Tent Showcase: Outwell Bear Lake 4
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Yes
4 (more 4 berth tents)
45.80 KG
£1,099.90
2
Fully Sewn-in
In one
Tent
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Average User Rating:
9.25/10 from 20 reviews
Viewed: 22282 times
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20 Reviews of the Bear Lake 4 Showing 01 to 10 Page:
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By: Andy_lion Reason: I own(ed) one Made in: 2010 Rating:  Date: 20/07/2011
Just spent a week in our new BL4, including downpours and hot sunshine. Easy to erect even first time as it's a similar design to our Vango Equinox, just bigger and heavier. Usual issues of slight leaks and misting first time in heavy rain but after second rainstorm everything tightened up and it's now dry. I really like the versatility of the doors, windows and Zig, it's so easy to tailor ventilation, privacy and weather protection whether it be warm, dry, cold or wet. I'm not sure if I would want to try it as a four person tent but for the two of us it's perfect.
Unfortunately we had one of the Chinese tea break ones with some dubious stitching quality but we have contacted the supplier and sent photo's of the faults. I'm confident that it will be replaced/repaired under warranty as I am pretty well versed in my consumer rights and very dogged when it comes to seeing things through to a satisfactory conclusion (for me)
Overall I would say don't let the odd bit of quality control put you off this tent as it is a premium product
1 from 1 people found this review helpful, was it helpful to you?  
By: Gary01 Reason: I own(ed) one Made in: 2011 Rating:  Date: 18/06/2011
First - Thanks to the guys at UKCampsite for developing this reviewing facility - without it my decision making would have been more difficult and taken much longer
We used this tent for one evening - I gave it a 10 rating as it rained heavily throughout the night with no hint of leaks whatsoever (unlike my experience with a newly released Vango Infinity Airbeam 400)
Space-wise - we thought it was great, plenty of room for a table, 4 chairs and a cupboard - we just loved it that there was not a sloping front which seriously limits your usable space
Given the aforementioned polyester tent experience, it was instantly noticeable regarding, heat/warmth levels (day and night)- this camping experience was far superior - evidenced by the lack of grumbles (especially from her indoors. Ouch! Ow! Sorry Darlin')
It was our first time pitching of a pole tent and therefore it took approx 40 minutes for 3 of us to do - but it was straightforward and this will certainly improve with experience.
Yes it certainly weighs a bit - but 2 people lifting it (if necessary) should mean no probs.
We thoroughly enjoyed our experience - and for sure, we will definitely 'carry on camping' ('scuse the pun)
Looking forward to getting out there
Cheers - Gary
Copy and paste this link into your internet address bar for a look at a brief vid I made
Http://www.Youtube.Com/watch?v=P1qAxN4NujQ
1 from 1 people found this review helpful, was it helpful to you?
By: Weetwoodjohn Reason: I own(ed) one Made in: 2010 Rating: Date: 05/10/2010
Bear Lake 4 review
Pitched 3 times with 3 weeks use in Norfolk and Scotland experiencing heavy rain and strong winds. Overall a wonderful comfortable and spacious tent. We use it as a 2 person luxury layout for stops of more than 3 days. One bedroom has the airbed and quilts the other is used for storage, dressing and the porta potti. One side of the tent for kitchen and cooking the other for sitting and the table. ALL the rest if full standing headroom for a six footer, how ace is that?
We did look at the Wolf lake 5 with the drop to floor awning and balanced that against a slightly smaller footprint and greater rigidity. In practice it has not been an issue so far as when the breeze is from the front or side of the tent we tend to use a windbreak.
Good points
The near vertical sidewalls give a greater proportion (for the overall floor area) of standing headroom than the larger Bear or Wolf lake tents, the same poles and guys set up giving top stability. It feels bullet proof.
With zipped in groundsheet and extra carpet makes a really cosy space for sitting in colder weather.
Excellent door, net and window combinations for regulating the interior environment in nearly all but very windy conditions.
No condensation, no leaks. No flapping, really quiet
Bad points
Quite heavy and takes a good time to erect fully, lots of guy lines and pegging points.
The rear top guy is attached to the main rear vent. In strong winds the guy must be used therefore keeping the vent open and the draughts coming through.
The propped vents at each side over the windows do not have a method of keeping closed, allowing draughts on a windy day.
Some Velcro pads for attaching the curtains were attached only at one end making the some curtains a slack fit.
Needs a net front door and windows (in my wish list).
Large area of unsupported tent at the front should you be unfortunate enough to get strong wind from that direction. That area is vertical making it very practical in use but could benefit from a bracing pole either side of the door or just a couple of guying points. We have not had a problem but that large vertical wall seems to be the one weaker area.
