Dometic / Kampa Studland 8 Air Classic Tent Reviews and Details

Tent Reviews: Dometic / Kampa Studland 8 Air Classic

Tent and Awning Reviews Index > Dometic / Kampa > Studland 8 Air Classic Reviews

Current Model?
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Weight:
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Discontinued
8 (more 8 berth tents)
51.00 KG
Ł2,099.00
4
Fully Sewn-in
Inflatable

Average User Rating:

9/10 from 4 reviews

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4 Reviews of the Studland 8 Air Classic

By: Junglesim Reason: I own(ed) one Made in: 2017 Rating: 9 from 10

Having a large yet young family we required a large tent that was easy to put up. In yester-year finding a tent with these two attributes would have been almost impossible but was pleasantly surprised to find the Studland 8 Classic Air fitted the bill in a price range that we could afford (I got it brand-new with a very heavy discount). Its polycotton fabric is great and I am just hoping it lives up the hype about being long-lasting if looked after - Only time will tell.

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By: Claire500 Reason: I own(ed) one Made in: 2016 Rating: 9 from 10

We love this tent, 4 of us and plenty of space on a rainy day. Easyish to inflate and put up, although we followed you tube rather than package instructions. Could do with a few more air vents and I would be picky and say to have half able window covers would be helpful in a warm day when you don't want to cover window vents, but that's just in an ideal world, the tent is great and we live the portch area, it's been a godsend in rainy weather with cooking etc and plenty of space for storage in all areas.

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By: Sjpels Reason: I own(ed) one Made in: 2016 Rating: 9 from 10

Like the previous reviewer, we spent a long time researching family tents - we have had a couple of failed attempts at camping in the past with tents of different qualities and thought we would try the best we could afford this year to see if we could make it work for us.

Essentials for us were: polycotton for breathability and quietness (it is MUCH quieter then polyester); airbeam so we could put it up easily; able to fit a family of four with plenty of space indoors for wet days and a separate kitchen / utility area that we could still close off fully to keep the elements out if necessary. We got it down to three contenders: the Studland, the Vango Rhapsody 800XL And the Outwell Phoenix 7ATC). We visited a couple of stores and got to see all three put up, selecting the Studland as the best compromise of cost of 'feel' for us. We bought it as a pack with the footprint and carpet.

Putting the tent up is a breeze. OK, it is very heavy but once you have the bag in place it really does only take 30 minutes to get the footprint down, peg out the tent corners, inflate the tent and peg out the guys. One tip: inflate each beam to around 5 PSI, get inside the tent and pop it into shape, then top up the beams to 7 PSI. Pumping the beams to 7PSI to start with makes it much harder to push past folds in the beams and, I think, adds unnecessary stress to the material.

Putting it away again is also as easy as you could hope for a tent of this size - release the airbeam valves and leave it to it - five minutes later you and fold it half, then thirds, then roll it up and sit on it / use the ribbon ties provided to compress it. I had big concerns following experience with other tents about being able to get it back in the bag but Kampa have provided a good sized bag it the tent goes into with minimum hassle. Admittedly, we did put the pump and poles in after the tent and did not even try to roll them into it. The first time we packed the tent (after putting it up just to test waterproofness, etc.), it was fairly breezy - the wind did get under the tent but leaving the corners pegged out until the last minute got around that.

Once up, the tent is simply one of the best looking tents I have seen (possible exception is the Outwell Phoenix but the two are VERY similar in outward appearance). The sand coloured sides and grey top give a very nice interior light and the vast living areas feel very welcoming indeed. The carpet is made from several sections which seems unnecessary but this did not detract from the feel in any meaningful way. We have not had the same quality concerns as the previous reviewer - it felt very similar to the Vango Rhapsody and, while a little short of the Outwell Phoenix, it is also over Ł500 cheaper.

Coming to the sleeping pods, we have only used the three 'standard' ones at the back of the tent and, again, I love the layout here. Our children are young (3 and 7) and the ability to zip up the divider between two bedroom sections was great. Some people have commented about not being able to zip the bottom of the divide down but this did not bother us and just makes the layout more flexible in my opinion. The layout we chose was two airbeds for the children in the larger side pod, two camp beds for my wife and I in the centre and a storage unit and porta-loo in the smaller side pod. The size of the Studland sleeping areas meant these beds fit in easily and, with the added luxury of an Outwell heated carpet under the airbeds, we were all very comfortable. The mesh panels and zip-up 'curtains' in the pod doors and throughout the tent give a lot of control over ventilation.

The only substantial negative I have with the tent is the frankly silly design of the window vents. They appear to be great with zip down panels leaving a mesh panel in place but the are at the top of the windows where the tunnel curves markedly and and rain will run straight in through them. In short, it is not feasible to leave them open if it is raining. For me, the Outwell 'eyebrow' vents and the similar lower level vents from Vango are a much better design. I decided I could live with this before buying, however, as the tent is polycotton and will breathe naturally and there are separate high-level vents from front to back that allow a modest airflow through the tent. Also, the Studland's window vents did mean we could place a gas stove under the window and have steam, etc. Rise straight through the vent even with the outer door mainly closed - this made getting the first morning cup of tea much more pleasant!

