Airbeam Odyssey Air 500 Villa Tent, Epsom Green

UPDATE: COVID cancelled our plans to camp in the snow. Finally, we camped overnight on a friend's property next to the Tuolomne River. Very pleasant. Until about 10 pm, when the wind kicked up. Accourding to the forecast, it was about 6 mph. It didn’t cause a problem with the tent. But we had not secured the attached tent flys, and they whipped around.The tent is well ventilated. There have been camping trips in which we retired for the night, but were awakened by a drop of condensation hitting me in the face. NOT WITH THIS TENT!I loved the 'vestibule' are. We stored gear, changed clothes, etc. Since it was an oversight trip, we did not raise the 'blinds.' But I did peekaround them prior to the sun going down. These windows do not appear to have a screen. However, the door has a screen, and there is ventilation around the bottom of the tent. Finally, there is a ventilation panel above the sleeping area.I am sure there is more to learn about this tent. So far, it's been positive!I LOVE THIS TENT! I read all the reviews, mostly good, some not. But MY experience is GREAT! I was so excited when it arrived 2 days ago, 7 days ahead of estimated delivery. In fact, when it arrived, I made my husband help me put it up on the back patio (it's large) when I got home from work!The following review is based on a non-camping experience, just on our first inspection and erection of the tent. Further details to follow once we camp in it.The included hand pump is high powered. I had purchased a battery operated (and very noisy) high velocity pump to blow it up quickly, but the supplied pump inflated each tube in 20 pumps. NOTE: Use the supplied pressure meter to avoid improper inflation! Bonus!I was astounded at how sturdy the air beams are! They are pocketed in a sealed sleeve of the tent, but were quite solid. Once the tent is staked properly, it is easy to see how this tent could withstand moderate wind. It gives a reassuring sense of stability.We could not stake the tent as we were on concrete. We used sand bags (my husband has many for his hobby) to simulate staking. I was overjoyed with the roominess and the space inside. Being a senior with arthritis, I do not relish the idea of sleeping on the cold ground! In fact, it isn't being ON the ground that is the problem, it is getting UP from the ground (I have arthritis in my ankles, knees, and 1 hip) that was the problem. We bought a queen-sized cot with air mattress (yeah, we're roughing it!), and I'm even considering getting a Tempurpedic mattress topper for it for additional protection from the cold and to provide comfort. This is the first camping experience I have been invited on since my youth, my husband being a scoutmaster. My first experience will be SNOW CAMPING, so I'm looking to try to stay warm in a cocoon!For additional comfort, we bought some insulation (4' x 125') for under the floor, and we also have floor mats to walk on. This is sealed attic insulation, with a layer of foam in the middle. My hope is to keep the floor from being scratched or worn with holes, AS WELL AS providing some insulation from the icy ground. We also bought a waterproof layer for under the tent, to prevent the floor from getting soggy!Inside, the high ceiling of the tent gives a spaciousness that is amazing. My father-in-law (90 years old) came out to inspect, and LOVED it! He was amazed! Of course, not being staked, the ceiling did sag a little, but it was still tall enough for my 6'1" husband, my 6' father-in-law, and my 6'2' brother-in-law.The sleeping compartment is not adequately described in the product details. It feels large and spacious. I was delighted to note that this section has an interior, room-darkening liner, sort of a curtain. For the snow camping, I have purchased an extra thermal layer of sealed 4' x 10' insulation. It will slip in between the tent wall and the curtain, in an effort to add extra protection from icy windy blasts and inclement weather.My husband opened the box containing the tent while I was at work, and his first reaction was, "There's no instructions." NOT TO WORRY! They are sewn inside the tent-carry bag. We set the tent up with the only illumination being a porch light, the moon, and a flashlight to read instructions. Now, two days later, I realize I should have taken pictures of the instructions with my cell phone and could have read it much easier. I will do that the next time.We plan to do a "dry run" during the day, on grass at another location, complete with guy lines, so we can be sure on the day we put it up, in the snow, we can do so quickly, without pausing to read instructions. Especially because we are adding extra layers of waterproofing and insulation, staking, and other considerations. The instructions for erecting the tent are on a large label, sewn into the carry bag.We have purchased an extra tarp to cover the tent. The tent does have a sewn-in awning. But if we have a snow fall while we doing our snow camping, I wanted extra protection. Ah, the things a person thinks of while waiting for more than a month for her package to arrive!My only concern is folding it small enough to fit into the carry bag, as we were unable to do that this first time. This seems par for the course, as ANYTHING that comes in a carry bag is hard to get back into the bag. So I believe with some practice, it will not be so difficult. My little battery powered air blower did come in handy at this point, it quickly sucked the air out of the tubes. My husband is a master at folding things back up into the original size, but we will have to work on this. The provided hand pump did not provide a quick deflation of the tubes. Perhaps I missed something on the instructions. We will be checking this out more clearly on New Year's Day.Upon my first examination, this is an excellent tent! The proof will be when we actually use it, but it appears to be sound and sturdy. I have one minor complaint, and I resolved it myself; all the measurements are in metrics! After puzzling over this concern even AFTER placing the order, I finally drew up a diagram of the tent as it is shown on the with the pictures, and then penciled in feet and inches. I put this in my wallet so I had it available when considering tarps, floor rugs, etc.My only other observation is that the floor seems rather thin for much wear. I have anticipated that, and have planned for protecting it with insulation and mats/rugs on both sides of the floor. I will report back when we have used the tent the first time!

