Not all tents have indoor communal spaces that can house all the campers if the weather turns, and even those that do aren't always large enough for everyone to be comfortable. You'll want to ensure your tent footprint is the same size as the tent you're pitching – several manufacturers sell footprints specifically to fit certain tent models.

The comfort of the MondoKing is exceptionally good. I lay down on it for a few minutes to ‘test it out’ and found myself dropping off surprisingly rapidly – that wasn’t the plan, but it’s testament to the cushioning on offer. Thermarest use a ‘Stratacore’ construction to achieve this which combines a continuous layer of thermal foam with alternating ridges of air and foam. It works very well. There’s no doubt that the Kip Highrise is an absolutely blissful in terms of the luxury it offers and actually it offers good value at the pricepoint we’ve seen for this year.The tents are essentially the same (same footprint etc), but the 8.1 has the darker bedrooms. I have therefore linked to the Berghaus Air 8.1 nightfall in this post. Where to buy the Berghaus Air 8 inflatable tent And oh how it’s worth it. I’ve long been an admirer of Vango inflatable gear and the Comfort 10 follows on a familiar theme of reliability coupled with performance. The Comfort 10 really lives up to its name, providing ample cushioning for even the weightiest of folk. I’d also recommend getting a mat for outside the front porch to stop everyone traipsing mud and sand into the tent. Future family camping adventures It's very common for manufacturers to be generous about the number of people they say can fit inside their tents. The number they give will be technically true, but it probably won't account for the space needed for campers' belongings, or the space people need for a comfortable night's sleep.

However a low R-Value (<2) could mean you end up getting cold in the night. Inflatable air mattresses which are essentially big air balloons which you sleep on have notoriously low R-values and are no good at all for sleeping on in winter or autumn. Both camping mats and camping SIMs can also be used on top of a camp bed or ‘cot’ (as the Americans say) for more of a bed-like experience. This also helps stop the heat escape problem which lying on the ground can incur.

Customer reviews

We really love Outdoor Revolution – they make great quality items at the mid-to-top end of the camping spectrum. Yes they may be slightly more expensive than the Decathlon’s of this world, but we’ve never been let down by their tents or their general camping gear. Fully-inflated dimensions are 201 x 132 x 10cm and so it can cater for somebody up to 6ft 7 in height. I found I had plenty of room at 6ft3 tall. We spent three weeks in the Berghaus 8 man blow up tent during our summer holidays in France and Spain and we look forward to many more years of family camping in it. As a family of 5 now, it’s definitely the most budget-friendly way to holiday and one of the most free and fun! Berghaus air 8 layout – 8 man tent – tunnel design with 2 pre-attached bedrooms and 1 spacious living room. It occurred to me that I should have recorded a stop motion video of us showing how to put up the Berghaus air 8, instead of arsing around and pretending that I had magic powers to summon the inflation on my video (see below)…it’s on my to do list! But basically, it’s very simple.

In this article we concentrate on our experience and recommendations for the choice of best self inflating mattress, and so the size and weight of the product is of less concern than how comfortable it is and how well it stays inflated etc. We consider how easy it is to get into and out of the main entrances and sleeping compartments, how bright and roomy the living spaces are, and if we consider there to be enough room for the number of people intended to sleep in the tent. If you’re after a slightly smaller tent, there are Berghaus Air 4 and Berghaus Air 6.1 versions available. Measuring 201 x 74 x 5cm when inflated, the IForrest includes both an integrated pillow and armrests for significant added comfort. What is great about the armrests is that they stop you rolling off the mattress in the night very effectively. If you are planning to use it on top of a camp bed then this is an important consideration – you might be a foot off the floor!

We think the Shangri-La makes sense in single format but is just too bulky as a double. Of course, your mileage may vary on that choice. There’s no doubt that it is an absolute comfort monster in terms of the luxury it offers. This is also reflected in the price of course, and in terms of price per square metre it is one of the highest reviewed. Weighing only 2kg in large size (196 x 64 x 11cm) and 2.5kg in XXL (203 x 76 x 11cm), this is a surprisingly lightweight product which has greatly impressed us. It is more less than half the weight of the Vango Shangri-La for example. Personally I would plump for the XL if you find you have a choice of sizes – it just gives that extra bit of surface area for a nice sprawl when sleeping, and for not much extra weight.