The Vango Banshee 200 has built a big reputation in the wild camping world, but a tent only earns that name when it’s been dragged up hills and left out in proper weather. This is my honest Vango Banshee 200 review, based on real use rather than a fair-weather pitch on flat grass. I’ll cover how easy it is to get up, how much space you actually get inside, how it copes with wind and rain, and whether it’s still one of the best value wild camping tents out there. Because when you’re sleeping out on the hill, reputation means nothing if the tent can’t do the job.
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Quick verdict
The Vango Banshee 200 is still one of the best-value wild camping tents for solo use, if you want something tough, simple to pitch and reliable in rough British weather.
It’s not a true two-person tent, it’s not especially light by modern standards, and the standard pegs aren’t up to rocky ground. But for one person on a sensible budget, it’s a proven little workhorse.
If you’re here just for the link, here you go, otherwise read on and find out why I say ‘best value’.
- Best for: Solo wild campers who want reliability without spending a fortune
- Not ideal for: Two adults, or anyone chasing an ultralight setup
- What it does well: Easy pitch, good weather protection, decent room for one and kit
- Main drawbacks: Heavy for its size, poor stock pegs, tighter than the “2-man” label suggests
- My verdict: A cracking budget wild camping tent that still earns its reputation on the hill
A detailed look at the Vango Banshee 200
I’ve been wild camping for three decades, and I’m taking that experience into the features and the performance of this tent, not just in the field but up real mountains, and not only on summer evenings but in high winds and snow. Made by Vango in Scotland, who’ve been making tents since 1966, the Banshee has been the officially recommended tent for the Duke of Edinburgh Award for years. Even Sir Alan Hinkes, the only British man to have summited all of the world’s 8000m mountains, used a Vango on Everest, he told me so himself.
No sunny photos on a National Trust campsite here, just real mountain wild camping and adventure. My Banshee’s been taken round the block, out in snowstorms, and out under a full blood-moon.
She’s been tested to the limit, so now it’s time to tell you exactly how good she is, what’s wrong with her, and whether you should hand over your hard-earned readies for one.
How tricky is it to get up?
I honestly believe the Banshee 200 is one of the easiest tents to pitch. After a few goes it should only take five or ten minutes, in good weather at least.
Follow the instructions that come with the tent, or the official pitching instructions if you’ve bought one second hand and it’s missing them. Put the outer up, then attach the inner. From then on, you’ll pitch it all as one piece.
Don’t take it from the shop straight to the hills though. Put it together in the garden on a nice day first, so when you get to the hills, and forever onwards, it’s second nature. Two pins, two poles, two pins, four more pins, six guys. Boom.
So, is the Banshee 200 really a two man tent?
No. Unless the two “men” are 12 years old, it’s not really a two-man tent. It’s a good size for one, but you wouldn’t fit a double mattress in it, or two single mattresses.
The size is really good for hikers though, because we’ve got boots and a big bag of stuff.
Once I’m in and the bed’s sorted, I stash my bag at the bottom and empty the goodies around me at the top: food, camera, phone charger.
There are two pockets either side, handy for lifting your phone off the cold floor (battery dies quicker) or keeping your head lamp in so you know where it is in the night.
The newer versions have a door either side, so if there are two people sharing they don’t have to climb over each other to get out.
If you want a tent big enough for two fully grown real people, you buy the Vango Banshee 300 (see below).
Will the Banshee blow away at the first sign of a gust?
A positive no. The Banshee won’t blow away in wind, it has excellent strength for windy nights. The secret to not waking up at 2am with the tent collapsed is buying proper pegs. The stakes that come with the Banshee are cheap aluminium hooks, fine for valley camping if the ground isn’t full of stones, but who’s to know? Even the National Trust campsite at Great Langdale is rocky under the turf, and these cheap hooks bend easily.
Inside, there are also two tensioning straps that reduce movement in the long pole, increasing stability, and doubling up as a handy spot to hang your head torch or damp gloves.
The structure of the tent is excellent, especially the Tension Band System, which stops the mid pole bending side to side in a changing wind. The design, right down to where the guy lines sit and how they resist movement, is top notch.
It’s all fine reading blogs about camping on Lake District campsites in the sun. Lovely, but where this tent shines is when you take it onto a summit, go to sleep, and find in the morning that a snowstorm with 40mph winds and -20°C temperatures came and went while you slept through it.
I’ve done it, but I wouldn’t recommend it.
For wild camping in extreme conditions, I need pegs long enough to get a proper hold in the ground, on the “bitty” base of Blencathra summit for instance, but tough enough to be hammered into a limestone plateau like Ingleborough, or into the natural cracks around slate. My own OookWorks aluminium tent pegs are what I use on the Banshee now, 180mm long with a Y profile, strong enough for exactly this.
The stock aluminium pegs are fine in the garden, where the soil’s deep enough to take them. Once you start adventuring up the hills, though, it’s worth investing in anchors that’ll actually hold.
Will it keep me dry in a downpour?
