Vango Diablo 900XP Tent Reviews and Details Page 3

Tent Reviews: Vango Diablo 900XP

Tent and Awning Reviews Index > Vango > Diablo 900XP Reviews

Current Model?
Berths:
Weight:
RRP on date added:
Bedroom inners:
Living area groundsheet:
Pitching Style:

Discontinued
9 (more 9 berth tents)
33.90 KG
Ł440.00
3
Fully Sewn-in
Inner first

Average User Rating:

9.08/10 from 37 reviews

Viewed: 163962 times

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37 Reviews of the Diablo 900XP Showing 21 to 30 Page: 1 2 3 4

By: Cathyh Reason: I own(ed) one Made in: 2007 Rating: 9 from 10

I can only agree with previous positive comments about this tent. I also love camping but hate being uncomfortable and this tent has kept our family of 5 warm, dry and positively cocooned throughout some horrendous weather! Easily withstood torrential rain and gales. We use it with the large additional porch canopy when space permits, but even without there is room to do all the cooking in the porch area. My hubby and I can put it up in about 45 minutes and as long as he does it my way, it causes no arguments and is very straightforward. Even getting the outer fly sheet over is not a problem and I'm only 5' 1'.

We've used it 5 times now and the only problems I've noticed are that two of the little plastic hoops that keep the bedroom pod curtains in place have become detached (probably because of the kids though) and I noticed a tiny tear on one of the outer bedroom flaps where the guy rope joins the fabric - should be easy enough to repair. If we have to bring it home damp, I throw it over the kids swing frame where it dries out very quickly.

Love it and am often asked for a guided tour by other envious campers!

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By: Ziltam Reason: I own(ed) one Made in: 2007 Rating: 3 from 10

I have owned two Diablos now. The main attraction was that of the space that this tent offers, particularly with a growing family and the amount of storage space required. That said both tents have now been consigned to the rubbish dump as the poles just aren't strong enough to support the size and weight of this leviathan. Even carefully following the instructions on how to erect the tent and take it down has still resulted in bent or splintered poles. I am just not prepared to replace the poles after every use or before every camping season. Vango need to address this issue and design a pole system strong and durable enough to withstand the shear weight and pressures exerted by this tent. Other downsides are that you have to pitch the inner first, battle to get the fly sheet over the inner and then spend the next hour+ pegging out the guy ropes.

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By: Sam2009uk Reason: I own(ed) one Made in: 2008 Rating: 9 from 10

Went to towsure to buy a 600XP but they had a 900XP on special as it was the last one they had, tent snobbery and the 'bigger the better' theory took over! We paid Ł250 for it brand new.

The first time we have pitched this tent since upgrading to it from a small 6 berth Vis a Vis and previously a 6 berth canvas 'Royal' frame tent.

This is one BIG tent ! How its possible to put it up in 45 minutes is beyond me (With 4/5 people it may be possible!) Me and my 16 year old lad put it up and it took us over two hours, admittedly it was the first time and it was windy so I expect to knock 3/4 - 1 hour of this next time we use it.

The inner goes up easily, colour coded poles make it a doddle.It then stands up on its own. Top tip is to buy a footprint ground sheet, it keeps the inner clean underneath and gives you an idea of how far to pull the bedroom pods out prior to pegging it out. As has been said in previous reviews you need someone to go inside and push the apex poles of the dome up as you stick the pin system together, it makes the whole process easier.

The outer flysheet is a different story, we pitched in a breeze and as the outer is so big it flaps around and balloons like a parachute making it extremely tricky to get it over the dome (the dome peak is well in excess of 6' high!)

When you have the outer over you have to tie it to the inner pole frame, which again is easier said than done as there is a lot of tying to carry out. The tying in theory, does align outer and inner along the pole frame, ours looked reasonably good, although again as it is so high its not that easy to see, the only way you can tell is to see if the outer is equal distance from the floor around the base of the dome perimeter.

Once thats done, put the poles into the porch area and start pegging no easy task as there are so many pegs to put in !

Once that lot is done its guy line time, my lad counted 37 of them, we ended up sticking 3 guys on 1 peg in the 'creases' of the dome and one in each of the others.

Bathtub ground sheet in the porch area is a nightmare, how on earth its supposed to fit and be tight I still don't know, after looking at it for ages and trying to work out which toggle went into which ring ! (It may have been that we had the porch incorrectly pitched as the bathtub seemed to be too big)

Once its up its a delight to go into, soo much room. I know its supposed to be a nine berth but I think 3 people in each bedroom pod would be a bit snug. For two there is ample room for camp beds and luggage in whichever orientation you want to sleep (across or length ways in the pods)

As said previously, the porch area is a useful kitchenette. With a cupboard, two tables, coolbox and cooker there is still room to walk through.

