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Tent Reviews: Hi Gear Kalahari 8 Eclipse / Elite

Tent and Awning Reviews Index  >  Hi Gear  >  Kalahari 8 Eclipse / Elite Reviews

Current Model?
Berths:
Weight:
RRP on date added:
Bedroom inners:
Living area groundsheet:
Pitching Style:
Yes
8  (more 8 berth tents)
24.40 KG
£600.00
2
Fully Sewn-in
In one
Average User Rating:
9.46/10 from 98 reviews

Viewed: 247195 times

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98 Reviews of the Kalahari 8 Eclipse / Elite         Showing 01 to 10          Page:   1   2   3   4   5   6   7   8   9   10  

By: Mattsday  Reason: I own(ed) one  Made in: 2017   Rating: 

This tent is great and in its price range it might be the best. I reviewed it last year and gave it 10. However, 18 months later there are things I wish I knew and my experience drops it a couple of points.

The size of the tent should come as no surprise to you, but as the doors are in the middle it means pitching it can be tough depending on the campsite.

We often found pitches were big enough for the tent but we had to pitch it at an angle. Few pitches would be wide enough for it to be positioned horizontally. Horizontal is desirable in riverside pitches where you can have the porch (or door) pointing at the river. We rarely had space to do this.

The ventilation of the tent is great in the main area, but it can get very stuffy in the bedrooms as there's no easy way to get air flowing.

The cost brings with it some poorer quality construction and after 3-4 weeks of camping with it some of the zips are loose and the seams breaking away.

The tent is great, but really think about the space you'll need and how you want to position the doors before getting it. Ours served us well, but it's time to get a tunnel tent we can pitch with the main door facing things like rivers, trees and mountains not other people's tents.
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By: Ussel  Reason: I own(ed) one  Made in: 2007   Rating: 

Fantastic tent. We have had ours over 10 years now and could not fault it. I would always recommend getting a sewn in groundsheet and having the extra height helps too.

Had to buy a Zenobia porch as getting hold of a blue porch was next to impossible at the time. Have now heard blue porches are available now but now a lighter blue than the tent.
1 from 1 people found this review helpful, was it helpful to you?   

By: Jollygem  Reason: I own(ed) one  Made in: 2015   Rating: 

Brilliant tent, we love the space it gives and the way it can withstand all manner of rain & wind especially in Devon & Cornwall! We also have the porch which is invaluable for cooking, eating and food prep. However like othe reviewers have mentioned it doesn't sit close enough to tent, which means in rain, water runs down gap where porch meets tent. Overall very happy with this tent.
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By: Mattsday  Reason: I own(ed) one  Made in: 2017   Rating: 

My girlfriend and I decided to get back in to camping. This time we weren't going to squat in a supermarket tent and face sleepless nights on thin groundsheets. We were going to do it in comfort and style.

This tent is a palace. It has little touches we were looking for like meshes on the doors (bugs out, breeze in), central hook for a lantern, lots of space and a bedroom big enough for a queen-size blow up bed.

Erecting it is straightforward - we're no professionals (and not very tall either) and can put it up in about 45 minutes.

Putting it away was a bit tougher and the bugger still doesn't want to get in the bag as neatly as it came out the first time!

We extended our tent with the porch unit, which adds some good utility space but we haven't mastered putting it up properly yet. Perhaps we're just not tall enough.

We've only used it twice and it's so far ticked all the boxes. It's massive, well ventilated, not blown down and not let in a single drop of rain -- all during the easter weekend. What more could we ask for?
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By: Nshaw75  Reason: I own(ed) one  Made in: 2017   Rating: 

We bought the tent on impulse last year. We had been camping many years ago when our eldest was only a nipper, he's 21 now. So I had lost my touch with camping. However, the Kalahari 8 Elite was a very easy to put up and considering the weekend we went away we stayed on the East coast and had 30 mph+ winds, it stayed in great condition. It has two inner 'bedroom' compartments and this also leaves a decent sized living space in the middle too. There is an opening to feed your EHU through without it getting ruined and also has a great cable tidy in order to put your light up too. All in all I am very pleased with the tent.

As I mentioned earlier, with us being fairly new back to the camping game, we still found the tent very easy to put away into the bags it came in.
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By: HighSlayer  Reason: I own(ed) one  Made in: 2016   Rating: 

Copy/paste of the review I left on the Go Outdoors site a couple of days ago.

I bought the Kalahari Elite 8 after doing days of research online into which tent to buy. I couldnt afford an inflatable tent and didnt want to get anything too cheap either.

This tent is MASSIVE! Over 20ft long and 10ft wide! I'm 6ft and can easily stand up in every part of the tent with the exception of the back of the sleeping pods where I have to bend just a little. Despite that it can easily be erected by 2 people and I think at a pinch possibly by a single person (though I havent tried that!). Pitching time including guys is around 30ish minutes for 2 people.

The first time I used it I went away to Aberystwyth for a week. It rained every day, was very windy but extremely hot and muggy. Like all tents it is uncomfortable in heat but you can open all the vents and doors to help.

The tent did not let in a single drop of water and stood up to both the torrential rain and high winds without any issues at all. I really cant fault it for that.

