New Quechua "Fresh & Black" Tents

[DeanoL]

12 hours ago, kingbadger said:

 The only downside for me is the complete lack of a porch

If they're anything like the other Quechua pop ups that don't have a porch, there is still a gap between the inner and outer. It's large enough for a pair of boots/wellies and a small rucksack.

[dooke10]

8 minutes ago, DeanoL said:

If they're anything like the other Quechua pop ups that don't have a porch, there is still a gap between the inner and outer. It's large enough for a pair of boots/wellies and a small rucksack.

Agree with this i've always managed to keep my boots outside.

[incident]

Quick report from the Nottingham store.

They've got the Pop-up versions of Fresh+Black in stock, but not on display yet. Don't have the Inflatable versions at all but are expecting them soon.

Apparently they're moving the store  around on Sunday and so will have a much larger display next week.

[kaytee...]

I was looking at the inflatable one but my only fear is some idiot deflating it.

The 'arpenaz' version is your standard dome tent so I might sacrafice having a small porch for this and pack light this year

[idb]

There were some hefty prickly plants where we camped in Baileys last year. I'd also be a bit worried about getting a puncture.

[addicted2noise]

On 09/02/2016 at 5:38 PM, Yoghurt on a Stick said:

That one with two open ends - could be seen to double the entry point for a thief. Just thinking out loud.

That was my first thought too in addition the eye mask/eye plug combo (as good as that sounds) it seems a bit risky considering the amount of tent robberies reported on here from last year. 

[stuartbert two hats]

Just bought the 3 man tent from Decathlon today.  It wasn't much bigger to carry than the 2 man + not much more expensive.

http://www.quechua.co.uk/2-seconds-easy-3p-fresh-blk-id_226587-id2_8357353

A word of warning, if you're over 6 foot and it's not pegged down, then get someone to hold down the edges as if it's pegged and then lie in it.  I'm 5'10" and when it wasn't pegged down, it wasn't quite long enough to lie down without touching the edges, but that's because some of the ground mat was rising up.  I got one of the staff to hold down the back end and it made some more room - but not loads.

Only other issue is that the pack doesn't have a shoulder strap - only a hand handle - so carrying it back just the 15 mins from the shop was a ballache.  I've never had a pop-up tent before, so if anyone has any tips on how to comfortably carry them, I'm all ears.

If this is as good as they say, I'm really looking forward to actually having a lie in!

[DeanoL]

As much as the idea of a lie-in appeals, I do worry that the net result would be my mates going off and having breakfast and enjoying the festival without me!

[brandycoke]

Not to rain on the parade here, but used one similar, and the "Black" thing is just a bit misleading.

It just has a grey hue inside the tent, as opposed to actual black out.

It's just thin dyed fabric,so the same amount of light gets through,regardless of colour . Think you'd need something a lot thicker to achieve complete black out.

On a positive note, there's always the placebo effect though .

[tjamest]

16 hours ago, stuartbert two hats said:

.

http://www.quechua.co.uk/2-seconds-easy-3p-fresh-blk-id_226587-id2_8357353

Only other issue is that the pack doesn't have a shoulder strap - only a hand handle - so carrying it back just the 15 mins from the shop was a ballache.  I've never had a pop-up tent before, so if anyone has any tips on how to comfortably carry them, I'm all ears.

 

That's a bit of a pain, normally they have a couple of straps on the back so you can just about get it over one shoulder. Hence why it always looks like you are carrying a small round shield.

 

Edited March 18, 2016 by tjamest

[stuartbert two hats]

6 minutes ago, tjamest said:

That's a bit of a pain, normally they have a couple of straps on the back so you can just about get it over one shoulder. Hence why it always looks like you are carrying a small round shield.

 

It does have a very thin strap, but it digs in after a few minutes.  Hmm, maybe when the rucksack is on it won't be such an issue, as it can go on my rucksack shoulder strap, rather than directly on shoulder.  Still unwieldy though.

[stuartbert two hats]

Non inflatable 3 man looks like this.