In the main living area there is loads of room for a couple of tables, 4 chairs and crates of 'essentials'.

The sewn in groundsheet makes the whole place feel warm and snug, even in high winds and rain.

Taking it down is extremely simple and takes considerably less time to do, the tent also, amazingly, goes back in its bag with no effort, pushing, shoving, grunting and no swearing!

The good bits:

We have the 'laurel and sage' colour which means the tent is light and airy inside, the windows in the sides of the dome also let in plenty of natural light.

Loads of room for a family of four, kids have a pod each and the living area is large. Also good not having to cook in the main tent (as we used to in our old canvas frame)

You can stand up straight in the bedroom pods to get dressed/undressed. I am just short of 6' tall and had room to spare at the highest part of the pods, they do slope down slightly but there is room where you need it most

The bag is not excessively big for such a large tent although it is heavy with the poles in it.

You get admiring looks from other campers ;-)

Now the criticisms:

The angle of the side door means, after rain, when you open it, the water falls into the bathtub or down your back as you go through.

The rear door is really not very useful when you are using all three pods for sleeping, unless you move beds around to get at it. As a consequence the tent gets very warm inside, even when there is no hot sunshine. (the 600XP/DLX has the door straight into the living area)

The vent covers on the outer two bedroom pods cannot be unzipped, only opened up and 'guyed' out to allow ventilation through the mesh windows.

If the tent is wet when you take it down you need a big garden to dry it in !

Overall I am glad we bought this tent, its the first new one we have bought and we are more than pleased with it. If you have two lads, as we do, the 600XP would probably be more than adequate, if you have a boy and girl or want a huge holiday home get the Diablo 900XP. There are some great deals to be had if you shop around as the XP has now been replaced by the DLX which is identical in size. I am not sure what differences there are, features wise, between the XP and DLX.

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By: Phillyn Reason: I own(ed) one Made in: 2006 Rating: 9 from 10

I used the Diablo 900 for the first time on 29th May for four days. Weather was superb. This was our first time at pitching this tent and found it very easy to do so. From lying out to the final peg took just over 1 hour, that includes stopping for a brew.

We were extremely impressed with the amount of space inside and the porch was ideal as it holds all of our cooking equipment with room to spare.

The bedroom pods were spacious, I am 6' 2' and had no problems. Ok, I couldn't stand up inside of the pods but that didn't present any problems for me.

I assume that the Diablo 900XP differs slightly. I know that extra bedroom poles have been added and the porch has a side door. My 900 only has the single bedroom poles and no side door in the porch, but again we didn't find that a problem.

It is very important that you get the tensioning correct for the inner ground sheet otherwise it will make it difficult to close the zippers without over stressing the material. Two people are definitely needed to erect this tent and don't try to rush it, make sure that everything lines up.

We love this tent and can't wait to go camping again. We were definitely the envy of other campers. Would recommend this tent to anyone, absolutely superb.

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By: Adrianaxle Reason: I own(ed) one Made in: 2007 Rating: 9 from 10

We got one for our hols in Sept 07 after reading up on a few. It is a superb tent, plenty of room in living area and bedrooms. Quite easy to erect, gets easier every time. A footprint groundsheet is a must, keeps the base clean and dry. Thought about a carpet, but decided on a couple of picnic rugs which work as well, and are a lot cheaper.

Only drawback is a lot of sites don't like them as they are too big for pitches, but the CCC are supposed to be making bigger pitches from next year. Overall a fantastic big tent, buy one you will not be disappointed

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By: Djhaydn Reason: I own(ed) one Made in: 2008 Rating: 10 from 10

This is one hell of a tent, very large, so yes check with campsite that they can accommodate it

We have used this many times now, it does take 2 to erect and we have got it down to 40 mins pitching it. Space is unbelievable, its like living in a house, pods sleep 2 comfortably and 3 if needed. Porch is spacious for cooking gear, we have just purchased the extra large canopy to give even more space at the porch area

Do make sure you get the pitching of inner and fly sheet lined up, otherwise this will make the zips on the doors a pain, and under stress

We have the black and mallard grey colour and find this will get very hot inside if sunny, but on the other hand it does warm the tent up. Its not rocket science to put up, my son showed me and we do it together now,=

The only pain is if you take this tent down in the rain, its too large to drape over your washing line to dry out.

