New Quechua "Fresh & Black" Tents

[balti-pie]

Comparing the price difference between the pole and the air versions is tricky: £200 is a lot of money, but when youve lugged stuff across two miles of fields and its lightly drizzling, lobbing a pump into it and getting it all shipshape and perfect in about five minutes flat is worth a lot of money to me.

The classic frustration of two people wrestling with poles and little holes is no way to start a camping holiday, i've sworn spectacularly at my previous tents before getting an air one and itd have to be one hell of a magnificent tent to tempt me back! 

[Sku]

Having bought the pole version, I don't regret my decision. In the end the deciding factors for me:

• The price. The air version is significantly more expensive.
• The weight. The air version is 50% heavier to carry.

But actually, the set up is still a breeze. There are only 3 poles to insert, and they all go in pretty easily. It takes me and my partner only a few minutes to put them all in. It's the easiest tent to put up I've ever owned. Since I don't have the air version, I don't know how long it takes, but I imagine there can't be much in it.

The most time consuming part was getting the pegs into this years super dry ground, and the air version doesn't save any time there. When we reflected on it at the time of set up, the idea of needing to pump it up actually seemed like a chore compared to just sliding the poles in. But the reality I guess is that pumping is perhaps more leisurely as you can at least sit down to do it.

Air or pole, both are high quality tents that are easy to put up. For me the lighter weight, and cheaper price, makes the pole version a clear choice, but either are likely great.

[incident]

9 minutes ago, Sku said:

When we reflected on it at the time of set up, the idea of needing to pump it up actually seemed like a chore compared to just sliding the poles in. But the reality I guess is that pumping is perhaps more leisurely as you can at least sit down to do it.

To be fair, I suspect that most people who are getting the Air version are also bringing a rechargeable battery air pump (you can get some pretty decent ones these days compared to >5 years ago) - so they just attach it and smugly relax. They can also use it if they're taking an air bed or any other inflatables.

[Zacko]

It's insane how many people I've recommended F&B too since the festival. I never recommended anything I buy to anyone, which is how you know these tents are fucking great ❤️ 

[incident]

5 minutes ago, Zacko said:

It's insane how many people I've recommended F&B too since the festival. I never recommended anything I buy to anyone, which is how you know these tents are fucking great ❤️ 

I've probably said it previously in this thread, I've certainly said it somewhere. But for all the jokes about "how will we tell which tent is ours?", it genuinely astonishes me when I go to a Festival and see just how many people still don't have F&B tents. How can they not know? Has nobody told them? At this point there's no way I could consider anything else. I'd stop going to Festivals if I had to go back..

[gfa]

1 hour ago, balti-pie said:

Comparing the price difference between the pole and the air versions is tricky: £200 is a lot of money, but when youve lugged stuff across two miles of fields and its lightly drizzling, lobbing a pump into it and getting it all shipshape and perfect in about five minutes flat is worth a lot of money to me.

The classic frustration of two people wrestling with poles and little holes is no way to start a camping holiday, i've sworn spectacularly at my previous tents before getting an air one and itd have to be one hell of a magnificent tent to tempt me back! 

Just makes the first tin taste that bit better !!

[balti-pie]

5 minutes ago, gfa said:

Just makes the first tin taste that bit better !!

🤣 at least you respect the integrity of the first can ONLY being permitted after full erection - i look at those souls smashing the cans in the queues and wonder why they aren't following the rules. Delayed pleasure is the absolute best!

Plus sitting there in my camping chair, tent all tidy and perfect, bed made up and ready, while i drink a lovely beer and watch at everyone else wrestling with their own polyester nightmares - absolute heaven 

[Zacko]

11 hours ago, incident said:

I've probably said it previously in this thread, I've certainly said it somewhere. But for all the jokes about "how will we tell which tent is ours?", it genuinely astonishes me when I go to a Festival and see just how many people still don't have F&B tents. How can they not know? Has nobody told them? At this point there's no way I could consider anything else. I'd stop going to Festivals if I had to go back..

Did 6am or later finishes every night/morning in the late night areas, and yet I felt 100 times better than I usually would.

Get back about 7 and wake up around 12, so a solid five hours compared to lets say, the 2 or 3 you might get in a normal tent. It's a WORLD of difference.

[Leyrulion]

11 hours ago, gfa said:

Just makes the first tin taste that bit better !!

Forgot about this, all the beer ended up being put in my F&B because it actually kept it colder than of just left out. 

Another bonus.

[gfa]

21 hours ago, balti-pie said:

🤣 at least you respect the integrity of the first can ONLY being permitted after full erection - i look at those souls smashing the cans in the queues and wonder why they aren't following the rules. Delayed pleasure is the absolute best!

Plus sitting there in my camping chair, tent all tidy and perfect, bed made up and ready, while i drink a lovely beer and watch at everyone else wrestling with their own polyester nightmares - absolute heaven 

Oh we were fully drinking tins on the coach! Definitely not pre-erection at the campsite, though

[Bennykill]

I finally got the tent to put up the tent I got for Christmas, I had been after it for ages.  the Quechua AIRSECONDS 4.2.  I have had the 4XL that I use for festivals but really wanted a big tent for camping ocasions that doesn't require a 5 mile hike.

[Yoghurt on a Stick]

15 minutes ago, Bennykill said:

I finally got the tent to put up the tent I got for Christmas, I had been after it for ages.  the Quechua AIRSECONDS 4.2.  I have had the 4XL that I use for festivals but really wanted a big tent for camping ocasions that doesn't require a 5 mile hike.

I'd forgotten all about tent porn. 

So, thank you.

