australia:vidalidolandyu
Table of Contents
Vidalido Land Yu 2Persons TC Cotton S-T139 Tent
see also:
- I don't sell any of these nor do I receive any remuneration if you buy them, they are listed here to give you perspective
Introduction
- this is a relatively unique 2P INNER TENT ONLY designed to be used with larger tents without integrated floors to act as fly tents or hot tents or with a tarp
- when fully zipped up, it is an almost completely enclosed poly cotton fabric tent which should help keep warmth in as well as dust and insects out
- the two very large doors can have the fabric unzipped to create a very well cross ventilated tent tanks to the mesh layer of the doors
- this tent may just be the most perfect 2P inner tent for use with larger tents without integrated floors to act as fly tents or hot tents and should be very versatile in most weather conditions when used in this manner
- I just have to use it for a dozen or so times to see if my assessment is validated.
- fits snuggly inside my Dokicamp Unlimited Works dome tent VAST-SK100 with plenty of room for a Winnerwell Nomad wood camping stoves
- the mesh is finer than most in that it provides wonderful visibility - you don't even notice it unless your eyes focus on it
- you can adjust how much light and wind is coming in and create complete privacy by zipping up the fabric component of the doors
- PROTECT the tent floor by putting a 1.8×2.4m heavy duty tarp UNDER it
- I use a PolyTuff Extreme 1.8×2.4m polyolefin tarp and it is just big enough to be able to raise all 4 edges so the corners can be clamped to the poles and having the edges raised means that in a downpour of rain, water will not go over the tarp and under the tent floor so you have an extra layer of waterproofing as well as puncture protection - the eyelets of this tarp actualy line up nicely with the door toggles to additionally reinforce the sides being elevated!
Specs
- 130G TC polyester cotton fabric 1000mm WH
- 200D oxford PU2500mm floor
- nice large front and rear doors with dual mesh/fabric
- 220 x 150 x 120cm external
- external 9.6mm aluminium poles all fully articulated to two hubs at each end which makes set up very intuitive (although packing up can be a bit more fiddly)
- 1 ceiling hook above each door
- mesh pockets across each end
- YKK zips; small zipper in one corner for power cords;
- the doors zip to the bottom where they can be rolled up and toggled
- packs to 47x17x17cm 3.5kg (well it is TC cotton and does have lots of heavy poles which weigh 880g in themselves!)
- comes in black (for better sleeping during daylight and less disturbance from torches) or “khaki”
- https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005005559817300.html $AU205 on special + $AU30 delivery
My personal review
- delivery to Australia took about 2 months in mid 2023 - the far majority of that appeared to be waiting in China at a transport depot
First impressions on setting up
- the poles at 9.6mm aluminium alloy are perhaps over-engineered for use protected from the weather, but should last well
- poles pretty much self connect however you should do the middle poles first before the corner poles otherwise there may be too much tension to get the middle poles together
- when poles are connected and laid on the floor, the poles take up 3.8×1.8m of space, so it is easier if used within a tent of at least 3.8m diameter but can be used in smaller tents with care
- the poles then just insert into each of the 4 corner holes and then you attach the tent clips - very fast set up and take down
- the tent internal space is very generous for a 2P tent, and fits a larger king stretcher bed perfectly thanks to its almost vertical walls and still with plenty of head room when sitting on a stretcher
- I suspect the mesh is not No-See-Um proof but the advantage should be better ventilation and better visibility
- I purchased the black version so I can have better daylight protection - you can make out shapes through the black material when looking out in the day time so it is by no means a “Block Out” material - you will still need an eye mask!
- It is going to be hard to find the zippers in the dark though
- the quality appears very good
- very nice and spacious stuff bag with compression straps makes it very easy to pack up (once you have worked out the best order to detach the poles - hint: do the ends 1st to release tension!)
