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Tent Reviews: Dometic / Kampa Frinton 4 Classic
Tent and Awning Reviews Index > Dometic / Kampa > Frinton 4 Classic Reviews
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Current Model?
Berths:
Weight:
RRP on date added:
Bedroom inners:
Living area groundsheet:
Pitching Style:
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Discontinued
4 (more 4 berth tents)
32.00 KG
£644.99
2
Fully Sewn-in
Fly first
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Average User Rating:9.67/10 from 6 reviews
Viewed: 23278 times
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6 Reviews of the Frinton 4 Classic
By: Katedow Reason: I own(ed) one Made in: 2012 Rating: 
The Frinton 4 Classic is a wonderful tent for a couple camping on short breaks and longer outdoor holidays.
I would agree with every review here to date, but thought I'd wait to write my review until camping in her several times in different environments and weather conditions.
This tent is excellent value for money. It's key benefit for me is the ease of putting it up and the polycotton fabric. This makes life in the Frinton a pleasure, it's a stress free and very comfortable place to live in.
What to add to the good reviews here already -
Pros:
Polycotton - lovely sound, peaceful quiet environment, cool, cosy, safe and dry. Wonderful fabric!
Sleeptight system - just helps that bit to keep the bedrooms darkened and cosy. A simple but well thought out addition.
Full mesh doors - an essential. The dark fabric works really well for privacy and seeing out of.
The side window - I really like the flexibility of this and it can be pegged out as a canopy shade too for extra shade and ventilation.
The height and usability of the internal space - hubby is tall so it suits him perfectly.
Stability and security - I've had some bad experiences with tents not coping with the worst that Scottish weather can throw at them. In the Frinton I feel incredibility safe and secure. It doesn't budge an inch in a hoolie. Very reassuring.
The side canopy door - this is excellent for a mini kitchen set up and generally keeping you and the tent dry while entering in bad weather. Really good width and depth.
Ventilation - not had any condensation issues at all, though appreciate the polycotton helps here too.
The colour and styling - if you love retro / vintage you'll love this. The Frinton is a COOL good looker!
Cons:
Both external entry doors do not zip close at the bottom. In high winds the front door lets draft in, but clingon clips will fix this problem. The side canopyed door isn't such an issue.
The inner bedroom pod could do with a few more toggles fixed to the tent wall at the rear to stop the fabric sagging in so much.
The sewn in ground sheet doesn't lie totally flat, so expect a higher step over the entrances. One of our front corners is particularly bad but we store 'the kit' box here so not a problem as such.
Overall, any issues aren't bad enough to put me off my Frinton one bit - its a great tent.
I feel really fortunate to have been able to get one before stocks run it. It's an amazing tent, lovely place be for outdoors holidays.
1 from 1 people found this review helpful, was it helpful to you?  
By: Timbondaa Reason: I own(ed) one Made in: 2011 Rating:
I'm writing this off the back of a 4 night stay in Pembrokeshire, in our recently acquired Frinton 4 Classic.
As newbies to camping of this kind, all I can say is wow!
We had the Frinton up and erected within 30 minutes, thanks to easy to follow instructions and merciful weather. I'd expected it to be a much longer process than this. I would say it's a 2 person job, given the height, scale and weight of the tent.
Once up the first thing that struck me is how much vertical space there is. The side walls are almost upright meaning that the space inside is completely useable. I am 6'3' and never felt claustrophobic inside the Frinton.
The side canopy provides an excellent secondary entrance and storage area for wet boots. We even cooked in there a few times with no problem - there's enough protection offered from the wind to make it posssible.
The bedroom pod clips up quickly and has a zip down divider in the middle to make a single sleeping compartment for two.
My only real gripe is with the quality of the elasticated loops, some of which were already coming apart when we put the tent up.
At £299.99 I am really happy with the purchase and recommend this tent wholeheartedly.
2 from 2 people found this review helpful, was it helpful to you?
By: DandB Reason: I own(ed) one Made in: 2012 Rating: 
This review follows a garden test pitch, a wet and very windy weekend break, and a slightly longer 4 day trip on which we also took the optional canopy.
