By: Dezzie Reason: I own(ed) one Made in: 2008 Rating: Date: 19/05/2009
We bought the Norfolk lake to replace our Gelert Utah. The first thing that strikes me about this tent is the pack size. It can be quite overwhelming to see two massive bags and wonder how to transport it along with all the other gear that us campers essentially need. Once the initial shock is over, it becomes a pleasure to open and unfold this beautiful big tent. As with all polycotton tents, its heavier than synthetic tents and the pole bag really needs 2 people to carry it (as does the main tent bag). It is very straightforward to erect. You build up the colour coded poles, slip them into where they go and then raise the tent.
It is heavy and 2 can get the tent erected, but in my opinion its a lot easier with 3 people. Once erected, you will witness the sheer quality of the tent. Nice thick canvas, strong metal alloy poles, good quality guy lines. Quality is the key word here - The lake series of tents are definitely the jewel in the crown of Outwell tents. Everything just feels well made and well designed. The zip in groundsheet is fantastic though VERY heavy. The porch area has a detachable bathtub groundsheet too. I mention porch area, but to be honest, the porch has ample living space in it for a table and 4 chairs.
I haven't had the door canopy up yet due to the time of year camping, but I imagine this will only enhance the size of the porch. We actually use this part of the tent as our living area, and its bigger than the living area of our last tent. The room area of the tent is contained within the zig and all 3 rooms are detachable, so they can be left out if a smaller party are going camping. We use all 3 in the winter months as our oldest son uses the smaller room at the front of the room area. During the summer, this room is left out to make a very large living area that has a degree of privacy for evenings, eating inside etc.
All in all this tent is in my opinion one of the best tents in the market today. The only let down for me is the main tent bag. The strap burst on our first trip away with the tent. It didnt affect the carrying of the bag, but I was a bit shocked that it snapped so easily. I would have preferred a bag with a zip rather than the very large sack that the bag is. A minor gripe though. The tent is massive, but has a nice understated stance when pitched among other units, it does stand out, but not in a garish unsightly way. The Norfolk Lake is a modern design classic and the best way to enjoy this tent is to use it.
If you are considering buying one, remember that you need to pack it away dry. So it may involve it being erected in your garden till it dries out, or laid out in your house somewhere. It does take a while to dry because of the materials.
If you see it on a campsite, don't be scared to ask for a look. It is a thing of beauty and should be appreciated by all, but then I am biased.
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By: Melissa90 Reason: I own(ed) one Made in: 2007 Rating: Date: 11/11/2008
We recently returned to camping after quite a few years and my husband wanted a 'canvas' tent as we had previously had canvas followed by a nylon tent. We spent quite a lot of time researching them, and saw this one on display and really liked the layout. We put it up for the first time in our garden (took about an hour for the two of us), we made the mistake of leaving the groundsheet zipped in and then it took two of us to lift it! We used it properly for our annual (previously caravanning) holiday in South West France and loved it. Saved us over 5 hours driving, took an hour to put up in the dark. Had loads of room for the two of us and a 12 year old - we put up the third bedroom and used it to store our bags and a portaloo for the night but still left enough living space for us and a fridge. Only slight complaint would be that we bought an outwell campbed for our daughter and it was a bit of a squash trying to fit it in the bedroom area. The front porch area we had a cupboard, table, cooker and three chairs and there was enough room to sit in there with the front up at night time enjoying a glass of wine and watching the world go by! Had rain and a thunderstorm - no leaks, just had to get up at 5.00 one morning to shut the windows - tent remains cool in the heat. We too tended to use the door at the front but didn't find it a problem. Also bought a Quecha 3 second pop up tent for the journey down rather than unpack and pack the bigger tent, that was great too! Would recommend this tent to anyone, easy to put up, although large to carry it's easy for two people.
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By: Mumshadenough Reason: I own(ed) one Made in: 2008 Rating: Date: 28/09/2008
We have just used our Norfolk Lake for the first time, and found it incredibly easy to put up.
We are used to erecting Tunnel tents so this was not a challenge. We were aware that there may have been an issue with the side poles fitting in the mesh sleeves, so we just made sure that the butons that clip the poles together were facing the tent as we slid it through. Worked a treat!
The space in the tent is fantastic, and even though we used the 3rd bedroom, we still had plenty of living space.
I love the fact that the front porch can be used for cooking, having had a tent with only a small canopy to cook under, this was luxury!
With the front door on poles as a porch canopy, with the sun shining, we had a lovely weekend lazing around in the sun.
And inside the tent you really feel like you are under canvas. The tent was cool, and darker than in the polyester tents, which definitely helped when the kids had to go to bed!
The night time was rather chilly outside, so we spent the night with a fan heater on, and we were toasty all night. It was lovely to wake up to a warm tent, with no condensation, and be able to get a cuppa without going outside.
Taking down the tent was incredibly easy, and we kept the ZIG attached to make things easier next time we set up. The bag is great, because it expands if you want to fit more in.And even though it takes 2 of us to put it in the trailer, its still no heaver than an old canvas frame tent!
