Dometic / Kampa Bude 4 Tent Reviews and Details

Tent Reviews: Dometic / Kampa Bude 4

Tent and Awning Reviews Index > Dometic / Kampa > Bude 4 Reviews

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

Discontinued
4 (more 4 berth tents)
16.00 KG
Ł199.99
2
Fully Sewn-in
Fly first

Average User Rating:

9.33/10 from 6 reviews

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6 Reviews of the Bude 4

By: Ejon1971 Reason: I own(ed) one Made in: 2010 Rating: 10 from 10

This is a fantastic tent. At 6'2' I usually have to spend quite a lot of time stooped down under tent canvas. This is full height, which is marvellous. The tent offers plenty of space whether with the full inner tent used or half dropped down to offer even more storage space. With the inner tent fully used, the area at the front is absolutely fine for plenty of storage. A carpet for the front finishes both the look and the luxurious feel of the tent.

The colour scheme is visually very pleasing. Some of the features in the tent (multiple storage pockets, zipped EHU port, full doorway anti-mosquito mesh) really set this tent apart. The one down side is that it is really quite heavy but as long as you weren't planning to use it for backpacking, it's all good!

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By: Melmel74 Reason: I own(ed) one Made in: 2010 Rating: 9 from 10

I had been looking for one of these for a while and was lucky to buy an 'almost new' one from an ad on this site! So pleased we found it as we wantd an overnighter that was good quality, durable and easy to pitch. So far have tested it out for a weekend and love it. The fabric seems really good quality and the structure of the tent seems really sturdy. We tried it with 2 of us but as we will be using it as a family of 4 we set it up with 2 adult campbeds in one pod. We think we will easily sleep 4 in here with enough space. Used the living area to eat in with 2 comfy chairs and small table - we ate in due to a midge attack and the fly mesh to the door was brilliant at keeping them out. I wish our Kampa Croyde 6 had this at the main entrance.It was light and airy inside due to the large side windows.

So far the downside is the long poles but I think we will get used to this with practice. Have ordered a tarp to extend the front as although we bought it as a weekender we are seriously thinking of taking it next week for 4 nights if the weather looks good. Love the dark green colour too!

Why oh why did Kampa stop making this lovely tent?!

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By: Mrneillees Reason: I own(ed) one Made in: 2010 Rating: 9 from 10

Used last weekend (January) first time and basically loved it. As it's just the two of use we dropped half the bedroom which doubled the floor space and gave us plenty of room to move about (but as a tent for 4 I think it would be very cramped).

Took 15 minutes to put and 5 to peg out. It was cold but no wind or rain to test it out. Did think a couple of poles look slightly bent at a wrong angle but perhaps we haven't quite perfected pitching it?

As mentioned the door is a little tricky to zip up/down and doesn't seal in the middle (we added a Clingon and tent peg)but everything else was well thought out and great quality. We left the bedroom in when we took it down to shorten pitching next time. We had room for two tables, two chairs and Kampa loo, but we left bags in the car.

A great weekender for a couple, but wouldn't want to spend a week in it. Looking forward to getting a lot of use out of it this year.

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By: Speedcamp Reason: I own(ed) one Made in: 2010 Rating: 9 from 10

Having camped for real in our Bude 4 now - we love it! It withstood heavy rain easily (no wind on this occasion) and we found that the Vango Adventure tarp fitted it a treat (using the tent's porch pole and longer guyropes), giving a great rain shelter for cooking. We can also testify that the sleeptite system does insulate and darken the inner considerably.

