Advnture Verdict
This heavy but fabulous-quality tent is ideal for multi-week summer car-camping adventures, especially the kind when you pitch your base camp once and then get on with the good stuff.
Pros
- +
Great build quality
- +
Sleeps four comfortably
- +
Lovely living space
Cons
- -
Heavy
- -
Expensive
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First thoughts
Robens’ tents tend to pitch up at the expensive end of the market, but you definitely get what you pay for with the brilliant quality Robens Vista 400. Unlike many allegedly ‘four-person’ tents, Robens mean it when they say the Vista is for four people – the roomy bedroom will sleep four adults comfortably, and is a roomy size for a family of four to share, even on longer holidays. Being an air tent, it’s easy to pitch, but pretty big and bulky when packed down.
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Performance
We tested the Robens Vista in the Cornish sunshine (and also in enough mizzle to successfully check out its waterproofing capabilities). We’ve tried out many Robens tents of all sizes over the years, and have always been impressed by their build quality – each component feels thoughtfully designed and long lasting. We also rate their handsome, safari tent-style looks, which never fail to get a compliment or two in any campsite.
While using the Vista we especially loved the big living room, which has huge plastic windows and feels light and airy even on grey days due to the lighter hue of the Vista’s polycotton outer material. A big porch can be tied open on warm days, with a zippable mesh panel if you need to keep insects out, and has an effective fixed roof to keep rain off. Well-placed vents and that cooling, breathable polycotton make this a lovely tent if you’re off on baking-hot holidays somewhere sunny, and the outer material is waterproof enough to put up with stormy weather.
This may be a heavy, multi-roomed tent, but don’t let the idea of erecting it put you off – it’s a doddle to pitch thanks to inflatable ‘air’ poles, and one person can erect it quickly and easily – although it’s still a sizeable tent once packed down. The only possible downside for families is that there’s one bedroom rather than two. But if you want a quality four-person to share that will last for many family camping trips to come, this is worth the price tag.
