A camping staycation with the fantastic Vango Sungari 600 tent
After the weather fiasco of Brean, we decided to give camping one more shot having invested in various items of camping equipment. This time, taking no chances, two adults with two children went camping armed with the mighty Vango Sungari 600.
It was with some trepidation that the tent was unpacked from its bag. Due to being busy, we had not had the opportunity to even open the bag and make sure all the tent parts were present and correct until we arrived at the camp site some fifty miles from home. When everything was removed and inspected, ominous feelings soon vanished. It was obvious that this tent was in a league of its own. The entire product had been very well thought out and was of a superior quality to tents we had already handled.
The Sungari 600 is large, light and airy. It is a perfect design comfortably housing a family of four with plenty of room for an additional twelve asylum seekers or more.
The tent comes in its own heavy duty bag with a zipped compartment for each section of the tent. Joy of joy, the pitching instructions are sewn into the bag. There is no danger of trying to chase a soggy piece of paper over a cliff in high winds and rain. Each tent also comes with its own DVD with two well practised experts trying to show the gammy handed exactly how to pitch. If your attempts to play this fail, Vango also has downloadable videos on its website. This is a company who want you to get the very best from your tent and have made help accessible at every level.
The Sungari is a perfect family tent available for families of four and families of six. Our previous experience of trying to fit air beds into tents has left us coming to the conclusion that when buying a tent, always buy the size above what you actually need. We had four people in our family of testers so we went for a six man tent.
The only downside to the tent is that due to its size it is almost impossible for one person to carry on their own. If you have a small car it also eats into a large portion of the boot space as well. It does need two people to pitch and take down. One person attempting it on their own may quickly find themselves in the middle of a You’ve Been Framed moment as they sail high over Bristol Airport.
The layout of the tent is fabulous, with a large living space and flexible bedroom options. Two inner bedroom pods sleep four people in one with an optional room divider and two people in a second. The bedroom options were fantastic for being able to juggle the right children into the right space with the right adult also allowing privacy and space for those who need it. There should be no problems putting an average size travel cot up in the larger bedroom.
Well designed, well constructed and a joy to camp in. There is no point wasting money on the misery of cheaper alternatives.
The living area is massive and that is no exaggeration. Adults can walk around without having to stoop as there is plenty of head room. There is ample space for table, chairs, clothes, food, storage and play areas should it rain. In the hot summer, the living area would be perfect for another six or more people to sleep if needed. When those independent little six-year-old boys want their adventurous camping birthday party in the back garden, ditch the bedrooms and you can easily fit around fifteen.
There are two side doors and a huge front door giving options appropriate to wind and weather. Nice features include an electricity hook up gap, plenty of valuable tent storage and a loop to hang a heavy lantern. In hot weather, windows can be unzipped to allow air in through vents.
The Sungari 600 is large, light and airy. It is a perfect design comfortably housing a family of four with plenty of room for an additional twelve asylum seekers or more.
Vango claim it takes twenty minutes to pitch. A seasoned camping pro will be able to achieve this. First time campers are more likely to take around an hour whilst fathoming out which bit goes where. If you have toddlers running around add another half an hour on top as you chase them round and round for the tent pegs and mallet.
Chopsy Baby highly recommends the Vango Sungari 600. It must surely be the finest tent available to humanity. Well designed, well constructed and a joy to camp in. There is no point wasting money on the misery of cheaper alternatives. Investing in a good sized quality Vango tent will take the away the misery of being confined in close quarters with family, the misery that bad weather can bring and be the cornerstone to providing you with an excellent family holiday whatever the weather.
Testing out the Vango tent for Chopsy Baby, Mat Bell said: “When we went camping with the Vango tent, I was a little worried after the mayhem at Brean. I twice watched the DVD on how to put it up and when I saw what the tent was like I thought hell yeah this will be easy in comparison.
“My daughter was happy to have her own bed room. I had been a little worried as this was her first ever camp so I made sure she had as many homely things as possible as well as a solar paneled garden light as a night light.
“The site its self was on a slope but the tent coped well and the hill was never an issue. We set up all the beds and thanked God we bought a 12 volt air pump this time saving me from going mad pumping by hand like I did in Brean.
“The tent survived blisteringly hot days, showers of rain and wind rolling in off of the sea. It was spacious and comfortable. It was nice to have room to store everything in the tent and not have to traipse in and out of the car.
“Only worrying about one fly sheet is so much better than trying to put together two layers. This tent is the daddy when it comes to camping. I would love to use it again.”
Vango Sungari 600 vital statistics
Capacity: 6 people
Total Weight: Tent 15.85/ Poles 12.25Kg
Pack Size: Tent 70x43x25/ Poles 67x17x15cm
Pitching Area: 790x645cm
www.vango.co.uk/products/tentsinfo.aspx?productid=16&modelid=77&id=16
Retail price: Around £299
Vango Stockists: www.vango.co.uk/retail/online.aspx