I have recently discovered the delights of Khyam tents and the rapidex system.
I have already purchased a ridgidome xxl se tent in Burgundy that is about 6 years old. And I have just- rather on impulse because it was a bargain- bought a Khyam Harewood in green for £100. I will re-sell one of them but don't know which is the best one to keep.
I know the burgundy version has no SIG and that is an obvious difference. But is the build quality of the modern green ones- now called the Harewood- as good? The burgundy version is made of thicker material but tent technology has moved on over the years.
Has anyone any experience both of the older burgundy version and the newer green version? Any comments appreciated.
Don't forget to leave a review of all tents you've used, for a chance to win fantastic prizes
We used to have the older version - just sold it on ebay
We loved it and never found the lack of SIG to be a problem, if the groundsheet is pegged out correctly it is fine.
Have seen the Harewood but our impression was that its not as well made, the lighter material felt really thin as was the SIG so would have to have a footprint under it to protect from stones etc, the frame was also thinner and we were not sure if it would be as robust in strong winds
As you say technology moves on but we liked what we had and were not tempted by the newer version
I had the same dilemma, loved the Khyam idea and then bought a blue second hand one which is newer than the burgundy but older than the new SIG green ones. It should arrive in the next week and I'll be more than happy to pass on my opinion as I put it up in the garden to get a good look. I've not owned the burgundy one before but still, if you're interested, will tell you what I think.
Don't forget to leave a review of all tents you've used, for a chance to win fantastic prizes
I much preferred the older models of Khyam tents, as you say, they were much sturdier and seem to be made of a better quality material, the thing with Khyam is that there never really seems to be anything different about the tents that they sell in terms of new designs etc.... We used to really rate Wynnster tents for their quality and design and the first tent we had was a Wynnster but it seems that since the 2 companies became one, the quality and offer has got less and less desirable, which is a shame really....
If you can find an older model that hasn't been used much (in respect to U.V degradation) then stick with it, As they say... "they don't make 'em like they used to"
I echo what others have said. We have yet to see a polyester tent that has made us think of replacing it. Nothing currently in the tent displays we have been to even comes close in terms of quality. If you have got one look after it and it will serve you well for years.
Ours has done several long holidays in France and some bad weather in the UK and still looks brand new and draws admiring comments every time.
The only thing I'd consider in replacement is a poly cotton tent.
Don't forget to leave a review of all tents you've used, for a chance to win fantastic prizes
My second hand Khyam Ridgidome XXL turned up a couple of weeks ago and I've played with it in the garden and also taken it to 3 gale force wind nights in Norfolk. It's time to give the verdict...
Firstly, ease of pitching was excellent, I had it up by myself and I'm only a 5 foot 4 female, for that size tent it was impressively easy to put up.
The tent turned out to be one of the old models with a thick canvas type fabric and two windows. The build quality was very "Old Skool" and reminded me of my parents' canvas family tent.
I liked the fact that the thick fabric blocked out light, since I don't like to wake up with the 5am sunshine. The two windows let in enough light at other times.
The fabric also turned out to be really quiet in the strong winds, unlike my noisy flappy polyester tents.
The Khyam Ridgidome is meant to be stormproof, and indeed it was one of about two tents which didn't budge at all with the 29mph winds. I'm sure it'd be about the last tent standing if there was a hurricane. As long as it's pegged well, it should stand rigidly with its aerodynamic shape and not shirk at any amount of wind. Farewell to scary nights in a flappy creaking tent in the wind!
I noticed that it can get quite hot in sunny weather, but then you just open both doors and let the breeze cool you off.
The build quality is reassuringly sturdy and it's a well designed tent. It's already quite old, but instantly gives me the impression it will happily do another 10 years of service. I'm so pleased with it that I'm selling all but one of my fibreglass poled polyester tents, since they don't come close to the delights of the Khyam.
------------- My OH is convinced that a permanent raincloud follows my tent where ever it is pitched. Apparently, I could end all drought and famine in Africa simply by pitching my tent there!
An additional note to the above posting is a note on the tent's waterproof qualities. When the tent was in the garden in days and days of rain, I noticed that it had a few pinprick holes and a couple of the seams were leaking. I bought some cheap clear adhesive intended for rubber at Wilkinsons and brushed it onto the affected areas from the inside.
The resulting tent was 100% waterproof and also it dried out in no time at all which was surprising as the fabric is so thick.
------------- My OH is convinced that a permanent raincloud follows my tent where ever it is pitched. Apparently, I could end all drought and famine in Africa simply by pitching my tent there!
Thankyou so much for your detailed report!
I must admit that I think I'm going to keep my burgundy khyam and sell on the newer model. You have just confirmed what I was thinking!
I thought the point about the tent being much quieter in the wind was interesting. I wouldn't have thought of that.
Have you got a khyam groundsheet with yours? If yes, did you peg the mudflaps under it? And did it then keep the water out? You've certainly had good weather for testing out your tent!!
Don't forget to leave a review of all tents you've used, for a chance to win fantastic prizes
When like me you have a permanent storm cloud following your tent everywhere, you inadvertently become an expert in your tent's performance in wind and rain. A tent that's noisy in wind can give you sleepless nights and you're lying there wondering if it will hold up or not. That's not exactly what you want for your camping experience.
My tent did come with the groundsheet and I'd highly recommend having one. It keeps the bottoms of the bedroom pods clean, and when you're taking the tent down you can pack everything cleanly away inside the tent even when it's raining. I even put down a picnic rug on the main lounge area and it made it really cozy, and kept any wet footprints at bay. Once home, all I need to do is hose the groundsheet clean (and dry the tent ha ha).
I peg the excellent mud flaps outwards as far as they can go, flat to the ground with the pegs driven right in. This makes the rain fall off outwards of the tent and created a waterproof seal. You could of course peg them under the groundsheet, but personally I consider that too much hassle when I can get a pretty good seal just by pegging outwards. The only weak point with rain is the big main door which doesn't have a mudflap, so watch out with driving rain. Same with the vent covers at the ends of the tent, if you get driving rain from either end of the tent just peg the window flap flush with the wall of the tent.
As one final point I forgot to mention, the bedrooms in this old model are made of cotton which was really warm and breathable. Very pleasant to sleep in, especially in the Summer when the polyester bedrooms in more modern tents can get quite stuffy by the morning despite having large mesh vents.
Congratulations on keeping the old model; I don't have experience of the newer Khyams but I can certainly vouch for the old ones and they have a kind of nice retro look to them too!
------------- My OH is convinced that a permanent raincloud follows my tent where ever it is pitched. Apparently, I could end all drought and famine in Africa simply by pitching my tent there!
Hi,
I've got a Khyam xxl rigidome and it's great - had if for years. However I now need to replace the fly - or buy a whole second-hand tent from someone.
From the thread above I can see that there are some around. Any tips on how to find one?
thanks!
As Sunnycharlie said above, Ebay has lots of them. Keep an eye out for a fairly local one since the delivery costs by courier may get interesting due to the weight and size.
I've also seen them on the Preloved, Gumtree and Friday-Ad websites.
------------- My OH is convinced that a permanent raincloud follows my tent where ever it is pitched. Apparently, I could end all drought and famine in Africa simply by pitching my tent there!
Amazing family weekend with old steam engines, classic car displays, market stalls, and full catering and bar. And camping on site - Save £25 by booking in advance.
Topic: Khyam- new or old- which is best?
