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 Topic: Outwell - spare parts
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11/7/2017 at 11:55pm
Location: London
Outfit: Karsten 350 + SE CA EA RA FW & ZIG
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Hello Petr,
From your post of 26th June I would steer you in the direction of the Vango. It's a great tent, and their spares policy (and customer service in general) is much better than Outwell's. Now that Oase, Outwell's parent company, has joined forces with a private equity firm (link) I would expect more price gouging and further unpleasantness from the brand.
Having said that, I love the SmartAir system because as well as being trivial to inflate, the tent finds its own shape and is incredibly good in strong winds.
When the airbeam sleeves of our 2014 SmartAir tent started to split last year, most of the damage started around the junctions with the interconnecting tubes, but the interconnecting tubes themselves and the valves have so far (126 nights) been trouble free. The damage was down to the woven material used for the sleeves pre-2016, which tears open wherever lines of stitching weaken it. Because we caught it before anything burst, it was a simple tape repair, probably simpler to deal with than a split fibreglass pole, and those repairs have held for about 40 nights so far.
From reviews and threads on this site I know Kampa had issues with the interconnecting tubes on a batch of their single-inflation-point air tents around 2013-14 where they would split catastrophically. Kampa were swift to offer replacements, and as far as I'm aware, there's not been any trouble like that since.
If I were in your position, I'd think about a second hand Karsten, because they're beautiful, bomb-proof and come with the best possible follow-up service (although they are heavy, bulky and only the dome bit is airbeam).
It would be easier and cheaper to get spare beams for the Vango Illusion TC 800XL Air you were looking at than it would be for the Montana, but the likelihood post 2015 is that you will never need them for either.
You probably shouldn't have to consider this in a £2000+ tent, but it boils down to whether you're prepared to fix it up yourself if things go wrong. One of the things I used to love most about camping was being 70 deniers from disaster in a stiff wind, and now that I have the comfort and safety of a family to worry about, well, I still love camping in a storm. The manufacturer could have an infallible warranty process, but what help is that on site if your tent gets trashed in a gale?
Post last edited on 12/07/2017 00:49:42
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13/7/2017 at 8:12am
Location: Pembrokeshire
Outfit: None Entered
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Quote: Originally posted by Jim1977 on 11/7/2017
They told me 2 years from when a model is discontinued (which is virtually every year!)
You know, this really gives me pause for thought. In terms of what it actually offers, the Outwell Phoenix 7ATC looks ideal for us, with the airy windows, the big porch for cooking and all the mesh doors (one of the family hates midges). I don't mind paying a chunk of money for something with decent quality. The thought that I might not be able to get spares for parts that are highly specific to that manufacturer and that tent a couple of years down the road is disturbing.
On the other hand, I can't afford to get a setup equivalent to the Phoenix in the Karsten range. I am starting to lean towards initially getting a 350 pod, with "everything" attached - midge netting, screen door, extra window, zips for sleeping extension and link tent. That would end up slightly more costly than the Outwell Phoenix, but not horrendously so. It would also allow for future expansion. It's a pity that they don't seem to offer the link tent option for the 380, otherwise that would be even better. The other thing that attracts me to the Karsten tents is that they retain their value well.
As mentioned elsewhere, it's starting to look like an entire, separate pod (maybe a 280 with 2 doors?) for storage and cooking would be better value and quicker to erect than a combination of 3 different poled awnings just to be able to cook in a separate porch without bugs. In the short term, perhaps the way forward is to get a cheap tent in addition to the Karsten, so that one could have the main tent for chilling out and sleeping and use a Kampa Utility or something like that for cooking and storage.
This is still daydreaming, but we have bitten the bullet and have booked 4 days of camping for the end of July, having borrowed a friend's Khyam Chatsworth (in decent shape, but hot in the sun). It's a mixture of fear and excitement at the moment, but the kids are looking forward to it and, truth be told, so am I. If we have a good experience and the family wants to do more, then I shall start to consider a new tent seriously.
As regards viewing Karsten tents, is it possible to rock up to the Camping Travel Store and simply take a look, or do they not usually have them pitched?
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