Exeter Store Camping Display

At the Exeter Store we have the luxury of a large tent and camping display, giving us a year round indoor facility.

We have recently re-vamped the display so that we can show you some exciting new 2012 models, including tents, sleeping bags, stoves and every other accessory to make this year's camping trip a bit more special.

Whether you're after your first tent or you fancy treating yourself to a replacement for that slightly tired old model, we will be delighted to help.

New to us this year are Family tents from Kampa and for the lightweight technical fans, Easton tents make their debut.

We are, as ever, happy to pitch any of the smaller models not on display, which gives you the added bonus of getting hands on experience of your chosen tent - just ask, we're here to help and are more than happy to share our experiences and knowledge.

Our staff have camped all over the world so if you want advice on backpacking on Dartmoor or want help pitching a Tentipi on 1.5 metres of snow in Sweden - we've done it!

Is this the best way to pitch a tent?

Pitching the family tent can seem like a bit of a daunting task. There's a whole lot of material, poles, pegs and problems to negotiate. While there are some families who have their own pitching method honed down to a drill, there are some who find this is a problem which can cause stress, anguish, arguments, and even divorces!

It needn't be that way.

To help you prepare for your trip(s) away, we thought we'd offer a bit of advice and help on one of the most common issues that anyone encounters when going away camping with the family - especially if you're a bit of a novice...

Vango 2012 Expedition Tents

A tent is many things to many people - versatile and spacious to those who want family comfort; light, durable and technical to those whose adventures are a bit more off the beaten track.

Vango's excellent reputation is based on its innovation of its Force Ten range. Features and technology have worked their way down from the top technical ranges to the expedition range and beyond. Every Vango tent has that Force Ten DNA.

Here's a few of the tents on display at our Sanders tent show

Choosing the right kit for your adventure can be a challenge, which is why Vango expedition tents and camping equipment are officially certified by the Duke of Edinburgh's Award Scheme, meaning that the kit meets DofE’s high standards of quality, safety and durability, at an affordable price. These tents are ideal for youth groups, DofE expeditions, or someone looking for proven quality at an affordable price.

New Hilleberg 2012 Tent Models

Quick and easy to pitch, highly durable, expertly designed and manufactured. Our range of Hilleberg tents offer the explorer maximum performance for ultimate adventure.

Hilleberg Rogen available from Taunton Leisure (Image courtesy of Hilleberg)

Hilleberg are a Swedish tent making company, founded by Bo & Renate Hilleberg, in 1971. Focusing on specialist lightweight tents that are well known for their uncompromising quality and use on expeditions in the harshest conditions, such as Antarctica and the South Pole; their products have a reputation for excellent quality, durability and light weight. Over the 40+ years that Hilleberg have been developing and evolving their tent designs they have made many advances in design and features.

Taunton Leisure Tent Show: Now Open

There are over 30 tents on show in our main display field

Saturday saw the opening of our tent show at Sanders Garden World, near Brent Knoll, Somerset, for its 10th season! 

The show has a display of over 30 family sized tents, as well as lots of smaller specialist tents, tipis and shelters. We have tents available from great brands such as Outwell, Vango, Kampa, Tentipi, Nomad, Hilleberg, Easton, Terra Nova, Mountain Equipment and The North Face to name but a few. 

Kampa Tents 2012 - A Buyer's Guide

As is always the case for the new year, the 2012 camping season sees a development our tent ranges for the summer. We're pleased to introduce another tent manufacturer into our collection. With many years of experience in the outdoor and camping sector, we welcome Frinton and Hayling tents from British company, Kampa, to our range for 2012. We'll be taking a first look at what their tents have to offer right here.

Part of a focused and personal range, Kampa's tents have some innovative features including high quality 'Weathershield' polyester flysheet material. At 100D, it's probably the toughest polyester flysheet fabric we sell on a family tent. There's also the 'Sleeptite System', helping to stop the morning sun from waking you up too early. 

We got to see their selection at the Stoneleigh Tent Show last year and we were impressed with what we saw. We think our selection of Kampa Tents will offer strong design features, space and premium quality at highly competitive prices. 

Kampa Tents at Taunton Leisure

Company Director and Buyer Simon Clark inspects the Weathershield 100D Polyester

Our Kampa range at Taunton Leisure consists of the Frinton and Hayling models in numerous sizes as well as corresponding carpet and footprint accessories. We have tents available in both polyester and polycotton flysheet material offering flexibility and ease of use as well as quality and reliability.

Vango Tents 2012 - A Buyer's Guide

As we continue to get closer to the start of the camping season and prepare to open the doors at our Tent Show at Sanders Garden World this month, we continue our look into the new features you'll be seeing in tents for this season. With larger windows, more living space, reflective webbing and in some cases a large redesign, our Vango 2012 tent range shows both evolution and revolution. 

Possibly the most well known Tent manufacturer in the UK, Vango formed way back in Scotland in 1963. They have nearly 50 years experience of manufacturing and developing products for outdoor enthusiasts. They are behind the truly iconic Force Ten - that big orange triangle that springs to mind for many people when they think of what a tent is. The name Vango is an anagram of Govan, the area in Glasgow where the company originates from. 

Vango have developed and adapted their range to suit all needs. Anything from casual weekend camping in a family tent to high demand trips in extreme conditions. Vango have fantastic knowledge born out of a heritage as part of the British and worldwide outdoor scene that is matched by few. This is why they have been a consistent part of our tent range for years.

It's family tents that we're going to concentrate on in this blog post, though. From Vango, we have a wide range of fantastic value, easy to use tents that are wind and rain tested, suit a variety of needs and are Taunton Leisure best sellers.