New Quechua "Fresh & Black" Tents

[dondo]

I used one a couple of years ago- the 3 man pop up one and yes had lots of positives (in particular the blackout lining) but I found it a bit too small / not high enough for me and all my stuff (especially as there wasn't a porch bit and it was a muddy year and as I was working there was on site for a week).

So I have splashed out (well courtesy of Decathlon vouchers for my birthday) on a bigger inflatable one

https://www.decathlon.co.uk/air-seconds-family-4-xl-fb-id_8384154.html 

Looking forward to trying it out next year

 

[Crazyfool01]

58 minutes ago, dondo said:

I used one a couple of years ago- the 3 man pop up one and yes had lots of positives (in particular the blackout lining) but I found it a bit too small / not high enough for me and all my stuff (especially as there wasn't a porch bit and it was a muddy year and as I was working there was on site for a week).

So I have splashed out (well courtesy of Decathlon vouchers for my birthday) on a bigger inflatable one

https://www.decathlon.co.uk/air-seconds-family-4-xl-fb-id_8384154.html 

Looking forward to trying it out next year

 

Dont do this to me ... I don't need another tent ... this looks great though 

[chazwwe]

2 hours ago, dondo said:

I used one a couple of years ago- the 3 man pop up one and yes had lots of positives (in particular the blackout lining) but I found it a bit too small / not high enough for me and all my stuff (especially as there wasn't a porch bit and it was a muddy year and as I was working there was on site for a week).

So I have splashed out (well courtesy of Decathlon vouchers for my birthday) on a bigger inflatable one

https://www.decathlon.co.uk/air-seconds-family-4-xl-fb-id_8384154.html 

Looking forward to trying it out next year

 

I used this one this Summer. Its great, VERY heavy though, especially if you dont have a trolley of some sorts. 

Amazing tent though, so much room, enough room in the front porch for 2-3 people to sit comfortably and dry. Worked amazingly in the heat too. I was never one for afternoon naps at festivals but this one will sort you right out. 

[stuie]

I've used the pop up ones but not the inflatable...

At a festival I'd be worried someone would deflate it or nick the cap as a joke.

Thoughts?

Edited October 15, 2018 by stu_kent

[MilkyJoe]

I looked at these a couple of years ago. Didn’t go for one in the end but heard nothing but good things about them. If memory serves @stuartbert two hats bought one. His review is probably somewhere on this thread actually.

[stuartbert two hats]

20 minutes ago, MilkyJoe said:

I looked at these a couple of years ago. Didn’t go for one in the end but heard nothing but good things about them. If memory serves @stuartbert two hats bought one. His review is probably somewhere on this thread actually.

Yep, it sorted me out in the ravages of 2017 good and proper. If tent heat/light bothers you and you've had a tent of similar size and you're happy with that, then go for it.

My three man popup is a little bit short if you lie totally flat, but others who are taller than me (I'm 5'9" ish) weren't bothered by it.

If you're considering getting one of these, then take a good look through this thread, there's some really good information in here.

But for me, it's a game changer. Less heat & less light = more sleep = better festival. 

Edited October 15, 2018 by stuartbert two hats

[eastynh]

4 hours ago, stu_kent said:

I've used the pop up ones but not the inflatable...

At a festival I'd be worried someone would deflate it or nick the cap as a joke.

Thoughts?

I have used the inflatible one on at the last 2 festivals. No one has bothered playing a practical joke. Well worth the cash, top tent.

[Curlygirl]

I have the 2 man f&b xl and it’s perfect for me on my own. A little porch to put wet stuff in, big enough inside for bed, kit, and room in between to get dressed. It is dark tho! I needed two lights, one at either end to get ready in the morning. It takes seconds to put up and down, really minimal effort. It has my vote! 

[wetflame]

I've got the air one from a few years back - light, very easy to put up, not too hard to fold back up even if you do feel like you're breaking it, has a little porch (just big enough for boots really but handy nonetheless) and vents to cool you off. Quite low to the ground though, not a huge amount of vertical space at all. Did the trick when we used it last and will probably do so again next year. It's a good range, would happily get another like this if I didn't have mine.

