Flying high at the campsite

What I was looking for

Being keen cyclists me and my partner required a tent that was going to be big enough to store our bikes (I don’t like leaving them locked up on the car rack since they are worth a lot of money), all our cycling kit, cooking stuff, clothes and general belongings but small enough to be manageable to erect and dismantle quickly.

I hate having to crawl out of low tents, especially when the call of nature happens in the middle of a wet night, so I wanted something that was going to be high. Besides we needed something that was quite high to get the bikes in.

There are hundreds of tents on the market and whilst reading reviews is a good place to start I think it is imperative to go and have a look at a few. Luckily, Norwich Camping and Caravanning is a few miles down the road from us and their Blofield Heath site enables them to have a demonstrator of each and every tent they sell to be permanently erected and ready for viewing. Viewing is an absolute must since it enables you to ensure that the tent will meet all your requirements and is likely to ensure that you don’t buy something that is not right and that will need to be replaced within a few weeks.

We viewed loads of tents from many manufacturers, including Vango, Coleman and Wynnster amongst many others. Before the viewing I had my heart set on a Vango (I had read many good reviews, I know the Vango name and I know the Vango quality) but after spending a few hours making first, second and in some cases even third viewings (it reminded me of buying a house) I’m glad I didn’t go for the Vango as we found something much more suitable. Besides, the Vango I wanted wasn’t even tall enough to get the bikes in so thank goodness I didn’t buy it online.

Choice

After much deliberation and weighing up the pros and cons etc. we opted for the Wynnster Buzzard 4 (the “Buzzard”). As its name suggests the Buzzard is a four man tent of the pole threading type (as opposed to the ridge frame) which means it can be erected and dismantled relatively quickly, it is relatively light and it is much cheaper. Obviously there are disadvantages associated with this type of tent in that it is not as strong, durable or hard wearing.

Size of the Buzzard

i) Length – 5.1m
ii) Width – 2.3m
iii) Height – 1.85m

The Buzzard is not a small tent but it is definitely manageable. The layout consists of two sleeping areas (one either side) with a corridor area in the middle to store all your kit.

One of the selling points for me is the height, which at 1.85m is perfect for us. It is tall enough to get the bikes in, and as we are both vertically challenged it is possible to stand fully upright in the corridor section of the tent. We do have to bend down to get in to the inner tent but only a little so it is no real hassle.

Specification of the Buzzard

According to Wynnster the specifications of the Buzzard 4 is as follows:

i) The Buzzard is classified as a dome tent. It is a vis-a-vis style two bedroom tent.
ii) It is pitched using the fly sheet first
iii) The flysheet fabric is fire retardant, breathable polyester
iv) The ground sheet is made from a fire retardant polythene
v) The poles are made from supaflex fibreglass with shock cord elastic
vi) The weight is 11.8kg

Whilst the flysheet and groundsheet are described as fire retardant this does not mean that they are fire proof. They will withstand hot items touching the fabric and not suddenly burst in to flames (although this should obviously be avoided at all costs) but they will burn if a naked flame touches them. Therefore, care should always be taken but that goes without saying.

At 11.8 kg the Buzzard is not the lightest of pole threading type tents but given it is a family tent and users are likely to just get it out of their car (i.e. it is not the sort of tent hikers are likely to use) the weight is not too much of an issue.

In the bag

The Buzzard is supplied in its own carry bag, which includes;

i) The outer flysheet, i.e. the tent
ii) 4 x poles (2 x different lengths)
iii) 2 x door extension poles
iv) A clip in ground sheet
v) 2 x inner tents
vi) A bag of tent pegs
vii) A repair kit

Whilst there is everything you need to erect the tent there are a couple of things that need to be pointed out.

Firstly, the tent pegs supplied are thin and of poor quality. Whilst they are easy to get in to soft/damp ground types getting them in harder ground is a bit more problematic. The ends are blunt, which is great for health and safety reasons but this is not that practical. Getting the pegs in to hard ground requires the use of a mallet (which is not supplied). Alternatively you can use your foot but then I find the pegs never go in straight using this method or they bend, rendering them useless. I would also avoid hitting the pegs too hard since this will also cause them to bend.

In light of the above the first thing I would recommend is replacing the tent pegs with better quality ones. The corkscrew type are the best type of tent pegs since these can be ‘wound’ in to the ground. Even the hardest of ground is not a problem for these. These are quite expensive and since the Buzzard requires quite a few pegs this is likely to be an expensive exercise. A compromise is to use the corkscrew pegs in specific places, such as in the corners and on the two main guide ropes, and using cheaper pegs everywhere else. Even if this is the preferred method I would highly recommend replacing the metal pegs supplied. Plastic ones are a bit more expensive but a lot more durable.