 

 

 

[stuartbert two hats]

I've never been keen on the disc shape for pop up tents, one reason this is my first.  How do you tend to carry it with a rucksack? Seems unwieldy to me, but I'm not used to them.

[Andeeroo]

2 minutes ago, stuartbert two hats said:

I've never been keen on the disc shape for pop up tents, one reason this is my first.  How do you tend to carry it with a rucksack? Seems unwieldy to me, but I'm not used to them.

I always used to just hold it like a carrier bag and drag it along behind me. Always found it too difficult to carry it on my shoulder.

That's the main reason why I've gone back to a standard tent now. Too much arseache carrying the popup to and fro.

[FrankieX]

3 minutes ago, stuartbert two hats said:

I've never been keen on the disc shape for pop up tents, one reason this is my first.  How do you tend to carry it with a rucksack? Seems unwieldy to me, but I'm not used to them.

I've tended to carry mine over my shoulder/under my arm with a holdall strap like a massive handbag, when it hasn't been strapped to my trolley of course. I got my new popup a few weeks ago and it doesn't have the loops I used to attach the strap or fasten the bag to my trolley with bungee cords. Also...

On 18/03/2016 at 10:43 AM, stuartbert two hats said:

It does have a very thin strap, but it digs in after a few minutes.  Hmm, maybe when the rucksack is on it won't be such an issue, as it can go on my rucksack shoulder strap, rather than directly on shoulder.  Still unwieldy though.

...I noticed this too. To be honest, I'm probably going to carry the new tent in my old tent's bag as both are the same size/diameter. If I didn't have that, I'd probably put something around the thin strap like foam to make it a bit easier on my shoulder.

[Waapster]

1 hour ago, stuartbert two hats said:

I've never been keen on the disc shape for pop up tents, one reason this is my first.  How do you tend to carry it with a rucksack? Seems unwieldy to me, but I'm not used to them.

You've got a trolly right? The ones in eFests shop are brilliant. Just put the disc on first.

[stuartbert two hats]

17 minutes ago, Waapster said:

You've got a trolly right? The ones in eFests shop are brilliant. Just put the disc on first.

Nope. travelling by coach, too unlikely to get it on.

[LondonTom]

3 hours ago, stuartbert two hats said:

I've never been keen on the disc shape for pop up tents, one reason this is my first.  How do you tend to carry it with a rucksack? Seems unwieldy to me, but I'm not used to them.

I always go for the ninja turtle look with mine and bung my rucksack on one of those standy up B&Q trolleys

Never had a problem getting that a nat express coach either

[dondo]

Bought one earlier this week- not ad chance to pitch/test it yet but looked good in the shop.

Thought given I'll be there for over a week that a tent like this would be good for trying to get a decentish amount of sleep

[MilkyJoe]

 

On 17 March 2016 at 9:15 PM, stuartbert two hats said:

Just bought the 3 man tent from Decathlon today.  It wasn't much bigger to carry than the 2 man + not much more expensive.

http://www.quechua.co.uk/2-seconds-easy-3p-fresh-blk-id_226587-id2_8357353

A word of warning, if you're over 6 foot and it's not pegged down, then get someone to hold down the edges as if it's pegged and then lie in it.  I'm 5'10" and when it wasn't pegged down, it wasn't quite long enough to lie down without touching the edges, but that's because some of the ground mat was rising up.  I got one of the staff to hold down the back end and it made some more room - but not loads.

Only other issue is that the pack doesn't have a shoulder strap - only a hand handle - so carrying it back just the 15 mins from the shop was a ballache.  I've never had a pop-up tent before, so if anyone has any tips on how to comfortably carry them, I'm all ears.

If this is as good as they say, I'm really looking forward to actually having a lie in!

Did anybody else buy one of these? Stuart, have you had chance to test yours out yet?

I Was looking at this to replace my smallest tent. My initial thoughts are, how white is the fabric? Is it likely to get grubby very quickly? Is the lack of a porch area a huge concern? And let's say it's pissing down and you're sitting in the tent in the daytime, is there enough light to see without needing a lantern?

