By: Kate orr Reason: I own(ed) one Made in: 2010 Rating: Date: 17/07/2010
We were camping in Cumbria and had a terrifying experience, in the middle of the night due to high winds the metal poles of our OUTWELL OAKLAND XL buckled and bent resulting in the tent being destroyed and everything in it, we are experienced campers and were using storm pegs. Be warned, another couple had the Outwell Montana and it did the same thing and their tent was destroyed also. The tents with the flexible poles were the only ones left standing
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By: Campanula Reason: I own(ed) one Made in: 2010 Rating: Date: 10/07/2010
Pros:
-the inside space is well thought-out, so there is plenty of usable area both in the sleeping compartments and the main living area.
-Reasonably easy to pitch with 2 people, although the tunnel design means a bit more faffing about with adjustments than other types of tent.
Cons:
-the first one we got had a big hole in the groundsheet - it had been packed badly in the factory, as the end of the poles had gone through several layers.
We took it back and got a replacement, but whilst on holiday we discovered that the groundsheet on that one had a flaw in the fabric so that a section under the sleeping compartment was porous and leaked through. This is my first experience of a built in groundsheet and I'm not impressed - it seems much more flimsy than the older types of groundsheet and that's with a 'footprint' as well.
- there's not enough guyropes and pegging points, particularly at the front of the tent. We attached a few extra guys to the door loops at the top and pegs at the front door (which we didn't use), but to stop the tent from flexing massively with wind it will need several more pegging and guyrope points to be sewn in.
- as other people have mentioned, the door setup is really annoying - most people only want to use the mosquito net if they are having problems with mosquitos or whatever, but this design means you have to put it down to close the bottom of the door and have to use two zips to open or close the door all the time.
- personally I thought there were too many windows (obviously the odd one out!) - I found it awkward to open and close all the curtains (didn't open some of them because of this), and felt that they may have contributed to the tent cooling down very rapidly in the evening (although I am more used to canvas tents, so this may have been a factor).
- There's so much standing room I wouldn't be able to pitch the tent by myself if I wanted to go just with my toddler when husband can't get off work.
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By: Ang29 Reason: I own(ed) one Made in: 2010 Rating: Date: 09/07/2010
As experienced campers we were devastated when this tent blew over on our first trip out! On the first day! It is completely unusable now as the tear in the roof sustained when it blew over cannot be repaired. Our advice is not to buy this tent unless you intend to camp in good weather with no wind whatsoever. As a positive, we loved the light and the available space - it is just not stable enough to feel safe.
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By: Mags01 Reason: I own(ed) one Made in: 2010 Rating: Date: 06/07/2010
I have not been camping since I was 12!.We have now used the tent 3 times since we bought this in May.It is fantastic, bedrooms are spacious, even fit our mountain bikes in.Lounge area is really spacious, we purchased the carpet, gives extra comfort.
Takes no more than 20 mins to put up.Lots of ventilation, we haven't experienced any condensation.We also have the extension, a must in the rain!We use it to cook in at all times.The wind breaker is great for that bit of extra privacy too.
The 1st time we used the tent it rained solid for a day,NO leaks.The second time we had gale force winds, bit scary,but it withstood the battering with no problems, although the piece of the extension that goes over the top was a bit noisy, kept flapping.We have now put guy ropes on and this has eliminated this.The 3rd time beautiful hot weather.
Only negative point I will make is that the poles for the door should be provided, bit of a pain to roll up, I am only small and can't reach to tie it up.Really recommend this tent.
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By: Blackedmagic Reason: I own(ed) one Made in: 2010 Rating: Date: 30/06/2010
So far so good, my first 'big' tent and it took us a massive 40 minutes to put up, however I'm good at learning from my mistakes and reckon this will be halved next time.
Haven't used it properly yet, planning 2 weeks in France in September so we'll have to see how it stands up to the weather (which will hopefully be nice).
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By: Mike-bennett Reason: I own(ed) one Made in: 2010 Rating: Date: 29/06/2010
My wife took exception to my 4 man hike tent as a useful weekend base for camping, so with advise I bought this.
What a great tent, easy to pitch and so much room for the two of us and two German shepherd dogs, its great. We camped in a wet and windy May and stayed dry if a little cold and we camped in June and baked in the glorious sun but the tent is brilliant.
We now have the side extension, a must for cooking and wet gear plus the carpet which negates the need for shoes, a real homely feel.
