Makes me think of the Apache/ATuffy Instant Camping Tent I had for canoe camping. Like all tents a 2 person is great for one and a 4 person is great for 2.
Be aware of Quechua tents, you see them a lot around in Germany and Scandinavia but theyre not the best ones for harsh weather conditions. But if you take care with the tent they will last a long time for summer vacations, Decathlon manually tests each of their products quite excessivly. Also try not to use the straps when you pack the tent, it puts a lot of stress on the canvas and it might rip some seams and put nasty wrinkles into the canvas which then lose the water repellant at this spot after time. I love the mechanism though, thats some next level stuff! Hope you enjoy the tent
Great points! It's nicely made but doesn't feel as sturdy as my Gazelle (which also weighs three times as much). I won't be switching to the Quechua, I still prefer my Gazelle T3. However my son is likely to start using this one instead of the tent cot he has been using, so we'll eventually get to see how this does over time and in varying conditions.
@@softroadingthewest Well yes, all comes down to weight then. I have been around pure trekking tents only, so 5+ kg tents werent in my range. But with a car thats finally possible, haha. If you look for a tent thats extremly good under all conditions (a guy next to me on a campsite with 120 km/h storm used it, didnt even woke up while every other tent broke down, switched to a Marmot Grid 2P after, thats a fortress), then check out the Jack Wolfskin Gossamer. Its at about 100€, just a small tunnel so its for sleeping only. But its extremly capable. But well, its tiny :D
@8:24 min Funny you say that about picking up a Tent at Walmart for $50. I just got home from Walmart with that Tent for $50😅 It's just not the black-out Tent, but it's the same with normal interior colors
Also, I bought that Tent with the intent of starting the "overlanding" thing until I can get a roof top Tent. They're just too expensive for right now. So thank you for your input
10lbs (~4.5kg) is still pretty heavy. If Decathlon could make a lightweight version of this in their Forclaz range, it would be a great backpacking tent. Right now I would only consider this for hiking with a bike or vehicle.
I don’t think they can be lighter because of the type of mechanism involved but maybe someday, that being said there are much more people doing overlanding or car/tent camping than backpacking.
Interesting, they took the pop up hub design and made it more compact like your traditional dome tent. Nice, interested to see how it does. I don’t mind the couple extra minutes it takes me to set up a basic ground tent, and I totally understand the convenience of pop ups for older folks or people who have a harder time bending over and such. Just purchased a Kodiak VX 2 person tent myself. Keep up the good work partner! I’m addicted to your channel 👍🏻
Steventure Waaaait...are you calling me old? 😄 In my mind I’m still just a dumb kid, though it’s true sometimes my back reminds me that’s no longer the case. 😏 My main interest in this style of tent is speed & efficiency of setup/breakdown, but you make an excellent point I never even considered, that another advantage to this style of tent is that it might be physically easier for some. I don’t find it difficult to set up or break down my 20-yr-old large traditional Coleman dome tent, I just find it infuriatingly tedious and time-consuming. 😄 Thanks for watching!
softroadingthewest 🤣🤣nooo that’s not what I meant. Obviously you have that child like adventurous spirit that slowly fades for some. And yea I’ve had many Coleman tents and such, many broken poles fashioned together with duct tape, plus the extra time to guy them out properly. Which is kind of why I leaned toward the Kodiak flex bow canvas tent. I haven’t tried a pop up hub type shelter yet but I’m sure it makes setup a breeze after a long day on the trail. Great review!
@@steventure7939I’m a 66 year old solo camping woman and I agree with your comment. Nothing offensive about it, I have the Gazelle T4 for long trips ( just got back yesterday from a 3 week camping trip), I got this for spare of the moment times when I just want a night or two, several weeks in this one would kill my knees but a couple of days I think I can handle. I hope I’m right since I haven’t tried it in the field yet lol.
