Vaude Badawi 4 Tent Reviews and Details

Tent Reviews: Vaude Badawi 4

Tent and Awning Reviews Index > Vaude > Badawi 4 Reviews

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

Yes
4 (more 4 berth tents)
35.00 KG
Ł399.00
2
Standard
In one

Average User Rating:

8.5/10 from 6 reviews

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6 Reviews of the Badawi 4

By: Bjohnson Reason: I own(ed) one Made in: 2011 Rating: 9 from 10

This is an update from my previous review as we've now owned and used the Badawi 4 for a number of trips this summer.

Firstly, the tent can now be put up pretty swiftly, taking 2 of us about 20 minutes to get the main tent up. We have the comfort footprint which makes a big difference to the tent, providing a more waterproof and warmer tent.

We have found that the quickest and simplest method of putting up and taking the tent down is to do so without the bedroom compartments fitted, it makes the main tent more manageable and the comfort footprint goes underneath everything so you need the bedroom compartments out of the way to get the footprint fitted properly.

Once the tent is up, you need to get the right angle when pegging out the front porch area and each of the bedrooms for the tent to go up right and not sag in all the wrong areas. We found pegging out the porch area first and then the bedrooms works best for us.

We found no issues with the quantity and type of pegs. We normally only peg out the porch and bedroom compartments, plus a single peg for each pair of guy ropes and a single peg for the two guys on the flysheet on the back of each bedroom compartment; so we usually have a few pegs left over.

Overall, we are really pleased with the space, performance and comfort of the Badawi 4.

If any drawbacks I'd say its the entrance area. When its raining you get a wet groundsheet every time you open the front door and if you need to cook inside the tent then the door needs to be open, again letting rain in.

Because of this we are going to invest in the Badawi Tarp, which should allow us to keep the door open and protect from any rain. It will also give us some extra space to cook outside the tent in most weathers.

Hope this is helpful to anyone thinking of buying the Badawi tent.

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By: Mbrookes Reason: I own(ed) one Made in: 2011 Rating: 9 from 10

Like other owners the first time out the bag is a bit of a shock.What goes where? don't be put off.It took 35 mins to put up the first time and all of 12 mins to take down. That was doing it by myself

Agree with previous reviewers that the pegs need changing (six pounds extra cost, the comfort groundsheet is a v good idea and whatever you do fit the top cover dome piece before you put the ten up (unless you are well over 6 foot).

Bags of space to live in but the pods for sleeping are cosy.

Thinking of buying the tarp/awning as the living space is not so well sheltered from driving rain.

Finally. Its a big footprint and by no means a small tent!

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By: Bjohnson Reason: I own(ed) one Made in: 2011 Rating: 7 from 10

Just purchased a 2011 Vaude Badawi 4 person family tent, following various positive reviews including those on this website.

The 2011 model is revised from previous versions and has a slightly neater appearance (in my view), particularly the vented 'top hat' arrangement which is now much smoother.

Vaude claim the 2011 model is easier to pitch but having not owned an earlier model I couldn't comment on this aspect.

So far we have only pitched the tent in the garden at home so have yet to give it a full 'trial'. I'll post further details after our first trip in a week or so.

First impressions are very good. Quality of the tent materials, tent bags, poles and pegs are very good. Poles are very good quality and very sturdy.

We didn't find the instructions too bad (as others on this site) but it still took 2 of us an hour to put it up for the first time. We were however being fairly cautious and trying not to force or break anything. I certainly wouldn't recommend putting this up in the dark or bad weather for the first time though, a practice run will save a lot of hassle.

Once we had got the ends of the poles in the right locating pins it went up pretty easily. The 'top hat' section is slightly revised from earlier model details but clips in place very easily. Watch out when raising the tent as the top hat pole ends are not finally connected at this point so you need to be aware of the pole ends being loose - don't poke your eye out as they are at just the right height!

Second tip - fit the top hat waterproof cover before pegging out the tent. Once you peg out the tent you wont be able to get close enough to reach and get the cover over the top of the tent and clipped in place!

Once pegged out everything seemed to fit together well and the tent is very sturdy, so should be ideal in any poor weather conditions.

The tent is very light and airy and there is bags of room in the main vestibule and bedrooms - but then we have just upgraded from a much smaller 2 man tent so this is comparative luxury!

Packing down was a straightforward reverse but another tip - when folding up the tent be aware of the short metal rods at each corner of the bedroom compartments (they are part of the pegging out straps), you need to fold the tent up in a way that ensures the metal rods are all parallel with the direction you want to roll up the tent. If you are not careful the rods could be laid in the wrong direction and may puncture the tent.

We bought the comfort floor but this hasn't yet arrived so will be able to comment further on this in due course. However straightaway we can see the points made by previous reviewers that the flysheet does sit reasonably high off the ground sheet and would let in some breeze and possibly rain. The comfort floor will remedy this completely.

Finally, weighing 13kg and folding up into a pretty compact bag the Badawi 4 is pretty compact for its size and volume and easily fits into the car.

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By: Ardgathen Reason: I own(ed) one Made in: 2009 Rating: 9 from 10

It’s a good tent this, plenty of room inside for the family and all our gear. To be honest we bought it after seeing one pitched at Glenmore, we loved the looks and the space inside and it certainly stands out when pitched.

Would agree with the previous comments that the first few goes at pitching will be confusing but when you get the hang of it 20-30 mins is about the time required to pitch.

