Founded in 1861 on the banks of the River Clyde, Black’s of Greenock built an undisputed reputation for using quality materials and making durable products that last. Black's of Greenock merged with Vango in the mid 80’s embracing the similar ethos and build quality of the Force Ten Classics. Both have been synonymous with group camping for many generations.
Lying in that tent, your face was like a kid on Christmas morning. For 10 years my wife and I enjoyed some phenomenal wildcamping throughout Afica, the Andes and the Himalayas in a VauDe Mark II. We loved this tent for its simple and fast outer-first pitching. On multi-day treks in continuously foul weather, this feature alone made the tent worth its weight in gold. We also loved the fact that it had a door and spacious porch at each end. More than once, this feature came to our rescue when one door was obstructed by wildlife. I vividly remember hearing an unfamiliar rustle outside the tent one night whilst camping in Zimbabwe. On unzipping the fly to investigate, I was surprised to find two trees in the doorway that definitely hadn't been there when we'd pitched. Then one of the trees lifted off the ground. In my groggy state it took a while before the penny dropped. They were not trees but the front legs of an elephant that was browsing on branches over our heads. Looking up at the chin of a bull elephant is a perspective I will never forget. As quietly as I could, I zipped up the tent and decided it was probably best not to wake the missus. Fortunately, after what seemed like an hour, the elephant was satiated and quietly moved off, leaving the tent and us undamaged. I didn't get much sleep that night but the endorphin rush easily got me through the next day.
I have had a Vango Tempest 200, Omega 350 and a Nevis 200. Like them all and never had a problem with any of them. As I am now 70 and walking trails and wild camping, I have been delighted with the performance of my Lanshans 1&2 and that bit less weight, but I still venture into the Pentlands now and again with a Vango. Thanks, Paul, your videos that I watch each time you post, have given me the inspiration to walk lengthy trails fully packed I did not imagine I could do at my age and I feel fitter than I did in my teens!
Cracking tent the Nevis 200, amazing value for money - went down Roslin Glen for my 39th trip with the tent the other night without any problems at all. Sturdy as heck, never any problems with condensation or bugs or anything - tough as old boots as they say
Have to agree with you 100% on this. I bought the Banshee 200 with the red poles so many years ago and used it for my bushcrafting, hiking and camps as a Scout Leader. The running joke amongst my Scouts was that really I had an underground bunker and the tent was just an entrance way as they wouldn’t believe that I could really fit in it to sleep. The tent always felt like a bit of a Tardis all those years ago and it was the best of the the tents we had available unless you really went for the mountain expedition type of tent. I have owned many tents since those early days but the Vango Banshee has always kept a little spot in my heart.
This old man can sit and watch an old man rambling. Nights are drawing in so it's early to bed with a can on the bedside cabinet and cat lying across my legs, TH-cam on my laptop and there you go mate. You film it, I'll watch it. Just keep 'em coming! I chose the Scafell 200 as it seemed roomier with a large vestibule for cooking and gear, perfect for one person.
It's the GOAT for me because I sold loads back when I had my shop and I never had one warranty claim 😂 which if you're a retailer that's a win win product
When I also worked in a Camping and outdoors shop, it would be very rare to get a claim on a Vango. Snapped fiberglass poles from missuse, sure, but very rarely a manufacturers defect. And, their after sales were very good at supplying spares.
I had the hurricane beta up until a couple of years back. Pitched in seconds and with the inner dropped, lots of room for a tall guy. Sadly the seams finally gave in...
I have a 10 plus year old Vango Sabre 300 it’s still like brand new bought it to go camping with my 6 year old, she’s 16 now and we went camping in September this year in this tent. Still as good as ever. 2 vestibules and 2 secret stash compartments fabulous tent with a heap of memories attached! You don’t need to pay through the nose to get quality and memories. Fab video, same colours as my vango!
Thanks, you’re a trooper Paul, I have the modern banshee 300 and I love it, did half of Irelands W A W in it with no problems, back next year to finish the job,Cheers
Re: your tent pegs. Mine look the same, and I have solved the problem that they present, hurting our palms as we push them in, and possibly hurting our boots as well? I went to B & Q and bought a small and light plastic plumbers 'T' junction that is used to join plastic pipes together. I just push the vertical tube of the 'T' piece over each peg, rest the horizontal part of the 'T' piece in my hand and just push the peg into the ground. Result, no palm pain and no need to use my boots.
I use one of the rubber caps that go on the end of walking sticks - not LEKI or similar, wooden walking sticks, the kind you see OAPs using. They do the job great as long as you get the right size for the job and they only cost about a quid.
This spring i bought a Vango Hydra 200, used, from the Vango outlet store, used it in a five day cycle camp, I love this tent and am planning a winter cycle camp this winter.
I don't watch every video Paul makes, but I enjoy the heck out of the ones I do watch. Just a top bloke to wander around with for an hour or so. Cracking channel.👍
Brilliant video Paul. The Banshee 200 & 300 tents are the only tents i've ever owned. Great review of them and we share the same sentiment. Also great to see Cafe 66, a regular haunt on our travels up to the lakes or Scotland! Fingers crossed you do more Lake District walks.
If we're talking about tents that evoke memories as well as being great bits of kit, it has to be an old fashioned canvas Icelandic tent. Just the smell of an Icelandic takes me back to many happy days camping as a Scout. Not exactly lightweight, but then again nor were the Force 10 tents we carried for 'lightweight' back packing! 🤣
Used a force ten on Duke of Edinburgh Awards early 70s 3 kids in one tent mid winter -12c and honestly we got to hot it was older tent and heavy but what a brilliant tent
@@rogergregory5981 us too. Camped outside Glencoe Hotel in February. Numerous hikes around the lakes.One of us would carry the flysheet, one poles and pegs, one of us with the inner tent and fourth man with the Trangia. Ticket to a whole new world.
75 years old now but my goat tent was the Ultimate Peapod 1 light enough did three peaks and Pennine way etc Helvelyn via Striding edge and many others carried on motorcycle in a Karrimor rucksack with internal alloy frame, upgraded to a Vango Hydra around 1990 which was a good tent. Now cannot even bend down to get in the tent but have my memories and why I subscribe to your channel.
I've used a Banshee 200 for 5 years for motorcycle camping, including trips to South America and Morocco as well as all over the UK. Great tent, though a bit cramped. It's stood up to some horrendous weather and kept me dry and warm. I had a pole break in South Ameirca though repaired it with a short metal tube and it's still going strong. I love how quick it is to pitch and take down. I recently replaced it with a Naturehike Opalus, purely for the extra storage space.
