Can any Outwell Ashwood 3 owners comment on its ease of pitching? Was wondering how easy/difficult it would be for one person to pitch. Any comments gratefully received.
Cheers! :)
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I don’t have direct experience but (like you, presumably) I couldn’t find a YouTube video of one being put up. However, Google on putting up an “Outwell Magic” tent - it looks similar enough to get a good idea & you can go back to photos of the Ashwood to compare things like the poles.
The demo has 2 people and it does look a bit of a faff for one person: you’d need to go from one side of the tent to the other for threading the poles through & for pulling them into position.
Alternatively, other pole arrangements may be easier for you to put up solo. I’ve put up a big Cabanon Pyramide tent by myself, but it’s got one tall central pole that goes up after the edges have been pegged down. (It’s not available now.)
Having said all that, someone with direct experience of your preferred tent will now appear & say is a doddle for one person to put up.
Not exactly the same tent, but I've got a old Outwell Glendale 5, which is bigger and MUCH heavier as it's got big steel poles, but of much the same style. I have fought the beast on my own and won a couple of times, BUT where it has defeated me was when there was a breeze! It's got a large 'sail' area that catches the wind, so you are not just fighting the weight of the tent but the not inconsequential forces the wind applies!
I'm a big strong bloke, but I have my limits of trying to be in two places at once! I could hold the tent up against the breeze, but then at the same time needed to be elsewhere to get some guy ropes pegged down! - that was my downfall!
I've put the beast up (AND taken down!) in a near gale, and it took 6 of us to hang onto it (thankfully had plenty of friends at hand to help!), such was the effect of the wind. Once up and all pegged properly, the tent coped well with the wind.
I'd say that if strong enough, you may on occasions be able to erect on your own, but NOT if windy. AND, you have the same issue in reverse when breaking down. The basic principle is you need one person to hold tent erect whilst second person pegs out the first few guys to stabilise it.
Last year, when breaking down we witnessed a friends large tunnel tent get ripped out of his and a helpers hands, remaining pegs ripped out of ground, tent shredded in the process, and dumped in adjacent field, by a fairly modest gust of wind - don't underestimate how powerful the wind can be, and how much assistance you may need to cope with it. His tent was wrecked in every way, the fabric was torn in multiple places, and the hefty steel poles were bent beyond easy salvation!
Many thanks for the replies Fiona & Monty. The enquiry was on behalf of my sis in law, and I'll certainly advise her to get something she can cope with on her own. She'd be ok if me & the missus were there to help, but we won't always be.
All the best! :)
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Topic: Outwell Ashwood 3 Pitching
via mobile 28/2/2023 at 10:16am
