I have a Zempire air dome 2 pro , It's fantastic in the wind, just had a long weekend in Cervantes with high West Coast winds , lots of instant pole tents and gazebos broke from the wind but the air tent hardly moved, had quite a few people asking about it, I'm very happy with it
Air tents are a great option nowadays, many of the issues early on have been overcome and they are now reliable, roomy and easy to use tents. Dometic do a smaller version of this too if you only need it for a few people. ~ Ben
We don't have the AT6 at the moment, Jared, that decision is in the hands of our purchasing team at the moment. We'll be sure to put a video together if/when it becomes part of our range. ~ Ben
Fantastic review as always, watched a lot of these over the last few months...you are quite the celebrity in the tent world Ben :). In the market for a new family tent, and caught between this and the Zempire Evo TL V2. Spending $1500-1800 on a tent is a nerve-racking decision which I have pondered for the entire winter, do you have any thoughts? I am thinking the little extra for the Dometic may be worth it, as its more of a canvas material (which I believe is better) and I assume it doesn't require an additional roof cover like you do with Zempire (which essentially makes them the same price if that is factored in).
@paulsmith5561 Bens on leave so I'll jump in here with some thoughts! The Santorini looks amazing. They're a relatively new tent though so we don't have the benefit of feedback from a large base of campers who own them, or any long term feedback. At this point thats where Zempire has the advantage, but everything was new at one point, right? The Santorini is more of a traditional cabin style tent, where as the Zempire Evo range is abit more modern. Whilst both air tents, the tunnel shape of the Evo might have the advantage for coastal camping and super windy spots, especially if oriented correctly. Dometic havent provided a waterhead rating, as apparently the style of canvas can't undergo the official waterhead testing process, but it is fully seam sealed and they are stated waterproof. Zempire tents do not require a roof cover. The tent itself has a 6000mm water head rating on its own. The roof cover is merely an optional accessory for those who may want overhead protection from things like bird poop, tree sap, or leaves, etc. Ideally the roof cover is better suited for campers who may be set up long term for a week or more, which is very common in the UK and EU for summer camping - historically, this was the primary market for Zempire tents, so the accessory range is well suited to this. We cant really give you a clear indication on which is better at this stage, but hope that extra info helps in some way! ~ Lauren
Nice tent , although I have history with my CRUA CORE tent and its also a freestanding air-beam tent, which is extremely waterproof and you can add extra 2 man or 3 man tents to 3 sides of its 4 sides, pretty niffty. But it does weight 20kg !! LOL . Oh yes you drive a Nissan Y61, seen in the background of the video , good man. Cheers and always love your very informative reviews.
Great summary though I'm concerned about the black floor. I've had a Darche AV6 for several years. The Dometic holds it's own and then some BUT the Darche has a very tough floor. The Dometic floor reminds me of the cheapo really light weight tarps. How do you think the floors compare?
The floor in the Santorini is the same floor that has been used on tents for the last 20 or more years. Polyethylene floor has been the leading option for a reason. I have a 30 year old canvas tent with that style thats still being used, as an example. Obviously its not going to look or feel as solid as the PVC or PU coated tent floors, on some modern tents but its still the flooring used in loads of high quality tents. Hope that helps ~ Lauren
2:10 you mention when the fabric is seasoned the seams are waterproof, does that mean the tent needs to be seasoned after purchasing or is that done during manufacturing?
Theoretically yes, provided you had a suitable fitting, but it's not recommended. If you happen to over inflate the bladders then you can cause a fair bit of damage. ~ Ben
It's really a case of same-same but different, Zempire probably have a longer history in air tents and have a larger offering and maintain high quality craftsmanship, but Dometic don't cut corners when it comes to quality either. I's suggest purchasing based on either price, or any specific features that take your fancy. ~ Ben
@@SnowysOutdoors Thanks Ben. Seems daft? Side awning ability (waterproof and mesh option) would mean that you could just take this tent on a trip and not require a secondary mesh tent or gazebo for kitchen / dining. Oztent AT6 also doesn't appear to have side panels for the awning. It appears everyone's design teams are just copying each other; bizarre!?
Storage in the Oztent looks great. Amazed though that the awning cannot be enclosed? We need a new maverick tent brand to launch and shake things up. I honestly thought that Oztent would... Rant over; I love tents!!
Can other manufacturers side walls be applied? I've just bought this tent, think it's amazing, but now looking at a gazebo for dining :( @@SnowysOutdoors
I dont understand at all how they think 2000 bucks is a price that is going to make them succesful. I love the inflateable airbeam idea but the poeple making them are asking way too much! If they would price them so anyone can buy one they would be a better seller snf the first company that goes with this concept of a price point that is affordable they will be take over the market. Great review of the tent!
High end inflatable or canvas family touring tents are on average between the $1000-2000 mark. Tents in this range will last you 20yrs +, and usually walk themselves out the door. ~ Lauren
