Outwell Kauai Reef Tent Reviews and Details

Tent Reviews: Outwell Kauai Reef

Tent and Awning Reviews Index > Outwell > Kauai Reef Reviews

Current Model?
Berths:
Weight:
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Bedroom inners:
Living area groundsheet:
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Discontinued
6 (more 6 berth tents)
56.70 KG
Ł1,399.90
2
Bathtub
In one

Average User Rating:

9.5/10 from 6 reviews

Viewed: 37143 times

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6 Reviews of the Kauai Reef

By: Ajj401 Reason: I own(ed) one Made in: 2012 Rating: 10 from 10

This is my 3rd Outwell tent ( Montana 6 and Nevada XL previously) and my first experience of polycotton.Wow! The difference is remarkable! No more rustling noise when it's windy, definitely cooler when it's hot and sunny outside and super cosy for those chilly nights.

Pros: the steel pole construction makes it solid once its up.In fact, by pegging the four corners, inserting the middle pole as one and loosely guying the front it's up from the offset.

Ample space inside, large wndows with cotton fabric velco curtains that you can have at full height or half height for that bit of privacy or to keep out the sun. 2 equal size separate bedrooms that take a queen size airbed each or open it up for 1 really large area that will easily fit a wardrobe/storage cupboard and your portaloo.

The enclosed and attached porch for me was the game changer, no more adding on an extension for the extra kitchen area that I like, the bathtub groundsheet is okay but can pool water if it's not pegged down properly.

Cons: It's bloomin heavy! Even split between the two bags (one for tent and the other for poles) it's still a large and cumbersome thing to handle, that said, once it's up, it's up and going nowhere! With 2 people it's a breeze to pitch by building all the poles and threading them through one at a time, pin the bottom, clip the poles in place and she's up, so you can move on to the next pole. (I always start with the pole nearest the side door). I have pitched this solo quite a few times, yes, getting the 1st lift takes some oomph but it's doable, I had more problems attaching the 'leg' to the front porch pole so I could get the pin in. Half an hour to get her up and solid enough to guy out.

The only thing I wish Outwell had thought about would have been a wheeled bag like the Monty had but I've bought a sack trolley that makes moving it about more easily.

If you're lucky enough to fall on the Reef collection pre loved, they bring sunshine to the dullest of days, grab it and you'll not look back and definitely never camp with a polyester tent again! Happy camping 🏕

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By: Carry on CampersNW Reason: I own(ed) one Made in: 2012 Rating: 10 from 10

Can't fault it, it's a great spacious tent which allows you to feel as though you are outside even when you are in it because of the all round windows. Solid, quiet in the wind and rain. We got a great deal at go outdoors as it is a little pricey. It is heavy so be prepared but my husband and I manage to put it up relatively easy. Overall we love it.

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By: Apocalypsem3 Reason: I own(ed) one Made in: 2013 Rating: 9 from 10

First, I'm from United States. Here, we don't have lot of options for polycotton or cotton tents. Through web searching I was able to find Outwell. Outwell makes many different types of tents but Sun collection caught my eye. Particularly Kauai Reef. Unlike others I love the yellow color and the fact that it has an integrated porch section. I debated whether to go for Yellowstone Falls or Kauai Reef as they are both very similar in size and layout. In the end the color and wide open front door as well as cheaper price made me choose Kauai Reef.

Anyways, this tent is heavy! But I knew that before I decided to buy this tent. The weight doesn't bother me as I usually go car camping. This was my first time putting up this tent and unfortunately all by myself. Let me tell you, it wasn't easy. Added to that weather did not cooperate with me as it started to drizzle. After much struggle, I managed to erect this tent. Next time I will have my wife give me a hand. Plastic modular piece that accept fiberglass pole looks very durable.

Tent itself is very well made. I don't have any bad thing to say. I got the ground sheet that is fitted as well. I was surprised to find out groundsheet covers the main tent as well as porch area. Two bedroom pods are big enough for queen air beds in each one. I was worried about ventilation but mesh side door and front door as well as the upper part of the windows provided plenty of ventilation. 2013 model has front door that can fully unzip. This can provide wide open feeling inside, but I doubt I will have the front door fully unzipped.

The groundsheet seems durable enough but time will tell. Groundsheet for the porch is made from same material as the main tent groundsheet. It only toggles into place. I think I will just not use this groundsheet and use the porch as storage/dirty room.

Polycotton seems to make a big difference in temperature inside the tent compared to polyester tents.

I have not gone camping yet with this tent. I am in the process of weathering the tent with showers of water. I will write a follow up review after camping with Kauai Reef.

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By: Katieep Reason: I own(ed) one Made in: 2012 Rating: 9 from 10

This is first thoughts after an one night in the garden, I will post another once we have been away for a bit longer.

We put the tent up inbetween heavy rain showers and it didnt let in a drop of rain, it was windy over night too but the tent didnt shift and although we could hear the wind in the trees the tent was very quiet.

We put it up when we first got the tent in the way advised by Outwell and it was heavy and awkward to get the pins in. This time we pegged the corners first and put in the poles and erected them one at a time starting in the middle. This worked really well and was fast for such a big heavy tent.

There is plenty of space inside for a family of 4. I really like the fact that the bedrooms are equal size, plenty of space for me and hubby and our 2 girls.