- I have many 2P inner tents and whilst this one is a bit heavy for hiking, it may just be the most perfect 2P inner tent for use with larger tents without integrated floors to act as fly tents or hot tents and should be very versatile in most weather conditions when used in this manner.
- Given my past experience with 2P inner tents inside a floor-less tent, I would recommend providing additional water-proofing to the bathtub floor to prevent your bedding getting wet in case heavy rain forms a river through the main tent - this could be a tarp, or footprint, and this will also further protect the floor from abrasion (which will reduce the waterproofing efficacy) or puncture damage. In addition, if using a stretcher with relatively sharp feet, I would also use a protection measure under these - this could be another tarp under the stretcher, or rubber mats.
My review of camping experience with it
- it fitted nice and snuggly inside my Dokicamp Unlimited Works dome tent VAST-SK100 leaving plenty of room for a Winnerwell Nomad wood camping stoves
- this proved to be as versatile as I had predicted
- the black fabric provided better light reduction for when I wanted to read a book and wished to close one door to reduce backlight glare
- the fine mesh is fantastic for viewing out - you hardly notice it is there
- I bought some glow strings to attach to the mesh zippers which made finding these in the dark much easier!
- It has very generous internal space and was a nice fit for my large king size stretcher bed with a 90cm wide mattress
- the zip for power cord was a nice touch which you don't normally get in a 2P tent
- so far very happy with it - the best 2P inner tent I have used to date
- the Mont Dragonfly 2P 4 season tent without its fly is better in some respects such as waterproofing (and makes a great 4 season hike tent) but it is 5 x the price and over-kill for use inside a large tent!
- my only gripe is setting up and packing up the poles can be fiddly as they are all interconnected but at least there are no long sleeves to feed them through and they are strong enough to allow you to put clothes and blankets on the roof to keep them off the ground
- the other potential issue when using with a wood stove nearby is that it is not clear how fire proof the TC fabric is - I suspect it may burn quite fast so keep it more than 30cm away from the stove and make sure the mesh doors don't fall onto the stove
Using it with a tarp in wind and rain
- use a light weight 4x4m tarp with 19 guy out points (including 3 ridge line points)
- oblique modified plow setup to provide dual door access with wind and rain protection using 2-3 tent poles, guy ropes and pegs
- set tent up with one end at the wind end (doors perpendicular to wind)
- peg ridge line border eyelet to the ground near the tent's corner on the windy end
- peg down the 3rd eyelet from this one near the other tent corner on the windy end
- peg down the rear eyelet and fold the residual tarp and spare eyelet under the edge on the ground
- now set up a tall tent pole in line with the ridge line at the opposite end of the tent
- optionally set up another tall tent pole to provide access to the other tent door
- peg and/or guy out remaining eyelets
- if rain is forecast, lift the centre of the tarp off the tent by running a ridge line from the front ridge line tent pole to a 3rd tall tent pole guyed out at the opposite end of the ridge line - adjust tension to lift up the centre of the tarp.
- ensure tarp is taught in most areas without being too taught
Similar tents
- 3F UL Gear Kangaroo
- similar to the Vidalido Land Yu but larger, taller, more expensive, much heavier fabric, comes with 20D foot print, mesh seems heavier, rear door height is slightly lower than front door to allow for more options in various tents
- poles are easier to set up and take down as they are essentially 2 half sets which join together but the downside is they are far less rigid and this would be an issue if you put clothing on top or used outside of the wind protection of a larger tent
- 230G black TC polyester cotton fabric
- 3000mm PU 210D floor
- doesn't have the zipper for power cords
- seems to have better quality - apart from the pole rigidity but this makes it easier to set up
- 1P: 3.9kg 220x90x132cm packs to 50x19x16cm
- 2P: 5.1kg 220x160x139cm packs to 50x20x20cm;
- https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005005978226887.html ~$AU282 for 2P
australia/vidalidolandyu.txt · Last modified: 2024/01/09 00:20 by gary1