The shelter seemed robust and I had pitched a windbreak across one side and attached a sun wall to another, a tent being on another side. Combine that with pegs which can pin those feet down, and guy ropes to fasten it to the ground to prevent against wind issues, and you might consider moving into it permanently (especially because Coleman also separately sells walls to turn it into a full-blown tent). This bundle includes the four sunwalls which provide added privacy and protection from the sun and wind. The hooks it comes with to place in the ground are heavy duty, there’s be no shifting them without desire! One great thing worth mentioning is the curved roof is a blessing in the wind because the wind just whips straight over the top!

The Event Shelter Pro M provides the same reliable features as the other event shelters but in an even more compact size of 3m x 3m. Roof ventilation to allow air to flow through, helping to prevent the shelter from lifting in gusty conditions. Constructed from a central cross section and four curving arches, the Coleman Event Shelter, once up, is far more rigid and secure than your average tent - even tents from Coleman themselves. Camping where your car is next to the tent and no issues, camping at a festival and you’d have to be inventive as to how to get it from car park to field but it would be doable and very handy so worth the effort!It made the freezing rain up in the Pennines at easter weekend 2012 quite tolerable, it gave us a place to congregate and cook in the dry, and it also helped to give us a little bit of cover at night when the temperatures dropped to near freezing after dark. Great British weather and all that means we DO need shelter from the rain (and occasionally the sun) and this event shelter, which went up with just me pitching for the first time, took 15 minutes from start to finish.

Although the aforementioned Coleman Valdes 6L tent has a front canopy, setting up the Events Shelter before it, or just to the side, expanded our living area hugely; both as a sun block during the days, and as a shelter under which to eat dinner at night. Naturally we practised erecting it at home first and found the secret was to ensure the corners are all pushed in to the centre as much as possible before adding the canopy. Amazing, in the Lake District with friends and there was torrential rain and our friend just whipped this out, put it together and we were fine. Having purchased 2 sides, we used only one, for privacy, as we found 2 prevented a much needed flow of cooling air.Whether you’re a seasoned pro, keen bean (like us) or a complete newbie my reckoning is a heck of a lot of us will be pitching tents this season and I think a fair few usual no goers might very well be converts after being faced with it as an only option for a little holiday this year. Don't treat it lightly - ALWAYS use the guy ropes, and securely tighten the pull-straps on the legs, otherwise it'll fly away or tear the fabric in strong winds.

This year we are looking forward to trying out the Valdes Air tent (I CANNOT WAIT TO SHOW YOU THAT ONE – I’M GOING TO PUT IT UP SOLO TO SHOW A FAMILY 6-8 MAN TENT CAN BE PITCHED ALONE)! Another tip is to try fitting the doors (if you have them) before fitting the canopy - if the doors fit, then so will the canopy. Light and torches – Make sure you have GOOD ones with plenty of battery life – Coleman do brilliant lanterns!It's quite bulky, and it's very heavy, mainly because of the steel poles, but that means it's also very sturdy, and is worth taking whatever the weather if there are a few of you going, or if your tent is tiny and you want somewhere to cook. Whereas that could be erected in a heartbeat, this chunky monkey actually requires some assembly, and those included steel poles are neither light nor small. WeatherTec™: This system includes weather-proofing features with specially designed weather resistant fabrics. We can easily see little old ladies setting up a stall under one of these, selling their knitted wares.