 

[Redacted]

What's the head rating on these/what are they like when the rain is torrential for several hours? I see other tents with head ratings for 3000/5000 or better but I can't work out what these tents are rated at? I kinda wonder about an eye mask in a more robust tent for when the heavens open up at Glasto, unless these are equal to?

[gfa]

8 hours ago, Redacted said:

What's the head rating on these/what are they like when the rain is torrential for several hours? I see other tents with head ratings for 3000/5000 or better but I can't work out what these tents are rated at? I kinda wonder about an eye mask in a more robust tent for when the heavens open up at Glasto, unless these are equal to?

just looked at a few on decathlon's site - 2000mm or 2400mm with flysheet i think

I've never had issues with mine but never had super bad rain. I haven't heard anyone on here ever complain about theirs

https://explorersweb.com/best-waterproof-tents/

This article says 2000 or more is 'excellent' 🙂 

Edited February 5, 2023 by gfa

[incident]

9 hours ago, Redacted said:

What's the head rating on these/what are they like when the rain is torrential for several hours? I see other tents with head ratings for 3000/5000 or better but I can't work out what these tents are rated at? I kinda wonder about an eye mask in a more robust tent for when the heavens open up at Glasto, unless these are equal to?

Decathlon deliberately don't publish that number for their tents, because it's utterly irrelevant beyond about 2,000.

Essentially - all the number tells you is how much standing water can accumulate on the fabric before it starts to seep through. That's it.

The problem with that is there are several other factors that are far more likely to affect whether a tent leaks or not:
- The seams. That's where most ingress happens, depending on the quality of how they're sealed (or in some cases, not).
- The overall design - is it likely to accumulate large pools of standing water, or is water likely to flow into a weak spot?
- How well it's put up - Is the material taught etc (this also can be affected by the design).

[Crazyfool01]

The only water issue I had with mine was water Ingres into to porch area you need to make sure all the toggles are secured … that was user error as much as anything though …. 

[Bennykill]

I haven’t tried this one in bad weather yet but my Quechua F&B 4XL has stood up to some awful weather. We camped once in such bad wind I thought the tent would struggle but it was fine. My mates Vango pole tent didn’t hold up so well and broke 2 poles. Had some pretty torrential rain at times without much issue. Certainly no more than anyone else’s tents we were with. 

[IFinallyGotATicket]

Had my fresh and black for about 5 years , it's been to Scotland , Wales , glasto last year and seen about 10 camping mushie nights in the woods with the boys and it shows no sign of wear n tear yet 

[gfa]

2 hours ago, incident said:

Decathlon deliberately don't publish that number for their tents, because it's utterly irrelevant beyond about 2,000.

All the Quechua ones (their own brand) seem to have it

[incident]

1 hour ago, gfa said:

All the Quechua ones (their own brand) seem to have it

No they don't - they say over 2,000 but don't have the actual number.

[Mark E. Spliff]

5 hours ago, incident said:

Decathlon deliberately don't publish that number for their tents, because it's utterly irrelevant beyond about 2,000.

Thanks for writing all the above, as even I've become bored of hearing me making similar points whenever hydrostatic head has been discussed on here.  Those of us old enough to remember canvas scout tents (or wealthy hipster enough to have a current mega-expensive yurt or bell-tent) will know that a material with effectively zero hydrostatic head can keep the rain out just fine so long as it's designed, pitched and used correctly.  ('Used correctly' means not having things touching the inside of the tent, which then become the easiest path for rain on the outside to travel down to the ground.)

Conversely, a tent made from thick plastic would have an astronomically high hydrostatic head, but you really wouldn't want to try to sleep in one.

[gfa]

2 hours ago, incident said:

No they don't - they say over 2,000 but don't have the actual number.

ah yeah i see, although you would think if they have different ratings the main bit is somewhere between 2,000 and 2,400?

Still fine anyway so not a problem 🙂 

[TheDayman]

Just make sure to wash any bird poop off - that'll eat away the waterproofing if packed away with it on.

Take care of your tent and it'll take care of you

[p.pete]

Think I need to get one of these.  I've had a Quechua 2-Seconds XXL IIII since 2011 and finally it's starting to fall apart.  I've been reading about f&b on here for years, but couldn't justify a new tent while it was still limping on.

Think I want the pole'd (rather than air) version.  vPole has the same bedroom space (as my old one), vAir slightly wider;  both have larger 'porch' areas, but the vAir is a lot bigger, so thinking of Glastonbury real-estate I don't want it to be too big a headache.  In terms of weight, I think, vPole is slightly heavier than my old popup 9kg vs 8kg, but the vAir is a few kilos heavier again, plus you need extra pump etc.  Neither are a giant disc - should fit on a trolley (so weight not too big a deal) - so that has to be an advantage!  

 

[balti-pie]

27 minutes ago, p.pete said:

Think I need to get one of these.  I've had a Quechua 2-Seconds XXL IIII since 2011 and finally it's starting to fall apart.  I've been reading about f&b on here for years, but couldn't justify a new tent while it was still limping on.

Think I want the pole'd (rather than air) version.  vPole has the same bedroom space (as my old one), vAir slightly wider;  both have larger 'porch' areas, but the vAir is a lot bigger, so thinking of Glastonbury real-estate I don't want it to be too big a headache.  In terms of weight, I think, vPole is slightly heavier than my old popup 9kg vs 8kg, but the vAir is a few kilos heavier again, plus you need extra pump etc.  Neither are a giant disc - should fit on a trolley (so weight not too big a deal) - so that has to be an advantage!  

 

Do you tend to be putting it up yourself? if you do, the air version is an absolute cinch on your own, and much easier than a poled version. Its a two min job. But if you are always putting tents up with other people, then its not a consideration at all really 👍