Just come across this thread on camping stoves 
I have been camping all my life, but it stopped when we got kids that started waking everybody up at night while camping out and never got back in our routine again after the kids (we have 4 children) all left the house. Here and there I have been using the above mentioned Hilleberg tent to camp out underneath the wings on fly-ins or once camping out with one of our children while visiting a Shakespeare place at Shobdon Airfield in the UK.
However, I do regularly camp out in the African bush and also underneath the wings of the aircraft with sometimes wild animals roaring at night around my tent as it is just another experience of the African bush compared to sleeping in a lodge. As qualified game ranger and field guide, I do get the opportunity to camp in places which are normally not open to tourists. I have had lions lick the water from my tent early in the morning (with me a bit terrified inside that tent) and regularly have hyenas around the tent. Overall, these animals will not come into the tent.
The Hilleberg tents (I have 2 of them) were brought to Africa as I thought they were the best tents you could buy, but not taking the heat and high temperatures into account that you can be confronted with in Africa. Normally, you would open up the tent, but with wild animals around, you want to keep the tent closed and then the Hilleberg tent gives you no ventilation. So, earlier this year in February, I bought some larger cotton bow tents from a South African company called Tentco and have been using them to build camp in Africa. I did away with sleeping on the floor (on a therm-a-rest) and now sleep on a proper stretcher bed and I enjoy it a lot.
Camping out in the Kalahari Desert on a “dirt” airstrip in the middle of nowhere.
Overall, these animals will not come into the tent.
I like the word “overall”
Do any animals try to get into tents? They easily could.
cotton bow tents from a South African company called Tentco
I looked it up. It’s a whole different game from the European or American hiking/camping gear. For a start, the weight: 24kg!
That seems to include a Holland & Holland Rifle – African Dangerous Game Safari Double …
nobbi wrote:
That seems to include a Holland & Holland Rifle – African Dangerous Game Safari Double …
We did have our rifles with us, although hardly needed over there to be honest and in some countries like Botswana not allowed (as safari guide) to even take along on walking safaris. You seem to be well informed about rifle brands, but for sure my rifle is not of the Holland & Holland class :-)
Peter wrote:
I looked it up. It’s a whole different game from the European or American hiking/camping gear. For a start, the weight: 24kg!
Yes, @Peter that is a lot of weight compared to the small tunnel tents pictured above! We use the same tents also for hosting clients on group safaris and I am not comfortable hosting them in small tunnel tents. So, we bought the bigger Tentco tents which I then also use when no clients are around and wanting to go out camping in the African bush. There is one other element I should maybe mention and that is claustrophobia. I have never ever had any problems with it until about 2 years ago. Now, lying in the African bush in a small Hilleberg tunnel tent, completely closed off in the dark and with hyenas sniffing around the tent with hot temperatures outside gives me … claustrophobia and the cure for me is to get a bigger and more comfortable tent with large windows. I have not figured out yet how to get rid of the claustrophic feeling I have sometimes when enclosed in small spaces, so for the moment have to accommodate :-)
Peter wrote:
Do any animals try to get into tents? They easily could.
No, they don’t try to get into tents, but that is a general statement. There are rare instances of e.g. a hyena tearing a camper to pieces but those instances are very, very rare. It is most important to keep the tent closed all the time. If you leave it open for just a moment, monkeys or baboons will get in and steal stuff from you! Or snakes could crawl. But hey! This is all not happening on a daily basis and it is generally quite safe to camp out in the African bush and lots of fun flying there and also camping out.
Interesting.
Tunnel tents are indeed small; I got a dome tent, but your 3m x 3m is much bigger anyway. Still, the 24kg shows a totally different build principle. The ~2kg-3kg tents use really thin aluminium rods and lightweight fabrics. But you need a vehicle to transport yours.
Re animals, in most of Europe (not Albania) the biggest thing is a fox. I would be more concerned about people. If I was camping off-campsite I would hide the tent as best as possible. That also makes it possible to leave some stuff in it when one is out and about.
Peter wrote:
I would be more concerned about people. If I was camping off-campsite I would hide the tent as best as possible. That also makes it possible to leave some stuff in it when one is out and about.
In the African bush there are so many places where you would not find a single person anywhere nearby for miles and miles. No need to hide the tent in the bush and no problem to leave it alone. Another option is to camp near a farmhouse, so the farmer can keep an eye on it when away from the tented camp.
I did post here already some time ago a picture and video of a green mamba in the Cessna (so not in the tent!).
Peter wrote:
Do any animals try to get into tents? They easily could.
Monkeys used to open the zip and take some of our vegetable food inside the tent while smiling at you as you weak up, eating half of it and throwing the rest
I don’t know about lions though but they don’t seem vegans to me
