrade in sunlight – 4-5 years moderate use is just about the norm. It’s easy to see how much mine faded over the years as the bedrooms are still the original bright blue but the tent itself is now a lilac colour – it would be wonderful if things did last for ever 🙂
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I’m glad you’ve found a tent to suit you. Just reading the comments above I remember looking for your tent at Manorafon and didn’t realise the lilac one was yours as I was sure you’d said it was blue. I remember you were wanting a blue tablecloth to match your tent 🙂 I hope you get lots of use from your new tent and some good, dry and sunny weather. I hate to mention it’s just two weeks to Easter and we have snow again this morning and it was bitterly cold yesterday. This has to be the last surely!
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The weather here was gloriously sunny yesterday in spite of the cold wind, the snow flurries started on and off about 4pm but by 7pm it was coming down really hard and there was quite a covering. Needless to say the dogs weren’t happy when they went out in the garden last thing, they were back in within a couple of minutes. I don’t think there’s been any more snow overnight but it’s still very windy – like you, I hope this is the last of it. I’m really looking forward to getting my new tent so I hope it doesn’t have a snow christening! 🙂
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Hope you are a happy camper in it!
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I hope so too Anabel, I’m really looking forward to using this new tent 🙂
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That’s a good-looking tent. Quite chic. I like the side windows and the space to stand. I’m reading a story about a mountain adventure right now, so that along with reading your search for a tent has me almost wanting to go camping. The downside for me is the ridiculous struggle it would be to get off the ground. I could sell tickets for such a slapstick comedy. 🙂
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I think anyone who’s ever camped has struggled with a tent at some time or other – I can imagine I might struggle with this new one the first time I put it up, although saying that it only has three poles as opposed to my other one which has four, so I’m hoping I don’t have too much trouble with it.
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Love the see through panels in the middle. (I’m nosey 🙂 )
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It will be interesting to see how the blinds work over those big windows – completely open, completely closed or half-and-half? The windows in my previous tent were only half the size of these ones and were set quite high up so even with the blinds open I still had a reasonable amount of privacy. I’ll use the new tent in the same way as my previous one – the door with the canopy over it will be the front door and my kitchen set-up will go along the back so the other door won’t be used and that window will be permanently covered. If I can have the blind only partially covering the front window at least I won’t feel like a goldfish in a bowl 🙂
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