By: Simonmiles Reason: I own(ed) one Made in: 2014 Rating:
I thought I would leave this review, as there was not much information online when I bought my Esvo Orka 240 tent in 2014. I'm a scout leader and bought this tent mainly for car-based scout camps. It would also be a great option for family/weekend camping. It packs up reasonably small for a heavyweight (320gsm) canvas tent, total weight 16kg, but does require a separate pole bag, as annoyingly two of the poles are too long to fit in the main bag.
The tent is very easy to erect, about 10 minutes by one person. Having no separate fly, it can be put up quickly in the rain without the interior getting wet. This is something I really appreciate as it's often raining when setting up camp in the UK!
The quality is excellent. The canvas is particularly nice, thick and heavy but smooth and not at all stiff. There is a good solid, thick sewn-in ground sheet. Poles are simple and strong. It all fits together very well and the tent is extremely stable when erected. The supplied pegs are decent but not quite up to the standard of good after-market pegs. The guys and other parts are excellent quality and I was pleased to see you can buy spares very easily from the Esvo website.
I haven't had the tent long enough to fully assess weather resistance. However, I've had no problems at all so far and I don't anticipate any issues given the very high quality of the materials and the inherent strength and stability of the design. The canvas is pre-treated with a waterproofer and Esvo sells their own canvas cleaning and waterproof treatments.
The tent is very comfortable and spacious for 1-2 people with plenty of room for kit. The side walls make a huge difference to the internal space compared to a simple ridge tent (even a large one) as the entire footprint of the tent is fully useable. There is just enough headroom to stand at the front of the tent for people up to about 5ft 8ins. I would have liked a little more headroom but, as always, this is a trade-off with bulk, weight and cost (Esvo does make larger models if this is important to you).
The front porch is really useful and provides enough cover to leave boots etc outside protected from driving rain. There is a side screen which can be bought separately. I did buy this, but don't use it much, as it doesn't make much difference and is expensive for what it is. The porch is just large enough for one person (or two at a pinch) to sit in a chair in the shade or out of the rain. The porch isn't really big enough to provide a cooking/dining area, but I don't think it was designed with that in mind - a separate freestanding shelter or tarp would be a better option for that.
Overall, I'm very pleased with my Esvo Orka 240 tent. It gives me the space and comfort I was looking for in a 1-2 person tent for car-based camping. The standout features are the canvas quality, ease of erection, stability, spacious interior and the built-in front porch. There is an excellent range of spare parts, etc, available from the Esvo website. They also sell accessories for discontinued models, which is good to see. Apart from the optional side screen, which is expensive and not really necessary, highly recommended.
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Tents for wanderers or to be used as side-line camping. Durable and practical.
Durability
Made of durable Ten Cate Cotton. Weight 320 Grs./m² (see the specific product information blocks) Fully waterproof storm-resistant, consistence/firmness in shape/form, high light fastness luxurous breathing and ventilating characteristics and facilities
Materials The groundsheet is made of strong pvc. The storm-resistant poles are of expoxy steel