[mandolin]

Bought one of these (5 person one for 3 people) to survive this summer’s festivals.  Really easy to put up, inflatable bits inflate much more easily than we ever dreamed they could and it all packed away with ease - even with our normal end-of-festival stonking hangovers and general grumpiness.   Wonderful to be in;  we had a great sleep every night and slept through to 10 am when others had been unable to get to sleep until silly o’clock and awake since not much past daylight.  Plenty of room in the one we had but we never had to sit  in the tent to hide from the elements.   I can’t say anything about how it would manage in really wet weather - a light dew was the most ours had to put up with - given how good it was in all other areas, I would hope that it would be just fine. 

Only downside, if you can call it that, is that you absolutely must have head torches or the like with you - you’ll never find anything if you don’t.  

If you can afford it at all, and you have faith that we might get decent weather next year, absolutely go for it.  If you can get it in the sale, frankly you’d be daft not to.

PS:  I don’t work for them.

[Madyaker]

This tent has been a revelation for me. If you like staying up into the early hours this tent allows you to sleep during the day no problem even even when its hot out and more sleep = more energy for general debauchery. The one I have is the normal fold up 3 man, if you ever plan on flying with yours then you should get this one, both the pop up and the inflatable are too large when folded. I couldn't go back to using a normal tent now.

[incident]

8 minutes ago, Madyaker said:

I couldn't go back to using a normal tent now.

Quite. At this point it really baffles me that people are still buying tents that aren't F+B, or something roughly equivalent from another manufacturer - I believe Coleman have a range that claims to do something similar.

[hfuhruhurr]

Yep - absolute game changer. Cool + Dark + Earplugs = as much sleep as you ever need. It is water proof, used it in heavy rain. The only issue with the pop-ups is head room - if raining, you can't sit up without brushing your head on the roof.

Last year, I was in it during the hottest times of the day and actually cooler than being outside.

I've got the non-air pop-up and am now used to lugging the disk - it just hangs off the rucksack and is fine. Strangely, it feels lighter than the fold-up versions due to being less dense - it is actually heavier though!

Once you have the knack of taking it down, it really does only take a minute.

Edited October 16, 2018 by hfuhruhurr

[Sasperella]

10 hours ago, mandolin said:

 If you can get it in the sale, frankly you’d be daft not to.

I am a bit tempted to look out for a deal such as this! My tent is pretty sturdy, but it did get super hot in the mornings at Glastonbury 2017

Those F&B tents though, if it's cold outside (like it was a bit at Boomtown this year and a lot at Shambala) then they're absolutely fucking baltic inside! But nothing that a lot of hoodies and an extra blanket can't remedy 

[StLewi]

I think I've replied to this thread before, but I echo everyone else's positive comments. I debuted mine at Glasto 2017, the hot one, and was able to sleep in until 11/12 every day when others had to evacuate their tents at 8/9am. That in itself makes it worth the cash, in my opinion.

There are some downsides, which have already been mentioned: it's awkward to carry and has no significant porch (but big enough for dirty boots). With regard to the size, I had a 3-man to myself and it was perfect. My girlfriend is coming this year and I reckon it'll be a squeeze, so much so that I'm contemplating taking a cheap two-man tent to keep our bulky stuff in.

Edited October 16, 2018 by StLewi

[Brave Sir Robin]

Having used one at a baking hot Bestival this summer I can only echo the positivity for these, perfect festival tents. Can even get the pop-up back in the bag without too much hassle. They are very dark inside though, you need a light or two (and a few extra minutes to find things!)

[hfuhruhurr]

49 minutes ago, Sasperella said:

absolutely fucking baltic inside

Yeah - I thought that too.

But, according to physics, they should be the same, if not warmer than a normal tent as long as the vents are closed. That said, I've never been so cold in a tent.

[Sasperella]

17 minutes ago, hfuhruhurr said:

Yeah - I thought that too.

