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REVIEW VANGO HALO 300 Hot

REVIEW VANGO HALO 300

Accessories

Manufacturer Vango
Product Name Halo 300
Price 150


I bought this tent last winter, taking advantage of the off season discounts that are often available at that time of year.
The RRP is around the £150 mark, but I paid around £80, and I must say that even the full retail belies the tents quality; if I had to guess at a price I'd have estimated it to be £100 higher.

It packs down small enough for bike travel, and even hiking / orienteering, is within it's design brief as it can be split into separate units(inner and outer)for the aforementioned, and carries the Duke of Edinburgh's Award approval.
It can be purchased in two sizes, the 200 two man and the 300 reviewed here for 3 men, so if packing size is more important than actual living size the 200 might be the one to go for, however in reality there is very little difference in packed size, but a fair bit in the actual accommodation, to be fair for me I'd rather have the larger space, as it is on a bike after all, and so I won't be physically carrying it around with me.

Living with this item is easy, with three anodized alloy poles which are all of the same length pitching is a breeze, pick a sleeve thread through and it erects into a semi geo dome, which doesn't rely on guy lines for stability, however if it threatens to be breezy they're there, while talking guys (no not men!) there are reflective tabs at each corner useful when trying to avoid tripping over in the dark, although if I had to criticise I would have liked to have seen reflective lines also, but hey it is reasonably priced.
It can be pitched all in one, or as an outer first, your choice.

For your money you will get two porch / vestibules, so storage of wet things and food etc isn't a problem, however I wouldn't recommend them as a dry cooking area, best leave that to the great outdoors, or invest in an ever popular tarp to extend outside.
Inside the living sleeping space is very generous, OK you wouldn't want to throw a party, but for storing [and snoring], sleeping there is plenty enough room.
Unless you are very much vertically challenged you couldn't stand up inside, although kneeling at full extension presents no problems, so there is never a claustrophobic feeling inside, ditto getting dressed or undressed, with room to pull on trousers put on boots etc aplenty. it also has a couple of decent sized storage pockets in two corners, and a little hanger in the roof of the dome for hanging a light.

The inner door / entrance is a double zip affair, to which you can either undo the whole door or unzip the privacy screen to reveal the mosquito - bug screen, which works extremely well in keeping those little varmints where they belong.... on someone else and not you!
The outer sheet has two vents, which prop open using an integral stiffened props which velcro into place for stability, aiding in air circulation.
I have used this tent in bone dry to wet conditions and have never experienced damp or condensation within it, the living quarters being kept away from the outer by design.

Finally, I think you'll have guessed that I rate this very highly having owned and used many tents before, I think that for the money this one will be hard to beat; it full fills all of it's requirements; Dry, spacious, comfortable, easy to use, and packs down reasonably small, another winner from Vango.

User reviews

Average user rating from: 2 user(s)

Overall rating: 
 
9.3
Durability:
 
9.0   (2)
Features:
 
9.0   (2)
Value for money:
 
10.0   (2)
 
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Vango Halo 300

Overall rating: 
 
9.0
Durability:
 
9.0
Features:
 
8.0
Value for money:
 
10.0
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Reviewed by Jays
November 15, 2011
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

I bought this at an end of season tent sale for £90 but like the previous reviewer I'd be happy to pay double the price as its well made out of good quality ripstop material with alloy poles. I've used it in torrential rain storms and gale force winds in Scotland this year and it coped extremely well with no leaks and remained stable. Plenty of room for two people and all their gear although I'd not want to sleep three in it! But then that the same for most tents size wise.

My only gripe is that the porch areas could be a little larger, unzipping the doors in heavy rain exposes the inner tent slightly.

 

VANGO HALO 300 TENT

Overall rating: 
 
9.7
Durability:
 
9.0
Features:
 
10.0
Value for money:
 
10.0
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

A first class product, which punches well above it's weight in terms of price and performance.

 
 
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First use
Fossil
I the bought this tent from Go Outdoors in a winter sale for just £75. I had researched views and had decided on a Vango, but another model. However, when I saw the planned purchase in the flesh, I realised it was simply too large to carry on the bike, so I opted for the Halo. It has aluminium poles (9.5mm) and was advised this would make it robust.
Its first test was on a bleak moutainside field on the Llanberis Pass in Wales last weekend (27th April, 2012) in some of the worst weather I have been in on a bike for years.... The tent was easy to assemble, even for a novice like me, as it took about half an hour, although I could do it quicker again a second time, as I left the inner tent attached to the outer when I took it down. Once assembled, I was pleasantly surprised at the space (just me using it as my mate had his own one man tent), easily large enough for myself and all my kit.
During the first night, the rainstorms came and it stayed dry and secure. I never slept, due to a less well thought out purchase of a so called three season sleeping bag, which was not good enough to use in a house, let alone on a mountainside at near zero! However, the second night was more of a challenge (although I was at least warmer, after purchasing a North Face Blue Kazoo sleeping bag (which was excellent). At 4 am, the winds came, and they were vicious, probably gale force, and the Halo suffered! The wind was bending the poles so much, one of the poles woke me up as it hit me repeatedly as it bent in the gale, which continued for a few hours until about 7 am. I then got dressed and started to pack up. Checking the tent, I could see two of the three poles were quite badly bent. However, I was not surprised, as the wind had been seriously extreme and the bending of the poles during the night had worried me. Packing the tent, I also realised it did not pack up as well with my efforts as it had been done by the supplier. Nevertheless, I managed to pack it away into the panniers.
After a seriously wet and miserable journey home, I unpacked the tent and checked it over. Everything was fine, apart from the poles, and I repacked it tightly for the next trip (in a month!). The poles were carefully bent back into shape by hand (more or less) and I will see how they perform next time out. I have priced replacements and they are reasonable at c. £23.
Overall, I am still pleased with my purchase and feel the weekend was a rather extreme test for a lower priced tent. It stayed dry and is great for up to two people.
Fossil , April 30, 2012

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