Tents - Vango Beta 350

Beta 350

Vango says "This versatile tunnel design features a huge porch area with double entrance. The benefit is that you can store all your gear here, even bikes, or use it as living space when the weather takes a turn for the worse."

Vital Statistics

Stated capacity: 3
Weight: 6.15gms
Pack Size: 65 x 20 x 19cms
Pitch Area: 540 x 300cms
Colours: Excalibur/Black, Ensign-Blue/Angel, Jester-Red/Black
Flysheet : Protex 2000 Hydrostatic Head = 2000mm
Groundsheet: Polyethylene Hydrostatic Head = 5000mm
Poles: Fibreglass
Pitching: flysheet first or as one
Colour coded poles - heavy duty pole sleeves for even distribution of weight
Velcro for holding guys neatly during/after packing so re-pitching is easier.
Taped Seams
Bathtub ground sheet
Ventilation points 2 from sleeping compartment, 2 from porch area + 1 between sleeping compartment and porch area
True capacity - 3 but could conceivably sleep another hardy soul in the porch
Entrances/exits: 2 large doors - but only one with mesh
Hooks for hanging - 1 in sleeping compartment
Storage compartments: 3 medium pockets in sleeping compartment
Insect protection: mesh in only one of the doorways and only on top half of sleeping compartment door.
Windows: 2 clear

SRP: £85.00

In-use Test:

The colour coded poles and pole sleeves make the Vango Beta 350 easy to put up - I pitched this tent alone on a campsite in Middleton-in-Teesdale in about 15 minutes.

The internal accommodation is good - it will sleep 3 people in relative comfort. The porch area is as large as the sleeping compartment and roomy enough to take a table and 2 chairs as well as your walking kit. It is too low though, to allow me to stand completely upright. (I'm 5' 10''.) The Porch also has a ground sheet throughout to keep everything dry.

The tunnel design provides a stable structure though there is no sign of the tension band system common on Vango tents. The high bath-tub inner groundsheet protects the sleeping area against entry of rain/wind in poor weather but there is a gap between the ground sheet porch and the outside.

There are 2 doors one either side of the porch - though only one has meshing to protect from insects. There are two ventilation ports in the porch, one above each window and this arrangement is mirrored in the interior sleeping compartment. This interior also includes 3 storage pockets for all those night time essentials and there is a hook for hanging items such as a lamp.

Whilst a little too heavy and bulky to carry in a back pack the Vango Beta 350 does pack down remarkably small for such a spacious tent and will fit easily into a car boot.

Score:

Performance		Accommodation
Ease of Pitching		Value for Money

Buying Advice:

If you're looking for a relatively inexpensive 3 person tent for use on dry spring and summer nights with plenty of storage space - then the Vango Beta 350 could be for you. However, because it has a Protex flysheet with a Hydrostatic Head of only 2000 and the build quality is (IMHO) not top of the range this is a tent for the occasional summer camper only. If you are planning to camp more often and in harsher weather then perhaps you should look at something with a higher spec - like the Vango Equinox range.

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