Thanks for any thoughts.

Shaun.

[stuartbert two hats]

19 minutes ago, MilkyJoe said:

 

Did anybody else buy one of these? Stuart, have you had chance to test yours out yet?

I Was looking at this to replace my smallest tent. My initial thoughts are, how white is the fabric? Is it likely to get grubby very quickly? Is the lack of a porch area a huge concern? And let's say it's pissing down and you're sitting in the tent in the daytime, is there enough light to see without needing a lantern?

Thanks for any thoughts.

Shaun.

No, not had chance yet. My little garden takes a long time to dry out.

Those are all good points, but be aware that there is a micro porch big enough for boots.

It probably is a bit dark during the day, but there may be ways to let light in, but not rain. Anyway, I wouldn't be spending much time in there anyway, its too small.

[Chris Zoidberg]

I recently bought the arpenaz 3 man 2-seconds pop-up, and put it up last weekend. I disagree with a previous post about it not being dark inside. It was a sunny day and while not pitch black inside, it was very dark, easily dark enough to sleep in. There's side air vents which if rolled up will let light in if needed, you can also pull up the entire back of the outer skin of the tent for added ventilation (and additional light). I thought the inside stayed pretty cool, it was a hot day but not June hot, so we'll see on that one. Overall I'm really pleased with it. A bit of a bugger to fold away afterwards mind (pop-up version) but with a bit of practice that shouldn't be an issue. If I get a chance I'll put it up again this weekend and take some pics, if anyone's interested. As for carrying, I'll probably just hook the long strap over the top of my rucksack turtle-style, and try not to bash people with it in the queue (it's pretty big).

Edited May 11, 2016 by Chris Zoidberg
Added info

[MilkyJoe]

1 hour ago, stuartbert two hats said:

No, not had chance yet. My little garden takes a long time to dry out.

Those are all good points, but be aware that there is a micro porch big enough for boots.

It probably is a bit dark during the day, but there may be ways to let light in, but not rain. Anyway, I wouldn't be spending much time in there anyway, its too small.

 

52 minutes ago, Chris Zoidberg said:

I recently bought the arpenaz 3 man 2-seconds pop-up, and put it up last weekend. I disagree with a previous post about it not being dark inside. It was a sunny day and while not pitch black inside, it was very dark, easily dark enough to sleep in. There's side air vents which if rolled up will let light in if needed, you can also pull up the entire back of the outer skin of the tent for added ventilation (and additional light). I thought the inside stayed pretty cool, it was a hot day but not June hot, so we'll see on that one. Overall I'm really pleased with it. A bit of a bugger to fold away afterwards mind (pop-up version) but with a bit of practice that shouldn't be an issue. If I get a chance I'll put it up again this weekend and take some pics, if anyone's interested. As for carrying, I'll probably just hook the long strap over the top of my rucksack turtle-style, and try not to bash people with it in the queue (it's pretty big).

Thanks both for your thoughts, as yet I'm unsure whether I would be taking this one to Glastonbury or not and I guess a lot of that would depend on the weather closer to the time but I'm definitely looking at this to replace my former pop up, could be ideal for the shorter trips.

Shaun.

[TiZuff]

on the descriptuion it says only 200mm rating? isnt that really low for the quecahcha?

 

http://www.quechua.co.uk/2-seconds-easy-3-person-camping-tent-fresh-black-id_8357353

[FrankieX]

2 minutes ago, TiZuff said:

on the descriptuion it says only 200mm rating? isnt that really low for the quecahcha?

 

http://www.quechua.co.uk/2-seconds-easy-3-person-camping-tent-fresh-black-id_8357353

It's a different thing it's describing, as it's not 200mm but 200mm/hour. Quechua make a big deal of testing their tents in simulated wind and rain conditions rather than just using the Hydrostatic Head measurement of the fabric. According to the Rain Wikipedia page, 50mm/hour or more is considered "Violent Rain", the highest intensity listed. Presumably they tested the tents at 200mm/hour and they passed.