I felt drawn to Outwell’s Earth 4 tunnel family tent, perhaps because it best resembles the backpacking tents with which I’m more familiar. It’s not a backpacking tent, of course: at 7.4kg it’s too heavy to practically split between two for a family hiking trip, and is better suited to car camping; unlike some, it’s small enough for a conventional car boot.
John Manning’s verdict
It’s weighty, too, a major contributor to the fact that this is a heavy tent for its size; nevertheless the Earth 4 represents a good tent for the money.- Blackout bedroom
- Spacious
- Simple
- Ill-fitting groundsheet
- Weight
| Quick specs | |
|---|---|
| Price: £223.99 Weight (g/kg): 7.4kg Berth: 4 Pitching: Fly-first or as a unit Flysheet: Outtex 3000 Select polyester, 3,000mm HH Inner: Breathable polyester Groundsheet: Double-coated waterproof polyethylene Poles: Duratec fibreglass 9.5 mm Pegs: 23 x 19cm steel Encounter pegs Porch: W: 240cm, L: 200cm, H: 140cm (Outwell masurements) Bedroom dimensions: W: 240cm, L: 210cm, H: 130cm (Outwell masurements) URL: www.outwell.com |
We had the three-pole tent up in under ten minutes, straight from the bag. It pitches as a unit or fly-first: of the 23 stakes provided we used five for a minimal pitch; seven minimised fabric sag.
It’s a simple, roomy tent, half-porch, half-bedroom, the latter featuring blackout fabric for (hopefully) a better night’s sleep. Though not as effective as that of the Coleman Weathermaster, we found it better than the Vango Beta 550XL’s (both also reviewed). Bedroom ventilation is good, with a mesh vent in the door and in the rear wall of the sleep compartment, which can be rolled up and fastened back when necessary. That rear vent aligns neatly with a large vent in the fly sheet’s back wall. The bedroom walls also feature storage pockets, as well as loops for lanterns or hanging lines.
The porch boasts curtained vinyl windows either side of the front door which, like that on the side, can be fastened back to let in light and fresh air. At 140cm high, the porch’s height doesn’t allow for adults to stand up but I’d imagine few The Great Outdoors readers associate standing-within-tent with camping, anyway!
I’m a sucker for porches with a groundsheet, which keep gear condensation-free and provide a more comfortable area in which to sit than on bare ground. The Outwell Earth 4’s detachable, double-coated, waterproof polyethylene offering, however, was an awkward fit, and felt as though it might have been designed for another tent: the Velcro tabs with which it attached to the inner door panel seemed poorly positioned. It’s weighty, too, a major contributor to the fact that this is a heavy tent for its size; nevertheless the Earth 4 represents a good tent for the money.
