Vango Icarus 500 5man tent

[mountain thyme]

Looking for opinions/ reviews on the Vango Icarus 500 5 man tent. Thinking of for festivals/ clachaig weekends?
Seen it on offer. But ive seen some good and some bad reviews !
Any thoughts

[BoyVertiginous]

Looking for opinions/ reviews on the Vango Icarus 500 5 man tent. Thinking of for festivals/ clachaig weekends?
Seen it on offer. But ive seen some good and some bad reviews !
Any thoughts

Hey MT, I have the Icarus's predecessor (forget what you call it). I must have got it in an end of line deal as the Icarus came out soon after and had me wishing I'd waited. Basically, the Icarus had everything I felt was missing from my tent (mainly standing room and handy pockets/storage). It's gotten expensive though, when it first came on the scene it could be had for £99 (albeit on a special offer) but I've continued to keep an eye on it and the RRP is well over £200 if, without checking, I'm not mistaken. What is the current offer, if you don't mind me asking? Don't think I've seen it at any less than £150 in recent times.

I like my Vango tent, it has served us well and performed well in some pretty horrendous weather and should be good for a few years yet.

EDIT: Just checked and presume it's the Go Outdoors deal (RRP £265 down to £190 down to £150). This seems like an excellent offer (unlikely it'll go much lower than that these days). Only problem for you is if you land up in the same campsite as the guy with the Vango Oldsmobile and a bad case of tent envy

[BoyVertiginous]

I see the reviews on GO are mainly very positive, with the exception of one where there was an issue with the poles (or the erector!).

[mountain thyme]

Thanks for the reply BV.
It was on sale in 2 shops for £149. I thought if i pricematched i would get it cheaper again

[stevesey]

We have the larger (same basic design but longer) Tigris 800 and extension for family camping trips (lots of space when there are only 4 of you - so you only use half the bedroom pods). No problems with it. Has been up in some strong winds - being fiberglass poled it does flex with the gusts, but the tension band system seems to add enough rigidity. The separate footprint/groundsheet is recommended at this stops the sewn in ground sheet getting wet or muddy (no need to clean/dry when you get home - just the footprint to deal with).

[BoyVertiginous]

Hey mt, not sure if you've taken the plunge on the Icarus yet but Decathlon are advertising a 4-man Vango 400 Odyssey for £99.99 until Wednesday of this week (22nd). This came to me via e-mail and, oddly, I can't find it on their website to compare fully. Looks like it's marginally narrower but with the same (marginally higher in fact) height and looks not too dissimilar to the Icarus.

[mountain thyme]

Thanks guys.Thanks for the replys. I bought the Vango Icarus 5man tent and the footprint. Looking forward to trying to pitch it

[naepace]

Thanks guys.Thanks for the replys. I bought the Vango Icarus 5man tent and the footprint. Looking forward to trying to pitch it

Lots of pitching videos on you tube. Tunnel tents all go up in much the same way.

[The Ledge]

I was thinking of getting the same tent for my fortieth next week as I saw it on offer on Go Outdoors. Never had a tent before and I wondered if the footprint is advisable?

[mrssanta]

I was thinking of getting the same tent for my fortieth next week as I saw it on offer on Go Outdoors. Never had a tent before and I wondered if the footprint is advisable?

Having a footprint does protect your sewn-in groundsheet from spiky things underneath and will be easier and cheaper to replace - but you can also use closed cell foam mats or a plastic bivi bag under a small tent