CheapTents Outdoor Gear Blog

Update: Our sale has now finished but you can always find The North Face clothing at competitive prices on CheapTents!

January is traditionally the time of year when retailers have their sales, as they like to clear stock in order to bring in new spring/summer lines. The outdoor industry is no different and as a result there are some great bargains to be had in our The North Face 25% Off Sale!

• The North Face Atlas Triclimate Jacket Review
• The North Face Decagon Jacket Review
• If Santa Shopped at Cheaptents

Here at CheapTents we are pleased to announce that we are stocking a range of head torches from Black Diamond.

Best known for their climbing equipment, Black Diamond are a company of outdoor enthusiasts who use the products which they design and manufacture.

We [Black Diamond] apply a single global standard to the manufacturing quality of our product and the environment in which our employees make it. This is our gear. We build it. We use it. We’re damn proud of it.

• Dutch Clogs are the New Hiking Boots
• Cycle Touring, A Guide To Essential Sleeping Gear
• Winter can now arrive! The North Face McMurdo has landed

The MSR Hubba HP is a high performance 3 season, one man tent, with a low weight of 1.36kg. It is easy to pitch and in our eyes is the ultimate one man tent.

Pitching Made Easy

Having previously tested the MSR Holler, which is the only tent so far to reach 5 stars in our reviews, we knew that the MSR Hubba HP was going to be great quality. It lived up to expectations and with a pitch time of less than about 5 minutes, this easy to erect tent was already looking good in our books.

• Vaude Taurus 2 Tent Review
• Jack Wolfskin Sanctuary II RT Tent Review
• Vango Mirage 200 Tent Review

In April this year we were delighted to announce that we had started stocking Jack Wolfskin tents. Now we are excited to be bringing in a great range of Jack Wolfskin products, including rucksacks, outdoor clothing and walking boots. Below is an overview, describing some of the gear in our new range, which can be purchased via our Jack Wolfskin outdoor gear shopping page.

Jack Wolfskin Rucksacks

Our rucksack range includes packs for hiking, mountaineering and cycling.

• Manufactured from robust lightweight materials, the Jack Wolfskin Alpine Trail 40 incorporates the ACS Tight Carry back system and is suitable for use on single and multi-day hikes.

• Asolo Footwear comes to CheapTents
• The North Face P-8 Waterproof Jacket
• Snugpak Sleeping Bags Round Up

Last week we posted the first half of our interview with Lightwave and Crux founder Carol McDermott. In the first half, Carol talks about product design in the outdoor industry, why he set up his own outdoor gear companies and his criteria for designing products. This post picks up from where we left off.

Last season saw the release of your Trail range of tents, which saw a big change in design in going from inner pitching to simultaneous pitching; your Hyper range released this year has stayed with simultaneous pitching. What was the reasoning behind this change? Are true inner pitch tents a thing of the past?

• Adventurer Andrew Skurka on his latest expedition
• Louis-Philippe Loncke Versatile Explorer Interview
• Chris Foot – Polar Adverturer Interview

The Jack Wolfskin Time Tunnel 3 RT is a 3-4 season tunnel tent, ideal for cycle touring, which sleeps 3 and weighs 4.79 kg. It has a large vestibule with two entrances and the tent makes use of the Jack Wolfskin Real Tunnel (RT) Technology, a system which increases stability, also due to the curvature of the poles it increases internal size.

• Vaude Taurus 2 Tent Review
• MSR Hubba HP – Tent Review
• Vango Mirage 200 Tent Review

The Vaude Taurus 2 is a 3 man, 3 season tent which weighs in at 2.69 kg. The tent construction is a Curved “A” Reinforced Ridge which is very stable and offers good internal height at the door. The Taurus 2 is an all-in-one pitch which enables the tent to be pitched by one person fairly easily regardless of weather conditions. Although listed for 3 persons we do feel that most users will use it as a 2 person tent, as it’s a great tent for 2 people camping.

• Vaude Power Tokee Ultralight Tent – Review
• Jack Wolfskin Time Tunnel 3 RT – Tent Review
• MSR Hubba HP – Tent Review

The Nordisk Pasch PU is one of several tents from Nordisk that Cheap Tents stock. With a weight of 1.93kg and tunnel design, it is suitable for 3 season camping. The Pasch is a surprisingly roomy one-man tent, pretty much perfect for most backpackers.

• Jack Wolfskin Time Tunnel 3 RT – Tent Review
• Vaude Power Tokee Ultralight Tent – Review
• Vango Mirage 200 Tent Review

The Mirage 200 is a 2 man, 3 season backpacking tent from Vango’s expedition range. With an RRP of £150 (July 2012) it represents great value for money and it is no wonder that it is a Duke of Edinburgh Award approved product.

What makes the Vango Mirage 200 such a good buy? Some of the features that we like best are it’s sizeable interior, quick all in-one pitching and the free-standing, semi-geodesic design.

The packed weight of 2.9 kg is consistent with its price and is lightweight enough for two backpackers to easily carry between them. The Vango Mirage 200 is an ideal entry level tent that is highly suited to Duke of Edinburgh’s award expeditions.

• Vaude Power Tokee Ultralight Tent – Review
• MSR Hubba HP – Tent Review
• Jack Wolfskin Time Tunnel 3 RT – Tent Review

Back in May we published a post letting everyone know that the 2012 OMM location was still a mystery, and that the OMM 2012 will not be in the Kielder Forest. Last week (14th July) OMM announced the location of the 2012 OMM to be the Howgills.

OMM 2011 Racers – Image: OMM

Howgill Fells

The Howgills Fells can be found between the Yorkshire Dales and Lake District, with southern parts lying within the Dales. The Howgills Fells include 2 Marilyn’s, The Calf at 2,218ft (676m) and Yarlside at 2,096ft (639m) in addition there are also many smaller peaks.

• Adidas Terrex Adventure Race
• iRoc Race: Run, Cycle and Orienteer on Durham Downs
• Lowe Alpine Mountain Marathon LAMM 2010