The space was sufficient for storage either side of the tent and 3 chairs. Our three year old loved playing in his 'bedroom' (just dumped his airbed in the other half of the inner), so plenty of room for a long weekend when combined with the tarp as a cooking shelter for wet days. We also perfected our pitching technique (below):

With 2 people this method works a treat. It is quick and avoids any heavy man-handling or straining of the poles even with the inner left in and pitched as one:

1) one person takes shoes off and helps to straighten and hold open the sleeves as the poles go through and to avoid the sleeves bunching while the other threads the poles

2) thread in the poles until they have equal lengths sticking out either side of the tent (ie They are central)

3) one person goes into the tent and lifts the centre of the dome (not particularly heavy although tall)

4) starting at front, the person on the outside puts one pole onto its front pin. The person on the inside gently holds the pole in a downwards direction towards the pin (to stop it popping off the pin again) whilst still supporting the centre of the dome up with the other hand. The tent is small enough to do this quite easily

5) the person on the outside goes to the back of the tent and puts the rear end of the pole on its pin - easy as the dome is supported

6) starting at the front do the other main pole the same way

7) The tent is now self-supporting and both people can focus on the middle pole, each putting one end of the pole on its pin

8) zip up the door and stretch out the poles diagonally and away from each other until the SIG and flysheet are taught and peg out.

Proved a far superior and quicker way of pitching it than trying to do it without supporting the dome. We undid the lower clips for the inner tent to avoid any risk of strain when leaving it in.

As with the previous reviewer, we also noted that there is a risk of the zip catching the zip rain cover when opening the main door from the inside if you aren't careful. Best to use your hand to separate them as the zip goes up. This is, however, the only slight negative with the tent. Everything else surpasses expectations!

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By: Bellyjaby Reason: I own(ed) one Made in: 2010 Rating: 9 from 10

After only one outing in our new Bude 4, I can already say we are extremely impressed. A lifelong camper, but new to Kampa, I think this is a product of the highest quality, for many reasons (I hope I don't speak too soon). We bought this tent because we wanted something that offered a little more luxury than our crawl in 2 man tent - standing room, extra space for clothing, decent living space etc. A 4-man tent seemed like the perfect compromise but we didn't want something that looked too ridiculous for only 2 people.

The Bude 4 satisfies these criteria, taking up very little floor space but feeling very spacious and offering great versatility. When putting the tent up you really get the feeling that a great deal of care and, dare I say, love has gone into designing this tent. It's as if every little thing you could think of HAS been thought of by Kampa. It's no wonder this model is now proving hard to get hold of.

THE GOOD STUFF:-

- Very high quality canvas - thicker than on other makes I investigated.

- Colour co-ordinated poles, making construction easy for the most inexperienced of campers.

- Complete pole sleeves, resulting in no dome-sag.

- Canvas really is made to fit. Canvas very taut but adjustable straps round the bottom mean you can slacken whist putting up. With our previous tent, which was still very good, we could spend forever trying to get the canvas to pull tight and still end up with it flapping in the wind.

- 3 pole system makes the dome very strong and brings the front forward to make the most of the living area, without having to duck.

- Very subtle and 'sophisticated' colour scheme, sympathetic to countryside landscape. This tent really blends in to the green back drop.

- Supplied with more pegs than you could ever need.

- 2 extra poles to prop up large front door for sun/rain protection.

- Inner mesh doors to both bedroom and front door, meaning no bugs but a supply of air. The dark mesh also means you still have privacy, so the front door could be left rolled up with the top of the bedroom door mesh exposed on a hot night.

- Peg out/ roll up air vent at back of tent.

- Very bright guy ropes, for those who tend to trip over them.Ahem!

- Versatile sleeping area - Can be left fastened to the fly, resulting in 'all-in-one' pitching (although does make it a little heavier to put up) - Double zip doors (mesh inner and insulating outer); Can be divided in 2 or opened out into one large bedroom, 2 torch hanging points, away from the doors so you don't bang your head on the camping lamp, option to take down one of the bedrooms to give a larger L-shaped living area.

- Bucket groundsheet (with seam covered by canvas extending over the join), giving better water tightness, easier pitching, and escape from bugs and slugs.

- Large windows in living area with covers (on sides and in front door).

- Plenty of storage pockets.

- Many, many guy ropes, making the tent very sturdy.

- Expandable bag with straps for pulling tight (because it never goes back in as it did in the shop).

- Sign reminding you to 'Keep All Exits Clear' - they really have thought of it all.

THINGS TO THINK ABOUT (not necessarily negative):-

- Canvas covering front door zips can get caught in the zip if you're too impatient opening the door.