As previous people have said the main door is a pain with two zips but it ok, the side extension helps because you don't get water coming in the tent but you still have the door open.
The two pods are big enough for camp beds, kit dogs etc so no complaints at all with those and the central storage rack is good for all those small bits you don't want to loose.
I would recommend the tent to most as its such a versatile space.
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By: Ezee1 Reason: I own(ed) one Made in: 2010 Rating: Date: 20/06/2010
Just an addition to my first review of this tent. We went away bank holiday weekend and suffered horrendous wind speeds up to 20mph. We were pitched head on into the wind with the flexi poles at the front and boy did they flex! We had to pull everything about 2 foot away from the front as it flexed that much. Saw another tent pitched the same and that was flapping about too. Also saw a monty 6 that didn't move an inch so those steel poles are well worth it.
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By: TheBonds7 Reason: I own(ed) one Made in: 2010 Rating: Date: 06/06/2010
Used for the first time this week. Excellent tent. Lots of room in the lounge, didn't need it on this trip as weather fantastic. But when not so good will be useful space. Bedroom pods airy and good head height. Steel poles a definite plus. Also bought the footprint, carpet and side extension which was useful. Plus purchased the extra poles for the front door. For me annoying having to spend extra for these as other tent I have are included, but maybe I am finding something to niggle about!
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By: Daveyjp Reason: I own(ed) one Made in: 2010 Rating: Date: 02/06/2010
Bought this as a replacement for our 16 year old Khyam quick erect tent which wasn't large enough for the now three of us.
First outing was during a very warm weekend in mid May and this made things so much easier. Watched the very useful video on youtube showing how to erect it and having never done this tent before it was up and fully pitched in about 45 minutes.
The front metal pole did twist in the fabric sleeve and we had to undue it and twist it back, but once done the tent was OK.
We also bought the side extension which proved invaluable as a cooking area - this took about 20 minutes to erect and fully peg out.
Carpet was a welcome addition as was the dedicated ground sheet. If you pack carefully the tent, ground sheet and carpet all roll into one bundle and it still fits inside the tent bag - very handy.
Agree about the issue of not having a zip on the bottom of the outside door, but that's a minor complaint for a tent which appears to be well thought out.
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By: Stint234 Reason: I own(ed) one Made in: 2010 Rating: Date: 18/05/2010
This was our first tent brought for our family of three. Myself being used to smaller hike tents was a bit nervous of the size but once built up and standing inside was thoroughly impressed. The build quality was brilliant and found the tent easy to put up even with a one year old at the hip.
There is plenty of space inside the tent for the odd day when you have to keep a one year old happy. The lay out of the inside pockets was a great advantage for keeping things out of arms reach which was good as well.
As per other peoples comments on the bottom of the door using velcro to close it we found the same a simple zip would have been better.
The florescent guide ropes & holders were a good accessory for night time use as well.
On the whole we found the tent fit for purpose and would recommend it to others. Who Knows we might even go and buy the extension.
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44 User Reviews of the Oakland XL - Showing 31 to 40 Page:
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With an innovative inside and out, the Oakland XL sleeps 5 people in a universal 3 + 2 inner that comes pre-attached it is made of breathable polyester, and comes with mesh pockets. The extraordinary amount of standing height is made possible by the Outwell Extended Frame System (OEF System), while the large windows fill the interior with generous amounts of daylight. With both a front and side door for easy access and ventilation, indoor comfort is maintained at all times by the fully seam-sealed Outtex 4000 flysheet and the double-coated polyethylene floor of the Outwell Sealed Ground System (OSG System). The Oakland XL pitches flysheet first or as one, and has adjustable pegging points as well as pre-attached luminous guys. Designed for multi-child families, the Oakland will delight its target group from very first glance.
Pitching way: Flysheet first or as one Flysheet: Outtex 4000 with taped seams Hydrostatic head: 4.000 mm Inner tent: Breathable polyester Groundsheet: Sealed Ground System Pack size: 34 x 80 cm
Features: •Large panorama windows •Pre-attached inner tents •Organiser pockets •Mesh pockets in the inner tents •Lamp holder and light cable tidies •Fully seam-sealed flysheet for maximum protection •Reinforcement patch on all stress points •Adjustable pegging points •Pre-attached guy ropes •Luminous guy ropes •Heavy duty Outwell zips
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