The winter of discount tents

[Pastychomper]

I know tents and tarps tend to be cheaper in the winter, but is there a particular time that's best to go looking for one? for instance, do camp shops have January sales or do they prefer to clear out their old stock at the first frost?

My trusty old bivi tent has finally bitten the dust and I'm in the market for a replacement, so I'd also be interested in any suggestions or experiences. I'm looking for something under 2kg, big enough for a 6'5" adult with some equipment, preferably double-skinned and lo-vis, budget not too far over £150. Bonus points if it'll pack to less than 45cm long (which is the maximum width for a cabin bag on Easyjet, my tent was one of the reasons I paid for hold luggage on its last trip). Current favourites based on reviews are the Snugpak Ionosphere, Jack Wolfskin Gossamer and Robens Starlight.

[jmarkb]

I can't help with an answer, but I do love the thread title!

[Marty_JG]

Normally I'd say "now onwards", different sites have different dates and I recall they range from September to November.

However with the "lockdown uptake" I don't know if this year is going to have half the bargains of previous years.

[Caberfeidh]

I have a windsock which fell off the back of an oil rig helicopter landing pad. There is a similar windsock flying at the Aboyne Glider Club airfield, and the helipad at Aberdeen Royal Infirmary. Security at the heliports at Aberdeen Airport is probably prohibitive. Just sayin`...

[tweedledog]

I can't help with an answer, but I do love the thread title!

A tent, a tent. My kingdom for a tent.
(Sorry )

[Pastychomper]

Thanks for the input. I do like to quote the classics, the title came - of course - from the Beano.

That's a good point about the Covid effects, I noticed the price of some items on Fleabay had shot up by the summer, but that might have been partly the result of cabin-fevered wannabe campers itching to get out. Either way it looks like there's little advantage in waiting all winter so I'll see what I can find in the next couple of months.

[WalkWithWallace]

With winter just around the corner, now is definitely a good time to start shopping around. Then when Spring is just around the corner demand picks up again.

[maremalin]

I have just received an email from Blacks. They offer an additional 15% discount on all tents.
"The winter of discount tents" begins...

[Wandererssolo]

I have a Force Ten Xenon that I got at a shade over £200 last year around this time. Roomy and light while giving me room for dogs too. Unfortunately my quick look hasn’t found it much cheaper than £250.

[Pastychomper]

Thanks for the input, everyone. Prices mostly crept up and stayed there for the winter, but a few more tents have appeared on Fleabay in the last few weeks so I bought a little-used Gossamer in one of the older (and better) colour schemes. It's drying outside now.

First impression is it's a pretty good wee tent, just about long enough but I might end up adding an extra guy rope to raise the front flap a bit. The groundsheet is pretty thin and I'm not convinced by the aluminium pegs (which came helpfully pre-bent), but it's well put together and a definite step up from its predecessor.