It’s truly a pleasure to see your happy smiles and commentary about your nice tent. My favorite tent was my first tent, bought with my earnings, $20.00 for a canvas pup tent, complete with a floor. I was 12 yo and so pleased. My first Army tent was a canvas shelter half without a floor. It was before the invention of the synthetic, nylon. It didn’t fare as well in the rain as your Vango. I’m happy for you and your GOAT tent…from an old vet, retired in the US foothills of the Smoky Mountains. P.S. “You could hear a tic fart”? Heh, heh, heh…hahah, heh, heh…That full English breakfast, bacon, fried eggs, beans, potatoes and bangers? It looked delicious!!!
Four the last two weeks I’ve been watching a lot of videos on wild camping, as me and my best friend are going to walk/hike 52 miles and wild camp next year in May to raise money for The Alzheimer’s Society, we are both complete novices although we have camped on campsites and done the NC500 in my friends Van with bare minimum. I just got to say that all the TH-cam videos I’ve watched I just can’t help coming back to yours for advice and inspiration, I feel there the most realistic, genuine and interesting. We’re in the process of researching the best gear to take, starting with the tent and everything will be 2nd hand or borrowed and the tent I think would be best for two women is the Vango Tempest 200 after watching the video you did about it but also taking a tarp after watching another video you did where you used it as a porch over the tent. I just want to say thank you for sharing your knowledge, being a inspiration, even though it’s May is 8 months away I’m personally so excited n giddy about it.
just a few minutes in. my friends and i walked from the same starting point up the same hill all the way to keswick. An amazing days walk. came down cat bells at the end
Maybe the greatest tent of all time is the one that brings the best memories. In my case that was either the canvas scout bell tent my great auntie Phyllis would pitch in her garden (and I'd sleep in that, when I was ten). Or maybe it was the orange cotton Vango Force Ten I had as a teenager. Two A-frames of thick aluminium poles, which were spring-loaded, and a ridge pole gave the traditional shape, like a Toblerone bar. And it was the first tent I'd seen with a sewn-in ground sheet, and with the new luxury of a zip for the door.
Great to see you happy in great the outdoors, it truly is good for the soul. on the GOAT tent, I cannot name a single tent (not that i've had loads!) but to just get out, camping, walking is the panacea to life's woes... all the best sir
I bought a single zip quasar in 1982 that saw me through nearly 20 years of camping all seasons everywhere including two occasions where after storms it was the only tent left standing. It is the goat for me because I felt safe in it and I could live in it when it was wet and cold for days at a time it was so spacious and was very tight so very little wind noise.
So my goat tent . Is the ultimate - phaser dome . I tent my dad bought to walk and camp in the lakes (he never got round to it ) but i took that tent every where when i was around 18 years old Many walks over the lakes coast to coast .swcp . North york moors . Scotland .france . Its heavy by today's standards at 3.6 kg with a cotton inner for 2 ppl. And not easy to put up single handed .but it was so strong and never failed with its carbon poles and nylon shell . Still have it in the loft . I put it upbin the garden every now and again just to relive those adventures from 35 years ago .good vid paul
I had a Vango Force Ten bought in the late 80's, never let me down in all sorts of weather, was heavy though, loaned it to my neice for a festival in 2004, she forgot to pack it, so as the saying goes "Neither a borrower, nor a lender be"
Ahhh Thats what my soul needed today Paul. I did a 5 mile trek on Dartmoor, filmed a bit for the Cancer Research 100 pressups a day challenge then back to my van. Was feeling a bit "bleugh" but your film really fired me up again. I think we all loved your dailies but this is Mr M firing on all cylinders again. Great photography and just you, doing what you do best, being YOU. Thanks.
My Hilleberg Akto, current one is my second, I have an Enan which I use for 3 seasons, but for the huge porch, not bad weight for what you get, bombproof guys it’s the tent I always come back to. In the uk as in Sweden, you need a fly that comes down to the ground, with a good rigid porch. The condensation I find is no worse than any other tent. I started with a Vango Alpha in the 80’s, then a few Saunders, the Jetpacker was fab, then a Phoenix Phreeranger, very stable, but when I got my leather patch Akto in about 1998, it was a game changer! It’s still waterproof!
My best tent has been the Vango Hurricane Alpha. Bought in 1988 and still using it now. Inner and outer pitch together. Can peg down flat at one end, kneel on it as you fit the 2 poles, then just pull the end straps and it's up. Has seen me through some vicious weather. Bit heavy, sure, but has never let me down.
My Vango Hurricane was my best tent ever - I used mine on three continents, hiking and or cycling and sometimes with with just four rocks to hold it down rather than pegs. At one point, going around the world, I lived in it for two years. After many trips to the Alps and beyond, it literally fell apart completely on one wet windy weekend in Wales. It was fine as a 2-person tent but as a 1 person, it was the height of luxury.
200 Banshee for Cadets and DOE, 300 for Adults, I'm only 5'8" and my 300 is damn near perfect as I carry bulkier gear, the youngsters can kip on the slimmer mats and so can get away with smaller/lower tents, nah...add 20/30lbs on and it's airbed not bubble wrap so will be a bit higher to start with sitting up, packing away inside, cooking...also for those with a small dog I reckon there's enough room in the 300 for pooch, so 300 offers more to more people, but for starting out as a youngster, without a doubt the 200 is the GOAT, but in a CB125 way, it's the starter bike that gave you the initial burst of experience...but a CB250 will get you to work far better when you're in your 20's.
I was out camping last night with two other TH-camrs and I mentioned this video so it got us chatting. Of course the big brands got mentioned but for me I think your bang on and your reasons are exactly how I felt. I hadn’t watched this time today, just seen the title and thumbnail so unless it was a click bait I knew we had to be talking about that wee legend the banshee 200. It’s just a do it all, never let you down kind of tent and with the history that goes with it too, it really did reinvent backpacking trips. The DoE link too is spot on. Ironically too, my last two Lake District camp videos where Dale head and Robinson. ATVB Robert
Spent over 200 nights in my colman viper , my goat... love it ..light , strong and still going always makes me smile to see it set up ... Bonus hammock for the woods Tenth wonder , Hornet . little heavy but fantastic she lasted my 2nights a week for a full year plus many outher adventures an still going ( only repair fly mesh caught in zip my impatience for a 3 am wee caused a stich up jod )... Evey camp for 10+ years in both those and more tents was with Marshall my flatcoat receiver sadly nolonger with me I never went camping without him he loved it more than me ,great dog best friend ❤
Nice one! I’ve never owned a Banshee and I’ve never known why. They’re like limpets in wind and rain and currently on sale new from Blacks and Millets at £125 with offer of 10% off. Sweet and simple camping 👍🏻
We had a Vango Force 10 decades ago, that was bright orange, you could only sit up in. We used to pack everything into our tiny red Triumph Spitfire and traveled all over France. Loved it.