But, according to physics, they should be the same, if not warmer than a normal tent as long as the vents are closed. That said, I've never been so cold in a tent.

Hmmm maybe it was just the weather in general! Tbh I was pretty freezing in my bog standard tent at Boomtown - was the only time I've felt the need to wear a wooly hat to sleep in...and in August!!!!

[StLewi]

Unless you have the vents open in the F&B, surely it'll just be the same as any other tent? 

[mike86]

20 hours ago, dondo said:

I used one a couple of years ago- the 3 man pop up one and yes had lots of positives (in particular the blackout lining) but I found it a bit too small / not high enough for me and all my stuff (especially as there wasn't a porch bit and it was a muddy year and as I was working there was on site for a week).

So I have splashed out (well courtesy of Decathlon vouchers for my birthday) on a bigger inflatable one

https://www.decathlon.co.uk/air-seconds-family-4-xl-fb-id_8384154.html 

Looking forward to trying it out next year

 

I've got the 3 man pop-up. I got an additional porch area that clips on, I think its mentioned elsewhere in this post. Easily enough room to setup 2-3 chairs in there which makes the tent feel a lot bigger. 

 

Has anyone got experience with the inflatable tents? What are the chances of a puncture? What do you do if that happens on the friday? 

 

 

[The Spandex Warrior]

I've got a F&B 3 man pop-up, used it at a couple of festivals so far, one being very muddy, wet and cold (Y Not 2017, a.k.a. the worst festival in the history of mankind) which didn't really test it much (it did stay dry, I didn't get cold cos I wore many many layers), and the absolute scorcher that was the most recent Bestival, which definitely did. 

I'd definitely recommend it - it was warm inside it but still bearable in the tent at Bestival by 11-12ish, but that's with 25+ degree heat. Compared to other normal tents it's awesome how much longer it gives you to sleep in the mornings (or even through the day if it's not too hot outside). There's just about enough of a porch area to store a pair of wellies, but not much else. Enough room inside for a single airbed and your gear. Easy to take down once you've got it figured out. 

I wouldn't fancy it if I was much taller (I'm c.5'9) as it's not very long, but it makes a huge difference being able to get a few extra hours of kip in the mornings.  

Don't order the 3 man if you want 2 people to sleep in it - it isn't big enough unless you have another tent to store your gear in. 

[StLewi]

22 minutes ago, mike86 said:

I've got the 3 man pop-up. I got an additional porch area that clips on, I think its mentioned elsewhere in this post. Easily enough room to setup 2-3 chairs in there which makes the tent feel a lot bigger. 

 

Has anyone got experience with the inflatable tents? What are the chances of a puncture? What do you do if that happens on the friday? 

 

 

Where do you get the clip-on porch?

[kalifire]

I can only add to the chorus of praise. I bought a 3 man pop up for Glasto ‘17 and slept like a baby. It’s noticeably cooler and you’ll need a torch even in daytime light. It only needs a porch and it would be the perfect tent. 

[incident]

3 minutes ago, kalifire said:

I can only add to the chorus of praise. I bought a 3 man pop up for Glasto ‘17 and slept like a baby. It’s noticeably cooler and you’ll need a torch even in daytime light. It only needs a porch and it would be the perfect tent. 

If you've not checked the offerings this year - starting 2018, they've got a model with a small-but-useful porch and it's great. Used it at various festivals this year including Latitude and Wilderness which were both boiling, and it worked a treat.

They seem to be (sensibly) moving more and more of their range to F+B - they're now selling traditional 2 or 3 man Dome tents and Popups both with and without a porch, and Inflatables of various sizes. Wouldn't be surprised if there's yet more options in 2019.

[kalifire]

7 minutes ago, incident said:

If you've not checked the offerings this year - starting 2018, they've got a model with a small-but-useful porch and it's great ... Wouldn't be surprised if there's yet more options in 2019.

Yeah I’m going to take another look at their new range next year. The only downside to the 3 man pop up is it’s not very long. I’m 6’2 and couldn’t really stretch out fully. If there’s a longer version with a porch, I’ll almost certainly buy it.