We love this tent! We particularly like (in no particular order):
The colour - not to everyone's taste, maybe even slightly dated by the current trend, but we like that it tones nicely with the natural environment (and that it is not orange as it appears in some photos on the web, I'm sure Kampa would have sold twice the number if those photos had not existed!)
The material - polycotton is certainly quieter than polyester, feels more solid, and provides the additional benefits of being cooler in hot conditions. The legs also feel strong, and inspire more confidence than the fibreglass hoops that you have to bend much more (I managed to snap one of these for a previous tent).
The 'sleeptite' system does make a difference to the bedroom compartment, giving a better night's sleep.
Side canopy - much deeper than many, so that as well as shielding the door from rain, it is genuinely useful for removing and storing wet kit. We hope that if we go for a weekend where we decide to leave the front canopy behind, it may also allow us to cook under cover here in poor weather.
Windows - we are not great fans of the 'panorama' living area with windows on the front, side and corners, it feels too much like being in a greenhouse or display cabinet for us. So we were particularly pleased with the amount of window that this tent provides, and thanks to the daylight panel in the roof, the tent remains bright inside the living area.
Layout/space - whilst we really liked our previous tent, the sides and especially the front of the tent were very sloped, and the corners were angled. This limits the amount of usable space in the tent, the Frinton's more vertical front/sides and squarer corners allow far better use of the living space. For a similar sized tent, the difference is quite significant. Our only concern with this design was that it was less streamlined to face the wind, but the strong fabric and legs ensured that it stood up to some particularly windy conditions which saw other tents damaged, without any problems.
Quality - a few loose threads were soon sorted out with a pair of scissors, and the construction seems top notch. There was a minor flaw on the insect screen over the side window, but as we are planning on taking our Yorkshire terrorist camping with us we felt that by already having a small fault we would be less concerned if she was ever to cause any damage with her sharp claws.
We also have the front canopy for this tent, and find that it is a good addition that gives us a flexible set-up with more space for longer stays. It is not too large, but offers a place to cook under cover, store a few things outside, and sit outside but out of the breeze a little. Quality of construction is the same as the rest of the tent.
In a perfect world, the only thing that we can think of to improve on it, would be if the front canopy could be closed like a porch, for cooking in really foul weather.
This is a fantastic tent and we would have no hesitation recommending it.
3 from 3 people found this review helpful, was it helpful to you?
By: Mucker1884 Reason: I own(ed) one Made in: 2012 Rating:
We purchased this as we had recently bought the Filey 6 classic, also a Kampa, and also polycotton, and fell in love with everything about it, apart from the fact we decided that it was a little too bulky/slow pitching for one or two nights. For this reason, we aimed to go for the nearest available tent, but smaller, less bulky, and quicker to pitch. Coupled with the fact that Kampa are about to pull the plug on this tent, and the subsequent considerable saving, it was too great a temptation to ignore, and I have to say, having just spent two nights on top of a very wet, windy, cold and exposed hill in Buxton, we are absolutely delighted with it.
Pitching was both physically and mentally easily! Lightweight steel(?) legs, coupled to (nice thick) fibreglass poles across the roof curve, all times 3. A bit fiddly, but easily do-able, on your own. An absolute doddle for two! Striking was as easy as striking gets!
There's just the two of us, but the bedroom pods, opened up as one full width room, leaves enough space for 2 x camp beds in the middle, with enough space either side for bags/clothes, and more importantly, room to stand up and get dressed! (The sides are less rounded, and as close to vertical as, I suspect, you'd find).
The living area was ample. 2 x large camping chairs, one larder type cupboard, one largish fold out table, with cool box and knick-knacks below, loo bucket tucked away in one corner, and enough space to get around/gain access to either bedroom door, without having to haul stuff out of the way!
Admittedly, we deliberately ignored the option to get the separate front canopy, so we placed the tables etc, along the front door/wall, and used the side entrance for access. This has an excellent fixed rain canopy, larger than your average side door canopy, which on it's own, would give you ample room and shelter to get your boots/wet gear off.