Secondly, the repair kit appears pretty much useless. Whilst I have not had the need to actually use it the contents of the box is very limited and I struggle to see what use any of it would be.

A mallet would have been a nice addition to the pack but then given the price of the Buzzard you can’t really complain that a mallet is not included. Besides, they don’t cost that much.

Look and colours

The Buzzard is available in mid blue/dove grey, pine/dove grey and black/dove grey. I would call the colours understated, although there are many that would say boring. This suits me since I would not want a tent that is bright and vivid (I would call garish) that stands out and attracts attention, although this can be advantageous when returning to your tent, still a little tipsy after a call of nature in the middle of the night.

The colour schemes are limited but I have no real issues with this and I am more than happy with the blue/dove grey colour scheme we chose since I think it looks quite nice.

The Buzzard is the typical elongated dome design. This design is not ultra modern but it doesn’t look dated either. It is also a design that you will see on almost every campsite. Personally, I think it looks sleek and stylish but it doesn’t attract too much attention, which I think is a good thing.

Erecting the Buzzard

Previously having owned much smaller tents I must admit that I was a bit overwhelmed by the sheer size of the Buzzard and as such, I thought it was going to be a real chore to put together. I always find the first outing the worst and I am always a bit apprehensive especially on the campsite as I am paranoid that everyone is looking and just waiting for that mess up, when in reality 99% of other campers aren’t even looking and those 1% that may be never really notice when you do go wrong. It is just a hang up I have, but hey ho.

When we were buying the Buzzard the shop assistant (who appeared quite knowledgeable about tents) informed us that a person on their own could easily erect the Buzzard, although it would be easier with additional pairs of hands.

The Buzzard consists of 4 poles (2 poles of each different sizes) that require threading. Like all ‘threading pole’ tent poles these consist of several short sections connected by elastic which piece together to make a long pole. All the poles are colour coded and have to be threaded through specific sleeves, which are also colour coded to ensure that you put the right pole in the right sleeve. There is nothing worse than threading all the poles only to realise that you have made an error, which usually results in having to start from scratch all over again. Most annoying.

This is a fantastic system and it is so efficient. I think it is simply brilliant and was amazed by it since it is something that none of our previous tents used (I have recently been informed that all modern tents use this system and it is not unique to the Buzzard) so I guess this shows how long it has been since we have purchased a tent.

Once the 4 poles have been threaded (this is easily a one man operation) it is time to bend the poles in place and ‘get the tent up’. I tried this myself but struggled somewhat. The poles would bend all over the place, I couldn’t get the ends in the respective holes or I would get them in and then they would ‘pop’ out etc. etc. After 10 minutes or so I had to admit defeat and enlist the assistance of the other half. With my other half standing inside the tent and pushing it up and keeping the poles steady in doing so, getting the basic shape of the tent was an absolute doodle and everything clicked in to place nicely. Personally I don’t think that I would have got the tent up by myself and I question the shop assistant’s claim that the Buzzard can be erected by one person, however it is probably my incapability and there are probably some people out there who would have no problem at all. I would definitely get someone to help out though.

The poles are threaded through the outer skin of the tent, therefore there is no top sheet that needs to be thrown over and pegged in place. All my previous tents have been domes and I have always had to throw over another outer skin (that needed to be pegged down) and the end result is always different. Sometimes the outer skin goes over perfectly and it is equidistant all round the tent. Other times the putting the outer skin on has been a nightmare (usually in windy conditions) and the end result has looked a right mess, with some bits higher than others, and some bits too tight and others not tight enough etc. etc. Not having an outer skin to worry about is great and does make the overall erection time much quicker.

You may think that not having an outer skin is a disadvantage since the additional layer creates a bit more warmth. The ‘second’ layer is achieved by having a separate ‘inner’ tent that is clipped to the body of the main tent. This system is as good as having the outer skin but is far less hassle and I love it.

Once the main tent is together it then becomes a one-man operation to finish it off, unless your assistant (if you managed to get one or you had to enlist the assistance of one) wants to carry on assisting you. Luckily my other half falls in to the latter category so I am never left by myself, which is a blessing (or not as the case maybe).