The only other thing I would change is the design of the high level vent at the rear of the tent. In our 'test' pitch, we had the wind from the rear and this was literally scooped up the sloping wall of the tent and into the vent. Adding a zip or a couple of patches on velcro to give you the option to close this vent would be a big improvement.

So, after all that are we going to stick with camping? Sadly not, though it is no fault of this tent in any way. Reality is that we have got too used to central heating and kids' bedtime baths so we decided to accept that renting a cottage is going to be more our thing.

3 from 3 people found this review helpful, was it helpful to you?

By: Loydall Reason: I own(ed) one Made in: 2016 Rating: 9 from 10

I've just returned from our first outing with this tent. Have to say I'm really, really impressed with pretty much every feature of this tent. We spent a good while researching large, inflatable tents and we were very close to purchasing a Vango Rhapsody but when we saw the Studland 8 in polycotton, the design and layout really stood out to us.

Looks - I think this is a great looking tent. The colour is a classic, canvas tent colour and the proportions are perfect. When it's up it looks completely solid and the polycotton finish really makes it stand out.

Erecting/taking down - I'd say fully pegged it took me, on my own, 40 minutes to put the tent up. Possibly I could put it up quicker but I do like to tie all my guy ropes up properly when I put a tent away so that adds a little bit of time when putting it back up again. Taking it down probably takes a little longer as I wanted to make sure it was fully dry and rolled up correctly.

Layout - the layout is a classic tunnel tent layout. We didn't bother with the additional room as we didn't need to put it in but it's good to have that option there. Great big living area, decent sized bedrooms (the bedrooms are deeper than some of the other brands which is great if you have longer camp beds). The porch is big enough to house a cooking table and the front opens up fully giving good ventilation.

What I really like is the flexibility of the layout - the wall dividing the porch and the living area can be fully pulled back giving you one massive room if that's what you want.

The flap between living area and porch folds fully flat with the floor which is an excellent feature if you have children running in and out of the tent - no tripping over groundsheet flaps!

The material is excellent. Before I saw the tent I was a little dubious of the lower cotton content of the Kampa polycotton versus the Outwell and Vnago tents but actually the material still has a nice, classic, cotton feel. Plus - water really seems to bead off the material. I'm not sure if it's the polyester content or a coating they put on the tent but water is mostly shrugged off.

Polycotton tents need weathering in and we had excellent April sunshine and showers to do this. I do understand that polycotton tents can leak while they're being weathered but ours only leaked very, very slightly - nothing to worry about. Hopefully next time we camp the tent will be fully waterproof.

The windows are brilliant - great big windows all along the tent (some other tents just have material panels where there should be windows). With the windows/curtains all open this tent is a really nice, light environment to be in.

Overall, I have to say they've really nailed it with this tent - they've done away with the extras that you probably don't need - e.G. The Studland uses toggled curtains instead of zipped. The size, layout and flexibility of the tent is just brilliant.

The only reason I didn't give a 10 out of 10 is this - the stitch-work, while perfectly acceptable, could be a bit neater and in parts not quite as solid as I'd want - I had one very small bit of velcro on the door where the stitching has come away. Nothing too bad and I can fix this but I think they Kampa could raise their quality a bit there.

Also - the tent bag is big but still not quite big enough when you come to put the tent away. When the tent arrives you get the tent, poles, pegs, porch groundsheet and inner, extra bedroom all in one bag. We were incredibly careful folding and rolling the tent away and the tent alone just about fits into the bag. A bigger bag would help - as would wheels on the bag as this is a very heavy tent but still - 2 of you carrying from the car is ok.

One final thing - the pump isn't brilliant. It does the job but the connections between the pump, valve and tube aren't brilliant and they do fall out a bit when pumping up. Again, a minor issue but still worth pointing out.

If you want a great looking, very large, inflatable family tent, this is a very, very good option.

Really pleased we went for this tent.

3 from 4 people found this review helpful, was it helpful to you?

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Manufacturer's Description

Flagship model showcasing all that''s best in Kampa tents. The Studland offers supreme accommodation for up to eight people. Despite its size the Studland is as easy to set up as all our AirFrame tents - peg the four corners, inflate the AirFrame, secure the immediate pegging points and guy lines - that''s it. The six berth inner tent sits at the back of the tent and can be divided into three separate bedrooms if required. A separate two berth inner tent sits in the front of the living area and can be set up or taken down as required - increasing sleeping accommodation or living space accordingly.

Key Features
Inflatable
‘Feel the difference’ Weathershield® AirFlow polycotton
Extra headroom
Large inner tents and master centre bedroom
Inner tent remains in-situ for set up and take down
Fully sewn in groundsheet throughout main living room with 10,000 mm hyrdrostatic head
Dynalite aluminium side canopy
Toggle in groundsheet for front vestibule area
Side door with canopy and secondary mesh panel
Variable position roll to side front door
Front, rear and sleeping area vents
Crystal clear windows with blinds and easy store pockets
Organiser pockets on front panel of inner tent
Cable entry point
Lamp hanger with cable tidy
Complete with manual pump and storm tie down kit

... there may be more info on their website

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