Outwell Harrier XL Smart Air Tent Reviews and Details

Tent Reviews: Outwell Harrier XL Smart Air

Tent and Awning Reviews Index > Outwell > Harrier XL Smart Air Reviews

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

Discontinued
6 (more 6 berth tents)
43.00 KG
Ł2,249.90
3
Fully Sewn-in
Inflatable

Average User Rating:

7.5/10 from 4 reviews

Viewed: 36776 times

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4 Reviews of the Harrier XL Smart Air

By: Doodlebugdil Reason: I own(ed) one Made in: 2015 Rating: 9 from 10

Only had this tent since 2015 but used it a lot. Very happy with it. We have used it in torrential rain (never leaked a drop) and very high wind. It broke the fibreglass porch pole but we replaced it with a thinner one which flexes more easily and that's been fine so far. Sometimes, the main entrance zip is difficult to close and I have to move the bottom of the front air tubes slightly closer together to reduce strain on the zip.

Other than that, it's been perfect

1 from 1 people found this review helpful, was it helpful to you?

By: SuperOzz Reason: I own(ed) one Made in: 2014 Rating: 1 from 10

Well, we loved this tent with its spacious interior and ease of setting it up! It is practical and beautiful. However there are some major flaws in the design which make this tent unusable. I have posted our experiences in two threads in the forum of this website but for the ease of new readers I will summarize it.

We were in Croatia and arrived on our second destination on a beautiful island. We pitched the tent with excellent weather and I did not put extra attention to the air pressure. I just stopped pumping when it all felt good (approx 0.5 bar). It all went fine until four days later a wind came up from the rear of the tent during the night. The following morning a neighboring camper moved away and the wind just pushed all of the tent flat to the ground! No guy line helped here. We quickly packed our stuff and left the camping. It was confronting to see that all other tents had no significant difficulties.

The next time we pitched the tent I made sure I put in 0.7 bar to avoid the earlier problem, assuming that was the cause. Side note: I don't believe the Harrier XL can withstand strong winds from the rear at all, but I need to verify that first.

This time no wind came up but the tent just exploded around 2PM on the third day, ripping the exterior canvas apart. There was nothing left to do but pack the tent and go home to the Netherlands.

Outwell has responded with refunding the tent but we would have wanted a new one where these problems were solved. Now comes the bad part: they don't solve the root causes. I have waited to submit this review and gave Outwell some time to do the right thing (i.E. Solve the root cause!) but instead they do not come with a proper answer. Their advise is to constantly check the pressure in the tubes and adjust accordingly. Obviously that won't work (again, see the links above). These problems apply to all Outwell Smart Air tents.

To conclude: the Smart Air system is an excellent idea but just does not work as it is now (they did not improve significantly in the 2016 series either). I would strongly advise NOT to buy one and go for a tent with poles or buy a Karsten tent with proven technologies.

@Outwell: Sorry Outwell, you could have avoided this with some proper customer care.

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

By: DadoftheApes Reason: I own(ed) one Made in: 2015 Rating: 10 from 10

To add to the previous review by Jim1977: This purchase is a serious upgrade for us, going from polyester to polycotton. The reasons being the reduced noise from the fabric in the wind, the insulating properties of polycotton and the smart air construction. Everything Jim1977 rings true for us too. I would like an awning or porch option for the side doors because many campsites seem to restrict the use of additional gazebos. However, there is loads of room inside.

We thought long and hard about this purchase given the price, but it is perfect for us and will see many more camping trips than our old tent ( Wynnster Phoenix) as it is so easy to put up. The weight is an issue and we need a trailer but that creates more space in the car.

We have had one outing so far and the tent has yet to be tested by us In wet or windy conditions. But with the carpet it's very cosy inside. We're happy with the tent and not regretting the serious money spent.

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By: Jim1977 Reason: I own(ed) one Made in: 2014 Rating: 10 from 10

Just purchased the Outwell Harrier XL from the excellent Cross Camping and thought I'd post my first impressions having pitched the tent in our garden. Our current tent is an Outwell Bear Lake 6, which we love, so we wanted an inflatable tent to as closely match that tent as possible. First things first, the tent bag is very heavy and lifting it out of the car or carrying it around is a 2 man job really. We have removed the peg and pole bags (there is a fibreglass pole to erect the porch and 2 metal poles to hold the side door open) and the pump to make it as light as possible.