- Need to bend right down and reach in front of U-shaped cut out to get to zips on outer front door.

- Relatively heavy when packed away, so certainly not a backpacking tent (and expect this goes for the smaller Bude 2 as well). We didn't buy it with backpacking in mind, but for those who might.!

- Requires physical strength whilst pushing dome up. Poles are long to give excellent head room, so there's more fabric to shift.

- Feeding the poles through the very long sleeves takes a little time but you soon find the technique. Definitely a down on hands and knees job for a few moments.

As I say, these are not necessarily negatives but are points worth weighing up.

My reason for 9/10, rather than 10/10 - I think there's always room for improvement, even on a product as seemingly flawless as this.And you've got to give Kampa some room to keep thinking of new and innovative features to make camping fun.

I hope our second outing in it next week proves to be just as positive!

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By: Speedcamp Reason: I own(ed) one Made in: 2009 Rating: 10 from 10

Received this 2010 tent yesterday, so its only been trial pitched in the garden so far (pictures included above - apologies, some are on their side and its not fully pitched). The quality is excellent and has some fabulous features, including: the double zipped inner divider, the many storage pockets, the cable entry point, lamp points in the inner tent as well as the main tent, lovely stand-up height even when 6ft, sizeable windows and easy to use covers. The SIG, inner, bugmesh and flysheet are all lovely quality, reinforced and well stitched, and the zips are very heavy duty. Yet to test the tent for real, but appears solid and reliable.

The living area is sizeable for such as small tent - felt open and roomy. In wet weather, the living space will take a full-height table and two chairs or seat more if combined with stools, along with storage under the side windows. Without a table it will take 3 chairs comfortably in addition to the storage. If one side of the inner is collapsed and stowed an extra 2m x 1.4m is added to the living area. With the low level windows the tent is also suitable for low level camping. An excellent weekend or touring tent. We will be combining it with a Vango Adventure Tarp for sheltered cooking when it rains.

The only thing to note is the need for plenty of space to pitch it as the poles are very long and its helpful for someone to ease them through the pole sleeves.

We'll report back when we've tested it in anger. But on the basis of the test pitch, we'd certainly recommend it.

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Manufacturer's Description

BUDE 4

A four berth version of our popular Bude 2. The Bude 4 makes a great touring tent for up to four people looking for a top quality, stability and easy set up. Access is easy through the large front door that can be converted into a sun canopy and once in the living area you will find good standing height and a great view out through the plentiful windows. Sleeping accommodation is at the rear of the tent and consists of a large inner tent that can be split into two separate compartments using the zipped divider. It is also possible to take down and stow one half of the inner tent if required. The Bude 4 combines semi-geodesic design and Dynaflex 127 poles to provide an exceptionally stable structure and the weather is kept outside by the high quality Weathershield flysheet and the Sealed Groundsheet System that runs throughout the tent. The Bude 4 comes conveniently packed in one compression carry bag for easy transportation.

Key Features
• ‘Feel the difference’ high quality 100D Weathershield® 4000 mm F/R UV protected flysheet
• SleepTite System – for a good night’s sleep
• Sealed Groundsheet System (SGS)
• Stand up height in living area
• Mesh secondary door
• Daylight panel
• Rear zipped vent
• Organiser pockets in front of and inside inner tent
• Large front window with cover
• Lamp hanger with cable tidy system
• Canopy pole set
• Cable entry point (PES)

Optional Extras
• Living area carpet
• Footprint
• Matching windbreak

Specification
Flysheet: Weathershield® 4000 mm F/R UV protected
Taped seams
Crystal clear windows
Daylight panel
Power Entry System (PES)
No-see-um mesh
Inner: 180T polyester breathable
Inner Door: 170T polyester PA 300 mm
Groundsheet: PE 12 x 12 140 g/m˛
Poles: Dynaflex 127

Interior Height: 210 cm
Inner Tent Height: 200 cm
Weight: 16 kg
Pack size: 70 x 28 x 28 cm

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