I owned a brand new white, convertible, 1978, Triumph Spitfire. I was a brand new infantry butter bar, all over West Germany, before the wall came down…from an old veteran, retired in the US, foothills of the Smoky Mountains.
The GOAT is the one that gets you out the door. Everything else can be overcome, but the internal whining is the toughest to conquer. So what ever you have that gets your beep off the couch is it.
Thanks Paul, loved your video, and I may be way too old to go camping now, and live 10,000 miles away, but I enjoyed every minute of your exploits. You really looked like you enjoyed that breakfast.
i love Vango tents. I was brought up in Force 10's. My go to wild camping tent is the Helvellyn 200 which is bomb proof, I've been all over the Lake District with that thing. For next summer i'm looking at getting the Vango Heddon 100 maybe 200, trekking pole tent for the fair condition summer camps
Loved this one, I know you've been doing some different types of vids but for me it's your gear reviews within a walk/camp that I like the best. The longer the better.
Vango are 100% made for British weather. There just solid warm tents. After discovering your channel and starting up I invested in a Vango Cairngorm 100 and its never failed me , its probably more cosy than a banshee but ive never been wet or cold in it and ive freezed my knackers off in 400 quid a msr and a durston x mid, all my other main gear was identical bag, pad etc in each tent.
They are also made for the British midge as well. They allow venting while keeping you dry and un-eaten! While Scotland may well be famed for its midges, I have encountered plenty in the other 3 parts of the UK!
@chrisplatten2293 indeed.....the mighty midge, once the bain of hiking, camping even having a BBQ in Scotland are now widely spread certainly in the Lakes and Yorkshire Dales.....I've had some horrific encounters.....hiding in the tent, eating cold Wayfarer Curry meal as couldn't get out to cook....hike from Inverawe through Glen Kingless to Bridge of Orchy, was certainly one experience 😀
On a recent Coast to Coast attempt, doing the high route, very near to where you were (On the path coming away from Haystacks, having climbed it in very wet conditions and lowering light, carrying 17kg), I was exhausted, wet and tired and I needed to pitch quickly to get myself out of a potentially hypothermic situation. I pitched my Durston X-mid solid 1P in about 2 minutes, just before the heavens truly opened up. It kept my dry and secure that night, so I could regroup and get myself off the mountain in the morning, from that perspective I will always have a soft spot for this tent, a GOAT hiking tent IMHO.
I had a Coleman Cobra 2 from about 2001-2002, a doppelganger for that. My wife and I lived in it around the world for 10 months in 2004-5. Fantastic tent. I wore the tent out, but still have the drybag it came in.
I love my Coleman Epsilon 2 from 2007. I love it. I can't find any info on it online. I bought it from an Army vet. It's a great tent, very similar to this one
My GOAT: Robert Saunders Spacepacker, bought new in the eighties, and used for several great trips before it was stolen. A lovely lightweight tent with a single ridge pole that could sleep two, mine was the only tent of three (including a Terra Nova Quasar) that survived pitching in a gale beside Red Tarn beneath Helvelyn. I was already getting cosy when a face appeared to tell me the other tents had suffered broken poles and everyone was descending to Patterdale.
I had a Robert Saunders too, bought in 1980 and used bike touring and motorbike touring. Left with a friend when I moved to the States. Wish I’d kept it but my knees and back might have a different opinion.
Bought my banshee 200 few years back I love it won’t be buying anything else it does everything I need . Bought the 300 so me and girl friend could do tour of Mont Blanc . If I want a little more room I use that . I Love them both . 👌👌
Nice video Mr messner... I know it's not going to be too well accepted on here , but!!!!!,,,,, I don't think we should discount the old eurohike dome tents!... now they were really a tent of the people. Cheap as chips , easy to put up, durable ( if erected right), watertight. Yes they were heavy, but nearly everyone had one back in the day. Not just for festivals, many actually got carried home. You would see them everywhere.... sold in the millions . Take care out there.
I love these really informative 'walking in the hills' vlogs. My knees no longer allow me to get to such high and remote locations anymore but I can still cycle more or less wherever there's a reasonable track so I still enjoy lots of isolated environments.
The magic hour after sunset is marvelous. Beautiful views. Love the design of the tent.I have all my tents of 50 yrs of camping with one. Spent many years with nothing but a wool blanket. Eureka 4 man A frame, 2 door heavy duty free standing. Travel a lot of North America to the Arctic to Central America with it in all kinds of conditions. Still a good tent. Made in USA too. Also a free standing 2 person double vestibule 2 door Kelty. Apex or something, Can't remember. Great tent, dry and warm. Allowed cooking in the doorway, 4 season both. Not bad for motorcycling RTW. Heck of a walk down for a young man. Good vid. Good to see you out in the wild again. All good from East Kentucky USA. Like to visit the slate mine. I mined and inspected all kinds of mines all my life.
In reply to your question Paul, I'd say a serious contender for the real G.O.A.T. would have to be the original Vango Force 10 Yes, weighs a ton, but totally indestructible As for modern tents, at the budget end, although it has it's faults, my vote would have to go to the OEX Bobcat. Great video as always, and awesome to see you enjoying yourself.
Did my DofE award with the Force 10, took 3 of us to carry it. 1 person the fly, one the inner and one the poles and pegs....must have weighed 201b ! all canvas with a rubberised base.
I don't think I've owned a tent that's the greatest of all time, but my personal favorite tent that I own is my Naturehike Opalus 3. It kept me safe and dry in a crazy thunderstorm. I was camping on a spot that was well used so the ground couldn't drain fast enough. I felt the floor of the tent and it was squishy like a water bed, with at least an inch of water under the whole tent, yet I couldn't find a drop of water coming through anywhere. Felt rock solid in the wind. It's a tunnel tent sort of like some HIllebergs but of course not as robust as that. Still, for $200 USD and a weight of under 7 lbs I was pretty impressed. It's overkill on space for one, a palace for two, and could sleep 3 in a pinch while keeping all gear protected in the vestibule. The vestibule is just tall enough that two people can set up small camp chairs with backs facing the door and have space to cook without heads touching the fly. If I had a complaint, it's not about that particular tent, just a design commonality of tunnel tents. Specifically, there's one door to the main body of the tent. The vestibule has two doors, but since occupants share the main door it's more difficult to get in and out of the tent at night without disturbing whoever you're sharing the tent with.
Excellent post. It was refreshing to see the English countryside in a full hiking video. Your little tent seemed to do well for the climate. I did find it rather odd that there wasn't any wildlife spotted. Only some domestic sheep, but no birds or deer or anything. In Canada encountering wildlife would have been much more common.
Top Vid Paul, I got the Vango Hydra 200 a couple of years ago. It was tested well on its Maiden voyage when we were hit by a storm on Anglesey. 65mph winds and sideways rain for a solid 8 hours. When daylight finally broke, the field was like a warzone. Tents scattered, battered, and abandoned as their occupants had ran to the safety of their vehicles during the night. Our trusty Vango Hydra hadn't even budged. Absoloutley bomb proof.
