Hello
Does anyone have any experience of the Robens Vista 300?
We have almost persuaded ourselves that it is worth the price...
We are downgrading from a larger polycotton tent - the Gelert Horizon TC 6. We really like polycotton tents and this one seems about the right size for us.
Our main concern is that it is robust and will last a good few years.
Thanks
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Hi.....i purchased one around a month ago. It's since gone back and we swapped it for a Vista 600.
I bought the 300 based purely on size, me and the wife wanted a poly-cotton tent that didnt weigh a ton, was easy to pitch and was nice and taut and not flappy. The 300 ticked every box but when we pitched it, the front pole ends were very difficult to locate in the webbing strap holes and this meant the groundsheet bowed and didnt sit flat. It was the stress placed on the webbing straps that caused me the most concern and just looked like a potential failure point. A google search revealed other 300 owners have had the same problem.
My mate has a Vista 600 which has none of these issues so we returned it and swapped for the 600. In short, its brilliant !! Not really a problem, but one thing that amused me was trying to "weather" the fabric...the superb hydrophobic coating means water just beads up and shoots of the fabric....its awesome to watch in a downpour.
The 600 takes a little longer to pitch due to the extra size and extra pole but i still managed it on my own in less than 15mins first time and im now down to 11mins. Its not much heavier than the 300 and the extra space is very usefull. I also like the fact that the extra pole at the rear increases the steepness of the rear tent wall and gives greater clearance between the inner and outer.
The tent pitches nice and taut so it's very quiet in a downpour and very stable in a big blow. I love the quality of the fabric and the alloy poles too...its top notch and oozes quality. I've owned 2 Outwells before and the Robens is far superior.
We bought from Winfields, it was in the sale and if you sign up for the newsletter you get an extra 5% off and free shipping.....cheapest place I could find.
If a few kilos arent really an issue, get the 600, you wont regret it.
One problem we did have was that Robens dont do a footprint or carpet for this tent. So after some digging I found a Kampa Carpet and a Sunncamp footprint that with one small fold do the job. I will post which models they were for when i get home and check.
Hope this all helps.
Thank you very much for the detailed response.
I had done a fair bit of googling already but had not come across the issues with the webbing straps so will have to have another look.
Will also take a look at the 600 though size wise I think we would be happier with the 300.
Yes was wandering whether it needed a footprint so that is also useful.
Am very glad to hear about quality of fabric - just a bit concerned about this potential fault.
A bit more research to be done...
Have found the issue to which you refer.
We are now in a quandry as we think the 600 is too large for us. We have just pitched our old tent to take photos in order to sell it. This has proved the ideal opportunity to get the measuring tape out. It is not so much the weight as the pitch size which concerns my husband.
It would be interesting to know if all of the 300's suffer the same problem. In the meantime I am looking at alternatives.
It is such a shame as it looks like a great tent in all other respects.
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Hi.....you wont regret it. They are fantastic tents.
We bought one of these for £23 delivered. Sunncamp Footprint / Groundsheet Opus 500 Tent 450 x 320cm. It's too long but you just fold it over or as we have no done...cut it but leave a long bit in the centre which serves as a door mat.
Enjoy