Yes. The fly, made from 190T ripstop polyester, isn’t the lightest material, but you’d need to spend £800+ to get that. For reference, it has a 5000mm hydrostatic head, meaning you’d have to sit 5000mm of water on the material before it penetrated. Some tents in the range have 6000mm, some as little as 2000mm. Just make sure that when you get it home, you hang it up to dry so no mould grows.
Does it look any good?
She looks pretty good to me. Some tents try too hard to look aerodynamic when most people are buying online and never see them pitched, but the Banshee looks the part, and more importantly, it works.
As I said, newer versions have moved to a double door system, which I’d love to try, sun setting through one, then next morning sun says hello through the other.
As a mountain leader who takes clients wild camping I have 5 Banshees including a old blue one from the 80’s, but this one in a khaki green and a muted orange is my favourite.
How easy is it to take down and pack away?
Every bit as easy to pack as it is to pitch. Lay the tent flat, fold it into a strip about a foot wide, then roll it up around your pegs, leaving the bagged poles to one side (they’re long, so give them their own pocket in your pack, rolling the tent around them as delivered makes it too awkward to pack). The rolled tent ends up smaller than its bag and fits anywhere in your rucksack. Vango have made a bag just big enough for what it holds, with a strap that tightens and squashes the air out while doubling as a carry handle. If you’re tight for space, you can always strap the whole thing to the outside of your bag instead.
What does it weigh, and how does that compare?
My Banshee 200 weighs 2.07kg including the pegs. The newer Banshee 200 comes in at 2.39kg, on the heavy side for a one-person tent, thanks in part to the extra tension straps and two poles. When I developed M.E. (Chronic Fatigue Syndrome) I had to cut my pack weight dramatically to keep camping high, and my pack now sits consistently under 5kg, but going ultralight is a real pricey business. Be realistic: unless you’re paying that kind of money, your tent will land somewhere between 1.4kg (like the Coshee, which gives you no space at all) and about 2.5kg (cheap kit made from heavy materials). The Banshee’s on the weighty side, but it does the job it says on the tin.
Is the Banshee 200 the best wild camping tent?
No, not by a long way. That tent costs nearly four times the price. What I will say is that the Vango Banshee 200 is the best wild camping tent you can buy about £150.
Positive points
- Easy to pitch
- Excellent size for one person
- Great in bad weather
- Very easy to pack up
- Looks good
- Great price
- British company, established 1966
Negative points
- Not lightweight
- Not a true two-man tent, despite the name
- Pegs not up to wild camping on rocky ground
- Pack size is bigger than some other one-man tents
Here’s Vango’s own two-minute overview of the Banshee:
Should I buy a Vango Banshee 200?
If your budget is around £150, yes. I bought a Bandicoot II, a Coshee and something else before I landed on the Banshee, wasted money, but gained a fair bit of experience learning the hard way, so you don’t have to.
I checked in with Vango recently, and the Banshee 200 is still in full production. It’s just not listed on their own website any more, because it’s now sold exclusively through the Go Outdoors/Blacks/Millets group, with Amazon stock coming via their partner company, Blacks. So if you’ve gone looking for it on Vango’s site and drawn a blank, that’s why, and here’s where to actually get one.
Where to buy the Vango Banshee 200
Exclusive to Go Outdoors/Blacks/Millets on the high street, or via Amazon (sold by Blacks).
Buy one and use the hell out of it.
The Banshee 200 has been the recommended tent for the Duke of Edinburgh Award for years, and that’s not just down to some deal Vango did. Start in the valleys and move up as you get used to the weather and what it brings. Don’t jump straight to summit camping, grow into your new surroundings and you’ll thrive in them.
What about the Vango Banshee 300?
The real two-man Banshee is the 300. Pretty much the same tent, just bigger, with the same tension system and pockets, and the same groundsheet and anchoring points as its smaller counterpart.
At 2.75kg it’s noticeably heavier, and I can’t see you taking it high into the hills, but if you’re contractually bound to take the ‘other half’ wild camping this year, or want to take one of the kids for the experience, this is the one.
Mine’s had me and my wife plus gear in it, and my two boys many times in another (although they have their own 200 now they’re full-blown adults), plenty of room for all of us.
Like the 200, Vango don’t list the 300 on their own website either, it’s the same Go Outdoors/Amazon-Blacks arrangement. Amazon tends to be the cheapest route I’ve found, and it’s the two-door version, which is better than you’d think.
If you want a Banshee that fits more than one of you, this is the one to go for.
Where to buy the Vango Banshee 300
Again Go Outdoors/Black/Millets on the high street, or via Amazon (sold by Blacks).
If you’ve learned anything useful from this, drop me a comment below and subscribe to the mailing list in the footer to hear when a new blog, or new product reviews, go on the site. Good luck out there.
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Wild camping kit list
Got the tent sorted. Now here’s everything else I carry, category by category, built up over 30-odd years of getting it wrong first.
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Excellent review, been using the vango alpha 250, heavy and clumbersome althogh great for wood camping, off to order a Bannshee. thanks
Thank you Mark. Let us know how you get on with it.
After reading this blog, me and my partner bought a Banshee 300 which is a great size for 2 people, but still small enough and light enough to carry on long treks. We used it on the Isle of Rum in heavy rain and high winds.
