Air tent - Quechua or Kampa

[SurreyisSunny]

I’m a complete camping newbie and considering my first tent in the end of season sales. This will most likely be for long weekend breaks

I definitely want an air tent. It’s just my DS (4) and I plus our dog. I therefore need something super easy to put up by myself and something I can lift and carry in and out of the car

The Quechua air tent seems good as only 15kg
i also like the look of the kampa brean 4

The only issue is both have fairly small living areas. Ones with larger living areas are around 23kg which sounds v heavy.

Any thoughts on these tents or other suggestions?

I think that's the problem with Aitents, we have a huge one and there is no way I could manage it on my own where as I used to take the DC away with our old pole tent which was fairly easy to put up and very light.

Plus they are huge and take up a lot of room in the car.

I'm no good on brands, but particularly look at reviews of how difficult they are to pack away afterwards. We've had a couple which needed a maths qualification!

Just ask to see each tent packed before you commit, even if you are comfortable with the weight. Packed air tents are much bigger than pole tents of the same pitched size. Think about this for travel and storage.

Both the Quechua Air Seconds 4.1 and Kampa Brean 4 are solid choices for quick setup and short family trips. If you’re prioritizing low weight and ease of pitching solo, the Quechua is a great option - 15kg is very manageable, and it holds up well in mixed weather. For a bit more space, consider the Vango Airbeam 400 – still fairly easy to pitch, with a better living area, though slightly heavier. Just make sure whatever you choose fits easily in your car boot!

We have a Kampa, it's great but very heavy and large when packed. I can just about manage it by myself if needed

The Kampa tent has a higher Hh (waterproof) rating, and the flat front wall is better in rain. I think it has better windows and doors, too.

How much living area you need depends on your set up, I think. Small table with a small stove that you move outside to cook, or a full range of camping furniture and gadgets…

We have never spent much time sitting inside the tent.

Not sure if the Brean comes with king poles so that you can prop the front door up to sit under, but there seems to be a separate canopy / awning that you can buy for it. King poles easily acquired.

I admit to being biased, I think the Kampa is a much better looking tent and I find the Decathlon inflatables with their external beams a bit ugly. But this is highly subjective and they are very popular tents.

We’ve got the kampa brean 4 man as a family weekend tent and we love it, it’s great. I think for 2 of you and a dog the living space would be ok. I’m not sure it’s big enough to set up a camp kitchen inside - it certainly isn’t for the 4 of us - but you can cook outside in decent weather if you’ve got a windbreak?