Second time I used it - again torrential rain and high winds and again no problem at all!

The tent is spacious and comfortable though I wouldnt want to put 8 people in there. For 2 or 4 though loads of room!

Ok nothing is perfect and this tent has a couple of minor but annoying issues.

The first is that there is only 1 cable entry point so you have to make sure the tent is the right way around. Not as easy as you think as it is difficult to find the entry when the tent is down and laid out, and of course you have to turn it around if it's facing the wrong way. This is especially an issue if like me you have the porch as you'll probably want to ensure there is electricity in the porch.

Secondly (and related) is that the very useful lantern mounting point on the ceiling has a fantastic cable management system - but it only goes down one side of the tent - towards the cable entry point. There are many reasons why the electrical supply wont necessarily be right there so it would be really useful if it had the velcro tabs going both ways.

That aside, cant really fault the tent at all and I'm looking forward to getting loads of use out of it next year.
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By: Chezzle  Reason: I own(ed) one  Made in: 2016   Rating: 

We purchased this tent in August this year, we got it in a sale in readiness for the bank holiday. We've used it twice now in all weathers and it has stood up considerably well. We chose this tent for the high hydro-static rating,( which is 4000mm and not 3000mm as stated in the manufacturers write up?) and for the space and porch that came in the bundle, it was good value. The living space is just right, housing a couple of chairs , tables and fridge etc. There is only 2 of us and a Labrador, but we like space. We use one end as a large bedroom and the other end as a toilet and storage area. The porch serves as a kitchen and space for the dog. It is quite difficult to fit to the tent but once up it is a great addition. We have managed to put the tent up in about 40 min, it is quite simple, as is taking it down. Really happy with it, so far.
1 from 1 people found this review helpful, was it helpful to you?   

By: Catkemp  Reason: I own(ed) one  Made in: 2015   Rating: 

As with previous reviews, we purchased this tent because we have 2 dogs, plus a teenager, so we wanted to have plenty of separate living areas.

We have now camped with this tent on a number of occasions, in a variety of weather conditions, and it has withstood anything the English weather throws at it. Our only negative comment would be that for a tent if this size, there are only two windows, which can make it feel a little dark inside.

We also purchased the porch and use this area for cooking when the weather proved inclement, the only fault found with this is the lack of fixing points, we felt it needed pegging down in more places.
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By: Gibsoneerja  Reason: I own(ed) one  Made in: 2015   Rating: 

Great tent. Has withstood a Scottish storm and a Norfolk one this summer. Head room is great if you're a tall feller, as I am, and the inside is very spacious.

2 people can put it up in less than half an hour once you know what you're doing.

In hindsight, I wish we'd bought the bundle as having seen others with the porch in place, it really does make a huge difference if you're going to be anywhere for more than a couple of nights and where cooking outdoors might be an issue (in our case because of midges!)

Just one minor quibble - the poles are under a lot of strain because of the design. It does provide a very strong and robust frame but 2 of ours have cracked (in admittedly pretty extreme weather and not enough to affect the stability as only discovered when we were de-camping). That said, they are easy enough to replace.
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By: PaganMojo1980  Reason: I own(ed) one  Made in: 2012   Rating: 

I absolutely love this tent. We bought it because we like to have a lot of space and have several dogs.

Once mastered it is easy to pitch. Putting it away ofter use is very difficult because of the size of the bag, it is not impossible though.

There a 2 bedroom pods, one at each end. These are divided into two bedrooms totalling in four 2 person bedrooms. The dividers can be unzipped to create 2 large bedroom. A pod can be left out making the already enormous living space gigantic!

There is a door on either side of the tent, both with fly screens so they can both be left open in hot weather without any nasties getting in.

A porch is also available for extra space, we use our as a kitchen & footwear storage area.

If you are looking for a large tent with plenty of living space, this is the one for you.
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98 User Reviews of the Kalahari 8 Eclipse / Elite - Showing 01 to 10          Page:   1   2   3   4   5   6   7   8   9   10  

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Manufacturer's Description

An updated version of the Kalahari Elite, the Hi Gear Kalahari 8 Eclipse is a spacious, stable and comfortable tunnel-style tent with two large partitionable bedrooms in a face-to-face layout, roomy enough for you, your family and all your gear.

The bedrooms comfortably sleep four at each end of the tent, in 2+2 inners with breathable polyester walls. They're made using darkened 'Eclipse' fabric that blocks out daylight, keeping it cool and dark inside so you get a better night's sleep. The bedrooms can also be removed, to give you extra storage space, or room for dirty gear.

The large living space has two large windows and hanging storage pockets to help keep it tidy, organised and liveable. Multiple vents along the roof help air flow throughout the tent.

The sewn-in groundsheet couples with the fire-retardant polyester flysheet give you a ventilated interior that's completely protected from draughts and downpours. The two doors can prop and extend out for extra shelter, or to expand your relaxation space.

Other useful features include the water-repellent zips and dual electrical cable access points. Pre-attached high-visibility guylines, reduced pole sleeves, and the sewn-in groundsheet make pitching quick and easy.

... there may be more info on their website

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