The Banshee 200 is my hiking tent. It's great for Northern Ireland weather and feels at home in The Mourne Mountains. I love it and also get this satisfaction that its a Banshee. Its not on trend its an icon of British wild camping. It got the job done 10 years ago and conditions have not changed.
Great video Paul. I have the Vango Banshee 300 for many, many years (amongst many others!!) and I absolutely love it, roomy, reliable, comfortable, strong, well made , and my favourite tent. The only issue I have with it is its weight, so when using it, I plan trips where less carrying is needed and tend to use for winter camps only
Well done for getting down that steep descent safely. It's always a good idea to make sure of your exit route if you can before the weather clags up. Its easy to get carried away by what at first looks like an easy descent and then you either end up climbing back to where you started or worst case putting yourself and others in danger by attempting a steep unexpected descent.
I've had this tent for YEARS now, and every time I watched one of your reviews, I always thought "I dunno, I fancy mines is still hard to beat". Buzzed you agree haha
I was darn lucky to get me one of those 15 years ago here in Greece, where Vango products are not so easily found. Good Ole Banshee 300 still serves me well after all these years. My home on the outside.
3:00 - You'd be surprised mate. 🤣 Favourite tent for me would be the Vango Hurricane Alpha. Way back in the day it was the first upgrade we had from the glorious canvas Vango Force Ten Mk1&2's we used up to that point. The luxury of having something so "light" that pitched almost immediately and was still rock solid blew 20yo me away at the time. 41:00 - You handled that bit really well mate, the only thing I'd add is to say that it's absolutely OK to turn back from something that scares you. 99% of the time on the kind of routes we walk there's always another way down.
Fantastic video, really enjoyable watch and to see you struggling to get down really brought it home that climbing these fells is not always easy or go to plan... Brilliant Paul... Loved it!!!
I’ve said it before, Vango is the most underrated brand out there. Loads of good performing, well priced gear that will last for years and years! Loved the video, had a really old school Paul Messner feel to it 👌🏻
“you ask what’s the best tent and someone will tell you it’s the Hilleburg Solo…blah blah blah” sorry Paul but that someone has been you. Come on mate draw your line in the sand. If you’re not singing the praises of high end kit, you’re gushing wistfully over cheap eBay finds. You’ve got more sides than a 50p
I used my banshee for years on top of mountains, in wind tunnel valleys, on the isle of Eigg with 50+ mph wind and always using the stock pegs, I never even considered anything more robust and it never budged an inch. Now I have a durston x-mid even 9" nails can't keep it down sometimes. The Banshee is the GOAT, even if it does weigh the same as a small car 😅
My banshee 300 from 2008 is still a good summer tent for me. Pitch outer first, plenty of space and still has the stork tension system working well. Just being that old now the fabric can only cope with a light drizzle. Will definitely be getting another
i have had a few tents, but the one i use the most by far is the vango banshee 200 pro, roomy and built to stay up even in really stormy UK weather - handy to pitch even in rain, when you have it set up all with inner and outer attached together
I still have my first wild camping tent(vango banshee 200) from the first design with the darker heavier grade fy and only one door, it's been at least 15 years, although it hasn't had constant use, it was my go to alot, even of late it's my first tent I grab to introduce a friend to wild camping. Thanks for sharing
Nice one paul . Another lovely video .keeps those of us who cant get out as much as theyd want ... excited to get out. Nothing macho; just the love of outside . Keep it up mate and good luck
I like my Terranova Laser Competition tent for hiking in the mountains. It is lightweight, easy to pitch, got a decent vestibule, can handle wind and is big enough for me and my gear. The price is reasonable and the quality is good. I'd LOVE more space, a larger vestibule and for it to be freestanding, but then I wouldn't be able to get it up the mountain. So the Terranova Laser Competition is a really good compromise! 😁
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Vango tents were originally made in my home town. The name is an anagram of Govan which is a working class shipbuilding district in Glasgow.
R'ye fae Guvvan aye?
I never knew that about Vango, cheers marra!🤘
This is the shiz i like to find out!
Founded in 1861 on the banks of the River Clyde, Black’s of Greenock built an undisputed reputation for using quality materials and making durable products that last. Black's of Greenock merged with Vango in the mid 80’s embracing the similar ethos and build quality of the Force Ten Classics. Both have been synonymous with group camping for many generations.
@@glidezilla I remember Blacks an'all but yes, as an 80s kid Vango was THE tent to drool over in grattans/kays catalogue 🤘🙂
No way that is amazing. After all these years I never heard that.
Lying in that tent, your face was like a kid on Christmas morning.
For 10 years my wife and I enjoyed some phenomenal wildcamping throughout Afica, the Andes and the Himalayas in a VauDe Mark II.
We loved this tent for its simple and fast outer-first pitching. On multi-day treks in continuously foul weather, this feature alone made the tent worth its weight in gold.
We also loved the fact that it had a door and spacious porch at each end. More than once, this feature came to our rescue when one door was obstructed by wildlife.
I vividly remember hearing an unfamiliar rustle outside the tent one night whilst camping in Zimbabwe. On unzipping the fly to investigate, I was surprised to find two trees in the doorway that definitely hadn't been there when we'd pitched. Then one of the trees lifted off the ground. In my groggy state it took a while before the penny dropped. They were not trees but the front legs of an elephant that was browsing on branches over our heads. Looking up at the chin of a bull elephant is a perspective I will never forget.
As quietly as I could, I zipped up the tent and decided it was probably best not to wake the missus.
Fortunately, after what seemed like an hour, the elephant was satiated and quietly moved off, leaving the tent and us undamaged.
I didn't get much sleep that night but the endorphin rush easily got me through the next day.
Wow that's pretty easy story Thanks for sharing
Finally!!!!! The mighty Banshee getting the recognition it deserves ✊
I have had a Vango Tempest 200, Omega 350 and a Nevis 200. Like them all and never had a problem with any of them. As I am now 70 and walking trails and wild camping, I have been delighted with the performance of my Lanshans 1&2 and that bit less weight, but I still venture into the Pentlands now and again with a Vango. Thanks, Paul, your videos that I watch each time you post, have given me the inspiration to walk lengthy trails fully packed I did not imagine I could do at my age and I feel fitter than I did in my teens!
That was good to read, I'm approaching 65 and hoping for an active retirement in the hills in Scotland. I'll just keep doing what my body allows.
Cracking tent the Nevis 200, amazing value for money - went down Roslin Glen for my 39th trip with the tent the other night without any problems at all. Sturdy as heck, never any problems with condensation or bugs or anything - tough as old boots as they say
Its lovely to see and hear genuine happiness in your face and voice. This is the equivalent of a petrolhead driving a classic car or motorcycle.
