Category: Tent Reviews

Highplains Vintage Floral Popup Tent – Review

We are suckers for pretty, and we also love hassle-free, so we loved getting the chance to test out an adorable vintage flower design popup tent, from The Bedding Company. We usually camp in tents that are significantly bigger, so to get a fair opinion, we got team member Shammie (student and festival lover) to take it away for a weekend break in the Lakes. Read on to find out more!

Highplains Vintage Floral Camping Pop Up 2 Man Tent
£30 The Bedding Company

Highplains Vintage Floral Camping Pop Up 2 Man Tent

Our Verdict

Of course we loved the design, but looks aren’t everything, so no matter how pretty, we want to know that a product can stand up to real life use. For our field test we used the tent twice. The first time, team member Shammie took the tent away on a weekend trip to the Lakes. Used to sleeping in popup tents, she reported back that it was quick and easy to put up and had enough space for her and her boyfriend. However, she did say that they had to keep their rucksacks in the car as there is no porch area and not enough room in the tent for the two of them plus their gear.

We then put it up again in the garden for our shoot, and were impressed by the ease and speed of pitching the tent. It literally took us 2 minutes, and that included pegging it down and pegging the guy ropes too! Once inside, it took a little bit of getting used to. Our tents tend to be big, really big, and it’s been a long time since either of us had used a 2 man tent.

I set up my bed, took my rucksack, book and lantern inside and snuggled into my SLPY bag. The tent is quite low, so I was unable to sit up fully (I am 5.7″), but there was ample room for me with plenty of space left for my various bits and bobs including my large rucksack. I would recommend the tent for use by just one adult, unless you are looking for something easily portable and you don’t intend to do anything, but literally sleep in the tent, as with two of us inside, it was rather snug.

Popup tents are ideal for short camping trips and are best used in the summer time. This tent is waterproofed, but even so, popup tents are typically are not able to stand up well to prolonged bad weather, so for summer music festivals, sleep overs, for older kids who want a little bit of independence on a family camping trip or for those who need something light and highly portable, then this is a super little tent. The tent also comes in other patterns and there are matching sleeping bags and camp chairs available too.

Tent Details

  • Matching camp chair and sleeping bag available
  • Polyester outer with waterproof coating
  • Taped waterproof seams and single layer waterproof floor
  • Sturdy 6.9mm Fibreglass Poles
  • Ventilation window at the back
  • Double front door for extra ventilation
  • Inner mesh to keep out the bugs
  • Includes carry bag, steel pegs and ropes
  • Dimensions: L220cm x W120cm x H95cm

Vintage Floral Tent Pictures

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Lovely attention to detail

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Clear and simple instructions, though if you aren’t familiar with how to fold away a popup tent, we recommend viewing a YouTube ‘how to’ video before your camping trip

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Sturdy sewn in external peg loops

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The gorgeous exterior of the tent (more tent designs are available here)

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Me inside the tent!

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Ventilation window

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Mrs Betty Owl inside the tent to show scale

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Tent set up with a single self inflating air mat and over sized single SLPY sleeping bag

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Would We Recommend It?

We’d recommend this tent to anyone on a budget, who doesn’t want to compromise on looks – at just £30 (best price from The Bedding Company), it’s great value for money. The tent feels very well made, with lovely little styling features that set it aside from similarly priced competitor tents. It’s lightweight, super easy to pitch (it took us 2 minutes to pitch it, including pegging it down). Brilliant value for something that looks so distinctive and we love that you can get a matching sleeping bag and camp chair!

A big thank you to The Bedding Company who supplied the Highplains Vintage Floral Popup Tent for us to field test.

FieldCandy Social Butterfly Tent – Review

We were absolutely delighted to get our hands on a FieldCandy tent for our most recent camping trip. Hardcore campers tend to be a little suspicious of camping gear that looks a bit different, and lets be honest, camping isn’t an area renowned for having high design values – practical and functional is where it’s at. Anything that looks like it is design driven is regarded as being potentially a victim of style of substance, so we were keen to see how a tent from FieldCandy would get on in real life.

FieldCandy Social Butterfly Tent Review

FieldCandy Tent

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inner tent

Our Verdict

The packaging is just beautiful, the tent comes in a shiny branded box and even the bag that the tent comes in has the same pattern as the fly sheet. The whole thing is small and light, making it perfect for those who don’t have much storage space or for anyone needing to carry their tent with them.

Putting the tent up was a doddle and it felt well made, sturdy and capable

Detailed instructions are provided, but we only needed a quick glance at the pictures. Putting the frame up was an absolute doddle. With just 3 poles to fit together with sturdy plastic connectors, the frame was up in less than a minute. The inner tent clipped easily and securely to the frame, taking seconds for 2 of us to attach. The beautifully patterned fly sheet followed and took just a couple of minutes to fit over the frame and peg down.

The tent took no more than 5 minutes to put up in total, making it the quickest tent i’ve ever put up (apart from popup tenets of course). There are no guy ropes which helps make it so quick to put up, and means it can fit into small spaces, making it ideal for festivals where space is at a premium. Despite the lack of guy ropes, being on a very exposed, windy coastal campsite, posed no problem at all. The tent felt sturdy and capable from the outset.

The spacious front porch area makes a big difference to the inside space, and gives you somewhere handy to stow things like shoes and bags. We think that it’s the perfect festival tent, and it is ideal for short camping trips, or for people who do not have their own transport and so need a tent that can be easily carried. Social Butterfly is pricey compared to similar sized tents, but you are paying for quality, attention to detail and beautiful design and styling. You won’t be disappointed with this tent and the second it’s up, you’ll feel like a little kid again, excited to dive straight inside it!

What We Loved

  • The tent felt robust, capable and very well made
  • Vibrant and varied design options to reflect your style and personality
  • Very intuitive, quick and easy to put up
  • Small, light and easily portable when packed down
  • The spacious porch area is handy and provides some really useful extra space
  • Easy to put up on your own
  • Decent sleeping space for 2 adults on sleeping mats
  • Made in Britain
  • Some FieldCandy tents can be personalised (how cool is that?!)

Would We Recommend It?

Yes, absolutely!

FieldCandy Social Butterfly Festival Tent Review

Want to see more of this tent? Check out more pictures from our latest camping trips here.