New Quechua "Fresh & Black" Tents

[stuartbert two hats]

12 hours ago, Robofish said:

Hi - it was bloody freezing on the thursday night, and just a little chilly on the Friday night. Saturday was a scorcher. We had another tents that the kids used - a Lidl one. That one was significantly brighter on the sunny morning, and a good few degrees warmer. On Saturday afternoon the difference inside the tents was very noticeable.

Was it ever uncomfortable on the Saturday in the Fresh&Black?

[sheffieldlady]

This was on kickstarter last year http://outbacklogic.com/ I believe they are working through a backlog of orders but it's along a similar lines to the Fresh&Black just a little bit fancier. I haven't read the reviews / feedback on it as yet but it looks like we are starting to see some different tent designs coming through.

[Robofish]

1 hour ago, stuartbert two hats said:

Was it ever uncomfortable on the Saturday in the Fresh&Black?

Not for temperature. But then the three man pop-up is not a place designed for spending protracted non-sleep time so I didn't test it outside of the "traditional" sleep hours. 

[stuartbert two hats]

37 minutes ago, Robofish said:

Not for temperature. But then the three man pop-up is not a place designed for spending protracted non-sleep time so I didn't test it outside of the "traditional" sleep hours. 

Excellent news, thank you.

[renrutbor]

I've gone for one of these too, 3 man inflatable version. I'm 6'5" so hoping it's long enough for me! Didn't get a glastonbury ticket this year so will have to wait for Blue Dot to get a trial run before it'll definitely be needed at Sziget (35 degrees last year!). Looking forward to reading the reviews after all you lucky people get to test it out at Glastonbury! 

[jparx]

We bought one of these last night from Decathlon. We just plumped for the standard version - none of this pop up or inflatable malarkey. 

The tent itself is a revelation. It's pitch black inside. The vents are brilliant to get a bit of air flow going. I like how it's got a front and back entrance too. 

Very pleased overall. Of course the true test is in 4 days time!

[renrutbor]

How did these work out? Was there any days where you got enough sun in the morning to really test how effective they are?

[T-Mouse]

55 minutes ago, renrutbor said:

How did these work out? Was there any days where you got enough sun in the morning to really test how effective they are?

I absolutely loved mine. Very muddy now near the entrance but otherwise is was an exceptional little purchase. Stayed cool during the day when the sun was out. Completely bone dry even after Saturday mornings deluge. I can't recommend it enough.

Although, getting it away was a right fucking nightmare. I tried following the video but quickly gave up and just folded it in a slap dash way. I'm scared of unzipping it because it will literally explode out of the bag...

Edited July 6, 2016 by T-Mouse

[Migraine]

I had the inflatable one, I went to bed in it at 10pm on Monday I woke up at 11am on the Tuesday still in my sleeping bag. It worked. 

[spg]

inflatable3xl one for my offsping, who gave it a thumbs up. cooler and darker for sure and stacks of room. easiest tent ive put up and down.  

[OBface]

Collected the 3 man inflatable today to use at a shorter festival next week. Using the pump they recommend (the gargantuan red one) I can't tell when the pressure reaches the correct PSI. The gauge doesn't move. Faulty pump right? 

[semmtexx]

whoops!

Edited July 6, 2016 by semmtexx
daftness

[semmtexx]

On 6/7/2016 at 1:29 PM, sheffieldlady said:

This was on kickstarter last year http://outbacklogic.com/ I believe they are working through a backlog of orders but it's along a similar lines to the Fresh&Black just a little bit fancier. I haven't read the reviews / feedback on it as yet but it looks like we are starting to see some different tent designs coming through.

It looks nice but there is no porch or cover to the doors in and out. If it rains and you open the tent doors the rain will just come in. 

[semmtexx]

We have a Quechua fresh (illumi xl). It's got the white reflective coating, not the new improved black one but their first go. Loads, and I mean loads cooler than our mates in there normal tent. You can happily sleep in it in the sun no worries (with the flaps open). If the black one is as good then it's a winner. 

It's a pop up and, other than it almost takes your face off when you release it from the bag, it's great. You do also look a little bit of a tit when packing it away but, oh well.

 

(woo - hundredth post!)

Edited July 6, 2016 by semmtexx

[Migraine]

8 hours ago, OBface said:

Collected the 3 man inflatable today to use at a shorter festival next week. Using the pump they recommend (the gargantuan red one) I can't tell when the pressure reaches the correct PSI. The gauge doesn't move. Faulty pump right? 

You can hear the pump change noise when it is fully inflated and it doesn't really have the power to over inflate it.

Edited July 7, 2016 by Migraine

[OBface]

36 minutes ago, Migraine said:

You can hear the pump change noise when it is fully inflated and it doesn't really have the power to over inflate it.

Thanks - probably impossible to answer but what sort of noise does it change to? 

[Migraine]

4 minutes ago, OBface said:

Thanks - probably impossible to answer but what sort of noise does it change to? 