Have to agree with you 100% on this. I bought the Banshee 200 with the red poles so many years ago and used it for my bushcrafting, hiking and camps as a Scout Leader. The running joke amongst my Scouts was that really I had an underground bunker and the tent was just an entrance way as they wouldn’t believe that I could really fit in it to sleep. The tent always felt like a bit of a Tardis all those years ago and it was the best of the the tents we had available unless you really went for the mountain expedition type of tent. I have owned many tents since those early days but the Vango Banshee has always kept a little spot in my heart.
This is more like it! A proper OG Paul Messner video! Love it!
This old man can sit and watch an old man rambling. Nights are drawing in so it's early to bed with a can on the bedside cabinet and cat lying across my legs, TH-cam on my laptop and there you go mate. You film it, I'll watch it. Just keep 'em coming! I chose the Scafell 200 as it seemed roomier with a large vestibule for cooking and gear, perfect for one person.
It's the GOAT for me because I sold loads back when I had my shop and I never had one warranty claim 😂 which if you're a retailer that's a win win product
I suddenly wish companies had to report their sales to warranty claim ratios, that's really handy information
When I also worked in a Camping and outdoors shop, it would be very rare to get a claim on a Vango. Snapped fiberglass poles from missuse, sure, but very rarely a manufacturers defect. And, their after sales were very good at supplying spares.
Such a brilliant comment section. Thanks letting me listen in!
Vango hurricane alpha, 30 years old and still as good as new. How can you not love them 😊.
I had the hurricane beta up until a couple of years back. Pitched in seconds and with the inner dropped, lots of room for a tall guy. Sadly the seams finally gave in...
@beaker656 No way i still have mine, yours is an ideal 1 man version.
I have a 10 plus year old Vango Sabre 300 it’s still like brand new bought it to go camping with my 6 year old, she’s 16 now and we went camping in September this year in this tent. Still as good as ever. 2 vestibules and 2 secret stash compartments fabulous tent with a heap of memories attached! You don’t need to pay through the nose to get quality and memories. Fab video, same colours as my vango!
Thanks, you’re a trooper Paul, I have the modern banshee 300 and I love it, did half of Irelands W A W in it with no problems, back next year to finish the job,Cheers
Re: your tent pegs. Mine look the same, and I have solved the problem that they present, hurting our palms as we push them in, and possibly hurting our boots as well? I went to B & Q and bought a small and light plastic plumbers 'T' junction that is used to join plastic pipes together. I just push the vertical tube of the 'T' piece over each peg, rest the horizontal part of the 'T' piece in my hand and just push the peg into the ground. Result, no palm pain and no need to use my boots.
I use one of the rubber caps that go on the end of walking sticks - not LEKI or similar, wooden walking sticks, the kind you see OAPs using. They do the job great as long as you get the right size for the job and they only cost about a quid.
i just use a metal bottle cap from a deospray. put it over the peg - no damage, no pain.
I used a rubber foot for a walking stick
😂 I use the nearest rock lying about 🪨 there’s always one
Plastic bottle top...
This spring i bought a Vango Hydra 200, used, from the Vango outlet store, used it in a five day cycle camp, I love this tent and am planning a winter cycle camp this winter.
I don't watch every video Paul makes, but I enjoy the heck out of the ones I do watch. Just a top bloke to wander around with for an hour or so.
Cracking channel.👍
Brilliant video Paul. The Banshee 200 & 300 tents are the only tents i've ever owned. Great review of them and we share the same sentiment.
Also great to see Cafe 66, a regular haunt on our travels up to the lakes or Scotland!
Fingers crossed you do more Lake District walks.
If we're talking about tents that evoke memories as well as being great bits of kit, it has to be an old fashioned canvas Icelandic tent. Just the smell of an Icelandic takes me back to many happy days camping as a Scout. Not exactly lightweight, but then again nor were the Force 10 tents we carried for 'lightweight' back packing! 🤣
For me it's greenlanders the Icelandic was the cook tent the greenlanders had the scouts guide or ventures in them.
Vango Force 10. Orange cotton fly. Stuff of dreams and childhood adventures.
I have mine and also have the nylon fly in case I want to go 70s ultralight😅😅😅
i had a mark 3 , totally bombproof
Used a force ten on Duke of Edinburgh Awards early 70s 3 kids in one tent mid winter -12c and honestly we got to hot it was older tent and heavy but what a brilliant tent
@@rogergregory5981 us too. Camped outside Glencoe Hotel in February. Numerous hikes around the lakes.One of us would carry the flysheet, one poles and pegs, one of us with the inner tent and fourth man with the Trangia. Ticket to a whole new world.
@@rogergregory5981Bombproof. Used to see them everywhere in the Highlands.
75 years old now but my goat tent was the Ultimate Peapod 1 light enough did three peaks and Pennine way etc Helvelyn via Striding edge and many others carried on motorcycle in a Karrimor rucksack with internal alloy frame, upgraded to a Vango Hydra around 1990 which was a good tent. Now cannot even bend down to get in the tent but have my memories and why I subscribe to your channel.
Peapod 1 was my first individual tent...prob around 1984 ?
I've used a Banshee 200 for 5 years for motorcycle camping, including trips to South America and Morocco as well as all over the UK. Great tent, though a bit cramped. It's stood up to some horrendous weather and kept me dry and warm. I had a pole break in South Ameirca though repaired it with a short metal tube and it's still going strong. I love how quick it is to pitch and take down. I recently replaced it with a Naturehike Opalus, purely for the extra storage space.
Could have watched you for 3 hours. Absolutely brilliant. Great atmosphere, and photography. It's like we're there with you.
It’s truly a pleasure to see your happy smiles and commentary about your nice tent. My favorite tent was my first tent, bought with my earnings, $20.00 for a canvas pup tent, complete with a floor. I was 12 yo and so pleased. My first Army tent was a canvas shelter half without a floor. It was before the invention of the synthetic, nylon. It didn’t fare as well in the rain as your Vango. I’m happy for you and your GOAT tent…from an old vet, retired in the US foothills of the Smoky Mountains.
P.S. “You could hear a tic fart”? Heh, heh, heh…hahah, heh, heh…That full English breakfast, bacon, fried eggs, beans, potatoes and bangers? It looked delicious!!!
