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That does look very good value. I have always wondered about these inflatable tents, does anyone have any real world experience of how durable they are or how easy they are to find and patch any leaks?
I don't have an airbeam but they are pretty mainstream now, so apart from some dodgy budget ones, they should be reliable and repairable in the event of puncture.
That one has the black out bedrooms too, so it's easier to stay asleep past dawn without you/the kids waking up.
I have the 6 man version of this, brilliant tent. Not suffered any punctures yet (touch wood). Holds up great to very heavy wind/rain tho!!
@zilog6128 - how do you find the "blackout" bedrooms? They don't look that dark in the pics.
Pretty sure Vango don’t actually describe it as “blackout” (it’s definitely not!) “Reduced light” maybe. You certainly don’t get a massive blast of sunlight in the face in the morning, so great if you want to snooze 😀
We got an Outwell airbeam last year. It stood up well to high winds with the added bonus of noncreaking poles.
Can’t speak for other brands, but in the Outwell you shut off the compartments once inflated to localise air loss to just one beam.
They are replaceable if need be and in a protective sleeve to minimise punctures. Thing to watch for, if you’ve inflated to max psi, on a hot day the air will expand putting pressure on the seams.
the air beams are totally separateCan’t speak for other brands, but in the Outwell you shut off the compartments once inflated to localise air loss to just one beam.
I’ve got a Vango Airbeam awning tent for my camper - we were camping on Skye and experienced 50mph gusts. I disconnected it from the side of the camper as I’d fear the fabric would rip. The wind would blow it flat, but it would pop back up again. A few conventionally poled tents got shredded that day - either the guy lines got ripped out or the poles snapped and the resulting flapping finished them off. Mine has 2 separate beams with a shorter ridge. They can be easily removed and repaired/replaced if needed.
we were camping on Skye and experienced 50mph gusts.
Sligachan?
As above, got a huge family airbeam effort and has been bombproof. Very easy to put up, slightly more challenging to get down and back in the bag. Got to remove all the air from the beams before folding/rolling.
Got one of the big decathlon ones, it's great and the bedrooms are pretty dark.
I missed this yesterday but the Amazon price checker shows it briefly went as low as £262 yesterday - that is a bargain price!
That was indeed a bargain. We've got a house-sized 6-person polycotton Vango Airbeam and it's superb, so a smaller version for a fraction of the price is good indeed.
Re poles/durability. Ours has 5 separate 'poles', each within a sleeve within the tent material hence the air bit is easily removed. In a good bit of design, they're all the same size meaning they're interchangable. We bought a spare 'pole' to carry with us but hasn't been needed so far. It's been fine though some brutal conditions at Glen Brittle on Skye, as mentioned they can bend then pop back out, rather than break.
Absolutely love it - so easy to put up, and each pole is separate. Never had any leaks.
The poles are more vertical, so you get more headroom.
They pack down larger is the only thing...
DrP
that's a great idea actually, then you can put off a repair till you get home. Also saves the day in the event a valve gets damaged somehow! Ordering one now before I inevitably forget 😂We bought a spare ‘pole’ to carry with us but hasn’t been needed so far.
I have the same tent but without the word "Villa" in the name (this one). "Villa" seems to mean you get a tiny porch as opposed to zero porch on mine. I'm very happy with mine, with lack of porch being the only slight downer. Air beam system is fantastic - but means the thing is epically large/heavy when packed down - like "nearly half an Octavia boot" large.
Would also agree they are particularly good in the wind. Had two trips where other people have packed up and gone home due to high winds whereas our tent has coped fine (and I'm a proper fair weather camper).
Air beam system is fantastic – but means the thing is epically large/heavy when packed down – like “nearly half an Octavia boot” large.
You're not kidding. Ours is 50.0kg and this size packed up - TBF it's the fabric as well as the airbeams in ours that causes that:
Plus is it ridiculously big:
I think they should make an Airbeam skirt to go around the bottom of the outer cover so you could do away with the majority of the pegs used to hold it out properly.
Ours kinda does...
If there's no strong wind forecast, I never even use the side guy ropes. It's that firm.
DrP
Just noticed a Vango Airbeam 8 person tent for £399 in todays Costco spam, if anyone is after a bigger one;
Would need it's own dedicated trailer to transport I recon!
^^ Good price for a lot of tent there.👍
johndoh
Free Member
I missed this yesterday but the Amazon price checker shows it briefly went as low as £262 yesterday – that is a bargain price!
That's an insane price!
20 posts in and no joke around an inflatable erection yet?
STW you're letting yourselves down.