Outdoor Revolution Scenic 5.0i

(Sleeping Capacity 5 persons)

 The Tent

I was looking for a new tent around the £150 - £180 mark with the following mandatory criteria :- Sleeps 4, Standing headroom throughout, Easy to erect, Pitches all in one, Steel Poles, Large bedroom and some sort of porch area (large enough for two people to sit under)  but I honestly didn’t think such a beasty existed in my limited price range. How wrong was I? (well always according to the wife!).

I’d be the first to advocate that a tent should be seen erected before you buy but as my wife always says “You don’t listen to anyone” I didn’t even listen to my own advice and jumped straight in and bought one!. Was I disappointed?, no way, I couldn’t believe the quality, innovative design and good looks of this tent and all for £150!

The Scenic 5.0i was a new tent design for 2006, and Outdoor Revolutions top selling model. This deceptively large five man family tent has a  3000mm Hydrostatic Head. It also comes with pre-bent steel poles for maximum head room and breathable polyester inner. The entire inner area of the tent has a sewn in groundsheet. It is extremely easy to erect with only a 3 pole design. Erects fly sheet first or all as one. All poles are colour coded. The sleeping area is one large area divided by a toggled curtain allowing parents and children to have different bedrooms, or for there to be one large bedroom. The tent also has reenforced pegging points and stability strap fixing points (the tent comes with two storm straps). With its front canopy and entrance vestibule the tent is great for barbecuing out of the wind and has plenty of room for eating inside. 

Erection / Pitching

The initial set up of this tent took me more than the 30 minutes specified as all guy lines had to undone and adjusted (shortened off as they’re set at their maximum length) and the adjusting straps on the ‘ring & pin’ system had to be loosened off. The guy runners are metal (not a bad thing) but they don’t slide as easy as the plastic guy runners so a bit of ‘faffing’ around was endured and added to this, the whole inner had to be clipped onto the ‘rings’ (of the ‘ring & pin’ system) and then toggled onto the inside of the flysheet then it was an hour before it was fully erected and guyed out. Was it worth the effort? Oh yes!!! Some detailed thought has gone into the design of this tent and it shows. I was a little perturbed that the whole inner may have to be taken out when decamping (as is the case with many of these type of designs) but not on this baby, just unpeg one point on the rear and a couple in the porch area and that’s it, the inner can then be packed away with the fly ready to be pitched ‘all-in-one’ on your next camping adventure. It makes a nice change to find porch mud/storm flaps reach the ground and that can be pegged in position to reduce draughts. The Front door can be unzipped and pitched up to form a canopy with rain ‘cowls’ either side to divert any rain water running down the flysheet onto you.

Features

Size and Weight

Height : 232cm (flysheet) – 190cm (inner)

Weight: 12kg + 13kg for poles

Pack Size : Pole bag:- 83cm wide, 15cm high Tent Bag:- 83cm wide, 36cm high

The Cost

Around £150 - £170

Verdict

If the weather is a little inclement then you can sit inside and still watch the world go by thanks to the three crystal clear windows in the front (one large window in the front door) and a crystal clear side window. With plenty of ventilation points and the flysheet incorporating a skylight in the living area then this really does make the tent feel light and airy. The front, side door and side window also have mesh panels to keep any annoying little insects at bay that like to feast on succulent humans whilst also providing further ventilation. Storage is adequate with a large centre console set of pockets in the living area and low level pockets either side in the bedroom. The bedroom is large enough for two double airbeds with a toggled divider curtain which can be removed to form one large sleeping area. I particularly admire Outdoor Revolutions addition of Stormstraps, especially as you never know what the weather will throw at you in our ‘green and promised land’ BUT these guys have gone a step further with their design, what if the wind changes and blows from the rear or the side?, no problem, the two storm straps simply unclip and re-attach at the rear or sides to their pre-attached housings, they have some clever boys working for Outdoor Revolution…. Just a shame extra Stormstraps aren’t supplied/fitted as standard at the sides and rear which would save me having to worry which way the winds coming from.

In summary: I can’t recommend this tent enough for the price.

Information and Links 

For further information on Outdoor Revolution and their products visit Outdoor Revolution

Reviewed by CamperPete