On to the pitching. We bought the ground sheet so out that went, and then the tent was unrolled and the 4 corners pegged out. The pump fits to an inlet valve and inflates the whole tent from one point. Unzip the front door slightly to aid with the pitching and make sure the 4 air out valves are shut. I took it easy with the pumping but the tent was still up in under 2 minutes. This can be done solo, but it helps to have someone else inside the tent to help the arches up. The tent starts moving with the first couple of pumps, then nothing for a bit, and all of a sudden up it goes. It went up at the front first, so my wife worked back from inside pushing up each arch in turn. It takes another few minutes to add the fibreglass porch pole and peg out the sides of the porch. The bedroom pod is already in, so next the carpet was unrolled and the wife and kids could start kitting out the inside while I peg and guy the outside. If this was a Bear Lake pitch, we would still be threading poles at this stage, but instead we are looking at each other and thinking, 'wow, is that it?!'

We wanted an inflatable tent not so much for the time saving, but to be able to pitch it solo and have 1 of us free to look after the kids. The Bear Lake 6 could be pitched solo, but 2 hands made it much easier, and it still took both of us around 30-45 mins to pitch. We had to bring family along to supervise the kids. The Harrier XL is a massive success in this area. We feel this is a family sized poly cotton tent we will use for weekend breaks as it's just so easy. Once up, there are a few touches missing compared to the Bear Lake, the 4 unzippable windows with mesh being the main one, but the bulletproof PVC ground sheet being another. The new Bear Lakes have fixed tinted windows too instead of the unzippable ones, so it's not fair to fault the XL for this unless you are buying an old style Bear Lake. The hydrostatic head of the ground sheet is 10,000, the same rating as the Bear Lakes, and that carry bag could not be any heavier so the decision makes sense. Use the footprint and carpet and it should not matter.

It's hard to see how the tubes could be punctured, they are so well protected. A spare valve is also supplied in case one ever starts to leak. I wish Outwell would sell more spare valves as an option, I would buy them if they did. Any other criticisms? I wish the bedroom pods were still cotton instead of polyester, but the same applies to newer Bear Lakes too. I preferred the cosy green roof to the grey one, but it may not fade as quickly. Otherwise, being inside the Harrier XL is almost identical to the Bear Lakes, in other words, a great place to spend time. The dimensions are almost identical. The bedrooms are split into 3 pods, but they can all be unzipped into one big space if desired. The tinted windows look clear from inside but you cannot easily see in from outside.

In conclusion, this is an excellent tent and although the price is eye watering, we will use it much more than the Bear Lake, and it looks built to last and is clearly designed to be repairable, so the cost per use will be good. The valves look easy to replace, it looks like push fit plastic plumbing. The inflatable tubes can be zipped out and removed should repair be needed too. Highly recommended.

21 from 21 people found this review helpful, was it helpful to you?

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Manufacturer's Description

The Harrier XL is a four room tunnel tent, sleeping six in three bedrooms, and making full use of Outtex® Airtech fabric and Smart Air One-Go Inflation Technology. Packed with innovation and design detail, the generous canopy and side panels protect the entrance, offering useful storage space.

Type of tent: Four room tunnel tent
Sleeps people: 6
Flysheet: Outtex® Airtech (65% cotton / 35% polyester)
Inner tent: Breathable 100% pongee polyester
Rooms: 3 bedrooms, 1 living room
Tubes: Integrated inflatable frame for best performance - 0.6 to 0.8 bar / 8.7 to 11.6 psi
Poles: Duratec fibreglass 9.5/11.0 mm, 2 upright steel poles
Floor: Oxford 100% polyester, 10,000 mm hydrostatic head
Groundsheet: Sealed Ground System
Pitching way: Inflate in one
Pack size: 41 x 105 cm
Weight: 43.0 kg

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