This is the perfect tent for my family with the versatility to use it for a long weekend or a couple of weeks! I can see a long happy relationship with this one!
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By: BERTIE Reason: I own(ed) one Made in: 2007 Rating: Date: 04/09/2008
We love our Norfolk Lake, since owning it we have had 2 x 2 weeks in France and several weekends in the UK, so it has had quite a lot of use over varying terrain and weather conditions.
We only use the 2 bedrooms and use the area to the front of this as our 'Living Room' - we have carpet and find it to be very warm and cosy, during the hot days in France we had a fan on most days and this kept it cool and a place to get away from it all - the sides we tend not to use except for the night time toilet!
The front porch area we use as a kitchen enabling us to cook whatever the weather and whatever the time of day - it quite easily accommodates a camp kitchen with cooker, larder, table and usually 2 x coleman coolboxes.
We felt that the design regarding the sloping front door was a bit of a pain during wet/damp days to open the zip from the bottom so, we purchased a canopy for the Minnesota 6 (nearest size to it) and fixed this to the front. This now enables us to keep the front door open all day from breakfast time to bedtime allowing the air to circulate through the tent!
I have recently seen the new 2008 and model and like the idea of the tent tidies and the bedrooms zipping together!
The zig works fantastically, we have got the footprint but do find that it gets very wet, could be the condensation from being laid under the carpet and thick groundsheet, but it is certainly easier to wipe moisture of the ZIG and then clean the footprint when we get home!
The only down side we have really found is how much the fabric has faded - we bought it green it is now a very light khaki - this can be seen quite obviously from the front door when it is down as the canopy normally protects it from all weathers!
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By: Wissymo Reason: I own(ed) one Made in: 2007 Rating: Date: 31/08/2008
We have just returned from Longnor woods and it is the 3rd time we have camped in our norfolk lake.
For us this tent is perfect! With 2 adults,2 children and 1 dog we fit just fine.
We also never use the side doors as we have a carpet,and never use the 3rd bedroom as it isnt needed for the 4 of us.
The living area is lovely on an evening if it is chilly and we really do set it up to be quite homely.
Through the day we use the porch mainly as its big enough to lounge in and you get the nice outdoors feeling without wet grass on your feet or bugs running up your legs!
I don't mind the way the porch opens as we put the front up on poles instead of rolling it up and a little wipe with kitchen roll sorts out any drips.
The only thing I would change is the bag.It would be easier if it had a zip along the top rather than a opening at one end with the tent being so heavy.
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By: Bossdog Reason: I own(ed) one Made in: 2007 Rating: Date: 29/08/2008
Hi, I first saw the Norfolk lake tent at Mitchells of Wakefield. Loved it straight away but the price tag put me off, eventually I bought 1 and I can say honestly, its worth the money !. As all the reviews say, this is a top top family tent built to last,it has all the space you could ever want,very versatile, warm and dry. We too don't use the third pod in favour for extra space and we also recommend having the carpet.We have used our tent several time and experienced all weather,the Norfolk lake is equally brilliant in both sun or rain. I agree that it is very easy to pitch and it does take approx an hour. My only draw back is the amount of space it takes in the back of the car and its also heavy,(both bags) but its worth it.
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By: Ro11erba11 Reason: I own(ed) one Made in: 2007 Rating: Date: 05/08/2008
Only used the Norfolk lake twice and last week was the first time in rain, but it leaked quite badly on the front door about an area of 8' x 10' low down. We only use the front door because we have a carpet in the living area and try to keep it clean. As the front was used frequently by 8 people we experienced problems with lots of water and mud entering the front area of tent. Maybe the constant use of this door in rain didn't help with our leak problem?. If the tent had a front extension it would probably help with the front door problems and would get a higher recommendation from me. Overall we found this a very good tent, easy to erect, cosy, quiet, plenty of room and full of nice little touches.
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By: Ivys Reason: I own(ed) one Made in: 2007 Rating: Date: 02/08/2008
We love our Norfolk lake tent but don't like the front porch when it rains, any solution out there? What is the old style side canopy and where can I buy it? We are happy with everything else, went camping in wild Scotland and the tent never budged apart from water coming in through the front door when you go out.
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By: Morgaine Reason: I own(ed) one Made in: 2007 Rating: Date: 28/07/2008
I was very nervous going camping for the first time without my husband because he's always taken charge of putting up our Norfolk Lake. On my last trip I was in charge, with the help of a female friend and two 12-year-old boys. I needn't have worried - we had the tent up in under an hour.
I definitely recommend the Norfolk Lake to anybody who wants a quality tent. The tent is very well made, there are lots of little touches that make it excellent, like the curtains that neatly roll up. I wasn't too keen on the green colour initially but it has grown on me and I love the matching green carpet, it's all very nice. It's also beautifully quiet - it was very windy during our camping trip and I noticed how noisy my friend's nylon tent was, unlike the Norfolk Lake. It also rained a few times, but we've not had a dribble of moisture inside the tent yet.
