Quechua family 4.2xl pop up tent - have I made a mistake?!

[MissWimpyDimple]

So on returning from France last week I made a rash purchase of a pop up tent. I have always wanted one, and after the stressful time we had taking down the big tent (plus some very painful fibreglass splinters) I bought a quechua 4.2xl.

It arrived today and it's huge much bigger and heavier than I thought it would be and I'm terrified of even opening it as I just can't see how I would ever get it back in the bag!

Our other tent is an 8 man, so that's not small by any stretch but the shape of the pop up is so strange that I'm really not sure how it's going to go in the car!

Have a made a big mistake? Am I going to regret this

[FrozenAteMyDaughter]

You haven't made a mistake at all. Quechua pop ups are brilliant and that is a tent i would love to buy if i could justify another tent.

There is a knack to putting them up and taking them down and you need to watch the relevant Quechua video a few times to get it right. if you can, put it up in your garden (or someone else's) before trying it on a campsite particularly without easy access to the video. Once you have the knack, they take minutes to get up and take down. They are brilliant.

Also, if for any reason you decide the tent is not for you Quechua pop ups hold their value really well on Ebay especially as Decathlon keep discontinuing their family pop up lines.

The bags are big and if you really can't transport it I suppose that will be that (and that is worth checking before you open it obviously). We get ours in the back of a Zafira ok, but I must admit I don't know if the 4.2xl has a larger diameter.

[Ineedmorepatience]

No you havent made a mistake, if you can fit it in your car I am sure you will love it.

The most up to date version with the roof pole is a brilliant tent, it is spacious and stands upto weather very well.

We put ours flat in the boot of our Zafira and pile stuff on top of it to flatten in a little or stand it up at the side of the boot. We also have an old base seconds free standing living room tent that we use as a porch although our really old vango 2 poled universal porch fits our friends 4.2xl better

It isnt as much of a pop up as the older version and is not free standing when hooked on to the groundsheet but there is no feeding poles through sleeves and it is really quick to peg out.

Perhaps the only negative on the new version is the amount of ventilation, it is slightly over the top for a chilly night in wales but certainly no chance of condensation!!

I love mine can you tell?

[Ineedmorepatience]

Oh and meant to say, watch the video on how to fold it a few times, it is really easy once you have "The knack"

[MissWimpyDimple]

Great thanks! That's exactly what I wanted to hear! I've taken the groundsheet and little pole bag out and put them in a separate bag so it has made the whole package a little more manageable.

I have a Gelert porch brand new somewhere which I think was from an Evora 6 originally so now I'm hoping that fits too I'm also hoping that the carpet and footprint from my old tent will more or less fit so that might make it a bit cosier as I think this weekend is going to be proper chilly

Will def look at the videos. Won't have a chance to practice before as I don't have a garden and am very reluctant to open it even a little bit in my flat in case it springs open and pins me to the ceiling

[Blu]

Very wise, Miss Wimpy! Do NOT do what I did with my pop-up, admittedly not as big as the 4.2, and open it in the loft conversion spare room, to see what it is like.

It was far bigger in relation to the room than I expected, and it was as if we were consumed by a giant air bag with no space to undertake the crucial manouvres to fold it back down.

Make sure you have studied the ionline videos , and download it on to your phone or iPad or whatever to refer to 'in the field' the forst time you do it.

Alternatively, if Decathlon is within reasonable reach of you, they will demoinstrate and teach you how to do it in the shop. I have seen people who have returned, flummoxed, being shown how to do it.

They have tent folding speed challenge competitions in our branch, too!

[mausmaus]

how do they hold up when used regularly?

our quechua t4.2xl is coming to it's end after 5 years of use (2 weeks + a weekend each year) and we are looking for a similar size/layout tent that is easier to put up and down.

[MissWimpyDimple]

Well we are back from our first trip in the seconds 4.2xl and it was BRILLIANT! It was soooo easy to pitch and we were worried about taking it down but it took about 3 minutes and wasn't hard at all as long as you watch the video before

It is extremely spacious and airy and light. The living area is as big as that of my 8 man tent (I used the carpet so I know!). The bedrooms are easily big enough for 2 single air beds.

It's strange to have gone back to having a separate groundsheet and I think next time we will take an extra groundsheet as we felt a bit exposed.

I can't comment on how it would fair in heavy rain or for prolonged use but it seems to be very good quality and well made and thought out.

We put a Gelert Evora porch on the front and that fitted pretty much perfectly although the door of the 4.2 is very very wide so we had to add extra guy ropes to the sides to cover the gaps!

Best thing is that I would definitely consider one night stays in this as it really is sooooo easy and quick to pitch.

[Ineedmorepatience]

So glad you liked it misswimpy

We actually put extra groundsheets in all the areas just for extra protection.

I can vouch for mine being waterproof! We had a whole night of rain and no leaks which was great!

I need to work out a way of covering the mesh in the room Dd3 slept in, she was really cold. No condensation which is a bonus but I am only just getting her used to sleeping in a pod by herself so I dont want her to be cold.

mausmaus they have a 2 yr guarantee so if at the end of your second season if there are any probs just take it back and they will swap it!

I have exchanged 2 decathlon tents, one had a broken joint in a pole [very minor] and the other had a tiny leak!
Their returns policy is awesome

[mausmaus]

great. thanks!

[MissWimpyDimple]

I know what you mean about the ventilation. I think in the pods it's the big mesh panel on the back wall that's the problem.

We weren't too cold, but then I was in with my 7y.o so we were sleeping pretty up close and personal , again, I'm hoping that an extra groubdsheet which is a bit bigger and can go up the sides a bit (and cover the strange meshy bit by the bedrooms) will make it a bit warmer...

Still loved it though

[michael1944]

They hold up really well. We have had ours for 4 years and used it every year. We are now selling ours as we are giving up camping..too old!!