An affordable 5 man tent, but is it the right tent for you? Find out now in our review of the Vango Apollo 500 and discover the key features of this tent
The Vango Apollo 500 is one of the best rated 5-man tents on Amazon. Now, while that doesn’t necessarily mean that it is up to scratch, it was enough for us to think it was worthy of giving it a go. Our aim is to find the best tents in the camping world, so given the number of happy customers, we decided to compile a full review of the Vango Apollo 500.
In this review, we will be looking at the key features of the Vango Apollo 500, before putting it to the test to see how it deals with a typical UK camping trip – that means wet weather, excitable children and exasperated parents! (For the purposes of my reviews, I play the role of Exasperated Parent…)
So let’s get straight into it to discover whether the Vango Apollo 500 would be suitable for you and your family.
Pros and Cons
Pros
- Extended dome tent, so plenty of space
- Waterproof with great ventilation
- Easy to pitch
- Great Price
Cons
- The weight means it is difficult to carry long distances
- Might feel cramped on long trips – best for weekend breaks
About the brand
I should start this review with a bit of a disclaimer – I am a fan of Vango as a company. I have been for a while – they have impressed me since my first Vango purchase, they are one of the best camping equipment producers in the United Kingdom, based as they are in Scotland.
Since 1966, they have been pioneers of the industry – from creating their AirBeam technology in 2011, to their new Earth Collection – tents made out of 100% recycled materials. To put it simply; Vango is a company that you can trust.
Vango Apollo 500 – Features
The Vango Apollo 500 is a dome tent, or rather an extended dome tent once with the front porch area. The big advantage of having a dome tent is that you get more headroom in the centre of your tent – at 5’6″, this isn’t a major consideration for me, but I accept that it might be for other people!
When pitched, the Apollo 500 measures 290 cm x 210 cm (not including the porch area) and with 170 cm headroom – which is pretty spacious for a tent in this price region (more on that later). While it is billed as a 5 man tent, we always urge a bit of caution – you could have five adults sharing in there, but it will be a bit tight. A family of four (2 adults, 2 children) should find that it has enough room though.
I would probably describe the design and structure of the Apollo 500 as ‘basic’, but I don’t want you to get the wrong idea there – it’s perfectly fine in that it has one large living area, with a porch area attached to the front.
The porch, or vestibule, has two doors – one at the front and one on the left hand side as you look out of the tent. It also has a ‘bathtub’ floor, which means the groundsheet is attached. However, there are small sections on the sides where you are able to get rid of any water that pools in there, like if you have a spillage. It’s the best of both worlds, really.
The Apollo 500 has solid windows, which are great to letting in plenty of light, but as they are completely waterproof, you don’t have the possibility of it leaking. The inbuilt curtains will ensure that you block out the light in the morning, should you want to.
Even though Vango are pioneers of the AriBeam tent, the Apollo 500 is a ‘traditional’ tent with fibreglass poles – pretty standard really, and nothing that should come as a surprise to anyone that has been camping before. Helpfully, you are still able to purchase replacement poles specifically designed for this tent, should anything happen to the ones provided.
The poles are installed from the outside of the tent, in a dry setup. Basically this just means that if it is raining while you are setting up, the inside of the tent will remain dry.
The material of the outer tent itself is 70D polyester, which comes with a 3000 mm waterproof rating. This is generally seen as more than enough to cope with standard British weather without a leak (anything over a 2000 mm waterproof rating should be fine in this country).
The inner tent is a breathable polyester, which should help to keep it cool on hot days. while the mesh fabric areas on the door are there to allow some airflow through the tent. The side door also helps in this regard.
In terms of other additional features, there are plenty of inner pockets for storage, as well as lantern hanging hooks throughout the living area.
It’s a heavy tent, weighing nearly 9 kg, so it’s probably not a good one for a hiking trip. You’ll want a campsite that lets you park your car close to where you’ll pitch the tents.
Using the Vango Apollo 500
I took my family out for a weekend trip to put the Vango Apollo 500 through its paces. Here’s how we got on.
Pitching
My wife and I were able to pitch the tent in around 15 minutes, while our two children explored the site around us. This was perfect really, as any longer and they may have started to get bored, but there is nothing to worry about when [itching this tent for the first time – it’s just a standard, modern pole tent in that regard.
Living Space
The Apollo 500 is pretty spacious for a tent in this price range, with 5.67 m² in the main living area. For a family with two small children, this was plenty of room for us, however if we had been staying for longer than a weekend, we may have required a bit more space and sperate living sections.
The vestibule/porch area does make a big difference, adding an extra 4.6 m². This meant that after the boys had gone down to sleep, my wife and I could enjoy a drink under a cover, without feeling too cramped.
Coping with the elements
One of the frustrating things about writing camping reviews, much like camping in general, is that you can’t pick the weather. On our weekend we only really experienced light drizzle on the first night, which the tent coped with, as you would expect.
Having done some more digging, the Apollo 500 has excellent reviews when it comes to being waterproof. The one thing you need to be careful about is the zip on the doors – make sure you stick the Velcro down to ensure it is covered, or you risk water getting in during particularly heavy rain.
General Build Quality
This is a properly put together tent. Vango have a great reputation, and it is fully justified. The linked in ground sheet was reassuringly secure, the solid windows allowed plenty of natural light during the day and the poles were standard, but reliable. There is a decent amount of ventilation as well.
One minor quibble was that it is not a blackout tent, so our children were up very early. I could have done with an extra hour of sleep, to be honest!
Verdict
The Vango Apollo 500 is an excellent tent for a young family. In this price range, you will struggle to find another one that can match it for build quality, be as spacious and with such an impressive waterproof rating. The large floored vestibule is another bonus.
It won’t be for everyone – if you are planning on moving around a lot during your trip, the weight of the tent means that you won’t want to carry it very far. Plus, the one large living space is great if all you want to do is sleep there, but if you want to hang out a bit more in the tent, then you might find it a bit small.
For a young family that wants to get into camping, though, this is a great entry level tent. It is cheap enough so that you don’t need to go on a camping trip every weekend to get your money’s worth – it’s there if you need it though. The huge waterproof rating means that you can be confident you and your family will be kept warm and dry, and it is easy to pitch without instructions. Definitely one for your short list.