Some ideas about tents for festival-goers this summer

Gelert Quick Draw €57.99

We had this up in less than 90 seconds without having to look at the instructions once, which endeared it to us no end. It’s bright blue with little fluffy clouds and should be easier to spot in a field filled with hundreds of monochrome tents. The groundsheet is thick and the tent is spacious – well, spacious might be stretching it a bit. It was easier to fold up than we anticipated and we had it back in its carrier bag in less than a minute. It is on the bulky side and will not fit into a rucksack.

Verdict:The easy option  * * * *

Tesco Value Tent €40

This is a fine big tent and will sleep three people. All three of them may be needed in the assembly mind you which is not easy. Putting it up was made doubly infuriating thanks to the fairly incomprehensible picture instructions. It came in the Dublin county colours which might not appeal to everyone. Of more concern was the fact that the elastic connecting some of the polls broke and one of the plastic ground fasteners snapped completely within about three seconds of us putting it up.

Verdict:Big but unreliable  * * *

Two-man tent from Lidl €14.99

If you thought you couldn’t go wrong with a tent at this price you’d be wrong. The problem is not its size – it is certainly small but will probably fit two not very big people as long as they are pretty friendly. Assembly is not really much of an issue either and we had it up in just under 10 minutes. The problem is stability. It is so lightweight and flimsy that we fear it would not last more than a hour on a windswept muddy festival field. And then where would we sleep?

Verdict:Too flimsy  * *

Easy Camp Meteor 300 €57.99

This was the only tent we sourced in a camping shop so we expected it to be better than the rest. And it was. It is lightweight but sturdy and very easy to put up. The fibreglass rods are light, flexible and strong. It is big and will comfortably sleep three people and seat more if it is lashing rain. The instructions are sewn onto the inside of the bag so they wont get soggy or lost and they’re clear and simple. Getting it back into the bag is a long way from simple, however, which is a shame as this is one tent you’ll not want to leave behind.

Verdict:A proper tent  * * * *