We looked at many similar tents over a 6 month period. Eventually we viewed a Yoemans Outdoor display just south of Chesterfield. The night before we arrived there were serious gales with all the staff called out to reinforce those tents that needed and take down those that could not stand. Amongst many tents on display including other top quality Outwells the Bear Lake 4 was outstanding showing absolutely no sign of strain, that was it, we paid them the money and took it away. Top!
3 from 3 people found this review helpful, was it helpful to you?
By: CampingNut Reason: I own(ed) one Made in: 2009 Rating: Date: 08/08/2010
Fabulous rock steady tent. You really can not buy better. Over the years I have used all sorts of tents and brands and have never been over the moon until now. I would be hard pressed to find anything better than this tent.
It is rather heavy but this adds to its durability. We have used this in high winds and it hardly rippled compared to other tents that were practically flattening in the wind.
The zip in butyl ground sheet is far more robust than the woven style and adds to the insulation from damp and ground cold.
The nearly upright side walls give a feeling of upright space my hubby is 6'3 and he adores this tent and so does his back! There is plenty of windows and doors with fly nets that you can use in all sorts of configurations. The bedroom area in my model can be used as one through room for four with two double airbeds although its a little snug or two separate bedrooms.
The negatives are that the front door has no fly net although this can be remedied with the addition of a velcro net and the front porch should have been made to reach the floor as when it rains even when using windbreaks the area of the porch that is left dry is greatly reduced. This can be modified too with velcro some spare canvas and window vinyl which is what I plan to do.
I have decided after great lengths of debating that adding the side porch extension is not really worth the extra money, we tend to form a corale with windbreaks around the front door.
I would recommend the purchase of footprint groundsheet which saves you from scraping the mud off the main groundsheet in the event of bad weather and the fitted carpet to add extra warmth and comfort.
3 from 3 people found this review helpful, was it helpful to you?
By: Foxystoat Reason: I own(ed) one Made in: 2010 Rating: Date: 21/07/2010
Got an ex display 2010 model from yeomans for £500 and are really impressed with it. The quality is excellent and they appear to have fixed the Tension poles as we can put them on easily. They make a huge difference to the tent and make it really sturdy. Other tents were rattling round but ours stood firm.
I watched the yeomans you tube video on how to erect it and managed it in approx 50 and 40 mins on first/second try, hoping to improve it next time.
We have the kids room which our two love and found it remarkably cool during one of the hottest weekends of the year.
Can't wait for our next trip in 2 weeks!
4 from 4 people found this review helpful, was it helpful to you?
By: Phillipared Reason: I own(ed) one Made in: 2008 Rating: Date: 04/07/2010
Just returned from France and 2 weeks in our Second hand Bearlake 4 purchased from Ebay complete with side extension and carpet.
What a fantastic tent! Was admired by our fellow campers and as we pitched and took it down 3 times during our stay it was well tested. Our last pitch was 21 minutes from opening the tent bag to putting in the last peg and unzipping the door! so easy - so well made. Easy to ventilate and keep the mosquitoes out with the various flaps, doors, screens and curtains. Our first 3 days were really windy - a real gale at night but I wasn't worried once. Its rock solid although air was obviously flowing through it as the carpet was floating about inside. We had no rain - which was a shame as I wanted to see how it would cope. Room inside for table and chairs at night when it got cooler.
The side extension was excellent for cooking in - room for our table and chairs at breakfast time or when we wanted a rest from the sun.
Useful storage spaces out side the bedroom. The bedroom itself - very large sleep area for our set up of 2 fat airecs in a single duvet cover - room to store clothes and bags and still walk round the bed. Loads of standing room throughout - no stooping over for us!
Off more locally in September for another trip in it - can't wait!
2 from 2 people found this review helpful, was it helpful to you?
By: Realbluesman Reason: I own(ed) one Made in: 2009 Rating: Date: 05/03/2010
Thanks to the comments here we invested in a Bear Lake 4 in August. We camped in tents for years and had a brilliant (if incredibly heavy & complex) Brand Frame Tent but as the kids got bigger we moved to Eurosites Tents, then Mobile Homes and when the kids left home into hotels! We decided to buy a lightweight, easy to put up tent that we could stand up in, to see if our love of camping was still there. We nearly bought a Nevada M but lots of people recommended getting a Polycotton one so we opted for the Bear lake. We had a terrible time trying to find one as everywhere seemed to have sold out but we got one eventually.
