robens lakeshore tent

Aim to head off for a couple of days next week, so should have some pics of the GC after that.
 
Oops! Nearly forgot about this and DID forget to take pics of the tent next to a suitably sized person. However, I've now used the tent overnight on two occasions and the verdict ...

1. Its large for solo touring. I was able to put all my stuff inside the tent and still have room for my sleeping mat, bag etc. That said, I'd rather have more room than less and at 5kg it's not over heavy and packs easily into the Lomo bag on the rack on the 100GS and on the back seat on the RT.

It would be perfect for two person touring, I think.

2. Height varies inside but I can stand up and get my keks on at the highest point with only a slight nod of my head forward. That's a lot easier than grovelling around the floor in my previous tent! That alone justifies the purchase for me. Anyone around 5' 6" would find it even easier.

3. It is quick to put up. Peg out the corners of the inner tent first. Stick up the single pole. Then peg out the guys. So far, I have only used the lower guys and this has worked fine. In windy weather, the upper guys would give extra stability.

4. In Mull, the midges were pretty bad in the evening. I retreated into the tent with my chair and a book and was able to look out on the beach through the large fly screen on the outside of the entrance panel.

Overall then, a good quality tent and happy with my purchase.
 
Thanks.
That fits well with my conclusion after seeing the GC and Lakeshore at Willen Lake. Your review is the icing on the cake.

Tom
 
Robens Green Cone

I read this thread with interest as I needed a tent for my trip to see Bluebird on Bute this August and had already researched what was available and taken a shine to the GC just on the limited exposure it had on the net, so I was already swayed before Scotboxer and Sanqhar stuck their oars in.;) I got it on Fleabay for a best offer price of £225 delivered, from Armysales who were fine to deal with.

It's been up in the garden twice for practise and a couple of points are worth mentioning.

The whole thing is well made.

Its easy. Really. I attached the inner whilst it was on the floor, pegged out the inner, put the pole in, used the door straps to hold it up - not vertical - then guyed the fly out all round, job done. :D

The 1st inner section pole has a red line down the length through the button to alter the height so its easy to find where the tit/hole should coincide. Handy.

A foursome would have to be a very pally foursome to all sleep in it, three would be just about OK two would be great and one (me) would have a lot of room available. No bad thing but a four it is not.

The lack of a porch proper might be an issue for some but with the back to the wind there looks like there's enough space to cook under the fly especially if the rest of the gear is inside (two up). I have a tarp which I will take and might be pitched to help out here. This is where a BikerPlus scores over it.

It needs a groundsheet to protect the inner floor. The specs say the floor is waterproof to 10000mm head but is very fine material so put something under it. A cheap tarp 3 x 2m would do it with the corners folded under.

I haven't got to grips with the upper wall guys yet... I'm missing a trick here to get the adjustment working properly...

The footprint is large because of the way the fly pitches but on the other hand the higher up you go the less of the tent there is for the wind to get hold of.

At 5'11" I'm not going to stand up whilst putting put my kecks on...

In all, its a keeper. I'll let you know how I get on in Scotland later.

For scale, the Ortleib bag is an old one 28 x 10", (70 x 25cm)
 

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Robens Green Cone

Update:

Erection is fast and easy for one.

Try as I might I couldn't get the back of the outer to set properly. This I put down to the site having a slight slope and the ground rising at the rear. More experience will sort this no doubt. I will make an extension to the strap at the apex of the outer that the inner clips to so that the outer can be pitched higher when the ground is uneven.
If you pitch just the outer you can go as high as the pole will allow. Strange that.

The pole being on the outside of the inner tent is a distinct advantage room-wise. However, having a pole to hold whilst pulling yr. kecks on first thing is also handy…

Cooking in the "porch" is fine. Masses of room for 1, plenty for 2, cosy for 3.

Sheds water like a duck.

All good in fact.

Fluff
 
I eventually bought a Green Cone to take to the BMW Club gathering at the Fire Services College, Moreton in the Marsh last weekend. Quite a few people asked about it.
Easy to erect, peg out, pole up then peg the flysheet. First night I didn’t use the upper guys. It rained heavily Friday pm, the tent was totally dry. It is well made. An indication of the thought that has gone into it is that the thick alloy pegs supplied are chamfered to a point making them easier to put in the ground.

It rained heavily on Sunday and again the the tent remained dry.

I now have two jobs to do.

I want to fit a small porch and I need to sort out a footprint. I need to find a lightweight tarp for the latter.
I will post a picture of the porch when I have sorted it out.

Altogether I’m very pleased.

Tom
 


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