However, we extended this canopy with a separate tarp shelter, to enable us to site the cooker & stand, plus yet another (dining) table, and stools.
The tent got a little battered with wind and rain, and it never flinched. No flapping, no creaking, and certainly no water ingress. The second morning saw very heavy frost, including frozen solid dew droplets all over the outside, but the inside stayed dry, if cold! The only condensation we saw was to the underside of the aforementioned door canopy, as it isn't enclosed, so in effect, it's outside!
My only doubt, pre purchase, was the design of the side window, with the 'curtain' being on the outside, but I have to admit I am already used to it. There's a nice big vent at the back of the bed pod(s), and the doors have full mesh option. I'd say it's ample vents, whatever the weather.
Value for money? Well, as I got it for less than £300, you bet! But I can state with hand on heart, if I had paid the original price of in excess of £400, I would still have been delighted.
There is, and never will be, a perfect tent, but as a 'weekend' tent for two adults, the Kampa Frinton 4 Classic is as near as one can hope for!
Regrets? Yes two.
That they didn't do the 5 berth in the classic, as we could then have fitted in our wardrobe!
That they are discontinuing this tent, so not many can follow up my advice to get out there and snap one up! How popular would I have been then! :-)
Still, if you make haste.
5 from 5 people found this review helpful, was it helpful to you?
By: Mcguire6078 Reason: I own(ed) one Made in: 2012 Rating:
We have just bought this tent and erected to check its all okay and left it up in the rain overnight. This is just a review of what I think so far.
So who would this tent suit: A couple or very small family looking for a weekend tent or add the front canopy for longer stays. It is made from polycotton so much quieter in the wind compared to polyester tents and with the added benefit of being warmer in cooler weather and cooler in warmer weather.
Pitching time: The initial pitch took me around an hour although next time this will be quicker as I had quite a few one off things to do (untie and fully adjust all guy lines and install the bedroom pod etc). I was also not familiar with the tent setup and took my time. I would imagine that I could have the tent up erected and fully guyed within 30-40min and quicker if pitched by two. I erected this tent on my own in less than ideal conditions as it was windy (although in a sheltered spot) and was pleased how easy it was to erect even in the wind on my own.
Groundsheet: The tent has a fully sewn in groundsheet so does not need to be zipped in or out. The groundsheet looks hardwearing. I have the footprint to give additional protection to the base of the tent and to keep the groundsheet clean. I left the bedroom pod in place so would imagine this tent is quick to erect with the sewn in groundsheet and bedrooms installed (will find out next time I put the tent up!)
Bedroom Pod: Has a divider which zips out easily allowing the bedroom to be one large bedroom or two rooms. As the divider zips all the way back you can easily fit a double mattress/SIM in the middle of the bedroom and still have plenty of room. The bedrooms are darker due to the Sleeptite system which works well.
Rain Safe Canopy: This is great on this tent as it is quite deep and you can easily store wet boots etc if you needed to. From experience I would not choose any tent without a rain safe entrance particularly if it has a sloping main door. It prevents rainwater running into the tent every time you open a door.
Ventilation: The tent is well ventilated with a vent in the sleeping area and both doors have a secondary mesh door. The side window is 50/50 split with half being PVC and the other half mesh. You can roll up/down the fly sheet to cover the mesh area depending on weather conditions. I must admit this was one of the things I was not sure about as my old tent (Outwell Nevada M) had three opening doors which allowed good ventilation in warm weather. Because the tent is polycotton it is naturally better ventilated anyway.
Tent Fabric: The tent is made of polycotton which is much quieter in the wind. Indeed when I went to see the tent on display is was very windy but sunny. It was much quieter and cooler than most tents. They had the Nevada M on display so I was able to compare the tent side by side and having owned the Nevada knew the plus and negative points. I was quite surprised at the difference in how noisy each tent was in the wind and the Frinton Classic was significantly quieter
Price & Quality: I was impressed with all the Kampa tents on display and think they are good quality and great value for money this year (2012). We did look at the Outwell Trout Lake but think the Kampa Frinton Classic was better as it was bigger inside (walls did not slope as much) and it was cheaper. The bedroom divider in the Outwell Trout Lake also curved into the bedroom floor which was not ideal for having the bedroom as one large room. I managed to buy the tent for £405 and with the carpet and footprint for £475 which I think is a great price for a polycotton tent. As a comparison the Outwell trout lake was £540 with tent carpet and footprint.
