The Vango Alpha 300 is described a tent for “festival camping, adventure camping and weekender camping”. It is also recommended by the Scouts association. I asked my guest reviewers Lynsey and Tony to test the tent during a trip to the Isle of Jura to take part in a fell race.
The tent is dome shaped with a bedroom and a porch.
Features include:
- Inner and outer design, with inner tent pitched first
- ProTex 70 Denier 3000mm Hydrostatic Head (HH)
- Fibreglass Poles
- Linked-in groundsheet in porch area
- “Diamond Clear” PVC Windows
- Nightfall bedroom with a darkened interior
- Carry Bag
- Tested to EN5912 – EU Standards
- Size: Length: 285cm; width 180cm to 190cm; with bedroom of 210cm x 180cm
- Price: RRP: £135, now £79.99
- Buy from Outdoor World Direct
On test: Vango Alpha 300 tent
Lynsey and Tony were foot passengers on the ferry to Jura and carried the tent to a nearby campsite. They had their dog, Buddy, with them.
Lynsey’s review: The tent was easy to put up and took us around 10 minutes. It was a similar time for dismantling. We had done a test run before heading to Jura so we knew how to erect the tent.
The weight of the tent is fairly heavy and it’s quite a large pack to carry – I know there are much lighter and smaller tents for backpacking etc – but we didn’t need to carry the tent far to pitch it. It would be ideal if you were at a campsite and assembling straight from a vehicle.
The tent is a good size for two adults sleeping on inflatable mattress. We placed our bags etc along the inside sides and pushed the Thermarests in the middle. We then had a reasonable amount of room to sleep and move about with this layout.
It wasn’t possible to stand up but stooping was fine. It’s classed as a three-person tent. You could potentially get a small child in, as well as two adults, but it would be a squeeze for three adults.
The design and layout are well thought out with pockets inside, vents and a lantern hook. It also has a good quality feel.
It was warm during our trip and then vents on the side allowed for extra circulation. It rained overnight and we had no issues with condensation or water coming in. I can’t comment on the wind resistance because conditions were calm but the tent felt sturdy enough.
The arched design of the porch offered decent height and the groundsheet is linked to the outer fly sheet so there is less chance of water coming in at the porch area.
The blackout inner tent worked well and we had minimal light coming in.
A few negatives include the fact it wasn’t easy to do a lot of moving about and get changed inside due to the size and height restrictions. However, a larger tent would be bulkier, heavier and more costly.
The porch could be larger but overall there was a enough space for our dog to lie in and for our shoes etc. It was not large enough to sit in the porch with camping chairs but you could sit on your bottom easily enough.
Overall, for the money, it’s a great tent. It is too heavy for easy backpacking but we are happy with it for campsite camping.
- The tent was gift for an honest review.