Je ne savais pas que Décathlon existait également aux USA! Perso, j'aime beaucoup leur produit en général, ils presentent un excellent rapport qualité/prix, et de belles innovations pour leur modèles phares. On utilise leur ancienne tente 2s. Beaucoup plus rapide à déployer, mais beaucoup plus longue à ranger et plus encombrante. Ce nouveau modèle pourrait être une bonne actualisation de notre set up! 👍
Décathlon n'est pas vraiment connu ici. Je pense qu'ils ont très peu de magasins aux US. Moi je le connaissais seulement de mes années en France en fait. J'ai l'impression qu'ils essayaient de rentrer un peu plus dans le marché ici...on verra comment ça se passe. :-)
Indeed, it will be interesting to see if they come out with a larger version. This is a little too small for my taste even for solo camping (though in my younger years I would've been pretty happy in this by myself).
I still prefer building up the old style 3 season tents that's full of mesh windows and moon roof 😁 love getting lost in the night sky while cozy in the tent. No winter's here, so I can get away with that sort of set up. Though pitching your tent in 2 seconds is absolutely amazing.
For sure, this meets a certain need, but compromises in other areas. One point I forgot to fully cover is the lack of windows you can open from inside. You have to open the inner screen, open the outer door flap, roll the door back and secure it, then get back inside and close the screen if you want to see outside while staying inside. Also, I just realized it may not have been obvious from my video, but the tent does have twin doors, there's one on each side. With both open it feels nicely airy and not overly enclosed. But for those middle-of-the-night moments when you want to take a quick peek outside, it would've been nice if there was some sort of interior-accessible window. Dang, I can't believe I forgot to cover that.
His name is Domino and he doesn't actually travel. I just filmed a few of these segments in the backyard. He immediately claimed the tent as his own. I also did a test night sleeping in the tent, in the back yard, and the cat slept with me. :-)
@@softroadingthewest That's great! I kiiinda figured he didn't go with but.. Great vid, always watching! I hope to be in the Idaho region come Oct/Nov/Dec.
I'm pretty sure you're going get this question a lot how do you compare it to the gazelle T3 if you had to pick one which one would you choose really enjoy the review and video
I won't be switching from my Gazelle T3 - I still prefer it over this Quechua. I really appreciate being able to stand up and move around, and I like having windows that can easily open from the inside.
It's pretty well ventilated...really almost too much so for cold weather camping. It's open (but mesh-covered) all along the bottom sides even with the doors closed, with permanently open vents at each end near the top. There are no windows at all. You can open one or both of the doors but there no dedicated windows.
Good review Donald! Although I rarely use a ground tent anymore, I will deploy one from time to time to reserve a campsite. I have an old school Coleman tent that takes me about 30 seconds to insert the two tent poles. I feel like it'll take me maybe 5 leisurely minutes for the full setup, but about 1 minute if I hustled.
Your sleeping quarters is the fastest of all! There was definitely something I loved about driving around with my bed already made and ready to crawl into at any time.
softroadingthewest I’ve improved it with a new mattress. I forked our the cash for a thermarest camper air duo. It’s amazing and not as tall as the luno life. I have more head room now 😃
Theoretical question. Could one attach this to a foldable wooden platform making it essentially a rooftop tent? Since it deploys and takes down so fast it could be ideal
Hmmm...interesting idea. I think the biggest issue would be that it doesn't really fold flat...it feels kinda like the skeletons of two umbrellas that are integrated into a single fabric skin. I don't think it would collapse down in a way that would work within a folded platform. You could certainly have a platform on your roof, then pitch this on top when you get to camp, but I think that would be far more complicated than its worth and create more problems than it solves...ultimately easier to simply pitch it on the ground at that point, have no ladder to deal with, and use your roof for other storage...
Yes, in addition to staking down the corners, the tent is also equipped with 4 additional tie-down points at midway up the sides at each corner, a tie-down point on each of the two doors, and two tie-down points at the peak. It comes with extra stakes and some guy lines (though I'm not sure there are enough to secure every one of those points at the same time).