Four the last two weeks I’ve been watching a lot of videos on wild camping, as me and my best friend are going to walk/hike 52 miles and wild camp next year in May to raise money for The Alzheimer’s Society, we are both complete novices although we have camped on campsites and done the NC500 in my friends Van with bare minimum. I just got to say that all the TH-cam videos I’ve watched I just can’t help coming back to yours for advice and inspiration, I feel there the most realistic, genuine and interesting. We’re in the process of researching the best gear to take, starting with the tent and everything will be 2nd hand or borrowed and the tent I think would be best for two women is the Vango Tempest 200 after watching the video you did about it but also taking a tarp after watching another video you did where you used it as a porch over the tent. I just want to say thank you for sharing your knowledge, being a inspiration, even though it’s May is 8 months away I’m personally so excited n giddy about it.
just a few minutes in. my friends and i walked from the same starting point up the same hill all the way to keswick. An amazing days walk. came down cat bells at the end
Maybe the greatest tent of all time is the one that brings the best memories. In my case that was either the canvas scout bell tent my great auntie Phyllis would pitch in her garden (and I'd sleep in that, when I was ten).
Or maybe it was the orange cotton Vango Force Ten I had as a teenager. Two A-frames of thick aluminium poles, which were spring-loaded, and a ridge pole gave the traditional shape, like a Toblerone bar. And it was the first tent I'd seen with a sewn-in ground sheet, and with the new luxury of a zip for the door.
Great to see you happy in great the outdoors, it truly is good for the soul. on the GOAT tent, I cannot name a single tent (not that i've had loads!) but to just get out, camping, walking is the panacea to life's woes... all the best sir
I bought a single zip quasar in 1982 that saw me through nearly 20 years of camping all seasons everywhere including two occasions where after storms it was the only tent left standing. It is the goat for me because I felt safe in it and I could live in it when it was wet and cold for days at a time it was so spacious and was very tight so very little wind noise.
So my goat tent . Is the ultimate - phaser dome .
I tent my dad bought to walk and camp in the lakes (he never got round to it ) but i took that tent every where when i was around 18 years old
Many walks over the lakes coast to coast .swcp . North york moors . Scotland .france .
Its heavy by today's standards at 3.6 kg with a cotton inner for 2 ppl. And not easy to put up single handed .but it was so strong and never failed with its carbon poles and nylon shell .
Still have it in the loft . I put it upbin the garden every now and again just to relive those adventures from 35 years ago .good vid paul
I had a Vango Force Ten bought in the late 80's, never let me down in all sorts of weather, was heavy though, loaned it to my neice for a festival in 2004, she forgot to pack it, so as the saying goes "Neither a borrower, nor a lender be"
Ahhh Thats what my soul needed today Paul.
I did a 5 mile trek on Dartmoor, filmed a bit for the Cancer Research 100 pressups a day challenge then back to my van. Was feeling a bit "bleugh" but your film really fired me up again.
I think we all loved your dailies but this is Mr M firing on all cylinders again. Great photography and just you, doing what you do best, being YOU. Thanks.
My Hilleberg Akto, current one is my second, I have an Enan which I use for 3 seasons, but for the huge porch, not bad weight for what you get,
bombproof guys it’s the tent I always come back to. In the uk as in Sweden, you need a fly that comes down to the ground, with a good rigid porch. The condensation I find is no worse than any other tent. I started with a Vango Alpha in the 80’s, then a few Saunders, the Jetpacker was fab, then a Phoenix Phreeranger, very stable, but when I got my leather patch Akto in about 1998, it was a game changer! It’s still waterproof!
My best tent has been the Vango Hurricane Alpha. Bought in 1988 and still using it now. Inner and outer pitch together. Can peg down flat at one end, kneel on it as you fit the 2 poles, then just pull the end straps and it's up. Has seen me through some vicious weather. Bit heavy, sure, but has never let me down.
My Vango Hurricane was my best tent ever - I used mine on three continents, hiking and or cycling and sometimes with with just four rocks to hold it down rather than pegs. At one point, going around the world, I lived in it for two years. After many trips to the Alps and beyond, it literally fell apart completely on one wet windy weekend in Wales. It was fine as a 2-person tent but as a 1 person, it was the height of luxury.
200 Banshee for Cadets and DOE, 300 for Adults, I'm only 5'8" and my 300 is damn near perfect as I carry bulkier gear, the youngsters can kip on the slimmer mats and so can get away with smaller/lower tents, nah...add 20/30lbs on and it's airbed not bubble wrap so will be a bit higher to start with sitting up, packing away inside, cooking...also for those with a small dog I reckon there's enough room in the 300 for pooch, so 300 offers more to more people, but for starting out as a youngster, without a doubt the 200 is the GOAT, but in a CB125 way, it's the starter bike that gave you the initial burst of experience...but a CB250 will get you to work far better when you're in your 20's.
What's the difference? Is it length?
@@Lizapendleton a little longer , a lot wider, a little taller, for my 'frame' (chunky..?) more room sideways, a touch higher to sit up...priceless
I was out camping last night with two other TH-camrs and I mentioned this video so it got us chatting. Of course the big brands got mentioned but for me I think your bang on and your reasons are exactly how I felt. I hadn’t watched this time today, just seen the title and thumbnail so unless it was a click bait I knew we had to be talking about that wee legend the banshee 200. It’s just a do it all, never let you down kind of tent and with the history that goes with it too, it really did reinvent backpacking trips. The DoE link too is spot on. Ironically too, my last two Lake District camp videos where Dale head and Robinson. ATVB Robert
Spent over 200 nights in my colman viper , my goat... love it ..light , strong and still going always makes me smile to see it set up ...
Bonus hammock for the woods Tenth wonder , Hornet . little heavy but fantastic she lasted my 2nights a week for a full year plus many outher adventures an still going ( only repair fly mesh caught in zip my impatience for a 3 am wee caused a stich up jod )...
Evey camp for 10+ years in both those and more tents was with Marshall my flatcoat receiver sadly nolonger with me I never went camping without him he loved it more than me ,great dog best friend ❤
Nice one! I’ve never owned a Banshee and I’ve never known why. They’re like limpets in wind and rain and currently on sale new from Blacks and Millets at £125 with offer of 10% off. Sweet and simple camping 👍🏻
We had a Vango Force 10 decades ago, that was bright orange, you could only sit up in. We used to pack everything into our tiny red Triumph Spitfire and traveled all over France. Loved it.
I owned a brand new white, convertible, 1978, Triumph Spitfire. I was a brand new infantry butter bar, all over West Germany, before the wall came down…from an old veteran, retired in the US, foothills of the Smoky Mountains.
The GOAT is the one that gets you out the door. Everything else can be overcome, but the internal whining is the toughest to conquer. So what ever you have that gets your beep off the couch is it.
Thanks Paul, loved your video, and I may be way too old to go camping now, and live 10,000 miles away, but I enjoyed every minute of your exploits. You really looked like you enjoyed that breakfast.
I truly appreciate your approach, and candor. You keep it ‘real’ in ways that many others do not.