Buying tents is a minefield so Thanks so much Chris for writing this blog which guided me to buy a great tent.
Thanks Nicky, have fun.
Great review! I’ve just picked up a Banshee 200 Pro at Charlie’s outdoor store for £79 ? looking forward to getting out in Snowdonia now.
Love a bargain, have fun Chris.
Was undecided on what tent to get for wild camp, bought the banshee 200 based on you’re knowledge, ticks all the boxes for me, looking for a better stove if you fancy doing a blog on that
Cheers for info
LOL, stoves are on the cards John. I’ve been through a dozen! If you’re subscribed to the newsletters you’ll even get a notification. ?
Look forward to seeing you out in your Banshee.
I was planning on getting a tent soon but when it comes to buying one and knowing what to look for, I am a complete novice. A well written, informed and detailed review. I will definitely be looking into Vango Banshee 200 Pro.
Nice to hear it Alison, enjoy.
I have this! Excellent tent ?
What a great review I am off to buy Vango 200 now
So Chris, what is the best wild camping tent by far at 4 x the price? Might be worth it to my ageing legs if it’s half the weight! Thanks.
John
I don’t know how much of my back-story you have read or seen on the Wainwrights group John but ‘going ultralight’ is a passion of mine.
There are a few blogs in the ‘to publish’ tray and if you’re subscribed you’ll see what why I’m so passionate.
How about this: I’ll put something out in the next two weeks which will answer your question using real experience (not reading reviews online) and I’ll invite you to come along to our first ‘Mountain Leader Academy post-lockdown wild camp’ if you bring what you buy.
How’s that?
Sounds good to me Chris.
I’ve been in the Wainwrights group for quite a few years now so do know some of the back story.
I’m a complete novice wild camper (done a load of camping on sites back in the day) but done a good bit of fell walking – on my second round of Wainwrights. About to enter a new phase of my life as I turn 65 yrs and retire in early August. I have entertained the idea of doing something completely different (I’m a medic) in retirement. The mountain leader course appealed and of course that involves some wild camping experience. I just hope I’m still fit enough!
I hail from Bolton but left there aged 18yrs and been on Jersey for the last 33 years.
Cheers!
hi
i have a question on cooking in rainy conditions with this tent. does the side entrance flap allow for a pole connection to create an awning and keep the rain off?
thanks.
Great thorough review, huge amout of detail covering probably every base for a newby and lots of useful information for every level of wild camper, i have 3 vango including the pro 300 which i love, but feel i could enjoy the smaller form factor and pack ability of the 200 when on my own, sam18a .
Great review thanks.
My Phoenix Phreak needs replacing I think, all the taped seams blew off in a gale 2 nights ago on Haystacks. It’s a fantastic tent, light, easy to pitch (outer first which on a night like Saturday is really useful) and utterly, utterly bombproof in high winds, but I think it’s been through too many tough fights now.
Interested in the Banshee 300 but it seems a bit weighty and I’m prepared to shell out more. What would you say are the best tents for wildcamping/backpacking at the moment?
cheers
Rob
Depends on your budget mostly Rob. The Banshee is great to get started but if you have £500 or so, you can go crazy and get something much lighter. How many wild camps have you done and how experienced are you in wild weather, rain, wind and snow?
Over the years camped wild a couple of times each year, in conditions ranging from lovely summer but also wild autumn with high winds, never in the snow (loved your pictures of the vango in the snow!), usually maximum 2 nights away. Mainly Lakes/Snowdonia but have camped wild in the Pyrenees and Alps a couple of times. I find it tricky to get a handle on the current market for tents as there is such a profusion available!
It’s a great tent for the money and arguably all most people really need.
I never really see this mentioned, but along with the banshee 200 & 300 there is a third version – the banshee 200 pro max, which is slightly longer and taller. It’s still really a one person tent, but gives that bit of extra space for taller users. Oddly, when I bought mine it was cheaper than the regular version.
Yeh, thanks Dave, the prices can be all over the place. I think some suppliers get a bunch of them, sell them cheap and can’t get any more. There are websites all over the place with ‘out of stock’ on.
Hi, another wild camp at Mt Keen, Scotland. I have Banshee Pro 300 was cheaper than 200 and enjoy being able to sit upright and enjoy space, not bad for a prop forward size of body. Noticed that the inner tent needs to be checked as the main red pole curved and flexed probably because it was cold and dark and it looked ok. Will check it out in garden. Always adapting trying to get pack lighter but dont want to fork out for a very expensive tent
Hi, Great review. Thanks! I currently have a Walrus Swift one-man tent, which is very tough, but you can’t sit up in it, so I am thinking of getting something more spacious for longer bike trips. The tip about the titanium tent pegs was very useful, by the way.
It’s a few years since this great review was written but the Banshee is still there going strong so they must be doing something right! I’m thinking of getting the newer pro version to attempt the West Highland way next May. Scottish weather can be unpredictable at best and just wondered whether people thought it was up to it! I was also looking at a Lanshan 2 trekking pole tent, it is lighter but perhaps the Banshee would cope better with unexpected winds? I’ll be 68 then and just being precautious! 🤣