Sorry but my Gazelle tent is definitely better than this one. It does up and down easily quicker than this one and doesn't require inserting poles. If any part of the Gazelle tent folds in from wind the tent still stays up. It also has more features. The only advantage I see is weight.
Don't apologize, that's a valid opinion, and I agree with you. :-) I use a Gazelle T3 myself, and I won't be switching to this Quechua, I definitely prefer the Gazelle. The main advantages I see to the Quechua is faster setup/breakdown, no rainfly to mess with, smaller package that's easier to get into smaller vehicles, the waterproof+blackout material, and the lower price. Even so, I still prefer my Gazelle.
I sure do love a good, well thought out objective review video on new gear options for the community. But the Cameo appearance of your twin took this video to the next level! Great work Donald, I might have to look into this for my emergency back up ground tent arsenal 👏🔥🔥
I bought one, have used it for 10 njghts so far moving it 3 times...... its a great tent, I'm impressed. So far 18mph winds. No big rain yet. Seems strong but I'm not holding much hope for,the zips, they seem flimsy but time will tell. I'm a seasoned camper of 40yrs and have owned many tents.
I like the fact that with a rooftop tent, you can pretty much camp anywhere you can park the vehicle. But, I also like the idea of ground camping due to keeping drag off the vehicle when driving, cost of tent, and roof clearance when on the trails. Fantastic looking tent that you showcased, thank you for sharing it!
This is a great concept for a 2-second tent. Really quick and easy to set up! But do I need a darkroom inside? I usually like to wake up with the birds in the morning, be active outside all day, and go to bed at night. When I'm awake, I only stay in the tent in bad weather to read or check my route on the map. In this tent, this is not possible without a headlamp and I want to save the battery for emergency situations.
My perfect tent - after a long bike ride the last thing you want is to spend 30 minutes melting in the sun putting a tent up. And then melting in your tent. Bought it. *edit - used it for 8 nights. Perfect tent. Survived storms easily, no rain inside. Was very comfortable @ 80+ degrees. When it hit 104, yeah, it was insanely hot inside but still much better than other tents.
I found out that when i camp with car i want to have maximum comfort so i choose bigger tent , weight doesnt matter when i have all stuff in car. When i hike i like to have as light gear as possible so this tent dont fit any of this because of weight and size when packed.
Your review brought up a really good point that I didn’t consider, I wish they somehow made the inner black detachable for a rainy day if you have to sit in your tent you don’t want to be sitting there in pitch dark. So far this is the only black out thing I’ve ever heard of. Also the only quality pop tent, most of the ones on Amazon resemble a little kid pop tent
Very interesting black liner inside, I’ve never seen that before. My Kodiak Canvas tent is so bright inside it’s almost “unsleepable”. The bag design is also nice. Some bags are so tight it’s impossible to repack your tent. The rain fly also pitching with the body works well too.
Decathlon is a French company with a well established presence around most of the world (except here in the U.S. where they're largely unknown) so I would imagine yes.
@@softroadingthewest Would you believe it mate, I went into Decathlon here yesterday and THERE IT WAS, right infront of the door, for €100... I couldn't leave it alone. I bought it straight away.. This is the tent of tents, it's perfect. Your video didn't mean to advertise it, just review it, but by damn when I saw you can fit your bed into it I wanted it immediately.. Absolutely perfect for my needs!
Would love to get ahold alof this tent for wildland fire. Quick setup and blackout for sleeping in the day when working night shift on fires but Iv been stuck with crappy coleman tent with these features
Great review. Seems that the insta tent is all the rage now. I think next we will have the opportunity to have a apartment out there with a simple pull of a string, maybe with a garage so you can cover your vehicle in the field as well... Still using my trailer, but it is interesting to see what else is out there. Thanks, George.