The integrated porch is great but could perhaps do with being a tad bigger and when it rains water gets on the groundsheet because of the slopimg front. We may just do without the groundsheet and treat the porch as a wet room so we can keep the door open when its raining.

All in all its a great family tent especially the colour !

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By: Compostella Reason: I own(ed) one Made in: 2012 Rating: 10 from 10

Wow, what a tent. Outwell just think of everything. We knew they were good as our last tent was an Outwell but this is something else.

Okay it's a little heavy but you're glad of the strength when the weather comes in. We camped for 6 nights in the south of France and there was a storm of biblical proportions. Not a drop came in. Not a drop. No flapping noises either as it's all nice and tight.

Great options for side door or front. In a matter of minutes you can be buttoned up or fully open.

Nice and dark for that early morning sun and it was actually cool even with the French sun beating down, thanks to the ventilation.

They've put a lot of design into this tent and it shows.

Plus the colour is great, you'll not be one of the herd in this.

Went up in about an hour start to finish and it definitely needs two of you for that first lift, but once it's standing up, it's very simple.

Can't fault it at all. Even got a good deal by taking up Go Outdoors' offer to beat any price by 10%. We got this tent for Ł760 but I would have happily paid more, it's that good.

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By: M1key Reason: I own(ed) one Made in: 2012 Rating: 9 from 10

Downsized (slightly) from a Royal Atlanta 8 to this 6-berth tent for this year. Just returned from our first 6-day stay in it, and am fantastically impressed. During our stay, we were unfortunate enough to experience torrential rain and Force 10 gales - but the tent stood firm and almost completely dry. Having previously owned a polyester tent, I can't get over the difference in noise levels when there's a bit of wind. Our old Royal tent used to keep me awake at night with all the 'swishing' noise if there was any wind, especially if I had the awning up. With this however, it's quiet even with howling gales outside - no flapping whatsoever.

The downsides?

- It's bloody heavy! All the strength of those steel poles is paid for when you're carrying the bags around loading or unloading the car.

- Ours also leaked a bit around a strengthening gusset at the top-right corner of the front of the tent. Close inspection revealed a pin-hole in the poly-cotton where the stitching had gone in. A quick squirt of Nikwax and a smear of seam-sealant soon had it sorted tho, and we were bone dry for the rest of the week, despite the torrential rain.

There's two bedrooms - each supposedly sleeping three people (two in reality) - but we leave the partition between them down, and use the resulting spare space at the bottom of the bed for a clothes rail etc.

There's a generous amount of living space - much more so than there was in our Royal. The living space is very well lit by four huge windows - doing very well to combat the often quite dark feeling inside other poly-cotton tents. The living space is complemented by the separate closed 'vestibule' section in the front. This is large enough to get our camping kitchen unit it, and still have enough space to make sure the cooker is clear of the flysheet - making cooking inside relatively safe. There's also plenty of ventilation built into the front door - so fumes or cooking smell build up isn't too much of a problem either.

The front of the tent is also well served with large windows, so if you open up the inside door that separates the main living area from the vestibule - you're treated to panoramic views from the comfort of your 'living room'. This is a tent that makes being forced to sit inside by bad weather really quite tolerable.

So in all, it's heavy, a tad expensive, but a much better all-round tent than our previous choice. Very comfortable, sturdy, and we love the retro orange! Reminds me of camping when I was a kid in the 70s. :-)

9 from 9 people found this review helpful, was it helpful to you?

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Manufacturer's Description

The Collection’s flagship Kauai Reef has evolved to bring us a stunning new warm Nugget colour. The great looks are further lifted by the inclusion of our Outwell Floating Guyline System and tinted windows. And we have added our unique Outwell Wind Stabilizer and Outwell Easy Pegging Systems for enhanced stability and easy pitching. Inside, this tunnel tent sleeps six in two bedrooms that now feature the good-looking Outwell Wave-shaped Hanging Point System that reduces stress on the bedroom seams. There is a main living room with an external door and internal door panel that leads to generous front porch with a front wall that can be opened completely. Easy to pitch, either flysheet first or as one, the Kauai Reef benefits from all proven Sun Collection features that include our superb Outtex® Airtech polycotton fabric.

Recommendation: A great family tent with a warm retro-character that enjoys a firm following.

Type of tent: Three room tunnel tent
Sleeps: 6 people
Rooms: 2 bedrooms, 1 living room
Pitching way: Flysheet first or as one
Flysheet: Outtex® Airtech (65% cotton / 35% polyester)
Floor: Double-coated 100% polyethylene,
10,000 mm hydrostatic head
Inner tent: Breathable 100% pongee polyester
Pack size: Tent: 36 x 110 cm / Poles: 24 x 100 cm
Weight: Tent: 34.1 kg / Poles: 22.6 kg
Poles: Steel poles 22 mm, Duratec fibreglass 11.0/13.5 mm, 2 upright steel poles

Features:
Large porch with detachable bathtub groundsheet
Front door and groundsheet can be zipped together
Colour coordinated zip-out groundsheet
Large tinted windows with polycotton curtains
Front wall of living area can be opened completely or half or less
Additional side door
Organiser pockets
Mesh pockets in the inner tents
Lamp holder and light cable tidies
Reinforcement patch on all stress points
Adjustable pegging points
Pre-attached guylines
Heavy duty Outwell zips
Outwell doormat included

... there may be more info on their website

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