I’ve been given one of Vango’s Eos 350 Tents by Go Outdoors to take a peek at. It’s not the sort of “mountain tent” I’m used to, so it won’t be getting pitched in anything like winter conditions (although I have grown out of that sort of camping these days) or high on the side of a mountain (when needs-must I do still do this, there are some things you just can’t grow out of ‘cos there isn’t really an alternative).

The first thing that struck me when the tent arrived was it’s weight – this is no backpacking tent weighing in at over 6kg! Even if there are three of you (it does sleep three in reasonable comfort) there’s over 2kg each to carry, and to be honest splitting it into three would be tricky: one with the fly sheet; one with the inner tent, pegs, etc.; and one with the poles would be the best option. However, the poles are made from composite (fibreglass) material and are pretty heavy. Certainly far heavier than the light weight aluminium poles normal with light weight mountain tents that I am used to. Also, the pegs are steel. Steel pegs are heavy but very robust, easy to drive in to very hard ground etc., and long lasting. Of course the pegs could easily be upgraded to light weight alloy ones if an occasional backpacking trip was on-the-cards.

The next thing that I noticed was the bag! Sad? But seriously this bag, that the tent is stored in, is really well thought out. The storage bag might be a small detail, but this is a great practical bag, simple as that. Some key features that made me smile:

• There’s a simple guide to pitching and erecting the tent sewn in to the inside of the bag . This is such a clever idea for family camping holidays that are perhaps just once a year. It’s hard to remember a whole year later just how the tent went up. This simple idea immediately solves that problem .
• Perhaps the best feature is that the bag is comfortably sized to easily get the tent stowed in, even when wet. The bag also has two compression straps to allow you to tightly pack the bag after the tent is stowed for a neat easily handled package .
• There’s also a handy see-through pouch on the outside for labelling or whatever you like .

Right then, the tent itself, here’s what Go Outdoors say:

The Vango Beta 350 has a huge porch area with windows, great for storing gear, bikes or furniture, or as extra living space if the weather turns sour.

Pitching is easy with the colour-coded Powerflex fibreglass poles and pre-attached guylines (with guy tidies), and the heavy duty pole sleeves ensure even distribution of tension so the tent stays stable, even with wind and knocks.

Reflective webbing and zip-pullers mean the Vango Beta 350 is easy to find in dark or crowded conditions.

The breathable inner and mesh vents make you more comfortable inside, the outer zips have rain gutter covers, while all seams are taped to protect you in the heaviest downpours.

Roomy and practical, a great tent whatever the expedition!

I’d agree with all of that, except the “whatever expedition” bit. As above, the size and weight make this what I would call a car-camping tent. Brilliant for a family holiday on a budget or a festival base camp!

Here are a few snaps of the tent and some of it’s features:

Go Outdoor’s tent sale is on at the moment supporting the British “festival season”, so it’s a good time to pick up a bargain – be it for a festival or just a family holiday to sunny France.

The reviewed tent is available right now (at the time of writing) for the amazing price of just £54.99! Although that isn’t the £70 spend required to get free delivery however. So why not also add a few camping essentials (stove? camp chairs? sleeping bags? etc.) to the order to get free delivery and actually save money! Work the system guys…