Haha! That would certainly make finding an adequate space even more difficult. That's a definite advantage of the trailer...when you're out dispersed camping, I have to admit, sometimes it's a struggle just to find a 6' patch of clear flat ground to pitch a tent. Or you have to fight with a prominent RU-vidr over that one bit of sand on the gravel bar, LOL. ;-)
I'm sorry, I don't know the answer to that. I don't have an 80-liter camping bag to test it with. Perhaps compare the dimensions indicated on the website with the dimensions of your camping bag?
At 56 years old, I greatly enjoy being able to walk in my tent upright, and not have to spend a lot of time on my hands and knees. Also, I enjoy the sun coming in in the morning and waking me up. This is a cool little tent, light and fast it seems. But I think my Gazelle T4 is the perfect fit for me. Fast to set up, more than enough headroom, and plenty of room for my gear if it starts to rain or snow. Thank you for doing what you do friend. :)
I agree with you on the Gazelle T4 tent. I just bought one about 3 weeks ago. I'm enjoying it a lot. I can see this tent (tent in the video) to be maybe a back packers tent?
I agree with you both. I didn't want to dive into a comparison in this video (I may do that in a future video), but I still prefer my Gazelle. I greatly value the ability to stand up and walk around inside my tent. My son on the other hand is quite interested in using this Quechua instead of the tent cot he's been using, as the setup is much faster and easier, it's easier to transport, and it's much roomier.
I think this will be THE tent for whichever child comes with me. The one time we all went together, packing the car was a nightmare, and there's no way I can pack my Gazelle + this tent + the tent cot and still get everything else we need in there. :-) So far, since getting the Gazelle, Lucie has opted to sleep with me in the Gazelle on my second cot rather than squirming around in the car. This Quechua would be a roomy, comfortable palace for her by herself, so I'm hoping she'll be open to using it and I can have my Gazelle palace to myself again, LOL.
@@softroadingthewestif you want to add to your palace (I also have the Gazelle) get the Kelty Backroads too, even though is designed to attach to a truck, you can McGiver it easily to the T4 getting you a huge vestibule that takes little space when packed. I just came back from a 3 week trip where it poured rain one time from 5 PM until 9 AM . Got inside the Kelty on my chair, reading a book until I went inside the tent to bed, next morning I made my coffee inside the Kelty, completely comfortable having both attached with tons of room for myself and my 2 medium size dogs, was able to come in and out of the tent without a drop of water or tracking mud in the tent.
As with all of your previous product reviews I truly enjoyed this one. Your side by side with yourself part was hilarious. I know the manufacturer wanted you to review it, because you always provide an honest review that we all have learned we can rely on. Thanks Donald 👏🏻👍🚙🏕🍻
Correction, walmart 4 person tents can be bought for 35 dollars. Set up is probably like 5-10 minutes, with setting up the tarp and rain fly. But this is a cool lightweight and small package tent. Nice
Great review! I will be receiving mine in a couple days. I break camp in the early morning darkness often, so a quick and easy fold up is important. I also go to bed early, so the black-out will be great as well! Cant wait to try it out!
Hello Sir, I'm wondering if you can give me some advice on this tent. Do you think it's okay for winter camping? I mean, really really cold conditions Greetings from norway
Thanks, now I have something else to buy lol! I have the gazelle t4+ for the family tent, but wanted a smaller tent for solo stuff. I had thought about getting the t3, but I think I like how much smaller this packs up and of course the blackout!
I have the Gazelle T4 too and love it, has never let me down but I got this one too to carry in my car at all times (except when I’m bringing the T4) for those times when I just want to spend a night or two in the woods with my dogs without too much fanfare, I do lots of off roading, pick a spot set the tent and enjoy the time. The T4 is for when I want to spend 2-3 weeks in the same spot, a much more planned trip.
Honestly I wouldn't. It's too well ventilated for winter use IMO. The outer shell of the tent doesn't go all the way to the ground along the two long sides, and there are vents that can't be closed at each end of the tent as well. I think it's designed to keep it cool in summer but I think it would be pretty miserable in winter.