Good quality, brilliant and easy to put up on your own.. absolutely love this tent,keeps nice and warm too.highly recommend

Très contents de notre achat avec 2 petits bémols ; le sac de rangement devrait être un peu plus grand car il est difficile d'y remettre la tente dégonflée et il manque une ouverture sur un côté pour faire un petit courant d'air lors de fortes chaleurs

Excellent tent, very waterproof, easy to put up and take down. Very happy with it and highly recommended. The small porch area over the door is a great idea and keeps the rain out of the entrance.

Je suis catastrophé de qualité de cette tente , elle ne résiste pas aux UV et se déchire très facilement .Les ficelles et les attaches ne sont pas solides et cassent . Au vu de la publicité et le prix relativement élevé 520Euros la qualité n' est pas en rapport . Je ne recommande pas cet achat .Acheté en 2020 servi pour la première fois pour l' été 2021 , son usage aura été de courte durée .45 ans de camping et c' est ma première grande déception sur du matériel de ce prix.Je suppose que le fabriquant en connait les défauts , mais ne prévoit pas de dédommagement.

I was looking for the perfect tent - small enough for travelling but large enough to accommodate 2-4 people comfortably with all our stuff but also something warm & with lots/large windows - so I was very excited to find this tent - it was exactly what I needed in terms of size, easy to pitch, airbeams (my first experience), and lots of space & clear views outside in poor weather. I was lucky to buy it on deal for £330. Delivery via Prime was great as always, took only 1 day and the tent arrived well packed with all its contents. No issues here.Last weekend we took it to Wales for its first outing- pitching was relatively easy, not as quick as poles in my opinion but I pitched it myself within 10-15mins the first time - job done. Providing you secure the ground sheet properly first and then pump up the 3 beams (they get quite heavy when full of air so make sure you secure each one by one), it's easy and quick enough to pitch in all sorts of weather.Expecting about 15mph wind overnight we secured it properly, all guy ropes pegged down and pumped up the 3 beams to one extra psi as advised. Unfortunately, at 2am we were woken up by all 3 beams collapsing on one side- they would pop back up eventually by themselves (or with a bit of help) but by the daylight, the whole left side was pretty much lying down - see photos. Checking outside, all guy lines were holding strong (using my own hardened pegs) but the canopy pole snapped and tore the fabric. Sadly (and surprisingly) we were the only tent in the whole campsite with this issue, other tents (incl other Vango airbeam ones) were flapping but stood firm - not a single one was down. With the damage already done, we packed up and headed back home (it was a short trip anyway - just didn't appreciate the early morning drama...)Amazon was excellent in sending out a replacement and Vango were quite helpful too discussing the issue - albeit they confirmed we did everything correctly and it was probably a bad inner tube which caused the issue. As this was my first experience with airbeams, I cannot comment on how normal this is, I am told that in high winds the beams may bend and would always pop back in ok - that's supposed to be one of the advantage of airbeams over poles. On this occasion however, the wind was not that strong and we were the only tent down among 30-40 other tents in exactly the same conditions.Pros:- the design - I just love how bright & clear to see outside it is. I often go camping with an elderly relative who enjoys the views (not so much the weather) - this allows her to stay inside when it's cold & windy and still see outside- small when packed - large when pitched with lots of space - sleeping area would fit 2 king size mattresses and the living/storage area also large enough to hold a party!- large clear windows - great in poor weather when you can still enjoy the views- storage pockets in sleeping area - could have more but sufficient- easy to pack back into its bag incl the pump- warm inside with no draft- clever ventilation points- no condensation so farCons:- see photos ....- entrance zip kept snagging - not a major issue but you have to be careful with it- groundsheet was ripped slightly by a chair - was quickly & easily fixed but I was using the same chair in other tents and never had a rip. I'll be using a carpet / tarp on top of the main groundsheetWhy 4 stars? All in all, the tent design is amazing, I still love it and I hope my bad experience was just a one off. Should this happen again, I will review the rating but for now I would not want to discourage others. I will be camping again in few weeks so will update this review then, hopefully to full 5 stars.