The tent is listed as a 5 person tent - personally we like to have a single air-bed per person - and you could only fit 4 of these in the sleeping space - although the space could easily accommodate 5 sleeping bags on standard camping matts.I've only had the tent a few months so can't comment on how much longevity I will get out of it - but the tent seems quite robust. I can't say there are many cons to be honest.The tent materials are of quality construction and more than able to stand up to the unpredictable British weather.The tent made maximum use of inside space for the tent footprint due to the way the airbeams are curved - so you can stand up inside the tent is most places.You have the option of front or side entry - we preferred the latter as it gave more privacy and shelter from the wind.Once the 4 corners are pegged out and airbemas inflated - the tent is self standing and quite rigid - although guy lines should be pegged out for windier conditions.The Vango Monaco 500 is an all-in-one tent - so no putting up external and then inner-tents and the ground sheet is also attached - making for a very straight forward pitch.I was genuinely surprised just how quick it could be put up - usually these things sound too good to be true. The tent can be set up in minutes - after your first go to figure things out - it can be put up in well under 10 minutes.I'll avoid the technical jargon of tent materials as these can be found on the Vango website. To really appreciate how quick and easy it is to put - you have to see it and try it for for yourself.Īfter a couple of practice goes - one person could put up this self-standing tent in 5 minutes and then just peg out the guy linesįor those who have seen my reviews before - you know I like to cut to the chase and give straightforward reviews. I’m recommending this tent to all my friends who are into camping. And after a few goes - I am very much a convert - this tent is great, very quick to put up and robust and I couldn’t go back to more traditional pole tents now. But this summer gave the opportunity to try out the Vango Monaco 500 inflatable tent. I had seen and heard about the inflatable beam tents before - they seemed like they may be quicker to put up - but to be honest - the idea of inflatable poles just didn’t sit right with me - I guess because things that are inflatable have a tendency to deflate! Not a good thought of your tent coming down in the middle of the night. I’ve had family size / 4-5 man tents before, and as anyone with any experience of putting up these big tents will know - they can take ages and be a bit of a chew on - and so the prospect of using these kind of tents for short camping trips of 1 or 2 nights is a bit off putting to me, and I guess many others. With my daughter now 3, this summer was the perfect time to introduce her to camping and the outdoors (and hopefully set her on the path to joining me on some walking trips in future! We’ll see though eh :-). This gear review blog post takes on a more family orientated twist. It may not be the cheapest tent on the market but it was one that a family can get many years of enjoyment from.Vango Monaco 500 Airbeam family tent review It was super simple to put up and felt solid even in higher winds. In particular its new use of the Air Beam technology created an impressive amount of space. Overall the family enjoyed using the Vango Diabalo. I managed to do this first time on this occasion but have previously needed to unfold and re-deflate beams to get it put away. You need to ensure you have got all the air out of each beam before you start to roll and fold it ready for the bag.

The only down side of the AirBeam tents is that putting them away needs more care.

The awning area at the front is open and I think we would consider extending this or adding a closing section at the front to make this more useable in all conditions.

For our family of five (children 9, 12 and 14 and two adults) this was plenty of space. It offers three sleeping spaces big enough for a double mattress. Vango Diablo 1200XL - AirBeam Credit: Vango

Airbeam tent review