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 Topic: New Karsten Tunnel Tent
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04/2/2013 at 7:23pm
Location: Yorkshire
Outfit: None Entered
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Interesting that the door rolls up (as per the door on their inflatable pod range), instead of to one side. I'm not sure how usable that's going to be for UK use: great when it's rolled up, great when it's zipped down, but what about going in and out, is it going to be a case of brushing through/against it, every time?
Also, it looks like there's a velcro strip on the bottom of the door and window panel, which fixes to the groundsheet. Personally, I prefer a zip on three sides.
Quality-wise, I agree that Karsten is fabulous canvas, and their alu poles are somehow lighter and seem sturdier than anything I've ever seen on the likes of Cabanon and Outwell. Their zip pole sleeve system means no threading. However, that's going to be some weight of canvas to lift into position(not applicable on their bedroom annex for the pod range, where the canvas is already suspended at height as soon as it's zipped to the main pod). Which makes me wonder at the pitching method shown: their uber-heavy, thick groundsheet is pegged out first, then the first (front) pole is zipped in and hoisted into position (no other poles in position at this stage). Zipping the second (middle) pole in is going to mean standing on the canvas, surely? And, how do you reach the centre of the third and last pole sleeve, to zip it up, when there's that rear slope on the canvas? The tent is 290cm wide x 207cm high.
And those side windows would (IMHO) benefit from a full mesh panel/window cover option, instead of having just a tiny bit of mesh at the top (which is what it looks like to me). If this is a tent for all climates, it needs as much cross-ventilation as it can get.
Lastly, does the bedroom curtain/divider suspend from the rear pole section (in which case, the bedroom is going to be very restricted and slopey, as per the old Cabanon Biscaya 320, which was discontinued - probably for that reason) or from the second one from the back? It's hard to tell from those ever-moving pics. Again, a great idea and quick to assemble (just zip into position) but I personally prefer a proper inner, to keep ants and earwigs on the outside of the bedroom area.
Actually, maybe that isn't my last point: this is a flat-fronted tent with one doorway, so it's really, really going to need that canopy ('awning')to keep rain out. So, why on earth have they priced the canopy separately, instead of including it in the package? I think that's a bit of a marketing technique, to make you think the tent actually costs less than it does.
So, I like it, but the design would need a bit of tweaking before I'd buy. It's not dissimilar in size to the (now discontinued model) Cabanon Chamonix, and that never really took off in the U.K. market, despite it being under half the cost. I personally think these smaller cotton canvas models have to get the design absolutely spot-on, to be successful, and as nice and as high quality as this tunnel tent is, I don't think it ticks all the boxes for a tent which retails at some £1585 plus carriage.
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) The door just looks really utilitarian and like a sort of army tent. And then there is colour 
