I think Karsten tents are well worth the money because you can get a good nights sleep, whatever the weather.
My sister spent £600 on a tent two years ago, at the same time I bought my Karsten, ours has been up twice as many times in the same time, yet the waterproofing on hers has gone already. They had a terrible night, it was raining inside the tent. Poor things, in fact every tent in our party suffered damage or water penetration that night, except the karsten. Even my mother in her motor home was getting seasick rocking with the wind. You will be pleased to know that we reproofed my sisters tent in the fine weather that followed for the rest of the holiday. But that was a day out of their holiday.
I have lost several tents to the wind but the karsten is sound and quiet, they don't flap much. It is cooler in the sun than tents made from manmade fabrics and it has a really effective ventilation system. We hang our bedding up inside to air it while we are out and about.
I spoke to a Dutch couple at Easter who were using a 10 year old karsten. It had never been repaired or serviced although karsten do do this apparently. My point being, if you replace your tent every few years the karsten is not bad value for money because if you look after them they will last.
Oh, I can get my 350 (possibly 8 person in tent manufacturer speak) up in less than half an hour on my own. Most of that time is spent sitting around watching it blow up. And again this is possible in the wind/rain because you lay it on the floor and it pushes/pops up from the ground. No fighting with wind sheets.
Please don't dismiss them on price, I think they are worth every penny. We had to save up for ours and even then bought it in two stages over two seasons, tent first then awning, awning extension and front wall. You may be surprised to hear I'm ordering the rain canopy this year. Rain, what's that?
------------- just love the freedom under canvas
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I was looking at another campers Karsten in France this year. What struck me was that
a) not enough windows,
b) no separate inners
c) not a load of space compared to our old Colorado 5
d) not very flexible in terms of doors etc.
So, a load of money for a clever idea thats not brilliantly thought out in terms of what campers actually need.
Alan
Quality second to none ,all metal fitments stainless steel, with there awnings , mega expensive and they reckon to want the van at their factory to make it a perfect fit, its just the price 2000 for a awning , you have to really get some use out them to jusitfy the price
------------- John
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Ours is the 350 3.5meter square base 250 is 2.5 meters square and so on. There is a lot of standing room inside nearly up to the walls. We have had 4 adults sleeping comfortably in the 350 and use it as a sleeping pod, Karsten sell dividers if you want privacy. We had 10 people round the table in the open awning regularly (comfort awning, awning extension and front wall). I also had the zip put in the main tent for a sleeping extension, but haven't ordered it as we just don't need more space, but that gives us an extra door out of the tent. As I said before I ordered ours in 2 goes and have had no problems with extras fitting. You can also have as many windows fitted as you would like when you order, you can even get rip off foil covers for windows and doors so you can see out when it is raining. The windows and extra zips can't be retrofitted.
I know they are expensive and a real commitment for most people but I can tell you it does do what it says on the box. English summer weather has eaten 5 of my old tents, I love it. We do use it a great deal and as far as I am concerned it is already paying for itself not just in peace of mind.
I bought my karsten 350 with pump, 3 sleeping pods, first awning, middle awning, rain canopy and sun canopy plus extra windows in the middle awning, and groundsheet for approx £3500 and have just had two holidays with 4 adults and 5 children in it. We had a table that seated 8 in the awning and also an inflatable sofa, we used the main tent as storage for our clothes and extra belongings and the sleeping pods had either 3 singles or 2 doubles in each.
We have had approx 9 holidays in this tent. The only downside of this tent is the weight but you would get that with all large canvas tents and when you have all the sleeping pods on it can be dark in the main tent but if you have one or two pods on you can get windows added to the tent i believe but for us with 6 children we would always use 3 pods so didnt. Also we tend to live in the awning.
I have had several tents in the past and this definately ticks all my personal boxes where the others let me down .
Quote: Originally posted by julesrush on 09/9/2007
I We have had approx 9 holidays in this tent. The only downside of this tent is the weight but you would get that with all large canvas tents and when you have all the sleeping pods on it can be dark in the main tent but if you have one or two pods on you can get windows added to the tent i believe but for us with 6 children we would always use 3 pods so didnt. Also we tend to live in the awning.
julesrush
Yes, my grandad had extra windows added to his tent.
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Quote: Originally posted by alan29 on 04/9/2007
I was looking at another campers Karsten in France this year. What struck me was that a) not enough windows, b) no separate inners c) not a load of space compared to our old Colorado 5 d) not very flexible in terms of doors etc.
So, a load of money for a clever idea thats not brilliantly thought out in terms of what campers actually need. Alan
hi just wanted to say you can have as many windows you want put in, you can have hanging deviders, they can be as big as you want link two together or various awnings and you can have two doors put in. i find ours very flexible you can add on alittle each year rather than buying a bigger tent. check out camping travel store they guy there will help you
------------- TTFN
Vonnie
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KARSTEN CAMPERS DO IT WITH INFLATABLES (OO ER!)
Karsten kindly sent me there brochure and price list, and a cool 5k would get me the Karsten tent setup that I would want, it does seem a lot of money for a tent, but when you start to look at the quality, you begin to understand why, the Cotton canvas is far heaviar than even Cabanon tents, as for windows, well a window does deplete the strength of a tent, so are a compramise, although Karsten will fit them for you, Karsten are also well known for there industrial tents, personally I think they are the Tent of Tents, and would love to own one, they are certainley popular with the Dutch, and you will always find at least one Karsten on a French campsite, and they always look the business.
Quote: Originally posted by jacqfrost on 23/8/2007
my grandad has a karsten. He is over the moon with it. I think he has the 300 but added a porch and rain canopy. It is fantastic, so easy to put up and very sturdy. The quality is definitely worth the money. At £1400 it is expensive, but if it keeps my grandad camping at 84 years old i'd say it's money well spent. I just wish i could afford one.
Do you think you could please, please get your Grandad and his set up on some pictures for us to see. I, for one, would love to see him.
Quote: Originally posted by Francais on 22/4/2010
Karsten kindly sent me there brochure and price list, and a cool 5k would get me the Karsten tent setup that I would want, it does seem a lot of money for a tent, but when you start to look at the quality, you begin to understand why, the Cotton canvas is far heaviar than even Cabanon tents, as for windows, well a window does deplete the strength of a tent, so are a compramise, although Karsten will fit them for you, Karsten are also well known for there industrial tents, personally I think they are the Tent of Tents, and would love to own one, they are certainley popular with the Dutch, and you will always find at least one Karsten on a French campsite, and they always look the business.
------------- TTFN
Vonnie
______________________________
KARSTEN CAMPERS DO IT WITH INFLATABLES (OO ER!)
Don't forget to leave a review of all tents you've used, for a chance to win fantastic prizes
there's secondhand ones on the karsten tent club website and a link to some dutch site that has loads on. your dream maybe closer than you think. mine was secondhand and was pristeen, you look after them well when you pay alot for them.
make your dream a reality
ttfn
vonnie
------------- TTFN
Vonnie
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KARSTEN CAMPERS DO IT WITH INFLATABLES (OO ER!)
A day of all things motorhome and campervan. The show is held both in the main indoor arena and across the grounds. Catering, hot drinks and food options are available. Easy access to the site and free parking included. Win one of five pairs of day tickets
Topic: KARSTEN TENT