Once we had the tent up I notice that there was a gap of approximately two centimetres all around the perimeter of the tent, which I was a bit concerned about. If I couldn’t get rid of the gap I there was going to be one heck of a draft and whilst this would be nice during those famous hot spells the UK is famous for, it would not be too good during other times even if you could get out of the draft by going in to the inner tent sleeping section. My concerns were short lived since the gap soon disappeared as soon as the tent was pegged down tightly. Every time we use this tent there is this gap and this soon disappears once pegged so there are no concerns in this respect.

Once the tent is up the next steps include inserting the two inner tents, i.e. one at each side of the main tent, hence leaving a large corridor in the middle that is plenty big enough to store all the rest of your camping equipment.

The inner tents are clipped in to place using plastic hooks on the separate inner tent and specifically located ‘D’ rings on the main body of the tent. It is simply a matter of clipping each hook on to the respective ‘D’ ring. At first glance this looks confusing but once again the colour coded system approach is used and the top two ‘D’ rings (and corresponding hooks) are colour coded to make sure that you get the front of the inner tent facing the right way. It really is an effective, and fool proof, system.

Once the inner tents are in place the corridor ground sheet is clipped in. Once again this uses the plastic hook and ‘D’ ring system. This system is very good since it ensures the ground sheet is clipped in tight so it stays in place and doesn’t move under foot.

The next stage involves pegging the rest of the tent and all the guy ropes. Whilst doing this I would recommend ensuring both the doors are shut. There have been a few times when I have pegged the tent out with the doors open only to find that I had stretched the tent too much and the doors wouldn’t close. This is most annoying since it usually means removing all the pegs and starting the pegging out process again.

Once pegged out that is it. The first time we put the tent up it took a little over 20 minutes from start to finish, which is actually quite a long time. Now we have used the tent and are familiar with how it is erected and devised a ‘system’ we can erect the Buzzard in around 10 minutes, which I don’t think is that bad going.

Dismantling the Buzzard

In my opinion the speed and ease of taking a tent down and putting it away is just as important as erecting it in the first place. Previous tents I have had have been a nightmare to take apart, with the main issues being the poles coming apart inside the sleeve (hence becoming a nightmare to pull out as the fabric get caught in the joints which may result in rips and tears if care is not taken) and actually getting everything in the carry bag supplied.

Getting everything back in the bag is my biggest bugbear. Why do manufacturers insist on giving consumers such small bags? I agree that when buying a tent to walk out with a decent sized tent in a small, neat package all in its own carry bag is quite impressive but it seldom goes back in it quite so easily. Personally, I would prefer buying a tent in an oversized bag, or one where there is a little room for error, i.e. it allows you to roll everything up a little looser than when bought but the bag still zips up, but you do not seem to get this with many tents.

The Buzzard is a doodle to pack away, which I think is a major selling point. The joints holding the poles together are big, and strong enough, to ensure that the sections don’t come loose in the sleeve as you are trying to pull it out, hence saving ‘faffing about’ time and reducing the risk of damage to the outer fly sheet.

In addition, the carrying

bag is very generously sized, which enables the user to loosely roll the tent up and still get it in the bag with ease. This is great since it not only means that you can be a bit haphazard rolling the inner tents, flysheet and ground sheet but it also means you don’t have to ‘scrunch’ up the fabric which should prolong the life of the tent.

Stability

Once erected and fully pegged out the Buzzard is surprisingly stable and more than good enough for summertime use, even the British summertime. I wouldn’t want to be in this tent during a hurricane (but then I wouldn’t want to be in any tent in these conditions). It will move around quite a bit in strong winds but then again so will all tents that are of the ‘pole threading type’ so it can not be marked down when compared to other similar tents. I thought the height of the Buzzard, at just over 2.0m, would make it more susceptible to wind but it isn’t affected any more than smaller dome tents I have used in the past.

The most stable tents are ridge tents but comparing a pole-threading tent to a ridge tent would be like comparing chalk and cheese, it just wouldn’t be fair. All in all I would say that this tent is stable.

Durability

I have owned the Buzzard for just over a year now and have used it across three seasons. It has had to withstand all the elements that the British climate could throw at it and I must say that it has coped very well. Whilst it is looking used it does not look tired and I am expecting another two to three years service (at least) out of it, and personally I can’t see any reasons why this would not be achieved.

The outer flysheet is made out of quite thin polyester, like nearly all tents of this type on the market, so it is susceptible to damage if it is mistreated. I know that families (children in particular) are likely to give tents more of a hard time than couples and since I do not have children I cannot comment on how the Buzzard would withstand any additional ill treatment. However, I do believe that if you look after the Buzzard then it will look after you.