Wonderful the darkness inside. A bit too small for me, I need 2x bigger for the motorcycle as well and stand-up inside as well. Now the perfect thick mattress and sleeping bag in the tent for a 4 season use.
I think once you have used your traditional tent enough it does not take long. I've been using the same tent for about 3 years and it only takes me about 5-10 minutes max to set up. I refuse to tear down a tent fast though. I made the mistake of tearing down a tent a bit damp with dirt and I throw it in a compression sack. Found it moldy a few days later. The tent I use now is very light and I make sure to pick it up and shake water and dirt off and out of it before packing it. I take less with the tarp/cloth for under the tent though.
I talked about that at 3:24. Two people _can_ sleep in it, but that would leave little room for gear or even just moving around, getting dressed, etc. Personally I would not want to use this tent with two people.
I really like your videos. You are biased with all things that you do. Honest about things your not sure about and willing to show how you do things so others can have ideas. I think my wife and I have watched all your videos. It has inspired us to start our own RU-vid channel. Thanks for sharing the knowledge.
Yeah, I'll be curious to see if the construction is able to be scaled up. They're gonna need something tall enough to stand up in if they want to truly compete with Gazelle. I'm not switching to this little thing...I still prefer to keep using my Gazelle T3. :-)
Ok, your twin was amazing! Thanks for the good laugh! Very interesting tent. I’m not sure I’d like the “blackout” design. Sure is cool how quick it sets up! Thanks for your honest review!
Thanks Dan! Yeah, I have mixed feelings about the blackout. On one hand, I was awake before 5am nearly every morning of my eastern Oregon trip because of that mid-June early sunrise and sure could've used an extra hour of sleep each of those nights. But most of the year, I appreciate being awoken by the dawn so I can get up and enjoy the sunrise. Colin is pretty stoked about the blackout material though. He always tries to set up his tent cot where the morning sun will hit it as absolutely late as possible, heh. It may become a struggle to get him going in the morning now though! :-)
I don't see you replacing your Gazelle, but this does look to be a really cool tent. If I'm not on my Luna, I'm strung up between a couple of trees in my hammock. Maybe one of those trailer hitch hammock stand companies will send you a hammock stand to review.
You are correct - this will not be replacing my Gazelle. It's a cool option that I think will work well for some people but I still like the Gazelle better. I don't think I could be a hammock camper, but I wouldn't mind trying for a weekend if something comes my way. :-)
Only issue I have with QUECHUA tents is that reflective silver lining on the inside of the cover peels off over time and then the light will shine right into the tent. I need to figure out something as the tent itself is in good shape. Maybe a fabric paint would work.
That's good to know. I actually ended up liking this tent so much that I've continued to use it from time to time despite also owning a much roomier Gazelle. Ultimately for me, the blackout feature was a negative...I don't like how hard it is to see in there during the day, and I actually enjoy being awakened naturally by the rising sun, so a bit more light shining in wouldn't bother me in the least. That said, I've known plenty of people though who strongly prefer complete darkness for the entire time they sleep, so I totally understand why a light leak would be bothersome for some. Thanks for watching and commenting with your experience!
Great review! As a hiker My self they are way to heavy to carry on a 20 mile plus hike. So for people like me they wouldn’t cut it. My biggest problem with these tents is that well they set up quickly and easy they don’t hold up well in heavy rain and heavy winds at least that’s my experience.
Definitely a car camping tent...too bulky and heavy to carry any real distance. I'll be curious to see how it holds up. I think my son will start using it instead of his tent cot, so we'll see how it does over a number of trips and in varying conditions.
Totally agree 💯 that this is a great option for many really looking into overlanding on a budget. If I didn't have my rooftoptent, this would have definitely been high on my consideration list. Your absolutely right with the whole breaking down portion and love the input about the rain. We got our rooftop tent for the easy access, and quick pack up and setup. The more efficient it is to pack up and or setup the more time u will have exploring. Great review!
