vindje.com / Guides / Sports & outdoor
Camping gear is a great used buy because most of it gets used a few weekends a year. The big risk with tents is mould and a peeling waterproof coating, which you only see when the tent is pitched or unrolled. Ask to see it up, smell it, and count the poles and pegs.
The Dutch market is full of family tents: Outwell, Vango, Coleman, Easy Camp and Kampa tunnel tents, plus the classic Dutch bungalow tents from De Waard and Obelink-type cotton models. Inflatable tents with air beams (Vango AirBeam, Outwell Air, Kampa Air) are popular because they go up fast. For hiking, look for MSR, Big Agnes, Nordisk, Vaude and Hilleberg; the last holds its value very well.
Decathlon's Quechua pop-up tents (2 Seconds) are cheap new and used. Fine for a festival, but they do not fold down small and are a pain to carry far.
Most problems hide in the folds. Ask the seller to pitch it in the garden, or pitch it together at the pickup if there is space. For a big family tent this takes 20-40 minutes, so plan for it. If the seller refuses and the price is not very low, be careful.
Cotton bungalow tents and polycotton bell tents breathe well and stay cool, but they rot if stored damp. Look for small brown or black spots and weak fabric around them. A small spot can be treated; a large area means the canvas will tear. Cotton tents also need to get wet once to swell the weave, so a few drips the first night are normal.
A used down sleeping bag is worth checking for loft: shake it out and see if it puffs back up evenly. Flat, clumped areas mean the down needs washing or is worn. Synthetic bags lose warmth over the years and are cheap new, so only buy them used if they look fresh. Self-inflating mats and air mats should be left inflated for a while to check for slow leaks.
Gas stoves (Campingaz, Primus, MSR) are good used buys. Check that the burner lights and burns evenly blue, that the valve closes fully, and that it uses a cartridge type you can find at a Dutch camping shop. Skip stoves with rusted connections.
Folding chairs and tables are cheap to buy used, but sit in every chair and lean back: aluminium frames bend at the joints and fabric seats split along the seams. Electric cool boxes (koelboxen) that run on 12 V and 230 V should be plugged in at the pickup and should feel cold inside within ten to fifteen minutes. Compressor cool boxes from Dometic or Mobicool are worth more than the thermo-electric type.
Families who stop camping often sell everything at once: tent, chairs, table, cool box, lamps. These bundles can be very cheap but come with things you do not need. Prices are lowest from September to February, highest just before the May holidays and the summer. With vindje.com you can ask for an air tent for 4 to 6 people that has been pitched for photos and has no mould, and listings for spare poles or awnings drop away.
| Item | Typical asking price |
|---|---|
| Quechua 2 Seconds pop-up tent | EUR 20-50 |
| Outwell or Vango polyester family tunnel tent | EUR 120-400 |
| Inflatable air tent for 4-6 people | EUR 250-650 |
| Cotton bungalow tent (De Waard type) | EUR 100-400 |
| Hilleberg hiking tent | EUR 400-900 |
| Down sleeping bag | EUR 50-200 |
Rough Marktplaats asking prices in the Netherlands. Condition, age and season move them a lot.
Describe what you want in your own words and vindje.com searches Marktplaats in Dutch, then reads every listing and keeps only the real matches. For example:
Inflatable family tent for 4 to 6 people, Vango or Outwell, no mould, pitched in the photos, under 400 euro, within 40 kmSearch Marktplaats like this
Smell it and look for black or brown spots on the inner tent and seams. Ask to see it pitched, since mould hides in the folds.
Not well. Once a PU coating starts to peel or go sticky, the waterproofing is failing and it will get worse.
Autumn and winter, when people clear out storage. Prices rise in spring before the holidays.
Usually yes, if the beams hold pressure. Spare air beams are sold for most brands, which helps if one fails.