Vango Icarus 500 Tent

The Vango Icarus 500 Family Tent is based on a tunnel style design allowing generous living area space as well as good sized sleeping areas which will allow anyone with average height to stand up.

The tent is extremely easy to pitch and after just a few attempts can be mastered within 15 minutes – this is due to the tent being an ‘all in one’ with the flysheet being built in and the tents poles (all 3 of them) being the same size.

==> Vango Icarus 500 Tunnel Tent (2011) <==

There has been a lot of talk about HH ratings with regard to polyester tents and flysheets, the Vango Icarus 500 has a rating of 2000 and while I would not recommend getting too ‘hung-up’ about this rating, 2000 is perfect for a tent that is ideal for a long weekend or festival visit.

Once erected the tent has some nice touches particularly with regard to the layout, things such as the bedroom doors folding back into pockets thus avoiding them getting dirty and a privacy divider which can be removed if just a single bedroom is required.

There are two large windows on either side of the tent providing plenty of light and there are also 2 doors (though I only ever used the front one) – the front door can be attached to a porch canopy (recommended) giving you a lot more space.

The Vango Icarus 500 also benefits from a feature called Tension Band System (TBS) which basically reduces flex in the event of high winds – this is done by connecting the TBS bands to the side and top of the tent where the poles are located.

Overall, the Vango Icarus 500 is an excellent affordable tent and due to the ease of pitching it and the nice features it has it will appeal to both young families and festival goers alike…

For those of you who are looking for even more space, there are a couple of options available – the most obvious would be to look at the Vango Icarus 600 Tent range, however, a new Vango Icarus 500 XLtent is now available offering the same quality but with 1.2m more living space!

For even more space, the Front Enclosed Canopy is excellent if you require a separate dining area or just somewhere for the kids to play if the weather is bad!

Footnote:

The Vango Icarus 500 Tent that I have featured in the review is the 2011 model, I have just upgraded from the Vango Icarus 500 2010 model which is now available at a slightly cheaper price.