Just returned from a weekend away with our new Aspen 500.
Arrived in sunshine and thought 'brilliant a chance to get it up for the first time in good conditions'. Sadly heavy rain arrived just after we got the inner tent poles in. Struggled along and managed to get the whole thing up in just over 1 hour which I reckon is good given it was the first time and the rain was just hammering it down.
Sadly the inner got really, really wet and stuck to the outer which detracted a little from the watertightness. There were patches where the inner and outer stuck but we did what we could to pull the inner away from the outer and mostly solved the problem. Just one drip is all that got in. Put the canopy on the next day but found the instructions unclear so not sure we got it right. In windy conditions the elasticated bit blew off the main tent and the whole thing just flapped about. I get the impression it is a 'good weather' only luxury. Hope I'm wrong and it was my fault for not doing it properly so I will investigate further and see where I went wrong.
Were cozy, warm and dry for the whole weekend and had a great time.
Managed to take it down in sunny conditions and it took about 25 mins. One pole was jammed but got it separated by twisting it and pulling at the same time, no real probs. Used a footprint groundsheet and we are really, really glad we did. The tent groundsheet looks completely unused. Anyone considering buying one - I would strongly recommend it.
Overall, very pleased. Great tent with loads of room that stood up pretty well to some truly awful weather. Would recommend the 500, or 500DLX to anyone looking for a roomy tent for 3 or 4 people.
Happy camping, George and Bev
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Topic: First Time Out with our New Aspen 500
