Kampa Saunton 5 and Pro Action River 240

[CamperJamie]

Hi Everyone,

There are two reviews here, one about my three man Pro-Action tent which is now three years old, and a review about my Kampa Saunton 5 i bought this year.

Kampa Saunton 5
Earlier in the year i reported that i had bought a new 5 man tent which is the Kampa Saunton 5 for £170 including a groundsheet and a carpet. I couldn't review it properly as i hadn't put it up, due to the weather...

However, after an unusually sunny weekend i have been able to put it up and i'm extremely pleased with it. I have only really been properly camping a few times with the scouts and the 5 man tents we used then are tiny compared to this thing! Its got over 9 square meters of living space and nearly 8 square meters of bedroom area. It is phenomenal that you can get tents this big I am amazed :O

It certainly impressed me once up, and setting it up was much the same. The instructions are basic although thats all you need plus a little common sense. I had the tent up completely (albeit looking a bit rushed and amateurish) in under an hour on my own... bearing in mind i am 16 and not that experienced i think that is quite impressive, if a tent is that easy to put up, although i did need someone to hold the tent up whilst i was putting the poles into the ringlets on the tent.

Once up and all your camping furniture is in place it looks like a little home from home really, and with three doorways one of which is an anti-trip front doorway (Power entry system) and mesh ventilation on the two side doors. The front and side doors also double as massive full length windows for loads of light (one side is only half length). There is also a massive adjustable ventilation flap at the back of the tent which is useful.

Overall i am extremely proud of my purchase. The only issue i can see is that when i start driving the tent bag when fully packed takes up the whole of my car boot :O so a roofbox needs to be in order!

Spec and Pictures:
Weathershield 4000mm Hydrostatic Head, fire retardant UV protected flysheet.
Taped seams.
Crystal clear windows.
Daylight panel.
Power Entry System (PES)
No-see-um mesh.
Inner: 190T polyester breathable.
Inner door: 190T polyester PA 300m
Groundsheet: PE 12 x 12 130g/m2 10,000mm HH
Poles: Fibreglass
Interior height: 210cm
Inner tent height: 200cm
Weight: 17.5kg
Pack size: L67cm x W30cm x H30cm



Pro-Action River 240

I bought this bargain tent as an introductory tent for my scout camps, because as a young leader you need to provide your own kit. I bought it from Argos for £25!

It is basically a high dome tent which although you cannot stand up in it, at 1.3m it isn't bad, especially for the price. Although it is sold as a four man tent, there is no way you will fit four people in a tent thats only 2.4m across and 2.1m wide... When i camp with it, there is just enough room for me and all my equipment including a chair, table, two lanterns and a single airbed.

Now when i went on my first trip with this tent over 2 years ago now i was extremely aprahensive however it was easy to set up and took me 10-15 minutes on my own in the wind and rain As you have to put the inner tent up first annoyingly there was a small amount of water in the tent before i got the outer on top, which is quite a big downfall, however the water disappeared quickly and didn't leave the tent smelling like a toilet block!

The weather on this trip was awful, it was mid february and the tent was pounded with gale force winds, heavy rain, hail and on one day a snowstorm and yet, the tent stood up better than some other peoples tent costing three times as much! My tent was the only one which stayed in place, didn't leak and kept me and my equipment warm and safe all week. Now thats what i call a bargain at £25!!! It's a shame you can't purchase this tent for £25 anymore because before my Kampa Saunton 5 this tent went everywhere with me and has been in scorching heat, freezing snowstorms and all manner of horrible weather and it hasn't ripped, broken or let me down once! I have actually grown really attached to it and the only reason now it won't get used so much is because i have bought my new tent.

Spec and Pictures:
2000mm Hydrostatic Head, and Fire retardant flysheet.
Spacious single bedroom with 5 hangers for convenience.
Outer porch for storage.
2 Air vent flaps to keep the interior at a comfortable temperature.
Easy one person setup.
High quality, lightweight components.
Inner groundsheet HH 10,000mm.
Tent size: 320x250x140cm.
Inner tent size: 210x240x130cm.
Taped Seams.
Fibreglass Poles.
Packed Size and Weight: 18x70cm ... 6.4Kg.

[CamperJamie]

By the way, can anybody tell me how to upload pictures form my computer, i tried to do it but it didn't work