Pop up tents

My 5 year old daughter joins me most times when we go fishing and she keeps asking if we can get a tent, I'm thinking a pop up tent would be best. Something light and packs away small with a good carry case.


Over to you forum

Decathlon have a good selection and cheap. Amazon do as well. I have seen them for around a tenner which is probably all you will want to pay.

You may come up against a jobs worth bailiff who will say you can’t use a tent even if it’s a kids play tent. You can however use an over priced adult angling tent called a bivvy.

I think you can get one in camo!!!!

steve2 said:

You may come up against a jobs worth bailiff who will say you can’t use a tent even if it’s a kids play tent. You can however use an over priced adult angling tent called a bivvy.

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Really? And whats there reason for not allowing it then.

They used to make a pop up bivvy back in the eighties (can't remember who now ? ) .
They were fairly popular amongst some of the carpers I was sharing my time with and with goodreason.
Light, durable, easy peasy to erect and every bit as good as some some available today.
It seemed strange that they stopped making them, never did find out why.
As Mike says, Decathlon for a good choice of "festival" type pop ups at arounf £40/50 .
Maybe a curtain sider type brolly would suffice so long as the opening is away from any wind.
Towards the end of my carp fishing days I never bothered with my old bivvy preferring to just use my 50" brolly pulled down close as late as some pretty chilly november nights.
As long as you have a suitable sleeping bag you should be fine.

hammer_jamie said:

Really? And whats there reason for not allowing it then.

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I think it may have been to ensure"proper"carpers?. Maybe to limit the size of the contraption? As has been suggested if the rules do not allow tents then a brolly with sides or a tarp pegged over a brolly or a brolly overwrap?

I think it would have to be an over zealous person to object to a children's pop up though.

hammer_jamie said:

Really? And whats there reason for not allowing it then.

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My club rules state the use of any tents apart from angling bivvies is banned. Something to do with not being allowed to camp on site.The use of a tent is seen as camping a bivvy isn't. Why I have no idea.
Before bivvies we used tents for long stay fishing.

Some of the kids tents are obviously that and are highly visible. They can be bought for £10 TO £20 and can be used in the garden or on the beach. If an officious bailiff complains you can take it down in 10 seconds so no problem! If the waters you visit are quiet with little bailiff presence i wouldn't be too concerned! I am sure your adorable 5 year old can smile sweetly and melt the heart of the miserable*******:wh

If the budget allows, why not get something that both your daughter and yourself can use?

I bought this last year, goes up (and down) in a couple of minutes and collapses into a small package that goes into a bag, lightweight too.

TF gear £66

Have a look on here if the link shows up or works

Outdoor Value | The Camping & Outdoor Specialists

It does Graham! I think a lightweight summer type bivvy, brolly like the one S63 has would be ideal for dad and daughter and be capable of use in the garden or on the beach.

Jamie, I have not the IT skills to do a link but I looked on ebay for " pop up camo tent" and lots came up. If its just to amuse your 5 year old whilst you are fishing during daytimes there are some billed as kids tents in camo that for all the world could be mistaken for mini bivvies.

There are others that look like proper bivvies too. All seem very reasonable about the £20 mark or slightly more.

Thanks for all the tips, advice, and links i will check these all out once i get few spare minutes at work

steve2 said:

My club rules state the use of any tents apart from angling bivvies is banned. Something to do with not being allowed to camp on site.The use of a tent is seen as camping a bivvy isn't. Why I have no idea.
Before bivvies we used tents for long stay fishing.

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I was told by a fishery owner…if a fishery allows tents it had to have a license for camping & leisure

A tent is designed primarily for sleeping in.
A bivvy is designed for fishing from
What's the difference between a bivvy and a tent?

What the difference between a bivvy and a tent?
None they are both for sleeping in.
Nobody actually fishes from inside a bivvy they just wake up and go outside when the alarm goes off.

It's always seemed to me that, where applied, the "no tents" rule is a good one. Tents are synonymous with camping, and overnight fishing. Those activities change the character of a fishery completely. They often result in little encampments that can become "no-go zones" for others. Best pegs are sometimes monopolised by a small number of anglers; camping activities like cooking, TVs, radios and even family holidays often take over from day angling and even the type of person doing the fishing can change. Of course, some venues are happy to have this happen, and if they are then fine. But for the rest of the time if people don't want it then in my view they should make rules that prevent it.

Shelters are different. If a day angler wants to erect what amounts to a fancy umbrella to keep themselves and their kit dry (or shaded) on a day session then that makes complete sense to me - and I'd include a play tent for a well behaved child in with that category.

Speaking as someone who does a bit of bailiffing (is that a word?) the commonsense test I'd apply when coming across a tent/shelter would be to ask myself what was its purpose. If it looked as if the angler was intending to camp I'd ask for it to be taken down. If it didn't then good luck to them. What I would say though is that we all know that from time to time we come across people who push the limits. If a bailiff has in the past had difficulties with people who wouldn't play fair that can make them subsequently become inflexible. As anglers we can all prevent that from happening by being reasonable and playing fair if approached by a bailiff who (remember) is likely to be an unpaid volunteer whose motive is just to help all club members ensure the best running of a water.

hammer_jamie said:

Really? And whats there reason for not allowing it then.

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Don't get me started on this one. Gave up my RDAA ticket because one particular balliff at Whistley Mill swore blind that the difference between a olive green mountaineering tent and a fishing bivvy was enough to ask me to leave. Dont get me wrong, most balliffs are fine but the post does attract some who would give Blakey from On the Buses a run for his money.

xenon said:

Don't get me started on this one. Gave up my RDAA ticket because one particular balliff at Whistley Mill swore blind that the difference between a olive green mountaineering tent and a fishing bivvy was enough to ask me to leave. Dont get me wrong, most balliffs are fine but the post does attract some who would give Blakey from On the Buses a run for his money.

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Most are fine, I do a bit myself. However years ago when I belonged to Verulam they had a pit at Colney Heath. One chap I nicked Mussolini(looks and stature) saw me tackle up and came stomping around to my side from where he was fishing.

He shouted aggressively without introducing himself, "where's your ticket"
I replied "who are you"
"I'm the bailif"
I said "Where is your badge and authorisation"

"Its over there in my tackle" He replied
"Then show it to me" I said

With that he stomped back round the other side got his badge and stomped back to me.

"Thank you " I said and showed him my card.

Politeness costs nothing and would have saved a lot of walking and his fishing time.

It doesn't matter a toss if you can't see any difference between a tent and a bivvy. It may not even matter a toss if there is no appreciable difference between a tent and a bivvy. Whilst it might come down to nothing more than semantics, or simply what the manufacturer described the thing as, the fact remains that there are legitimate reasons for tents, but not bivvies, being banned on some waters. Some places are subject to planning restrictions that do not allow camping or tents, yet do allow long stay fishing from a bivvy. The fact that you might struggle to tell the difference is immaterial. Similar dubious caveats exist in many fishery leases. Landowners seemingly having no issue with bivvies and long stay angling, but specifying no tents and no camping.

Railing against such things, even if they do seem elitist and unfair, probably won't get you very far. Moaning about jobsworth bailiffs may also be a little unfair. Yes, some can be overly officious, but they may just be safeguarding the long term future of a fishery. The tent you are using, even if it is olive green, and as ridiculous as it may seem, might be an effective breach of planning or lease conditions.