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Tent Reviews: Outwell Idaho XL

Tent and Awning Reviews Index  >  Outwell  >  Idaho XL Reviews

Current Model?
Berths:
Weight:
RRP on date added:
Bedroom inners:
Living area groundsheet:
Pitching Style:
Discontinued
8  (more 8 berth tents)
49.60 KG

2
Fully Sewn-in
In one
Average User Rating:
9.35/10 from 49 reviews

Viewed: 115075 times

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49 Reviews of the Idaho XL         Showing 01 to 10          Page:   1   2   3   4   5  

By: Andy CMcD  Reason: I own(ed) one  Made in: 2010   Rating: 

This tent is brilliant. We 'cram' four of us into it. It is so large that our children use a two person tent each inside the main tent and we use a four person bay with a double mattress.

The tent is waterproof and very stable in bad weather. It has loads of space to spread out if the weather is poor.

Once you have put it up first time, it subsequently takes four of us about 20 minutes.

Having an entrance hall is a boon for muddy boots etc.

Tent not made now but can be found on eBay!
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By: Sarahlohse  Reason: I own(ed) one  Made in: 2008   Rating: 

I picked up this tent pre-owned for a steal on eBay after hours of research into makes and models, and am extremely satisfied with my choice. We're just back from it's first outing with us to north Norfolk.

Forgive me if I repeat what others have already said. It's a wonderfully spacious and well-made tent, which two of us - total tent amateurs - pitched for the first time in under an hour, including pegging out all the guy lines. The Outwell pitching video on YouTube turned out to be genuinely useful and pitching was surprisingly stress-free (although getting it back into the bag afterwards turned out to be less straightforward, despite the video - I'll be paying much greater attention to the comments of the experienced reviewers here for next time).

I have a large and energetic Dalmatian, so needed a tent that could cope with an enthusiastic canine escapologist, which the Idaho did easily. I love the sewn-in groundsheet: I was worried about the effect of the dog's claws on the groundsheet, having failed to find a carpet in time, but needn't have - it's sturdily well-made and easily stood up to claws, chair and table legs with no trace of damage.

We had sunshine, rain and wind at times and stayed warm and dry throughout (despite tent carnage around our pitch after the windy night!). I was surprised by a couple of large condensation drips from the metal joining parts of the internal fibreglass poles, which happened to be on a trajectory to my nose, but nothing at all beyond that. The tent heats up very quickly and the velcro used on the vents could have done with being stronger, as the wind defeats it quite easily, but the windows and extra door allow lots of through airflow - we grew to love the sound of zipping and unzipping .

There's full head height throughout the tent, including sleeping pods, which was such a bonus - at my age it's athletic enough getting on and off an airbed without then having to crouch!

The sleeping pods would easily accommodate three air beds in each (although four in each would be a push) with room for the bad dog to survey for prime sleeping position. The dressing areas in front of the sleeping pods are huge - I stored all our equipment boxes in one and personal luggage in the other (and we're glampers who bring everything plus the proverbial sink) without any detrimental effect on the space available to move around and get ready. I also used the space for our camping loo, as the curtain provided ideal privacy. I loved the hanging rails, especially as somewhere for wet cagoules, and didn't personally have any issue with their positioning in relation to the way the bedroom doors zipped (as mentioned by a previous reviewer).

The main living area is easily generous enough for table and chairs with plenty of room to move around. The many pockets on the outside (and inside) of the sleeping pods turned out to be really useful - especially as somewhere to leave iPhones etc when charging, as the reach from where we'd positioned our EHU sockets was just right :) Oddly, the hanging loop plus cord tidy for a lamp was to one side of the living area, in front of one of the dressing areas. I used a battery powered light on this occasion which held with a magnet to the metal of the fibreglass poles above the living area, but do wonder how effectively an electrical light in that offset position would have been for late night card games, etc.

We set up kitchen in the front porch area. Rolling up the big front door turned out to be a two man job - the span of my arms just wasn't wide enough! - and the slant of the door made zipping and unzipping it into a gymnastic discipline first and last thing. However, the area was easily generous enough for kitchen unit, tall bin, washing up bucket and a large box for wellies/wet shoes, still leaving plenty of space to manoeuvre.