It just changes so it's a little higher pitched and is struggling to get air into the tent. The beams should be rock hard.

[stuartbert two hats]

I've just spent Glastonbury with my 3 man, non-inflatable pop-up and have the following thoughts:

• The blackout lining makes it dark during the day.  Like, too dim to find stuff without using a torch.  However, as long as it's not raining (or you're naked) you can open the door and that lets in quite a lot of light.
• It was easy to put up, and once I'd watched the video a few times, surprisingly straightforward to put away, if still a bit stressful.
• I was never hot in the tent, although it wasn't exactly a hot festival was it?  The jury is still out on whether you could sleep in it with 23C+ temperatures.
• It's short!  Maybe I should have slept in the middle rather than on one side, but my toes kept touching the walls.  Not a dealbreaker, but certainly annoying.  I'm 5'10", pretty average height (in fact according to Wikipedia, exactly average), certainly not super tall.
• The porch is tiny, but still just about big enough for my boots to go in sideways. That's fine by me.  A little bit of porch is nice, but I didn't really miss it.
• Finally, and most importantly the blackout worked!  Unlike previous years where as soon as the sun came up, if I woke for a minute I was fucked, this year I was able to keep dozing for a few more hours several times.  Improved my mood during and post-festival no end.

So to sum up, it was a success!  If you struggle to sleep in the mornings in a normal festival tent and you no taller than 5'10", then go for it.  I can't guarantee it being effective in Benicassim of course, but it should be an effective way to add a few hours of sleep to your festival every night under more normal conditions.

Just a shame its heat repelling powers were never really put to the test, but that blackout is a winner.

[OBface]

34 minutes ago, Migraine said:

It just changes so it's a little higher pitched and is struggling to get air into the tent. The beams should be rock hard.

Thanks really helpful!

[stuartbert two hats]

10 hours ago, semmtexx said:

(woo - hundredth post!)

It does get hard to stop once you've begun...

[semmtexx]

9 minutes ago, Scruffylovemonster said:

On that link, it looks like there is a small porch.

Hmmm, looking at the cutaway you might be right. Can't quite work it out.  

[semmtexx]

6 minutes ago, stuartbert two hats said:

It does get hard to stop once you've begun...

10.5 k is quite a lot!

[stuartbert two hats]

Just now, Scruffylovemonster said:

S2H - exactly average. Think that sums it up pretty well 

How very dare you!

[dondo]

1 hour ago, stuartbert two hats said:

I've just spent Glastonbury with my 3 man, non-inflatable pop-up and have the following thoughts:

• The blackout lining makes it dark during the day.  Like, too dim to find stuff without using a torch.  However, as long as it's not raining (or you're naked) you can open the door and that lets in quite a lot of light.
• It was easy to put up, and once I'd watched the video a few times, surprisingly straightforward to put away, if still a bit stressful.
• I was never hot in the tent, although it wasn't exactly a hot festival was it?  The jury is still out on whether you could sleep in it with 23C+ temperatures.
• It's short!  Maybe I should have slept in the middle rather than on one side, but my toes kept touching the walls.  Not a dealbreaker, but certainly annoying.  I'm 5'10", pretty average height (in fact according to Wikipedia, exactly average), certainly not super tall.
• The porch is tiny, but still just about big enough for my boots to go in sideways. That's fine by me.  A little bit of porch is nice, but I didn't really miss it.
• Finally, and most importantly the blackout worked!  Unlike previous years where as soon as the sun came up, if I woke for a minute I was fucked, this year I was able to keep dozing for a few more hours several times.  Improved my mood during and post-festival no end.

So to sum up, it was a success!  If you struggle to sleep in the mornings in a normal festival tent and you no taller than 5'10", then go for it.  I can't guarantee it being effective in Benicassim of course, but it should be an effective way to add a few hours of sleep to your festival every night under more normal conditions.

Just a shame its heat repelling powers were never really put to the test, but that blackout is a winner.

I too had the 3 man pop up and have similar thoughts:

• I am 6'3" and had to sleep diagonally which meant i had to think about where I put my rucksack etc. in the tent
• The blackout lining is great- I slept so much better and later as a result.  Yes needed a torch/lantern but bought a lantern from Decathlon at the same time it was ideal
• Tiny porch which I found a bit of an inconvenience but having known this I bought a Coleman sun shelter set that up next to my tent and put a tarp type thing over the gap to make a bit of a DIY porch and the beach shelter zipped up so was good for storing muddy stuff
• 
• Like Mr 2 hats I didn't really have chance to check the being cooler feature

[Dr Glasto]

1 hour ago, stuartbert two hats said:

Just a shame its heat repelling powers were never really put to the test, but that blackout is a winner.

Whilst this was one of the best festivals ever for cooler mornings (and therefore more sleep), I still reached a point each day when my tent was too hot. So, even though your tent wasn't put through any serious heat testing, the fact that you remained cool is a pretty massive deal in my eyes. The tent sauna issue is definitely my number one gripe at festivals so these tents are looking mighty tempting...

Cheers for the review