Why You Should Use Bell Tents For Your New Glamping Business
The Popular Choice
Bell tents are an extremely popular choice for those getting started in the glamping industry. In this post we’ll take a look at some of the merits of selecting bell tents, and help to explain why they are such a popular choice for start-ups.
Bell Tent Cost/Outlay
The set-up costs for bell tent glamping start very low. A decent cotton canvas bell tent will set you back around £600-700 brand new, and a trip to the likes of Ikea will quickly transform the interior space at a very low price. It really doesn’t take much to achieve a great look with a few well placed items.
Expect a discount if you’re purchasing more than one bell tent. In our experience discounts vary between 5-25% The level of discount will vary due to a number of factors. For more on how to secure a discount on your bell tent(s), this post here is a must read for you.
Bell Tent Resale Value
They hold their value surprisingly well!
As manufacturers we would keep a close eye on on-line marketplaces for various reasons (checking for counterfeits, checking for new-comers etc) and we were often surprised to see just how well they held their value.
At the end of each season, around Sep/Oct market places such as ebay would be awash with used bell tents that had been used for business use and that were now being sold off (likely to avoid care & maintenance costs along with storage hassles).
A branded bell tent, used for one season would easily sell for 50% of the initial retail price. We would see some that required cleaning and re-waterproofing, or that were quite severely damaged, still achieve around 50% of the initial retail price. This always surprised us and remained true throughout the years we were in business.
A lot of glamping sites will offer a view before you buy at the end of the season, whereby potential buyers are invited on site to take a look at the stock while it is pitched, to select their tent and pay and leave with it the same day. Be assured, they sell very quickly!
This is all great news for you because when you put together your business plan and get to considering the set-up and running costs, you can factor this in. It means you can start with fresh tents each season and so meet the high expectations of the glamping customer.
Bell Tent Space
For their price, bell tents afford the glamper a lot of internal, usable space. A 5m bell tent can just as easily accommodate a couple as it can a family of four plus their dog.
When customers visited our showroom, this would be the top comment from most visitors. Many were blown away with just how large the tents are. It’s no wonder they are commonly compared with yurts (also a circular structure), but at a fraction of the cost. An average 5m yurt will cost around £2,500
You certainly get a lot of tent for your money with a bell tent.
Bell Tent Durability
These tents are notoriously robust. This is said confidently based on our own fifteen years experience manufacturing and supplying bell tents, and from customer feedback. We’ve ridden out many storms in them when other campers have been forced to pack up and leave. We’ve seen plenty of ‘after the storm’ pictures over the years, the tent standing proud, surrounded by wrecked nylon tents, tossed gazebos and abandoned camps.
Of course, not all tents are created equal. This can be hard to judge from on-line images alone so it’s a good idea to make the trip and visit your supplier to view the quality first hand. If the supplier doesn’t have a showroom, you can always ask them to put you in touch with someone local to you who is using their tents for business use. The latter option is often the most subjective approach as it provides a great opportunity for you to swap notes with the other user.
There are plenty of badly made bells out there, and so there are certain things to look out for when choosing. This post is a must read for anyone thinking about buying a bell tent as it outlines in detail specific areas to look out for.
A Stepping Stone
Over the years we found that many start-ups would begin with bell tents, and move on to other structures later. Some would still have a small bell tent offering, but most would move on to more expensive structures offering more permanence.
The bell tents allow many start-ups to build up much needed funds for a rapid expansion, with some switching from bell tents to other structures within 2-3 years of the initial set-up.
Other structures may include; shepherd huts, yurts, pods, caravans, lodges and so on. It’s a good idea to have this in mind when you first get started. If you can plan your site with future change in mind, this can save a lot in costs later on down the line. So before you position your bell tents (and all that goes with them) on the top field furthest away from the house, ask yourself if access is good up there for later when you may wish to crane in materials for the lodges at a later date!
Who knows? You might choose to stick with bell tents forever, but keep in mind that most land owners do move on to other structures at some point later on. This is a pattern we quickly identified and you too should be aware of.