In summary:

Best bits:

> Huge with full head height throughout

> Plenty of storage space

> Fantastically well-made with attention to detail

Downsides:

> Slanting front door

> Weak velcro on vents

> Odd positioning of light hanging loop
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By: Tonylinds  Reason: I own(ed) one  Made in: 2010   Rating: 

This is by far the best tent I have ever owned - purchased it used a couple of years ago and we have been away half a dozen times.

Relatively easy to put up, but does require 2 of you but once it is you will be amazed by the positive comments you receive from mainly envious fellow campers.

Love the space, the height an the separation of the 2 sleeping pods.

Although an 8 berth we use it for our family of four and love it! very recommended it you can get a quality used one.
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By: PVASS  Reason: I own(ed) one  Made in: 2010   Rating: 

I don't know why this tent has been discontinued!

We have 4 teenage girls and it houses us all, and all our stuff brilliantly, the girls find all sorts of uses for the pockets - they keep all those little bits and pieces to hand.

We have camped in some wet and windy weather with no problems at all, the porch area is great for keeping all the wet footwear in and out of the main tent.

The hanging rails tend to be used for hanging damp towels on - handy.

Our table and 6 chairs fits easily into the main living area, so we can sit and eat in comfort when it's wet out.

The carpet we bought as an extra is also a godsend, stops the chair legs damaging the ground sheet and also provides that extra bit of comfort on the colder days.

The sleeping 'pods' are plenty big enough for all 4 girls to sleep in without too much arguing!

Once you've done it once,the instructions aren't great, it's very easy to put up and take down, we can even get it back into the bag without any swearing!
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By: K.farthing2  Reason: I own(ed) one  Made in: 2009   Rating: 

What a fantastic tent. Large and roomy - its nice to have a bedroom with a double bed in and still room to move around. The many storage pockets are very handy especially with two children. Have used this tent in some very heavy wind and rain with no problems. Being a big tent it can take a little getting used to when pitching as the instructions aren't particularly clear but watch the pitching video on youtube and its much easier. Can't understand why they discontinued this tent its as near perfect as I think you can get.
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By: Gillie1  Reason: I own(ed) one  Made in: 2009   Rating: 

We saw this tent at the end of last year in a go outdoors store and fell in love with it. We later found out it was discontinued and the one we saw was probably the chance to buy a new one. So we plumped for a used one and got a bargain. We are a family with 2 smallish boys and hope this tent to last several years.

It is amazingly spacious and the bedrooms are lovely to be able to walk around all side of the sleeping bags. Loads of storage pockets help to keep it tidy too. We used the hanging rails for clothes but found they did get damp - possibly due to condensation. Perhaps these are better left for hanging coats on? I loved the bucket ground sheet which helped to keep the inner tent lovely and clean and dry. We need a footprint too, although managed with 2 groundsheets for now.

Can live without the carpet as my boys are always spilling stuff! We had wind and rain when erecting and dismantling tent and during the whole of our trip. Had the odd drip in the central living area which came in on the cross-over seams but we plugged these with cling film held in place with the poles. Otherwise the tent was very sturdy and we felt safe. Overall a fantastic tent. I don't know why it was discontinued. Outwell - get your act together!
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By: Mstafford_pen  Reason: I own(ed) one  Made in: 2008   Rating: 

The versatility of this tent is amazing, you can set it up inside in so many different ways. If more people come, it is easy just to throw up a two-man tent in one of the end living spaces. If you want to separate the kids, then two 'popup' tents fit into one of the sleeping compartments.

The only fault we have found is that there are no removable partition curtains in the sleeping compartments, but that is very minor and doesn't detract from the overall comfort and enjoyment we have had with this tent in all types of weather.
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By: Sticks11  Reason: I own(ed) one  Made in: 2009   Rating: 

Bought this tent Easter 2009 primarily based on living space. Currently only myself, wife and now 3 year old daughter but with plans to extend the family we wanted a tent that wouldn't become too small in the next few years.