Be well, stay safe, and keep on keeping it real!
i love Vango tents. I was brought up in Force 10's. My go to wild camping tent is the Helvellyn 200 which is bomb proof, I've been all over the Lake District with that thing. For next summer i'm looking at getting the Vango Heddon 100 maybe 200, trekking pole tent for the fair condition summer camps
my first tent & still going strong to this day , if its too rough for a tarp I take the Vango every time
Loved this one, I know you've been doing some different types of vids but for me it's your gear reviews within a walk/camp that I like the best. The longer the better.
Vango are 100% made for British weather. There just solid warm tents. After discovering your channel and starting up I invested in a Vango Cairngorm 100 and its never failed me , its probably more cosy than a banshee but ive never been wet or cold in it and ive freezed my knackers off in 400 quid a msr and a durston x mid, all my other main gear was identical bag, pad etc in each tent.
They are also made for the British midge as well. They allow venting while keeping you dry and un-eaten!
While Scotland may well be famed for its midges, I have encountered plenty in the other 3 parts of the UK!
@chrisplatten2293 indeed.....the mighty midge, once the bain of hiking, camping even having a BBQ in Scotland are now widely spread certainly in the Lakes and Yorkshire Dales.....I've had some horrific encounters.....hiding in the tent, eating cold Wayfarer Curry meal as couldn't get out to cook....hike from Inverawe through Glen Kingless to Bridge of Orchy, was certainly one experience 😀
On a recent Coast to Coast attempt, doing the high route, very near to where you were (On the path coming away from Haystacks, having climbed it in very wet conditions and lowering light, carrying 17kg), I was exhausted, wet and tired and I needed to pitch quickly to get myself out of a potentially hypothermic situation. I pitched my Durston X-mid solid 1P in about 2 minutes, just before the heavens truly opened up. It kept my dry and secure that night, so I could regroup and get myself off the mountain in the morning, from that perspective I will always have a soft spot for this tent, a GOAT hiking tent IMHO.
Loved the video Paul. My Goat tent is the Terra Nova Quasar many happy memories spending 6 weeks camping in the Alps was the highlight 25 years ago.
I had a Coleman Cobra 2 from about 2001-2002, a doppelganger for that. My wife and I lived in it around the world for 10 months in 2004-5.
Fantastic tent. I wore the tent out, but still have the drybag it came in.
I love my Coleman Epsilon 2 from 2007.
I love it. I can't find any info on it online.
I bought it from an Army vet.
It's a great tent, very similar to this one
My GOAT: Robert Saunders Spacepacker, bought new in the eighties, and used for several great trips before it was stolen. A lovely lightweight tent with a single ridge pole that could sleep two, mine was the only tent of three (including a Terra Nova Quasar) that survived pitching in a gale beside Red Tarn beneath Helvelyn. I was already getting cosy when a face appeared to tell me the other tents had suffered broken poles and everyone was descending to Patterdale.
I had a Robert Saunders too, bought in 1980 and used bike touring and motorbike touring. Left with a friend when I moved to the States. Wish I’d kept it but my knees and back might have a different opinion.
Bought my banshee 200 few years back I love it won’t be buying anything else it does everything I need . Bought the 300 so me and girl friend could do tour of Mont Blanc . If I want a little more room I use that . I Love them both . 👌👌
Vango Force 10, now there's great memories from 50yrs ago!
Photographer here. That sunset light is insane good. I hope one day I can visit this place.
Awesome! This was the first tent I bough 12 years ago - and never needed another one. I've never seen another one I'd prefer!
Nice video Mr messner... I know it's not going to be too well accepted on here , but!!!!!,,,,, I don't think we should discount the old eurohike dome tents!... now they were really a tent of the people. Cheap as chips , easy to put up, durable ( if erected right), watertight. Yes they were heavy, but nearly everyone had one back in the day. Not just for festivals, many actually got carried home. You would see them everywhere.... sold in the millions . Take care out there.
I have to agree
@@stevenvater2681 thank you.
I love these really informative 'walking in the hills' vlogs. My knees no longer allow me to get to such high and remote locations anymore but I can still cycle more or less wherever there's a reasonable track so I still enjoy lots of isolated environments.
Love it! Had mine about 12 years. Don't always use it, but can't imagine getting rid of it!
The magic hour after sunset is marvelous. Beautiful views. Love the design of the tent.I have all my tents of 50 yrs of camping with one. Spent many years with nothing but a wool blanket. Eureka 4 man A frame, 2 door heavy duty free standing. Travel a lot of North America to the Arctic to Central America with it in all kinds of conditions. Still a good tent. Made in USA too. Also a free standing 2 person double vestibule 2 door Kelty. Apex or something, Can't remember. Great tent, dry and warm. Allowed cooking in the doorway, 4 season both. Not bad for motorcycling RTW. Heck of a walk down for a young man. Good vid. Good to see you out in the wild again. All good from East Kentucky USA. Like to visit the slate mine. I mined and inspected all kinds of mines all my life.
Gotta admit I love the sound of a Vango zip 😊
Hi Paul, we have about 20 vango banshee 200 from around 2012 and their used as our expedition tent's with our scouts. pound for pound your right
This tent has done me proud. Use it on my motorcycle touring. Love it so enjoy it pal. It’s a brilliant tent with no problems.
In reply to your question Paul, I'd say a serious contender for the real G.O.A.T. would have to be the original Vango Force 10
Yes, weighs a ton, but totally indestructible
As for modern tents, at the budget end, although it has it's faults, my vote would have to go to the OEX Bobcat.
Great video as always, and awesome to see you enjoying yourself.
Did my DofE award with the Force 10, took 3 of us to carry it. 1 person the fly, one the inner and one the poles and pegs....must have weighed 201b !
all canvas with a rubberised base.
Nice to see you up in the Lake district again Paul. It's certainly a stunning place, in which I am fortunate that I live close to 😊
I don't think I've owned a tent that's the greatest of all time, but my personal favorite tent that I own is my Naturehike Opalus 3. It kept me safe and dry in a crazy thunderstorm. I was camping on a spot that was well used so the ground couldn't drain fast enough. I felt the floor of the tent and it was squishy like a water bed, with at least an inch of water under the whole tent, yet I couldn't find a drop of water coming through anywhere. Felt rock solid in the wind. It's a tunnel tent sort of like some HIllebergs but of course not as robust as that. Still, for $200 USD and a weight of under 7 lbs I was pretty impressed. It's overkill on space for one, a palace for two, and could sleep 3 in a pinch while keeping all gear protected in the vestibule. The vestibule is just tall enough that two people can set up small camp chairs with backs facing the door and have space to cook without heads touching the fly. If I had a complaint, it's not about that particular tent, just a design commonality of tunnel tents. Specifically, there's one door to the main body of the tent. The vestibule has two doors, but since occupants share the main door it's more difficult to get in and out of the tent at night without disturbing whoever you're sharing the tent with.
