- 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."
- This is Part 2, please read Part 1 first! -
After using this tent for a couple of months, I now feel ready to offer a proper opinion on it... Bit more wordy this time as the camera wasn't playing along!
Thoughts
This is a great tent as long as you remember it's entry level. It's very close to 3kg which you really feel after some time on the trail. In terms of its size when packed it's very good for the weight, it feels quite small so works well in a pack rather than strapped on the outside which is what I have to do with other 2/3 person tents.
Putting it up is simple even in windy conditions due to how it goes up. By keeping it altogether it allows for the fastest pitch time and keeps the inner dry - saying that, the inner is very simple to place if you do it separately. I love the free standing aspect of the tent, I haven't found tents in the same price range with the same sturdiness - handles high winds very well (tested on the Cornish coast!). Me and my sister both made the same mistake when first pitching the tent, we both put the pole into the wrong hole then attempted to push, resulting in bent poles. We both did this so it's something to remember if you go on to buy this tent.
Inside the tent can be a bit cramped with kit and people. It's a mummy tent (big one end, small the other) so it feels up quick. The best method I came up with was making the most of the porch area and piling kit high. It's a bit of a faff in the morning if you're desperate for the toilet but it keeps stuff dry and out the way. It's a backpacking tent and as other equipment gets smaller and smaller then tents like this will become the perfect size - unfortunately when not all your kit is technical it takes up that bit more room.
On the times when I've camped in this tent there hasn't been much rain so I can't comment on how waterproof the seams and outer are. I can comment on the quoted waterproof level though, 5000mm is enough to put up with some strong rain - I'd like to see where the water goes in a heavy downpour though, in Part 1 I mentioned the porch area extending past the outer - in heavy rain this could cause quite a problem. If someone with this tent has used it in heavy rain I'd love to know how it dealt with it.
Putting the tent away is a little tricky. The porch pole features a bent section which doesn't really fit with the rest of the poles, it's not a major flaw but it means it's extended beyond the rest of the poles and could be susceptible to damage. As with all other Vango tents I've experienced, the bag seems just that bit too small. If there was a way of having a bigger bag that you could then make smaller it'd be much quicker to get away (similar to some Vaude bags, with the roll down and clip method).
Positive points!
- Small packed size
- Reasonable weight
- Really sturdy in high winds
- Freestanding
- Looks good! (gotta consider looks sometimes! ;))
Not-so-positive points!
- Can't sit up straight
- Bag feels a tad small
- 1 small pole extends beyond the rest
Summary
Great little tent, a really comfortable 1 man or a cosy 2. In the mountains and higher areas around Britain I think this tent would be great - sharing body heat always helps when the temperature drops and freestanding means not every peg has to be in. If you've been using tents for a number of years then I don't think the packing away issues would be a problem but if you're new to backpacking/camping then it'll be a bit tricky. For the price I think it's great - I've met plenty of people who've paid more for a worse tent.
More information on this tent -
- Thanks again to outdoorkit for providing this tent. Please check out their Twitter and Facebook -
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