We think the tent is absolutely amazing. Huge amount of adaptable living space and, being 6 ft 3, I am very grateful for being able to stand upright throughout the entire living area! Large porch is excellent storage place, especially in wet weather. The tent has withstood extremely bad wind on the Welsh coast when many other campers were running for cover. Reasonable ventilation when hot but could do with a little more on the hottest summer days.

Only issues are the ventilation flaps which always rip open in strong winds - I certainly laughed at the reviewer who stitched them up in a storm as I share his/her frustration! The only other thing is, due to the sheer size of the thing, it can be a hazardous operation pitching in windy conditions! We nearly had a Wizard of Oz moment once when the tent attempted to take off when only half pegged with my wife and daughter inside it!

When the weather is calm it is a surprisingly easy tent to pitch and remove, although it is certainly a 2+ person job.

It is a shame to see the tent has been discontinued now because I would heartily recommend it and have yet to look inside another tent and see a better living space.
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By: Aldo1877  Reason: I own(ed) one  Made in: 2008   Rating: 

I've owned this tent since 2009, bought for ฃ285. This is the largest tent we have ever owned, replacing our previous Cabanon Athena frame tent. Comparatively it is much easier to pitch and strike, with the exception of getting the tent back into the bag.

We have just returned from a holiday in Italy, and the only real problem encountered was the size of the tent in relation to the pitch. We had to book a Caravan pitch due to it's size, but even this was barely large enough on the site we were on. In contrast we used a Caravan pitch in Fort William last year, which was large enough, but again we had to get the Caravan pitch due to it's size and the fact we wanted EHU.

Overall it is a superb tent, but the size can be a hindrance unless you research\have knowledge of the pitches on sites being visited
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By: Meg_Z  Reason: I own(ed) one  Made in: 2009   Rating: 

We love our Idaho XL. I'm not a lover of camping, but this tent makes it a lot more pleasant! Standing room throughout and lots of space. We've had two very wet and/or windy holidays in ours and it has stood up to the conditions amazingly well for such a big, tall tent. The porch is excellent in wet weather for keeping the main area dry and storing wellies etc. We have a one year old son and there is lots of room for him to play inside if the weather is bad.

It is a heavy, bulky tent, though we find it fairly straightforward to pitch and strike. No problems getting it in the bag either - Outwell design is very good. The poles are very heavy, but having seen fibreglass poles break, we think that's a compromise worth making.
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49 User Reviews of the Idaho XL - Showing 01 to 10          Page:   1   2   3   4   5  

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Manufacturer's Description

The manufacturer has advised that this model has been discontinued.

The Outwell Space Frame System enables the Idaho XL to offer a larger and improved living area,
together with a much wider porch that adds 5 m2 of space to the family’s living area. Carefully designed for easy holiday housekeeping, the Idaho XL has two bedrooms at either end of the tent which open into a side bay equipped with a clothes rail and organiser pockets. The bays can be curtained off to create extra privacy for dressing, and are suitable for a wide variety of living or storage purposes.
Other key features include low-light windows, a lamp holder, light cable tidies, and a cable entry point. With a sewn-in groundsheet in the main tent and a detachable bathtub groundsheet in the porch area, the Idaho XL is designed for ultimate camping comfort and convenience.

Specifications:
Flysheet: Outtexฎ 5000 with taped seams
Hydrostatic Head: 5000 mm
Floor: Double-coated polyethylene
Inner tent: Breathable polyester
Pack size: Tent: 78 x 40 x 42 cm/Poles: 23 x 78 cm
Weight: Tent: 27.8 kg / Poles: 21.8 kg
Poles: Steel poles 19/22 mm, Durawrap fibreglass 12.7 mm, 2 upright steel poles

Features:
• Detachable bathtub groundsheet for porch area
• Large panorama windows in porch area
• Mud valance on porch area
• Clothes rails
• Pre-attached and adjustable inner tents
• Organiser pockets
• Mesh pockets in the inner tents
• Lamp holder and light cable tidies
• Fully seam-sealed flysheet for maximum protection
• Reinforcement patch on all stress points
• Adjustable pegging points
• Pre-attached guy ropes
• Luminous guy ropes
• Heavy duty Outwell zips
• Outwell doormat included
• Repair kit included

... there may be more info on their website

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