Has anyone out there been using a Khyam Colorado this summer? I've been looking at the Outwell Montana 6 but now I'm just mindboggled with conflicting advice.
Our other 'choice' had been the Khyam Colorado due to it's big inner bedroom and the great inside space.
Has anyone had any experience of this tent? Is it leaky, does it stand up to the rigours of the wind and importantly, what's the useable space like? I'm thinking of the curving walls in particular.
Have sent leaky Monty 6 back and bought Khyam Colarado from Winfields Haslingden for £175 (they have a few left). Much less than the £339 I paid for the M6
Only bought it yesterday so will be trying it out next weekend.
Tent comes in one bag and is heavy. We have removed the poles to a separate bag to make handling easier. The tent pegs you get with it weighed in at almost 5llb!!
I will let you know how we get on when we get back on Sunday.
If it is okay, I am going to try and get another front wall to leave in the middle position permanently with the door open most of the time. This way, I can put the front wall on if weather is bad and also close the door in the middle to make the room at the back smaller and easier to heat if it is cold at night. Not a wimp, just have small child to think about.
Pauline
------------- I have NEVER been lost, though I do admit to spending several hours locationally challenged
More tentage = Campus Sherpa 4 - reproofed and still going strong
In Memorandum = Vango Quest, Khyam Chatsworth, and a frame tent OH wouldn'try!!!!
I can't see it on their website but perhaps it will appear as the Monty did.
I guess you can maybe swap the tent pegs for aluminium ones to save on weight, but at that weight overall, I guess you don't really notice the odd lb here or there.
Looking forward to hearing how it goes in the Colorado.
Happy camping - and I hope the weather's better for you than it is this weekend.
We are taking our pegs from the Vango, they weigh nothing at all (well almost).
Have also managed to get second door for £10 - well done Jon at Winfields!!!
Tell you more next week. We have been out today doing reconnaissance for somewhere to stay. We also went to Daleswear Outdoors at Ingleton Yorkshire - they have a sale on.
Pauline
------------- I have NEVER been lost, though I do admit to spending several hours locationally challenged
More tentage = Campus Sherpa 4 - reproofed and still going strong
In Memorandum = Vango Quest, Khyam Chatsworth, and a frame tent OH wouldn'try!!!!
Well I just couldn't stand the suspsense any longer and have decided to go ahead and order the Colorado which arrives on Friday! (Thanks again to Jon and Louise at Winfields). And £175 as you stated.
Couldn't honestly face the hassle of trying to do a test run in the Monty and all that that might entail so after watching the Colorado video again, we've just gone for it!
Do wish you well this weekend - I've a feeling it may be a wet one!
Looking out of my window I think you're very brave indeed. It's very windy down here - and our lovely Colorado arrived today!
It weighs a ton - you were right. Going to get alternative pegs for a start! May even decant the contents of the bag to a wheeled holdall or even attach a simple trolley to the bag. Endless bodging possibilities.
Thought about going straight off to Epping Forest for a local camp but have decided to wait for a less windy first attempt with the great tunnel.
We are back and love the tent. Few minor upgrades required (but we do that with all the tents we buy). Endless bodging possibilities as you said.
You are right, one hell of a windy weekend. 29+ mph if the weather websites are to be believed but it felt like double that
Tent stood up to the test. The side poles make a massive difference, so if it is windy when you pitch, get them in as quick as possible. Actually putting it up in the wind was not as difficult as we thought it was going to be. The best way we found was to put the back pole in and stand it put, peg out the back centre two top guys and lay the pole down again with the "legs" facing forwards. Then with the tent flat on the ground, put in all the other poles and lay them on the ground facing the same way. We then went to the front of the tent and with the two front centre guys, pulled the tent up and pegged them out. This held the tent upright. We then went to the back of the tent and pegged it out moving forwards. We have sussed that the doors must be closed on erection and also it is best to "test" the ease of the zips before pegging the front guys as we had to move the poles in slightly. Also to stop the front wall being to high problem which has been mentioned on here, ensure that the front wall is not pulled forward at the bottom. The one we looked at erected, had the front strap in front of the wall. Ours was just behind it. Even if the wall is a little high, there is enough valance to stop any weather getting in. We put up the middle wall and as I thought, made the tent easier to heat but did not steal any of the usable space.
Today, it rained and we were dry as a bone with the exception of four drips which came in as a result of the side pole screw head rubbing the side. A simple adjustment sorted that out and we know to watch that in future.
The front "canopy" that the centre guys are attached to makes a little porch in the rain and stopped the top of the door getting wet which meant we did not get drenched when opening the door. Also, there is plenty of room to get in and out the door if you leave it pegged at the bottom. All the windows make it light and airy (the only downside on the Montanta is that you have to go outside to open the side windows).