If you want to be the envy of the campsite this is the tent to do it in. Lol, oh and the lifetime guarantee is worth it weight in gold if you ever need to get a replacement due to damage

If you want a large tent go for the Vango diablo 900 xp

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By: Jay8388 Reason: I own(ed) one Made in: 2008 Rating: 10 from 10

Love the vango 900 it was a challenge to put up the first time but after that it was sound. Me and my girl friend have got it down to well under 1 hour.

We both love the space you get in there and we turned one of the bedrooms in to the kitchen so it can be zipped up and out of the way. Other wise great if you got kids as there is so much space you not walking over each other.

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By: Hornbysontour Reason: I own(ed) one Made in: 2007 Rating: 9 from 10

Fabulous space. A pig to put up, especially in the rain, but well worth the effort. 2008 version even better. Extended porch/canopy worthwhile to keep rain off the door. I am 6ft+ and did not have problem with bedroom heights.

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By: Calpyline Reason: I own(ed) one Made in: 2005 Rating: 8 from 10

Although there is ample space in this tent we have started to struggle to find sites to accommodate us. When we first bought it there was rarely a problem but this year in particular we have been disappointed on several occasions when we were told that our tent was too big. We also found the heights in the bedroom pods to be a real pain when we camped for more than a week and constantly had backache from having to bend over all the time. We have now got an Aspen 700DLX which ticks all the boxes.

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By: Sharpville Reason: I own(ed) one Made in: 2008 Rating: 10 from 10

Just bought a Vango Diablo 900 XP (2008 model) along with the footprint groundsheet, extension porch & carpet. After a year of researching which tent to buy, I opted for a geodesic dome design because of it's wind deflecting nature & heat retentive shape. I ended up with a shortlist of Vango's & Outwell's. After taking numerous factors into account, the Vango ended up exuding more in the way of comfort AND value for money in the long run. Just used the tent this weekend with my girlfriend and my 2 kiddies at a cold, windy, wet n' rainy festival & it proved to be the warmest, snuggest tent on the field. 100% dry and cosy. The extended porch was a worthy addition (it makes ALL the difference when you need to cook whilst it's p*ssing down) & the carpet is a MUST HAVE (I was cynical when I bought it, but changed my mind when I felt it on bare feet when it was freezing outside; it increases the 'cozy factor' by a big percentage)!

I'd previously thought about the Killington as an alternative to the Diablo, but the Killington's nowhere near as solid a structure as the Diablo and it only has one zippable front door. I'm glad I went to a store that had both tents up on display before I made my final choice.

The only downside to the Diablo is that it's an inner first, but on the other hand, it does give you the excuse to have to sit down after a long drive with a beer whilst you wait for the rain to stop before pitching! It unfortunately also rained whilst we were taking it down, but I put it over my balcony half an hour ago & it's already dry.

I love camping but I HATE being un-comfortable! This was the main factor behind my purchase & having now experienced the tent in testing conditions, I can't recommend it enough.

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37 User Reviews of the Diablo 900XP - Showing 21 to 30 Page: 1 2 3 4

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Manufacturer's Description

Plan your camping holiday in style. This large geodesic tent offers generous sleeping areas, an exceptionally large living area and an extended porch for protection from the elements. The Diablo range features an integral sewn-in groundsheet protecting the bedrooms and living areas from draughts.

"If you must own a family tent, make it the Diablo. They feature spacious living areas, large porches and multiple bedrooms." THE INDEPENDENT

SPECIFICATION
Flysheet: Protex 3000
Groundsheet:Polyethylene
Inner: Breathable H2O repellent Polyester
Poles: Fibreflex
Design/Style: Geodesic

• Emergency exit on the middle bedroom/flysheet incase you need a quick exit.
• Sewn-in groundsheet which adds protection, comfort and helps keep the bugs out.
• Full mesh door on the porch to give extra ventilation on hot summer days.
• Seam taped flysheet which gives long lasting protection from the elements.
• Mesh ventilation on the inner tent reduces the build-up of condensation and keeps bugs out.
• Bathtub inner groundsheet which gives you total climate protection and prevents insects crawling in.
• Fibreflex fibreglass poles which are though, sturdy & reliable.
• Colour coded poles which help you put the correct poles in their pole sleeves.
• Roller bag with zip opening for easy packing away and transport.

... there may be more info on their website

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