None apart from being heavy (but it is a large tent ! )
Recommend to potential buyers:
yes
Full review
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
At the beginning of last year, we were thinking about holidays and looking at where to go when my darling hubby declared "why don't we go camping?" I last went camping in the back garden of my parent's house more than 20 years ago! I hate all things insect like and like my comfort, so you can image my response! "Camping! Have you lost the plot?" I believe was my reply. After much debate about the pro's and cons of camping a persuasive hubby convinced me eventually to give it a try as long as we took into account my need for comfort.
Pro's and cons of camping
Pro's Inexpensive holiday's. Dog can come too. Very child friendly. Can do weekends throughout Spring, Summer & Autumn Friends can come at little or no additional cost. Good fun. Excellently run campsites & very good facilities.
Cons Expensive initial outlay. Not so great in bad weather. No good for winter holidays. LARGE car & roof box required! Poorly run campsites & bad facilities. Children wake up at dawn!
The initial cost (which can be expensive) is far outweighed by the money you save on future holidays. Please bear in mind there are 6 of us and even holidays in the UK tend to cost us a lot due to the "2 adults & 2 children" syndrome. We spent approximately £600 getting kitted out and reckon that including last year, this year and next year's holidays, we will have got that money back in the savings we have made on "normal" holidays.
Camping isn't for everyone but we enjoy it. If you keep an open mind and don't mind the weather too much, you can have some fantastically good fun! On that note, let me introduce you to our holiday home - the Outwell Colorado 8 tent. (Don't confuse it with the Vango Colorado 8 which is a different tent)
STYLE
The Colorado is what is known as a tunnel tent - because it is tunnel shaped. Tunnel tents come in a variety of designs, usually with an entrance at one end, or on either side. Sometimes they even have all 3 options! The bedrooms are made up of an inner section with built in ground sheets and insect netting (a big plus point for me!) which hooks up to the outer section via a toggle system. Depending on the number of berths, the bedrooms are usually located at one, or both ends, with a large living area in the middle. The Colorado 8 (as it's name indicates) is an 8 berth tent. Family size tunnel tents tend to have good headroom in the bedrooms and living area. Sun canopies can be bought as an additional extra. On all four sides of the tent there are "air vents" which help to reduce the condensation considerably. It has completely taped seems both inside and out to stop leaks. It has luminous guy ropes for safety. There are four windows, two on each long side, and each with their own curtain, making this a very bright and airy tent. I must add that the ground sheet is not sewn in (except in the bedrooms) but we have never found this to be a problem.
SIZE
This particular tent is large and spacious and the dimensions are as follows:
Length 700cm Width 310cm Height 200cm
The largest bedroom sleeps 4, separated in the middle by a breathable polyester curtain so that you can have 2 persons in either section. The curtain can be rolled up and secured to the roof to make one large room, which can feasibly sleep 5 children. This measures 290cm wide x 215cm long. There are 2 other completely separate bedrooms which can be put up at the other end of the tent, (great if you don't want the children right next to you) each measuring 135cm x 215cm, sleeping 2 people each. As the tent is the same height all the way along its length, the headroom remains the same, therefore you can comfortably stand up and get dressed in the bedrooms. You don't have to put up all the bedrooms if you don't need them and give yourself even more living area!
PUTTING IT UP
The tent comes in a rather large bag (as it is a rather large tent) which contains all the poles, pegs, guy lines etc. It weighs approximately 30kg and really needs 2 people to carry it. The instructions were clear and concise, and the tent is very easy to put up but I would recommend a practice run in the garden before your first camping trip. The tent itself can be erected by one person, though two is certainly better and quicker. With two of us doing it, we can have the outer tent up in about 20 minutes. The outer flysheet is erected first and then you put in the inner groundsheet and bedrooms. I'm not going into how to put this tent up as that is what instructions are for. I do have tips though to make it easier:
1. Read the instructions! 2. IMPORTANT Take careful note of how the is folded as you unfold it (otherwise you won't be able to get it back in the bag when you take it down!!) 3. Put all your poles in first then pull up and peg out one end. 4. Work from your pegged end backwards until you reach the other end. 5. Peg out end and then straighten and peg out the middle guy ropes. 6. Tuck in the mud flaps under the groundsheet to stop draughts and rain (and creepy crawlies) coming in. 7. Remember camping is meant to be fun and part of that fun is putting the tent up!
And finally, its time to start emptying the car and putting everything inside the tent!
TAKING IT DOWN
The easy part of taking it down is emptying it out, removing the bedrooms and groundsheet. Then you simply reverse the instructions and the tips above. Give the groundsheet and the outer flysheet a good shake to remove any grass and debris before folding it up.
The difficult part - getting the damn thing back in the bag! This is where tip number 2 above comes in. If you took heed and noted how it came out the bag, simply fold it up the same way and voila! - It still won't go in the bag! You need to squish out all of the excess air, as much as you can, and then it will fit. The bag very helpfully comes with an extending panel making it slightly easier to get the tent and poles in. Once it is in, use the straps to tighten and roll the bag around like a sausage and it will eventually resemble the original shape. Be prepared for some swearing and lots of laughing!
STABILITY & DURABILITY
Ok, here comes the story of our first weekend camping trip last year. We chose the wonderful area of Dorset (an hour and a half drive from home) and, looking forward to a lovely time we packed the car and left. We arrived shortly after at our destination and were very impressed with the campsite. After securing the dog and sending the kids to the park we erected the tent in fairly windy weather. Fortunately the rain held of until later on that evening. We spent a comfortable evening and slept well. We woke to torrential rain! However, this didn't prevent us from having a good time. As the day wore on the weather got worse and by late evening, it was gale force winds and really throwing the rain down! It was the worst weather the area had last year. The weather continued to be terrible for most of the evening and darling hubby spent the night awake to ensure the children and I were safe. The tent was bent by the wind into various shapes resembling an egg, an oval, a round shape and back to the tunnel shape!
On inspecting the tent in the morning, by which time the weather had calmed down and the sun had even come out, we discovered no leaks, tears or damage of any kind. None of the guy ropes were loose and all in all, the tent was as we had erected it 2 evenings before. I give this tent a 5 star rating for stability and durability! I don't think we could have given the tent a better test than this!
VALUE FOR MONEY
This wasn't the cheapest tent on the market but by no means the most expensive. It cost around £300 bought new last year. I would certainly say this is an excellent tent by a well known brand and it is certainly worth the cost. We are about to start our camping season again this year (later than normal due to the arrival of our youngest son) and plan to do at least 3 or 4 weekend trip along with our annual one week holiday. A year on, there are still no leaks, tears or damage of any kind to the tent and we expect it to last us a good few years to come. Definitely good value for money.
SUMMARY
Whether you are a newcomer to camping or an old hand at it, this tent is certainly worth considering. I believe this year Outwell has produced Colorado equivalent range "Indiana". It is a tough, reliable, easy to use, spacious and comfortable tent. It is well made, not draughty and doesn't have a serious condensation problem. I would recommend this tent to a larger than average family, and it would even be a luxuriously spacious tent for a family of four.
Specifications: • 8 berth tent • Flysheet: Outtex 3000 with taped seams • Hydrostatic head: 3000 mm • Inner tent fabric: Breathable polyester • Poles: Durawrap fiberglass • Pack size: 72x35 cms • External height: 200 cms • Weight: 28.5 kg • Living area ground sheet: Double-coated polyethylene • Inner room ground sheet: Double-coated polyethylene • Fire retardant
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