Although the Tempest 200 has been with us for a few years it's evolved along the way, taking on board technology changes along the way but retaining a proven shape and design. The 2011 model comes with a whole host of features and certainly far more than we'd expect on a tent in this price range. Above all though Vango have got the essentials right with the Tempest, which also comes in a three man version, and stability and reliability don't seem to suffer despite the cost implications of so many features.

Using a tunnel tent like the Tempest 200 requires some compromises, and particularly when there's two of you. Getting in and out of a tapered tent through a front porch entrance means adapting a little and sitting up is always going to be restricted to the entrance area - but if you're happy with these compromises you get exceptional performance in strong winds. The Tempest 200 gives you exactly 1m at the highest point, which is just about enough to sit up in if you're 6ft or under. Along with stability the tapered design makes for a smaller footprint, tapering from the front to the back in width as well as height, which means it's easier to find a big enough piece of flat ground to pitch on.

The first couple of times you pitch the Tempest 200 it's going to take a while - Vango say 10 minutes but unless you're familiar with their Tension band system (TBSII) you can add another 5 minutes to that. After the first couple of times, however it gets easier and quicker; you can leave the inner attached to the fly for a quick pitch and most of the fiddly adjustments can be left from one use to another. On the first pitch the Tempest 200 goes up outer first, something we like for British weather, and once you've adjusted the tension straps on the poles you can peg it out. The inner then clips into place using elastic loops attached to clips on the inside of the flysheet - if you're not used to outer first pitching you'll need to remember to start the clipping from the back and work your way forwards. Finally you can set up the TBSII tensioning, adjusting the straps till they're taught but not over-taught, if the weather's going to be rough - under normal conditions it's not actually necessary and won't make a noticeable difference. The idea behind the TBSII system is to tension the main poles so they can handle variable side winds without deforming, so even if you don't need to use it first time out it's a good idea to get yourself familiar with it for when it is needed.

Unlike most 2 man tents of this type you get a porch groundsheet with the Tempest 200, although we chose not to use it most of the time. The porch is quite restricted in size and with two people in the tent there's not much room for anything more than packs and boots, and definitely no porch-cooking with the groundsheet down! For one person, however, and with no porch groundsheet the main door rolls nicely out of the way above and there's enough room to sit and cook.

The tent inner is a breathable polyester fabric, in orange, which offers more protection from wind than the mesh inners which are becoming ever more popular, with a directional venting system to handle condensation. It's important to bear this venting system in mind when pitching as it's designed to allow air to enter at the foot end, but set up right it does a better than average job of directing airflow through the tent. As expected you get a decent number of pockets along the sides of the inner for storing bits and pieces - and you'll need to make use of them given the limited storage space of the porch and the need to leave an exit path.

Despite the small porch and the fiddly set up of all the tension bands the Tempest 200 is a great tent for the money. You can buy lighter and you can buy larger for a bit more porch space and sitting height (eg Tempest 300) but not at a street price of £100! The Tempest 200 weighed in at 2872g or our scales (a touch above the quoted weight of 2800g) but that's "all in" and it would be a simple task to shave a couple of hundred grams just by changing the sack and ditching the additional staps for wrapping and tying the contents, bringing it down to a good weight split between two people. The build quality is typical Vango, solid and reliable with good quality materials that should see several years 3 season use.

Price: £130.00

Weight: 2872g

Colour: Green, Red Features:

Pitching:

• As one or flysheet-first
• DofE Recommended Kit
• Groundsheet in porch area
• Colour coded alloy poles
• TBS® II Tension Band System
• Fire Retardant fabrics
• Mesh ventilation
• Venturi Vent System
• Multiple reflective points
• 'O' shaped inner doors
• Rain stop flysheet door
• Flysheet door can be opened as a vent

Pros: Price,build quality, venting system, pitch outer first

Cons: low, small porch

Note: This article was restored from the archives. It's published creation date is inaccurate.