My tips to add to the previous reviews,

• Splash out on the comfort footprint, it makes a huge difference by keeping the drafts out. Whenever you drop the tent, lift the bed pods and hook them up to where they hang from – this will make it easier to fit the footprint when the next time comes.

• Purchase the Tarp extension – it gives additional space to sit out in / cook in in bad weather, plus it keeps the rain out of the front door when the inevitable happens.

• Change the pegs, you’ll realise the benefit if this after one pitch if you don’t.

If I had one negative it would be the mesh windows, great when the weather is warm and you need to vent, but the rain just comes straight through if you leave them open – we are thinking of taking them out and replacing them with window vinyl.

So the good stuff, we have used this tent many times now and wherever we pitch it gets admiring glances and comments due to its quirky looks. What it is though is extremely stable in the wind with plenty of room inside for all your gear plus chairs and tables for the family and friends to sit round when the weather is grim. High quality construction as expected from Vaude – and an excellent customer service dept who couldn’t have been more helpful and efficient in sending out a replacement part FOC when a small part became damaged.

The Bed pods are comfortable enough but only just have room for two single SIM’s. The sloping sides mean the outer sleeper will be aware of the side of the tent but in practise has never been a real concern for us.

Stand out from the crowd – go buy one.

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

We bought the Badawi after much debate, deciding that if we needed to sleep more than 4 people in future, they could go into the main living area for short trips.

I agree with the comments in the previous review but would DEFINITELY suggest that you practise putting up the tent before leaving home. It is a large piece of kit and I wouldn't want to be messing around with it for the first time in the wind and rain.

The tent itself is great quality and, once pitched, feels very solid. You can pitch it easily in 20 minutes, or less with more practice.

The instructions, however, are less than useless.

Our tips, having pitched this a few times now, are as follows:

* Don't touch the numerous adjusters/tighteners available to you until you have the tent pitched properly.

* Put the tensioning band down first, which will outline the inner living area for the tent.

* Put in the circular poles for the 'top hat'

* Lay the flysheet over this and insert the three main poles. Put the ends of the poles into the corners of the band. The metal clips go right into the ends of the poles and the orange clips hold the inner to the floor.

* If not already attached, slip the bottom groundsheet underneath the tensioning band. Note that the main groundsheet supplied goes underneath any footprint you plan to use (see below). Clip it into position and note that it does not extend underneath the sleeping pods.

* Fix the optional footprint into position (see below)

* Peg the tent inner separately to the outer (to hold the flysheet away from the sleeping pods) and catch all footprint, pod and groundsheet loops with a single peg where you can.

And finally, if you have a COMFORT FOOTPRINT (which arrives with no instructions at all!).

* It is worth putting it into the tent properly as it makes a huge difference to overall warmth and draughts.

* It will go ON TOP of the groundsheet and the tensioning band but UNDER the sleeping pods. Note that you will probably need to remove the pods (or detach parts of them temporarily) to fix the footprint properly into position

* The velcro holes in the comfort footprint (two at the back and one on each side) are for the orange strap fasteners for the pods and are nothing to do with the tent poles!

* The footprint then hooks onto the lower edge of the tent using the preattached loops, all the way around.

* At the corners, two loops on the footprint fit to one attachment point, so you end up with a raised edge or 'skirt' all around, which keeps out the wind.

* At the front, you can choose whether to fix the footprint fully into position (when the door is closed) to keep out draughts or to lie it flat to avoid tripping over it.

Good luck!

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By: JonF1 Reason: I own(ed) one Made in: 2008 Rating: 8 from 10

I have just returned from our first trip with our new Badawi 4 man tent and what a weekend to test it. We had gale force winds and plenty of rain so here goes:

The tent was easier to put up than I expected. I had read reviews on the Badawi Long and was concerned that as I had not put the tent up fully before and I was a long way from home with two children need a place to sleep that night I was in for trouble. In the end the main part of the tent was up in about 15mins (faster than my old dome tent by far) and even with the wind it remained firmly in place. Another 15mins to peg out the bedroom wings, groundsheet and the guy ropes and we were done.

The living area of the tent is roomy and light even though the windows are mesh not clear plastic. The bedroom pods on the Badawi are smaller than expected. Once a double air bed is in the pod, there is no room for bags etc. Also the roof slopes down to almost nothing at the back so the person sleeping on the outside is very close to the fabric.

The tent withstood the wind very well (one camper that night lost their tent and left during the night). The tent was perhaps slightly more drafty than my previous tent but not to any discomfort. The groundvents around the bottom of the tent allow air in without the heavy rain.

All in all a very good tent and I am pleased with my purchase. Not the biggest tent for a four man size at the price (I got a very good deal on the tent but if I had paid full price I might be less generous)but it will not let you done when the weather turns bad.

P.S. - Tents pegs as noted on the Badawi long reviews are not as sharp as I was expecting, but we took some alternatives as they are definitely dangerous if someone trips and falls on them.

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Manufacturer's Description

Outstanding, award-winning tent design with a spacious inner area and excellent ventilation. Its one-of-a-kind, immense, pole-less inner area has a
central ventilation dome that helps maintain an ideal interior room climate.

The large mesh windows foster good lighting and efficient air circulation, a practical organiser compartment contributes to keeping family life a bit
more organised, and the footprint for the vestibule - as for all our family tents - ensures that everyone keeps their feet dry. New: with Groundvent mesh closure for all-round ventilation impervious to water spray and
mosquitos.

... there may be more info on their website

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