I have an old Vango Spectre 200 which must be 16- 18 years old and it is still going!
Well done! My muscles are aching just watching... 🎒😄
This was my first ever Mt tent and what a tent, I gave it to my nephew and I 100% know it will last him a very long time.
Very nice video, the enjoyment from taking your tent out for a trip was amazing!
Excellent post. It was refreshing to see the English countryside in a full hiking video. Your little tent seemed to do well for the climate. I did find it rather odd that there wasn't any wildlife spotted. Only some domestic sheep, but no birds or deer or anything. In Canada encountering wildlife would have been much more common.
I like vango stuff 👍💪 for the masses
Top Vid Paul, I got the Vango Hydra 200 a couple of years ago. It was tested well on its Maiden voyage when we were hit by a storm on Anglesey. 65mph winds and sideways rain for a solid 8 hours.
When daylight finally broke, the field was like a warzone. Tents scattered, battered, and abandoned as their occupants had ran to the safety of their vehicles during the night.
Our trusty Vango Hydra hadn't even budged. Absoloutley bomb proof.
The Banshee 200 is my hiking tent. It's great for Northern Ireland weather and feels at home in The Mourne Mountains. I love it and also get this satisfaction that its a Banshee. Its not on trend its an icon of British wild camping. It got the job done 10 years ago and conditions have not changed.
Really enjoyed that one Paul . Yep certainly can't beat a full English in Cafe 66. Had many a breakie in there 😋😋👌
Beautiful scenery and beautiful weather--don't get much foggy wet weather where I live in the desert. Thanks for the video.
Great video Paul.
I have the Vango Banshee 300 for many, many years (amongst many others!!) and I absolutely love it, roomy, reliable, comfortable, strong, well made , and my favourite tent. The only issue I have with it is its weight, so when using it, I plan trips where less carrying is needed and tend to use for winter camps only
Great to see you back out on the hills camping Paul. Excellent stuff and keep them coming..... GOAT could well be...!!!
Well done for getting down that steep descent safely. It's always a good idea to make sure of your exit route if you can before the weather clags up. Its easy to get carried away by what at first looks like an easy descent and then you either end up climbing back to where you started or worst case putting yourself and others in danger by attempting a steep unexpected descent.
I’ve owned a banshee 200 for year its never let me down and i love it.
I've had this tent for YEARS now, and every time I watched one of your reviews, I always thought "I dunno, I fancy mines is still hard to beat". Buzzed you agree haha
I was darn lucky to get me one of those 15 years ago here in Greece, where Vango products are not so easily found. Good Ole Banshee 300 still serves me well after all these years. My home on the outside.
Well done Paul you outdid yourself on this one, plus best comments on any of your vids.
Walked Old Man Coniston, with its slate mine, in the summer. Breathtakingly dramatic.
3:00 - You'd be surprised mate. 🤣
Favourite tent for me would be the Vango Hurricane Alpha. Way back in the day it was the first upgrade we had from the glorious canvas Vango Force Ten Mk1&2's we used up to that point. The luxury of having something so "light" that pitched almost immediately and was still rock solid blew 20yo me away at the time.
41:00 - You handled that bit really well mate, the only thing I'd add is to say that it's absolutely OK to turn back from something that scares you. 99% of the time on the kind of routes we walk there's always another way down.
Fantastic video, really enjoyable watch and to see you struggling to get down really brought it home that climbing these fells is not always easy or go to plan... Brilliant Paul... Loved it!!!
I’ve said it before, Vango is the most underrated brand out there. Loads of good performing, well priced gear that will last for years and years! Loved the video, had a really old school Paul Messner feel to it 👌🏻
Not exactly what I'd call "underrated"; you see them absolutely *everywhere*!
@@peakandpaddleuk you see the tents a lot but they do so many other camping products that are great but not really seen, especially outside of the uk
“you ask what’s the best tent and someone will tell you it’s the Hilleburg Solo…blah blah blah” sorry Paul but that someone has been you. Come on mate draw your line in the sand. If you’re not singing the praises of high end kit, you’re gushing wistfully over cheap eBay finds. You’ve got more sides than a 50p
I bought a hilleberg akto about a decade ago, very similar design. I’ve spent a lot of nights in it, all sorts of weather and it’s still going strong.
I used my banshee for years on top of mountains, in wind tunnel valleys, on the isle of Eigg with 50+ mph wind and always using the stock pegs, I never even considered anything more robust and it never budged an inch. Now I have a durston x-mid even 9" nails can't keep it down sometimes. The Banshee is the GOAT, even if it does weigh the same as a small car 😅
Cracking light and views, absolutely stunning. Love the tent too.
My banshee 300 from 2008 is still a good summer tent for me. Pitch outer first, plenty of space and still has the stork tension system working well. Just being that old now the fabric can only cope with a light drizzle. Will definitely be getting another
Vango Omega350. Used for canoe camping UK and Canada with my wife. Both in our 70's now, we love "our little tent"
The Omega is a nice looking tent. I’m a big fan of tunnel tents.
@@PaulMessner Suits us down to the ground! Like your vlog!
i have had a few tents, but the one i use the most by far is the vango banshee 200 pro, roomy and built to stay up even in really stormy UK weather - handy to pitch even in rain, when you have it set up all with inner and outer attached together
Paul, I also bought a Banshee 200, back in 2012. I don’t do much wild camping nowadays but I will never let my first love go.
I still have my first wild camping tent(vango banshee 200) from the first design with the darker heavier grade fy and only one door, it's been at least 15 years, although it hasn't had constant use, it was my go to alot, even of late it's my first tent I grab to introduce a friend to wild camping. Thanks for sharing
Just stumbled upon your channel today and I have a feeling I'm going to watch all your videos and forget to go to bed.
Ha ha ha. I bet the video sent you to sleep eventually.😂
Nice one paul . Another lovely video .keeps those of us who cant get out as much as theyd want ... excited to get out. Nothing macho; just the love of outside . Keep it up mate and good luck
Been all round the world with my Wild Country Ultra Quasar which has never let me down since about 1990 when I bought it.
I like my Terranova Laser Competition tent for hiking in the mountains. It is lightweight, easy to pitch, got a decent vestibule, can handle wind and is big enough for me and my gear. The price is reasonable and the quality is good.
I'd LOVE more space, a larger vestibule and for it to be freestanding, but then I wouldn't be able to get it up the mountain. So the Terranova Laser Competition is a really good compromise! 😁
I have a newer Vango Banshee 200 and I LOVE that tent! I’m a D of E Assessor and it’s been brilliant. Would definitely recommend Vango to anyone.
Used the banshee 300 for me and my mate on long walks in the highlands, it withstood all sorts of weather and would recommend it to everyone.
Good to see you flying the flag Paul I have several Vango tents in my collection including the banshee and they have always performed brilliantly.