The important stuff

Now I’ve gone through the specification, the erecting of the buzzard, dismantling the Buzzard, the stability and the durability I though it would be appropriate to answer the important questions, i.e. what the Buzzard is like to live with on a day to day basis.

Is it waterproof?

Let’s face facts, camping in the rain is not fun, and if you camp in the UK then it is inevitable that you will encounter the rain at some point. It is a fact of life and one that cannot be avoided. It is very important to ensure that any tent is fully waterproof to ensure maximum comfort during our trips. I appreciate that you should ‘rough it’ when camping but there are limits.

I can honestly say that that I have never had any water trouble or leaking issues with my Buzzard and I have been out is some horrendous weather in it. The seams are all double stitched and taped, in order to prevent leaks and I must say that they do live up to the claim. I have had an issue with water dripping in to the tent but this was my fault since I had not pegged the sides down properly and there was a 2cm gap! Providing the tent is fully pegged down, and there are no tears or rips then water will not be an issue.

What are the levels of condensation like?

In my experience, all tents suffer condensation to some extent. It is part of camping and it is something I have not yet worked out how to prevent. The worst tents I have found are the twin skin domes, i.e. those where there is an over sheet thrown over the main tent and pegged down. There is little room between the two layers and this seems to attract condensation like the proverbial flies to dirt. Whilst using the Buzzard I have noticed that it does condensate sometimes, but not a great deal. In addition, I have noticed that any condensation that forms stays on the seams and does not touch the inner tent so these do not get wet.

Is it really big enough for four people?

Whilst the Buzzard is classified as a four-man tent and it will actually accommodate four people quite comfortably I would not recommend it as a family tent. Once you get all your kit in the corridor of the tent (the chairs, a table, cooking equipment, wardrobe and clothes, TV/stereo, outside toys etc. The space suddenly disappears quite rapidly and it does get cramped. The layout is such that all items have to be stored in front of the second door, which renders it useless. This is a big design flaw and one that the designers appear to have missed.

The Buzzard is ideal for a couple since you can dispense with the second inner tent and store all your equipment in the second side, hence leaving the corridor area free and both doors can be used. I find there is more than enough room where the second inner tent should be to store loads of stuff (even my other half can’t fill it up – but we do only drive a standard sized Focus).

Price and availability

I bought my Buzzard 4 from Norwich Camping and Caravanning back in January 2008 and paid £100 for it in a promotional deal. At the time of writing the RRP of the Buzzard 4 is £150 although many online retailers are offering it for £99.99. I have seen it for as little as £59.99, although the item was not in stock.

Current stock levels appear to be a bit of an issue and it doesn’t appear to be available from any website at the current time. I am unsure if the Buzzard is going to be discontinued since none of the websites provide additional details unless you give the retailer a call, which is obviously something I am not going to do.

Conclusion

I have found the Buzzard 4 to be an excellent tent and one that I would highly recommend for people like me that require it for the same uses as I do, i.e. in a couple (with no children) that goes camping mainly in the summer months but will venture out in late spring and early autumn (providing the weather is ok).

The colour coding makes erecting and dismantling the Buzzard a quick and painless exercise, although I would recommend enlisting the assistance of a friend to avoid embarrassment on the campsite in what I call the ‘push up and pin the poles’ stage of the erection process.

I love the fact that you can actually stand up inside the Buzzard, it just makes it appear that much bigger, and find the room occupied by the second inner tent more than big enough to accommodate all the gear we take.

I admit that the outer flysheet is not made of the best quality material but it is the same used in other pole threading type tents so I can’t really complain here. Providing you look after the Buzzard and aren’t heavy handed or harsh with it then you should have no problems at all. Once fully pegged down the Buzzard is waterproof and will not leak. It is likely to condensate (what tents don’t?) but this shouldn’t create any problems nor make the inner tents or any of your gear wet. The Buzzard is stable but it will move around in very windy conditions. This is to be expected though.

Overall I think the Buzzard 4 is an excellent tent and well up there with the leading brands, such as Vango and the like. The Buzzard represents great value for money since £100 doesn’t really get you a lot of tent at today’s prices.

I appreciate that the Buzzard is not as strong, durable or good as a ridge tent but then this is to be expected and I was under no pretences that it would be as good when I bought the Buzzard. No pole threading tents are as good as a ridge tent and it is unfair to make a comparison between the two.