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Hi folks

almost settled on Vango Collumbia 600 - but have seen Khyam Clevelend 6 - this seems to be a viable alternative and i will go-looksee when I can

the outwell montana is out - only because of high sill access problems for my wife

any experience on either columbia/cleveland please?

cheers

alan

We have the Columbia and find it fab! Water-tight, strong in winds, very well made (no problems) and a very flexible and pleasant living space.

Love the option of full or part opening front (so you can sit in the tent and look up at the stars and get excellent ventilation in hot weather) and as you say the drop down sills. We decided against the Khyam at the end of last year because of the upright front and canopy, which gave far less space inside, felt smaller and would be far less stable in a head-on wind than the windshedding front of the Columbia. We use the Vango Advenure Tarp over the front of the Columbia if we want the door or front open - gives similar protection to the Khyam's canopy.

The flysheet is also a slightly higher denier (75D) on the Columbia while only 72D on the Khyam, which makes the Columbia's flysheet slightly more tear and UV resistant. The groundsheet on the Columbia is also 10,000HH. The side door & front on the Columbia have extra length that tucks under the groundsheet like old fashioned frame tents, creating an excellent draft block/seal rather than just ending at the groundsheet like most. There is a low level ventilation system around the tent under the tent skirt which keeps the tent well ventilated but not drafty and there is the TBSII internal strapping system that provides even greater stability in very windy weather when clipped in place.

There are no doubt design features that the Khyam has that the Columbia hasn't, but for us the Columbia won out hands down. It depends what you are after.

Oh yes - when we bought our tent last year there were also financial problems with Khyam, the Polish owning company sold off the UK distributor because of insufficient sales (company statements were reported on this forum). The Khyam brand ultimately survived, but we didn't want to buy a tent without any effective guarantee or aftercare. The Khyam however is available for less money than the Columbia at the moment.

Helen