I am quite new to camping and have been looking at the Kampa Croyde 6 and Hayling 6 Classic air pro 2018 models for my family of 4 (kids are aged 4 and 2 but looking to use the tent for a number of years) but am still unsure on either due to the high price tags
Can anyone talk me into or out of either of these 2 models ?
Is the polycotton fabric option worth the money ?
Thank you :)
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I'm can claim to be an expert as I'm due for my first family camp in a couple few weeks with a two darlings aged 1 and 4 though before children we did camp in a Vango Orchy 400.
I picked up the beige Croyde classic air pro in the end of season sale last year for around £900 after buying through a cashback site which was a good deal and tipped the balance to poly cotton.
be aware the tent bag is massive, around 50x50x80cm (200Lt) and weighs 45kg so that's half of a good size car boot taken up. In a smaller car like a focus, there wouldn't be space for much else.
I like the layout as we can have one little darling each side of us without any sillyness or night time prodding until they are of an age the may decide they want to share. The hayling bedrooms are 2 x 3 people rather than 3 x 2 /1 x 2 , 1 x 4 on the Croyde so it depends which works best for you.
If the little ones get on and share then two big bedrooms could work better, however I'm hoping ours will share in a couple of years then we can use two compartments for a bigger 4 berth and some storage.
I was originally looking at the Vango 500 and 800 ranges but a mid range 'Rivendale' was pretty much the same price and the end of season deal so I went with the Kampa.
The 2018 Croyde has darker bedrooms and zip up curtains which would be a bonus.
Another reason I went polycotton was for the supposed benefits of noise and condensation reduction etc. I'll have to see how that pans out, but I wanted the OH to have a good family camping experience so a quieter, less condensation tent seemed a good idea and I figured that poly cotton holds it's value quite well so I could always sell if we go crazy and decide we should get a caravan.
To get the best info, it may be worth sharing how often you expect to be camping, UK or continent and what about the Kampa appeals to you as it be be available elsewhere at similar cost.
Thank you Decto. The condensation issue is what is swaying my OH and I into the polycotton so it will be interesting to hear how your trip pans out :)
I too like the bedroom configuration in the Croyde, my 2 little ones would be really excited to share (although I'm not sure how much sleep would be had ) so we would use 1 compartment for storage. The dark bedrooms would definitely be very beneficial as would the larger living space.
This year we are planning only UK trips, several weekend jaunts and a couple of 1 week holidays. If all works out well this year we will venture further afield in the future (fingers crossed).
Unlike the two newer posters on here, we started off (6 years ago) with a very popular polyester tent from a well-respected manufacturer. It was fine, but had the odd minor seam leak and the odd case of internal dew (!). All manageable of course, if not ideal.
The main bugbear for us was the main entrance being on a sloping front, and the issues with rain getting in on access and egress, and within a short few months, we were looking at flat fronts/built-in canopies etc. It just so happened that around the same time, we were also being made aware of the existence of polycotton, so in the blink of an eye, we "upgraded" to a polycotton, non-sloping front tent... A Kampa Classic, as it happens.
The difference was all positive. Back then, Kampa's Classics were all polycotton... window covers, bedrooms etc. Not sure that is still the case?
Compared to the Vango's and Outwells at the time, our classic's (we went on to buy a second, smaller Kampa Classic, as we were so impressed with the first, very large one) were "inferior", being only 35% cotton/65% polyester, but even so, the atmosphere within was massively more comfortable than our previous polyester tent.
Certainly cooler in hot weather. Arguably warmer in colder weather. Quieter in the wind. smoother on the skin (You'll soon learn it's difficult not to stroke them when you get the chance! LOL!)
Obviously, polycotton is heavier (and a bigger pack size), even without air tubes being in the equation, but we simply trebled the size of the car, and all was well!! LOL!
Like I say, ours was "all polycotton", so if the current models have polyester bedrooms/curtains etc (Apologies... I'm out of touch with latest models, but do seem to remember this being the case 3 or 4 years ago?), your experience may not be quite as euphoric as ours was, but without a doubt, I would still say yes, polycotton is definitely worth the extra!
...For future reference, the next "step up", from Kampa's "lesser" polycotton to 100% cotton is an even bigger step up... but you won't need to look into that for a few years yet... you'll already be getting a massive head start, if starting off with polycotton! Enjoy!
Thank you so much for your comments, it looks like the polycotton is the way to go then :)
We have an estate car so I'm hoping that, along with a roof box and bike rack, will suffice. Fingers crossed !
Roll on our first trial camp in the back garden Lol :)
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Topic: Kampa Croyde 6 Classic
) so we would use 1 compartment for storage. The dark bedrooms would definitely be very beneficial as would the larger living space. 