What a good decision. It took us an age to put it up in the garden to get used to it but we think this was as much down to us not having put up a tent for over a decade as to the design. We looked at the weather and booked a site in the only place that didn't threaten rain - Lincolnshire. We got everything up and in the tent in just under two hours we which didn't think was bad. The tent was great to live in with loads of room for two - I think if we had the two kids still we would have gone for the 6 instead. It is amazing how the designs have improved. We loved the carpet and the ZIG that seemed to make it very cosy. It got quite windy one of the nights but it seemed to have no effect. We love all the different window and door combinations. After reading some of the comments above we didn't go for the extension but bought the matching windbreak to give us a sheltered area at the front. My only criticism is the front canopy, as I would like the fabric to go to the floor like in the Wolf Lake (Which we couldn't find anywhere). I am toying with the idea of cutting off the porch on our old Brand and adapting this in some way to cover one side of the porch to give somewhere more sheltered to cook in.
Sorry rambling a bit but overall would recommend to anyone and have already booked for Whit to go to Chateau de Drancourt in Picardy, where we took the kids when they were young. Thanks to everyone who gave a review as you helped us to make a great choice.
3 from 3 people found this review helpful, was it helpful to you?
By: Opg1 Reason: I own(ed) one Made in: 2009 Rating: Date: 22/07/2009
I love this tent. It feels very sturdy and comfortable, splashed out and got the carpet as well to protect the ZIG as much as anything else and that just adds to its lovely feel. We all sleep better and find it very comfortable to be in. Have used a few times and generally take the ZIG out and pack down with the bed pod in. Last trip the wind was howling and ended up with friends sleeping in ours as it felt so secure.And I hate camping in the wind but it didn't move a bit.
2 from 2 people found this review helpful, was it helpful to you?
By: BlueC Reason: I own(ed) one Made in: 2009 Rating:  Date: 21/07/2009
A lowly five out of ten from me because I've had to return two of these due to the very poor quality of manufacturing and even the third one which I inspected before leaving the shop is far less than perfect and not what you'd expect or want from such an expensive tent.
Added to this, Outwell seriously hiked the prices this year (£720 for this tent in 2009) and this really isn't reflected in the quality which seems to be noticeably worse than previous year models.
That said, if the quality had been right then this tent would be worth at least 9 out of 10. It is an excellent design with bags of space for living and sleeping, very sturdy and great features like the windows and doors mesh and curtain combinations, ZIG, and sun/rain canopy. In terms of design nothing on the market compares to it other than a few dutch-made tents which is why I have persevered with it rather than taking a refund - we really want this tent, just not a faulty one!
Seriously, a great tent, but have a look at one pitched and inspect the level of finish on the inside and ask if that is what you'd expect from a £700 tent. If you get a good one then you'll be delighted but Outwell need to get a grip of their quality control.
3 from 3 people found this review helpful, was it helpful to you?
By: CharlotteW Reason: I own(ed) one Made in: 2008 Rating: Date: 27/05/2009
This is a superb tent. We have had several camping trips in it, and have been surprised at just how well it stands up to the British weather. The polycotton is great as it both keeps you warm and keeps you cool in the hot weather. We (two females) manage to pitch it without glitches now, although the horizontal poles presented a bit of a problem as we couldn't reach them! We now put the three middle poles through the net while the tent is still on the ground as the 'nipples' do catch on the netting, and need putting through carefully. The carpet is a must, and has transformed camping for us. We leave both the hanging bedroom divider and the zip in groundsheet attached when de-pitching. It's heavy, but we can manage it well together, and makes like much easier for the next time we pitch up. Happy camping!
2 from 2 people found this review helpful, was it helpful to you?
20 User Reviews of the Bear Lake 4 - Showing 01 to 10 Page:
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Manufacturer's Description
The Bear Lake 4 is a comfortable 4-berth family tent that offers a spacious living area and full standing height in the universal 2 + 2 inner tents. Strong features that customers will value include a full zipout PVC tarpaulin groundsheet, a zip-off front canopy and low-light windows. No-see-um mesh screen doors, 1 front door and 2 side doors ensure excellent all-round ventilation. Yet another example of Outwell quality and ingenuity, the Bear Lake 4 will give its occupants years of reliable service.
Specifications
Flysheet: Outtex® Airtech
Inner tent: Polycotton
Floor: PVC Tarpaulin
Pack size: Tent: 37 x 95 cm / Poles: 31 x 93 cm
Weight: Tent: 25.0 kg / Poles: 20.8 kg
Poles: Alloy poles #6063, 22 mm, 2 upright steel poles
Features:
• Zip-off front canopy
• 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
Optional Extras:
• Carpet
• Footprint
... there may be more info on their website
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