Review: Vango Mirage 200 Tent, Part 1

- Product provided by www.outdoorkit.co.uk for the purpose of review -

Review time! This review is of the Vango Mirage 200 tent, this midweight tent is designed for 2 people with kit.

RRP - £150

Weight - 2.9kg

HH - 5000

Packed size - 47 x 15cm

Length - 225cm

Width - 120cm

Vango description - "This semi geodesic tent completes the backpacking range with a free standing option. This is needed for camping on terrain where you are not guaranteed to be able to peg out your tent. With the multi-function fly sheet door the Mirage will deal with harsh weather and then open up into a comfortable porch for fine conditions."

Information provided with tent

Initial thoughts/opening

Very compact package when first opened - Vango haven't just stuffed everything into the bag, it's neatly put in, with everything in its own packaging. Good use of 2.9kg for the size!

When I first rolled out the tent it was in two separate bits (inner and outer) although the product is advertised as an all-in-one pitch this must be once you've put the thing together - good to remember this if you're buying the tent last minute before going on a journey, in windy conditions I find the 2 part set up much more of a "faff"

Apart from this, all seems standard. This tent uses a three pole system which allows it to stand without pegs - handy feature for the price!

Compact on arrival!

3 poles, inner and outer - ready to pitch!

First pitching

Simple pitching method - polls through sleeves then clipped to eyelets and hoisted as one, at this point I bent one of the polls slightly by applying a lot of force to it, I don't recommend first pitches when you've just got back from a holiday!

The advertised pitching time for this tent is 12 minutes - I put it up in around 25, this included attaching the inner for the first time and reading instructions. After the initial fiddly bits, I think a pitching time of 12 minutes would be easily attainable.

~ Additional thought ~

this tent could easily be used, in warmer weather, as a tarp set up with no inner, something to try in the summer months!

The tent once pegged and guylined seems really stable, my vigorous testing was shaking it with my brother inside - he felt confident in the tent with it holding well and the inner and outer staying well apart from each other.

Gap between inner and outer - good half foot in places!

After following the detailed instructions (photo below) I was ready to attach the inner which uses a simple ringlet system, this allows for a fast attachment to the outer. The outer and inner can then be kept together for faster pitching times.

Instructions on inside of tent bag

~ Additional thought ~

If 2 or more people are using this tent then each carrying a separate part (poles, inner, outer) can help lessen the load - the quick method of attaching the inner helps this technique.

First pitch - outer, pegged out just before attaching inner.

First pitch - fully pitched, solid and sturdy!

Fully pitched findings

- Just about big enough for 2 people + kit.

- Front door isn't very tight so water wouldn't run off straight away and could work its way through.

- Simple set up but strong

- Fabric seems well sewn, couldn't find any faults along seems or around the tent.

With front porch groundsheet

In places the outer doesn't go over the porch groundsheet which could cause water to run into this part of the tent. I'll test this in part 2 of the review.

Other bits

- Lots of vents to allow air to circulate around the tent

- Well designed for trekking with space saving shape (similar to mummy sleeping bag, bigger at the front)

- Thin inner sheet - if the vents don't close efficiently then cold air could get in quite easily. (tested in part 2)

Field testing and Part 2

My plan for this tent is to do some testing in my garden using a hose and also take it for some camping up on Dartmoor.

I'll continue to test the tent over the next 6 months and updates will be posted on Twitter and Facebook (links at the bottom and top)

Positive points!

- Good first pitching time

- Simple instructions so anyone could get this tent up

- Quick inner to outer attachment

- Efficient use of space (bigger to smaller)

- Good pegs, light but strong - pet peeve is easily bent pegs!

Not-so-positive points!

- Entrance outer doesn't quite cover the porch groundsheet.

Summary

I'm really looking forward to testing this tent on Dartmoor and I'm confident it'll do well. For an entry level trekking tent it's a bit heavy but if you split the bits up this wouldn't be a problem. For 2 big people it'd be "intimate" but not unrealistic.

Really impressed with the build quality of this tent - something Vango does very well. If a tent is put together well it's a great confidence booster for how it'll perform when the weather turns.

Further tent information and brand page

www.outdoorkit.co.uk/brand/vango_23.html - Vango brand page

www.outdoorkit.co.uk/product.php?product_id=11814 - Vango Mirage 200 product page

More photos