All in all, the tent is a success and was easy to put up and has loads of usable space. We are definitely keeping it. Hope your maiden voyage goes as well.
Please feel free to ask about any aspect I have not mentioned.
Cheers
Pauline
------------- I have NEVER been lost, though I do admit to spending several hours locationally challenged
More tentage = Campus Sherpa 4 - reproofed and still going strong
In Memorandum = Vango Quest, Khyam Chatsworth, and a frame tent OH wouldn'try!!!!
I hope Khyam come to hear of your excellent impromptu user review.
And great to hear about the little 'porch' avoiding the soaking we get on opening the door on our 3" pop-up tent. A nice design touch. Also pleased to hear about wind worthiness and your tips for ensuring this.
Ours has been sitting in the living room, teasing us since its arrival on Friday but we thought we'd be tied to the house over the weekend so had to avoid testing it this weekend.
Down here it's been blustery but not wet over the past 2 days so it's been quite frustrating not getting out. We're planning a test run near Clacton the weekend of the 20th/22nd so I'm printing your advice out and sticking it in the back of the instruction book.
And our chums think it looks like an Anderson shelter!
Once we've been out in ours I'll post an update.
Again, thanks so much for your thoughtful addenda to the instruction book.
We first looked at the Vario which numerous tent companies do. OH liked the Sunn Camp one. I refused to consider it because I thought it looked like a POW camp!! Oh dear.
All the best to you.
Pauline
------------- I have NEVER been lost, though I do admit to spending several hours locationally challenged
More tentage = Campus Sherpa 4 - reproofed and still going strong
In Memorandum = Vango Quest, Khyam Chatsworth, and a frame tent OH wouldn'try!!!!
The Colorado's inaugural test was a truly miserable experience!
Venue was private garden area on the windy Essex coast at St. Osyth - officially the country's driest spot... Planned to erect tent on Sunday morning, leave it up for the night (rain forecast) and take it down again on Monday after it had dried (better weather forecast).
Same problem as noted by other users, the front right (looking from outside) is definitely too high off the ground. This despite taking every care to even the sleeves on the poles. However, went with it to test.
Inner tent has a fault in that the side wall had been mistakenly sewn into the bottom seam with the groundsheet at an angle. Had to unpick the top row of the groundsheet seam to get the side wall free. The side wall has been pulled and there are needle holes in it so it's not truly impermeable to small flying insects. A real pain. Thought we'd at the very least have to send back the inner tent.
Next thing, the rain came down. In sheets. Along with strong gusting wind. Because the ground was so soft, this meant that the guy pegs kept being pulled out so we had to put bricks over the pegs to keep them in. This worked but the wind was dropping in any case.
However, the rain pouring down the walls of the tent, upon reaching the seam with the valance, soaked this seam and started to drip through to the inside. This happened on every wall, all the way round, forming troughs of water in the valance, even behind the inner bedroom tent.
Other leaks came from the side door zip which I think was due to the outer flap being folded kinked in the bag. I think a bit of extra velcro might sort this out.
But it was the resulting 'moat' around the inside walls on the valance that disappointed the most. I even filmed the drops coalescing and dripping down into the valance.
Has anyone else had this problem? I'm thinking we're going to have to send back the entire thing.
Oh yes, one last thing is the tensioning elastic in one of the metal side poles gave up when we took the tent down.
Not a great start I'm afraid.
Also, when we did take it down, the rain started once more so we arrived home (after a breakdown just for good measure) with unpacked, damp tent bits. With a small house we've had to put the flysheet into the attic to dry out! Now we have to make another journey to the local park area to fold and pack it all!
Of course, in the sunshine and calm the tent looks incredible. I almost prefered it without any groundsheet or inner tent. A pretty stupendous marquee.
I am so sorry to hear of your truly miserable time with the Colorado, We did not experience anything like that with ours (all down to luck, not judgement). I think you should send it back cos it is definitely faulty (notwithstanding the lousy sewing job). It seems that quality control is a joke with these companies
It makes me angry to think that these fat cat bosses are happy to take your money without ensuring that you are getting what you are paying for! (Oh no, I'm venting again, sorry).
Pauline
------------- I have NEVER been lost, though I do admit to spending several hours locationally challenged
More tentage = Campus Sherpa 4 - reproofed and still going strong
In Memorandum = Vango Quest, Khyam Chatsworth, and a frame tent OH wouldn'try!!!!
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Topic: Khyam Colorado advice sought
Thumbs definitely downward pointing!
