which air beam tent? Too much choice!

[getyourgeekon]

We have recently sold our campervan and want to get a tent. I think an air beam would be great but they're a big investment and I'm struggling to decide which one would be best.

Requirements are -
2 or 3 bedrooms, zip between them (two adults plus a toddler at the moment)
Dark bedrooms (v important!)
Good porch space

I'm currently looking at the Vango taiga 600 or the Outwell corvette xl

Does anyone have an opinion on either of these, or can think of any others I should consider?
The outwell is pricier and the bedrooms don't seem as dark, but the brand gets good reviews.

Thank you

I have a 2014 Vango Lumen 500 airbeam tent. Love, love, love it. It has a lovely porch, two bedrooms, great living area. I can put it up by myself, although getting it down is more tricky and I've always had help. I got mine a couple of months ago on a good package deal with footprint and carpet. There was a 6 man version as well, if you can still find it.

The Taiga has good reviews, and looks like a good tent, although I haven't seen one in the flesh yet.

I looked at Outwell, but they didn't have a tent that so exactly fitted what I wanted as the Lumen, and they were so much more expensive. For me, it wasn't worth it, but I know that they have lots of fans.

I don't have an air beam one but I've started seeing them around and from what I've seen any time advantage in putting them up is lost when it comes to taking them down.

I've got an outwell tent (poled one) and the quality is great but I have read that with air tents it's better to get one where the poles are inflated separately and I don't think outwell ones are.

Great, thank you Callmecordelia. I am leaning towards a vango so it's good to hear from someone who has one. Love the look of the Lumen's porch/outside area.

I get confused about model changes. I'm happy with something that isn't a current model but it's hard to find info on model changes year to year. Has the Lumen been replaced with something else?

We have this one, but it might be a bit big for you ( I think they do a 6-man version). It is super easy and quick to both pitch and strike. We're using it for the first time this year so I can't comment about staying in it yet over a period of time. But the short trials we've done have been fantastic - we love it and is much easier than out traditional pole tents. The porch is sold separately for around £300. www.gooutdoors.co.uk/hi-gear-airgo-nimbus-8-inflatable-tent-p286275

Thanks, Poster - I think you're right, the higher end outwells inflate in one. Do you rate your outwell?

Thanks also, everydaysa - I hadn't seen those ones before. Yes I think we're looking at 5/6 person ones.

Good to hear positive feedback about airbeam tents - they're not cheap so want to get it right.

The closest thing to the Lumen is the Solaris - www.skcamping.com/vango-solaris-500-airbeam-tent-2015-teksolarie18177.html

The pp is right. It is hard to get down. We have only just read on the pump that they can deflate as well as inflate , so I do wonder if we've been making it hard on ourselves.

I bought the footprint and the carpet. I do recommend getting at least the footprint right from the get go - it's so much easier.

I have an Outwell Harrier L. I love it. It's a genius, beautiful, wonderful thing.

Where inflatable tents are concerned, I think you really do pay for what you get so try and buy the best you can possibly afford. It's not worth taking half-measures.

I've reviewed my tent here along with musings on which inflatable to buy...

Thank you Cordelia and ViviPru, very helpful.
I've got a shortlist now, going to do some searching for package deals

My one piece of advice would be is to look very carefully at how big it is packed up. The inflatable tents are much much bigger than normal ones.

Oh and whether they have internal straps criss crossing the interior of the tent.
We adore our Outdoor Revolution tent. Worth googling. Very high, no straps.
We found it's v quick to put down so long as you are prepared to get down on the floor and roll the length of the airbeams to encourage all the air out.

The Vango ones have extra straps that clip on and off, so you can add extra support when you need it.

I had the same dilemma and ended up buying the outwell corvette xl. We've had one trip in it and it's fab. Great porch area (this was the main reason for going for the Outwell). It is huge even when down. It's actually an issue as it's much bigger in the bag than we thought. The air beams are separate in this tent and it was easy to put up. Sorry to say that it doesn't have the blackout bedrooms though.

We have a HiGear Cirrus 6. So far it has been great, two bedrooms and a living area. Easy to put up (I'm fairly sure I could do it alone) but needs a bit of folding to get it put away.

Agree with PP that it is heavy and big to store. That said, it works for us.

I've also got the HighGear Cirrus 6. Our first summer away in it is coming up so O shall report back in due course. We are doing short stop offs so didn't want a massive tent that took us ages to put up and pack away. That said, we will be ab,e to purchase an extension bit to it if we decide to stay in one place for longer next year. The high gear extension is also airbeam and will give us a huge covered in front room area.

Thank you all for your advice - we're nearly decided. Can't wait!