The only issue maybe the colour which is a bit like Marmite you will either love it or hate it, having come from the Nevada M in Mocha I love it. The only sad thing is we are now talking about trying to find matching brown chairs. Rather than worry so much about price (did look at Royal Commander chair in brown but not as comfy as our existing chairs in red)
When I next erect the tent I will take photographs and add to the review once I have stayed in the tent for a couple of nights (cant wait to go away)
5 from 5 people found this review helpful, was it helpful to you?
By: Sarumlight Reason: I own(ed) one Made in: 2011 Rating:
After looking for a while for a quality tent that is both large enough for a family weekend and small enough to put up by myself I have to say this is perfect!
Bought it on Saturday and tried out in the garden in heavy rain. Despite being a new canvas tent not a drop came in and it felt very strong and stable in the wind.
Obviously the size and shape are the same as the regular Frinton 4 so read the reviews of that too. In particular the porch is deep enough to really shelter the side door in driving rain. The tent is stable and spacious, and is a nice place to spend some time. The dark 'Sleep Tite' bedrooms work really well, not just stopping the sun waking you first thing in the morning but also letting children get off to sleep while you still have light in the living area. It was 3-year-old's first night under canvas and he woke up well after 7am with a beam and said 'Daddy I love camping!'
I went with the classic because I like canvas tents - as well as giving a nicer climate they are quieter in wind and rain. For the premium over the regular Frinton 4 I felt it was well worth it.
Quality is first class. Details like the welded re-inforcement where the steel poles curve at the top mean it should last for many years. Spare fiberglass poles (both sizes) are included too which is a nice touch.
What could be improved? All I can think of is a way to close off the outside of the porch so you could put a loo in there to save going out at night. Also I had to travel a fair way to find a Kampa reseller who had one of these up on display but it was well worth the trip!
5 from 5 people found this review helpful, was it helpful to you?
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Manufacturer's Description
FRINTON 4 CLASSIC
Building on the success of our polyester Frinton 4 we now bring you the same tent but with the flysheet in our Weathershield Airflow material. This allows the tent to breath, reducing the chance of condensation and making the tent more comfortable. The Frinton 4 Classic is easy to set up, all the poles are the same length and once set up provides superior accommodation for up to four. The side porch entrance provides sheltered access to the large living area and on sunny days the front door can be rolled up or set up as a sun canopy using the canopy poles supplied with the tent. The bedrooms stretch across the rear of the tent and are also in polyester/cotton. They can sleep up to four and have a zipped divider if you require two separate compartments or one half of the inner can be lowered and stowed away to provide less bedroom area and more living area. Check out the superior headroom, Daylight Panel and Sealed Groundsheet System, all features on this tent.
Key Features
SleepTite System for a good nights sleep
Sealed Groundsheet System (SGS) with 10,000mm hydrostatic head
Stand up height in living area
Mesh secondary door
Daylight Panel
Rear zipped vent
Side door with canopy
Large front window with cover
Lamp hanger with cable tidy system
Organiser pockets in front of and inside inner tent
Canopy pole set
Cable entry point
Optional Extras
Frinton 4 Classic canopy W 305 cm D 250 cm H 205 cm
Frinton 4 living area carpet
Frinton 4 footprint
Additional specification
Poles: Dynaflex 127/Dynasteel 19
Colour: Parchment/Hessian
Interior height: 205cm
Inner tent height: 195cm
Pole set weight: 9.6kg
Tent weight: 22.4kg
Poles pack: L69 x W18 x H12 cm
Tent pack: L75 x W38 x H36 cm
Cable access
No-see-um mesh
Inner tent: Polyester/cotton Airflow
Groundsheet: Extra heavy duty PE 14 x 14 140 g/m² 10,000m
... there may be more info on their website
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