We sometimes use the third bedroom and I admit it does make the living space into an awkward L-shape. But it is easy to take down and you have an excellent living area, with carpet it's just like a front room! Like the other reviewers we don't like to use the side entrances, preferring to use the front porch as the main entry, the kids have been trained to keep their shoes and boots in there and this keeps the living area mud and grass free.The back bedrooms are a good size for 2 people but would be a squeeze for three adults.
The only problem with the Norfolk Lake is the sloping front porch, and yes it can be a bit awkward getting in and out when it's raining. Outwell definitely need to look at making a front extension for this tent, then it will be 10/10 for us!
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By: Tigang Reason: I own(ed) one Made in: 2008 Rating: Date: 30/06/2008
We have just returned from a five day break in Dorset at Rowlands Wait, so thought it worthwhile to do an update to our first review of this fantastic tent.
Outwell customer service quickly addressed the missing hook problem on the front groundsheet by sending us a complete new groundsheet and telling us to keep the old one as a spare for our trouble. Outstanding! The only other slight fault we have noticed is a 'slit' of fly about three inches long where a couple of threads appear to have broken during the manufacturing process; I suppose I'm nit-picking here because it didn't leak when it rained and there are a number of other parts of the fly that appear to have an overlap of extra thread here and there, so I guess it's just part and parcel of the weaving process. But we'll keep an eye on it just in case it becomes and issue and this post is timestampted to prove we noticed the fault early in the warranty period.
We didn't experience really bad weather on this trip, but when the wind did gust all you could hear was rustling leaves from the trees and not a whisper from the tent itself; solid as a rock.
The ground was slightly sloping where we pitched and we found as a result that the large internal zip-up door that separates the living area from the front of the tent was under a lot of stress to one side. This meant that the zip could not be closed properly, but no amount of adjustment outside could correct it. The stress was highest at the point where one of the large plastic flysheet hooks latches to the pole outside, so removing that could have allowed the zip to close but would have slightly compromised the structural integrity of the 'tunnel'. It was only a minor annoyance and I'm sure we could have compensated for it if we'd spent the time trying more adjustments around other parts of the fly.
We only use the front of the tent for entry/exit because the side options open right outside the main sleeping pod, which we wanted to remain free of mud, grass and creepy-crawlies. For that reason, we concur with Veronisyellow's comment that a front canopy would be more useful to us than a side one.
In our first review we stated that pitching/striking is totally workable with pods and zig attached. The only thing I would add is that the way you take the tent down has a significant bearing on how easy it is to put up again: As per the video (available on a number of web sites) once the poles are threaded through you erect the tent one pole at a time starting at the back, guying the back before continuing. The alloy poles are so thick that they are pre-curved, so before raising them they lay on the ground (looking from back towards front) as lower case 'n's. When we took the tent down for the first time, starting at the front we let the 'arches' fall backwards as we took them down. Mistake! Because the flysheet is large and heavy (particularly with the sleeping pods and ZIG in place) it is difficult to manouvre once down, so it is easier just to square it up slightly then 'fold and roll'. Thing is, when you come to put it up again, the pole sleeves retain the curve and because we put it down with (again, looking back towards front) as lower case 'u's instead of 'n's we had a bit of a job! The moral of this story then (finally you say) is take it down front to back allowing each pole 'arch' to fall forward. Hope that made sense :-)
When you see one of these tents up it stands out a mile from those around it both in terms of quality and sheer size. It reminds me of a small aircraft hanger and the four of us were 'lost' in it at the weekend. I would say that six people (certainly two adults and four children) would find this a very comfortable 'home from home' for two weeks even if the weather was inclement, so 10 out of 10 Outwell!
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33 User Reviews of the Norfolk Lake - Showing 21 to 30 Page:
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With sleeping accommodation for up to 8 persons in its 3 + 3 inner tents across one end, plus a removable 2-berth inner, the amazing Norfolk Lake makes a truly spacious holiday home. The full zip-out groundsheet provides maximum protection from the elements, insects and floor draughts in the enclosed bedroom and living area, and helps make housekeeping a cinch. The Norfolk is easy to pitch, uses aluminium poles throughout, and remains stable in adverse conditions. Other strong selling points include the detachable groundsheet in the front living area, the large front door that doubles as a canopy, the additional half-opening entrance, and a wide range of sophisticated and carefully crafted Outwell details. Norfolk Lake is a wise choice for a large family that wants reliable quality and comfort.
Specifications: Flysheet: Outtexฎ Airtech Inner tent: Polycotton Floor: PVC Tarpaulin Pack size: Tent: 35 x 103 cm / Poles: 35 x 102 cm Weight: Tent: 34.8 kg / Poles: 32.3 kg Poles: Alloy poles #6063, 22 mm, 2 upright steel poles
Features: Detachable bathtub groundsheet for porch area Organiser pockets Full length mesh pockets in the inner tents Lamp holder and light cable tidies Reinforcement patch on all stress points Adjustable pegging points Luminous guy ropes Heavy duty Outwell zips Outwell doormat included
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Date: 19/05/2009
Date: 28/09/2008
Date: 05/08/2008
