OTS – Vango’s Mistral 200 Tent
More from OTS now with a look at Vango’s latest range of tents and in particular the Mistral 200 and 300 new for spring 2015 as part of the latest Solis Range. The Mistral looks like a versatile all-round hiking tent, which thanks to the mesh inner should be spot on for summer camping in hot climates.
Practicality
That mostly mesh inner is quite unusual for a tent from a UK brand and while it means the tent’s going to be cooler in colder conditions, when things get hot it should feel better ventilated and really come into its own. It’s nice that they’ve also designed the inner with a solid strip at the bottom so even if it does get windy, you should get some protection from drafts coming in under the fly sheet.
We’d expect Vango’s usual solid build quality coupled with a versatile pitch – the dome / geodesic construction means it’s freestanding, so can be easily moved about for optimum positioning before pegging out.
On top of that, the Mistral can be pitched inner only, fly only or as a single unit. It’d have to be pretty hot and still for the inner only option to make sense, but if you’re off somewhere properly hot, it could be an absolute godsend.
The Mistral also has dual multi-function doors with porches at either side of the tent which provides extra storage for wet walking boots, packs and so on.
With claimed weights of 2.9kg and 3.45kg for the two and three-person versions respectively, weight is reasonable rather than ultra-light, but break that load down per person and it’s pretty reasonable.
More airy
Other features include oversized vents and additional UV Protection which combine to make a fully versatile tent that is ideal for warmer climates in both the UK and abroad. Vango say the extra mesh in particular makes the tent a lot more comfortable to use in hot weather.
Stuff bag
We like this: Vango’s new tent bag is designed to be a few inches larger than others on the market it has a humungous top opening with drawstring so it’s really easy to stuff the tent into it – like using a blue IKEA bag, but with a drawstring closure and compression straps.
So no more frustrating precision tent folding, just stuff it in the bag, tighten it up with the draw string then neatly wrap it up with a couple of compression straps – genius! The whole range gets this design next year.
How much?
Two person, 2.9kg, £200
Three person, 3.45kg, tbc.
More information
The Mistral 200 and 300 tents will be available in early 2015. For more details on any of Vango’s current range of tents visit www.vango.co.uk.
