Vango are, without question, one of the best group tent manufacturers in business in the UK today. However, their range of bigger tents can be bewildering, with around 35 different designs available in the 2012 collection. In this post we've focused on the 'family' style tents, with internal and external space under a larger flysheet.
Since buying a group tent can be an expensive purchase, it's important to understand the differences between the models - which isn't intuitive! Just look how similar all the tents below are on first glance. You don't want to be spending £200, £300 or even £500 on a less than perfect tent.
Vango Odyssey
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| Vango Odyssey 400 |
Read our review of the Vango Odyssey 400
Read our review of the Vango Odyssey 500
The best place to start is the Vango Odyssey range - which you might say is the 'entry-level' group tent from Vango. It is a fairly standard inner tent in which campers sleep 'lengthways' along the tent and a decent sized external space. The flysheet is 3000HH, which is a minimum standard across the Vango range these days - so waterproofing should not be a problem. However, the size of group tents means that they do not handle high winds as well as their smaller geodesic cousins. As a result, you should expect that tents like the Odyssey are only really suitable for Spring or Summer camping, and even then one should be cautious in very high winds.
The Odyssey comes in two models, the 400 and the 500, which sleep four people and five people respectively. For both models, you can buy an additional side canopy or an end canopy to extend the size of the external space. The 400 retails at an RRP of £200 and the 500 at £250, but as you should know by now, you can find discounts to these prices at most retailers.
Vango Icarus
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| Vango Icarus 500 |
Read our review of the Vango Icarus 400
Read our review of the Vango Icarus 500
Read our review of the Vango Icarus 600
One step up from the Odyssey is the Icarus range. This is one of Vango's best selling models, with the range covering a 300, 400, 500, 600, 800 and 1000 editions, sleeping 3, 4, 5, 6, 8 and 10 people respectively. On first glance, the tent looks very similar to the Odyssey. The materials are largely the same, but the Icarus comes with a sewn-in groundsheet (whereas you have to buy a separate one for the Odyssey). Also, the Icarus comes with two doors on the external area (one on each side), whereas the Odyssey only has one. RRPs are slightly higher than the Odyssey for these extras (£20 more for the 400 model, £10 more for the 500 model), so you have to ask whether you need them. Sometimes it is nice to have no groundsheet in the porch, as so you can sit out of the rain without taking off your boots!
You can buy a front extension for the Icarus, but if you are thinking of using this every time you might be better suited with the Tigris (further below) which is pretty much identical but with built-in longer porch for a cheaper price than buying the tent and the extension separately.
Vango Calisto
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| Vango Calisto 500 |
Read our review of the Vango Calisto 400
Read our review of the Vango Calisto 500
The Vango Calisto is a more family oriented tent when compared to the Odyssey or the Icarus. The tent stands higher from the ground than the two above, thanks to straight steel poles on the sides of the tent (as opposed to curved poles on the tents above). This gives over two metres of headroom in the middle of the tent, more than enough for all but the very tallest of campers. The porch area is a little smaller than with the tents above, but the internal space comes with a few nice touches to make a camping holiday a bit nicer - a pellet with pockets for storage, hanging storage, privacy windows and low level vents all add to the luxury in this model. Easy to pitch and to strike, the Calisto makes an excellent choice for young families.
The Calisto comes in a 400, 500 and 600 model at an RRP of £280, £330 and £380 respectively, so you do pay a little extra for the little luxuries. As with the Odyssey, you can buy a front canopy extension to make the external space much bigger.
Vango Diablo
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| Vango Diablo 400 plan |
A new model for 2012, the Diablo is one of our favourite tents on Top Tents. Imagine you took the Calisto (above), and split the sleeping area into two completely separate units! You end up with a triangular tent structure, perfect for kids and adults, or for two couples sharing a larger tent. A photo doesn't really do the design justice, so we have shown the diagram of the layout of the tent to the right. The tent comes with all the luxury additions that you get in the Calisto, but the additional material and design means it is more expensive. The 400 model is £425 and the 600 model is £475, which isn't cheap, but it certainly is cool.
Vango Tigris (XL)
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| Vango Tigris 400XL |
The Tigris model (now with the suffix 'XL' in 2012) is essentially the Icarus model with a built-in longer porch (although that doesn't mean you can't still buy another extension to turn it into a mega-porch!). Also, the flysheet material is 4000HH as opposed to 3000HH in the tents above. This adds slightly to the weatherproofing, so if you're looking for a tent with an integrated bigger porch and high quality materials then the Tigris XL range is a great choice.
The Tigris comes in a 400XL, 600XL and 800XL models, at an RRP of £350, £450 and £500 respectively.
Vango Samara
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| Vango Samara 400 |
Read our review of the Vango Samara 400
Read our review of the Vango Samara 600
The Samara is a cross between the Calisto and the Tigris, with better luxury spec internal design and greater standing height thanks to the vertical poles on the sides of the tent (like the Calisto), plus an integrated longer front porch (like the Tigris). If you're looking for a family tent with a little more luxury, but with a big porch and no need to faff with extensions, then the Vango Samara is definitely the one for you.
Like the Tigris, the Samara comes in a 400, 600 and 800 model, costing an RRP of £380, £500, and £550 respectively.
Vango Kasari
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| Vango Kasari 600 |
For larger groups, the Vango Kasari comes in 600 and 800 models for six and eight people respectively. The tent is a cross shaped structure, with a door on one end and three distinct sleeping pods. This tent comes with all the luxuries that you get with the Calisto or the Tigris, and is perfect for larger families or groups of friends who all want their own space. As with other models, the Kasari can be extended with the use of a front canopy.
Tents of this size don't come cheap - the 600 model has an RRP of £525 and the 800 model is £575.
Vango Astoria
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| Vango Astoria 600 |
New for 2012, the Astoria takes the design of the Samara and adds another sleeping vestibule at the front end. In the 600 model you have two ends that both accommodate three people each, whereas the 800 has two ends that accommodate four people each. Like the Kasari or the Diablo, this tent is suitable for people who might want their own space, or families who want somewhere to let the kids adventure on their own! The Astoria is made of the same stuff as the Samara, so it's top spec, and you do pay for it. The 600 model has an RRP of £550 and the 800 clocks in at £600.
Review: The new Alpha from Vango has a funky new pointed pole at the front of the usual dome structure. As well as making the tent look cooler, it gives a little more headroom when entering the tent. On the inside, it is average width for a three person tent (180cm - giving 60cm per person), which some might find a little cramped. For two people, this tent is huge and very reasonably priced. This tent isn't going to be the lightest or the best quality, but as an entry level dome tent with a 3000HH flysheet (i.e. really waterproof!) that can be thrown up in just a few minutes, you don't really need anything else unless you're planning on camping in very poor weather or need a lightweight option.
