The lounge area is expansive – this is your main living space, with a head height of over 2.15m – perfect for taller folk. The lounge measure 270 x 450cm and has two side doors to the outside, one with a neat little shelter (or ‘brow’) above it to get your shoes on without getting soaked. This also stops water dripping in when the door is open – nice! The front of the Eurohike contains a couple of large plastic windows which provide great visibility. There are also two large air vents for ventilation. In a nice design touch, the whole front section of the tent can also be rolled up for summer camping fresh air – we love this flexibility, but do miss having a covered porch area. There is also carpet available for this tent which really helps with interior comfort. a flexible doorstep that can be dropped to ground level for ease of access. This helps stop water getting in Main lounge area (320cm x 190cm) having large side and front doors, each with windows offering great visibility – Kampa use their ‘crystal clear’ tech for this and it works well.

The standard polyester 401 is smaller and lighter at 42kg, with the TC 401 weighing in at 54kg. A noticeable increase in weight from the polycotton fabric there. Each of the three bedroom areas of the tent measure 140 x 210cm, and for the rear compartment there is a really useful access hatch to the outside world. This enables an electric hookup cable to be passed through into the tent. In hot climates, this hatch can also promote airflow through the tent which is essential for remaining cool. All the bedroom pods also have mosquito/insect netting.Ventilation isn’t so much of a problem with a traditional tent, but inflatable tents have been found to be a little more restrictive.Make sure the tent has a suitable air vent to allow generous air flow through the tent, enough for the number of people it's capable of sleeping, especially if camping during the summer.

As with all the inflatable tents we’ve reviewed, the Air 600 comes with a fully sewn-in groundsheet and a 4000mm hydrostatic head waterproof flysheet. Dimensions are 465cm (L) x 385cm (width) x 210m (height) which is not the largest for a 6-person tent. However, the width at nearly 4m is substantial. The Ascension FTX is available in both 4-person and 6-person sizes, and each of these can be fabricated using either polyester material or the more expensive ‘TC’ technical cotton. The drive to recycle old plastic is an excellent initiative because it helps reduce the amount of plastic going to landfill and harming the environment for future generations. I’m not particularly “green”, but for me it’s a no-brainer to choose a product which can make a difference in this way – especially when you consider that the Antrim 600XL is made with the equivalent of 301 plastic bottles! Dimensions and Layout The Kielder range comes with all the features we recommend for tents – they have an access flap for an electric hookup cable and exceedingly good waterprooofness – the hydrostatic head is 6000mm for the main tent and 10000mm for the groundsheet. You won’t be getting wet! There are a few design points that it’s worth being aware of before you buy the Portal Alfa. The height is limited to 190cm (about 6ft2) in the front and 180cm (about 5ft 11) in the bedroom. This means that if you’re taller than this then you will be stooping a little inside. Not necessarily a massive issue, but worth pointing out. Secondly, the side windows in the lounge area are quite high up and not that large. Consequently, it can feel a little dark inside if the sun isn’t shining outside. The front windows are fine, but can be a little creased. However, for the price you are paying this is definitely not a bad compromise.The Vango comes with a decent pump as standard and there are four airbeams to pump up in total, taking around 15 minutes for full inflation if you’re being relaxed about it. Cable Entry - Neatly feed electrical cables into your tent allowing you to easily keep your camping appliances powered

The Kielder 6 air consists of three large living areas, logically laid out in an ‘arched tunnel’ format as follows: The outer covering has a 6000mm hydrostatic head which means it’s extremely waterproof and will survive a biblical deluge. The quality of the fabric and the size of the tent means that it’s a hefty weight though – 28.3kg. Could be a two-person effort to shift it if you’re not built like Sylvester Stallone.

It’s an expensive tent in all guises, but if you think about it for a minute this is not an unreasonable amount of money to spend on what is effectively your home away from home. The Ascension uses very quality materials and has an attention to detail in terms of features which is just not present on the cheaper choices we’ve looked at. Let’s talk specs for the Joro. It comes in a rather natty blue colour and is reasonably similar in design to the Coleman Weathermaster 6XL. Actually we should give a shoutout to the windows on the Joro – they are excellent. The plastic ‘glass’ needs to be seen to be believed and the Diamond Clear name they have chosen is very apt. These are up there with the best windows on the tent scene at the moment. Lounge and Sleeping Area We were unfortunately not given the Hydrostatic Head information for the 6XL, but can report that our test model was definitely waterproof and will survive a biblical deluge.

Two or more bedroom compartments – it’s our opinion that it’s both warmer and more private to have multiple sleeping quarters within a family tent than all sleeping in the same area. The lounge living space is a decent 275x 380cm (10.45 square metres) in area and is a lovely space for chilling out and relaxing. The Hayling 4 comes with all the features we recommend for tents. – it has an access flap for an electric hookup cable and exceedingly good waterprooofness – the hydrostatic head is 6000mm for the main tent and 10000mm for the groundsheet. You won’t be getting wet! The Hayling 4 air consists of three sections, logically laid out in an ‘arched tunnel’ format as follows: Berghaus have a reputation of making great, high quality outdoor gear. From clothes to climbing gear. They may not be the cheapest, but when you buy a Berghaus product, you know it will accomplish it’s purpose in life with aplomb (whatever a plomb might be!).

Preview

We’ve found over the years that if a tent is marketed for a maximum of three people, then the third person has to be on the very small side. It’s therefore typically worth adding ‘+1’ to the number of people you’re looking to accommodate. E.g. if you’re a family of three, we recommend looking for at least a four-person tent. In practice though, bigger is often better and I would not rule out a 6-person tent for a family of four, especially if you have a large car. The Vango Joro 600XL Air Tent was released in 2021 as an addition to Vango’s superb Earth Collection. This range of tents uses recycled single-use plastics which have been transformed into rugged 70 denier material for use in tent manufacture. The new fabric is called Sentinel Eco Fabric and it could really transform tent making. The bedroom area is a suspended inner cotton tent and as mentioned above, is just a single room – you really are all in this together! Personally we prefer two separate bedrooms for adults and children, but that is very much a personal choice. We had no problems with light streaming in on a sunny morning and were able to sleep well.