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Vango Aspen 500
(Sleeping Capacity 5 persons)
The Tent
The Vango Aspen 500 is a 5 Berth Dome tent with a
difference in that it utilises steel poles (as opposed
to the durawrap type poles) which provide a rigid steel
frame structure ensuring the tent is secure and provides
comfortable living space. The Aspen range is not limited
to the 500, the Aspen 500 DLX (with extended porch) and
the Aspen 700 DLX (the 500 DLX’s big sister) compliment
this popular range of tents. With high specifications
(see below) this tent is built for comfort and
durability.
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Flysheet: Protex 5000
Inner: Breathable H2O
repellent Ripstop Polyester
Breathable Polyester inners
with mesh vents, Draft valance on porch area
Sewn-In Groundsheet (SIG)
Rigid Steel Structure with
Fibreflex poles for the porch area
Colour coded poles and
continuous pole sleeves
'Crystal Clear' window/vent
system, Detachable porch groundsheet included
Seam taped flysheet which
gives long lasting protection from the elements.
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Groundsheet: Polyehtylene
Mesh ventilation on the inner
tent to condensation and keeps bugs out.
Mesh side door which adds
extra ventilation options.
Rear roof vents
Skylights
Roller bag with zip opening
for easy packing away and transport.
Repair kit
Colours: Mallard/Cloud
Fire retardant materials used
throughout and comes with Lifetime Warranty |
Pitch Footprint, Size And Weight
Width: 370 cm, Length: 605 cm, Height: 235 cm
Packed Size Canvas: 80 cm x 50 cm x 40cm Poles:
110 cm x 30cm x 12cm
Total Weight 43 kg
Erection / Pitching
All in this range are pitched inner tent first and uses
the popular ring & pin system for both the inner tent
and flysheet. There’s quite a few pole section to sort
out before you start pitching: 5 shaped roof poles, 10
upright poles + corner pieces, 2 light canopy poles, 1
straight roof pole and 1 porch pole….phew!!!! Luckily
they are colour coded to make the puzzle easier to solve
along with good clear instructions, which are also
downloadable from the Vango website (an option all tent
manufacturers should follow). The weight of the
steel poles and the size of the inner tent can make it a
tad awkward to pull upright and you would struggle to
attempt this on your own so it’s definitely a 2 person
task. Once the inner is up you can see your efforts have
been worthwhile as the mass of poles and material has
suddenly been transformed into a stable and rigid
structure. As with a lot of the larger, pitch ‘inner’
first, tents the ’pulling the flysheet over the inner
before it’s sent into orbit’ cat & mouse game can be
frustrating, but, some help is at hand with the Aspen as
the front of the flysheet is anchored to the inner via
the flysheet porch poles and the ring & pin system, once
in place it makes the task of getting the flysheet over
the inner tent a little easier. Fabric ties are used to
help anchor the flysheet to the poles of the inner but I
tend to find these a little fiddly at times and would
have preferred a clip system. All that’s left now is to
peg out the anchor straps on the porch and bedrooms and
then peg out all the remaining guy lines.
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Pros and Cons |
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Pros |
Cons: |
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Spacious
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Well ventilated
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Stable
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Good Storage
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The Cost
Around £240 for the 2006 model but my advice
would be to pay the extra £60 or so for the DLX version
to get the benefit of the extended porch.
The Verdict
Vango is a well established player in the camping field
and their experience is very much evident in this tent.
It’s not the quickest tent to pitch (around 40 - 45mins)
but with practice this may be reduced to around the
35mins mark. I feel the porch is a bit on the small side
to be fully utilised and interestingly Vango may agree
as they have produced the Aspen 500 DLX which has the
larger porch. Overall this tent is a good spacious family
tent for week (or longer) stays. I especially like the
dressing room/wardrobe area (including hanging
rail/pole). It has good ventilation (to reduce
condensation), has a nice bright interior thanks to the
large windows and skylights, large living area (easily
fit your table and chairs with room to spare) and has
huge standing height bedrooms (partition can be
removed).
Information and Links
For further information on Vango and their products
visit
Vango
Reviewed by Camper Pete
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