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The Air 6XL is slightly shorter in length but almost double in width when comparing it to the Air 6, and it comes with a front porch for shaded relaxation. Standing 215 cm high, you can walk through this tunnel tent easily, and even fully stand up in the bedrooms. One of my friends had a Vango inflatable tent and raved about it, so I did a bit of research to see if I could find a cheaper one, that was also blue (don't like green tents! Plus, a blue one stands out more as most people tend to have the green ones) and finally found what I was looking for in the Berghaus Air 8. Hook up the hose and inflate the beam to 4.5 PSI. Inflating past this number could result in damage to the tent, so be careful. Once inflated, replace the valve cover to keep air from escaping.
If you’re after a slightly smaller tent, there are Berghaus Air 4 and Berghaus Air 6.1 versions available. It has stood up to some pretty strong coastal wind/rain and we have no complaints at all about its build quality. It also comes with it’s own pump, which is the same as the one supplied with the tent itself – which now means you have a spare pump if one breaks. This latter point – the feel – shouldn’t be underestimated. The Berghaus 6XL feels like a luxury ‘proper’ tent. The kind you used to go off camping in with the scouts. It is a quality item and really will not disappoint. Absolutely no condensation in the mornings either. I’ll admit I wasn’t entirely convinced by inflatable tents before our 3-week family camping trip to France and Spain. Running through my mind were endless questions – how do they work? What is an air tent?! How do you decided if you want a Berghaus Air 8, or some other tent? Surely poles are just as easy (and cheaper)? Are Berghaus tents any good?What if it gets punctured – won’t that be a faff to fix? Some might say I’m an overthinker, but if you’re investing in a tent that’s going to stand the test of family holidays, then it’s worth getting it right. As mentioned, head height in the Antrim is substantial due to the pre-angled airbeams used to support the tent. They give an excellent arch and make walking around easy, even for tall folk like me.Pitching time is around 20 minutes for all versions, and surprisingly it is fairly straightforward. As soon as the five airbeams are pumped up (hand pump included) then the main structure is automatically created and just requires pegging out and storm straps attached if required. Windows and Doors First off, let’s just find out the fundamentals! What exactly is an air tent and why would you want one? Inflatable tents are exactly the same as an any other tent, except for one significant difference. In place of traditional metal, fibreglass or plastic poles traditional poles, the tent has inflatable beams, which can be pumped up to provide a sturdy structure. How to put up a Berghaus Air 8– is it easy? Something was bugging me whilst I was writing this post. I realised that athe images being used to sell this tent don’t actually do it justice. They do not show the actual size of the middle/living section. I know from experience that we comfortably seat 5/6 people on large folding chairs in that area. The top image shows the middle section as being smaller than the bedrooms. This isn’t correct, so I created a new drawing that is more to scale. The bottom image is more accurate because that middle section is a nice large 300x330cm, which is larger than the bedrooms and gives is plenty of room for spending time together comfortably in the evenings. The tent is protected from the top and the bottom by way of a flysheet that has been seam sealed and fully taped, with a heavy duty groundsheet beneath (which our youngest tripped over without fail every time she entered or left the tent). It’s generously ventilated with high and low-level vents and meshed doors for improved airflow and condensation control, which can be easily sealed in the event of bad weather.
The total ‘footprint area’ of the two competing tents are about the same, which makes choosing between them difficult. You need to ask yourself – do you prefer girth or length? Actually, it’s probably best not to answer that…. Recently spent a few weeks researching air tents. I wanted a roomy tent as I have 3 young kids - 6,4 and 2. However, the wife isn't very keen on camping so also wanted something I could erect myself. You do not. Berghaus air tents come with a pump as well as a manometer. This will allow you to inflate the tent to the proper PSI so you don’t over-inflate and damage it. Can the bedrooms be divided?
The Authors Corner
The Antrim has a sizeable covered front porch area which is a great place to sit. On a sunny day there is ample room to sit and enjoy the view whilst also offering protection if a shower starts hammering down. You could definitely bring a BBQ or camping stove into this area to cook and there is great visibility.
In terms of doors, there is two sets of ‘tri-folding doors’ – one separating the lounge from the porch, and one separating the porch from the outside world. These can either be completely removed or partially opened at one of three partition points. Very well designed and offers so much flexibility for cooking or relaxing etc under different weather conditions. There are also standard sized doors on both sides of the tent, with an initial side canopy to keep the rain off when putting boots on etc. That extra ‘Je ne sais quoi’ – Class Leading Features Setup took us around 20 minutes in total, but that was at a fairly leisurely pace. Look at it as a bit of holiday exercise – you can always treat yourself to a glass of wine afterwards!As with all the inflatable tents we’ve reviewed, the Air 600 comes with a fully sewn-in groundsheet and a 4000mm hydrostatic head waterproof flysheet. Dimensions are 465cm (L) x 385cm (width) x 210m (height) which is not the largest for a 6-person tent. However, the width at nearly 4m is substantial.
The tent sleeps families or groups of up to 8 people and has 4-berth bedrooms at each end, with living space in the middle. It feels really spacious and you can stand up easily throughout. It occurred to me that I should have recorded a stop motion video of us showing how to put up the Berghaus air 8, instead of arsing around and pretending that I had magic powers to summon the inflation on my video (see below)…it’s on my to do list! But basically, it’s very simple. The drive to recycle old plastic is an excellent initiative because it helps reduce the amount of plastic going to landfill and harming the environment for future generations. I’m not particularly “green”, but for me it’s a no-brainer to choose a product which can make a difference in this way – especially when you consider that the Joro 600XL is made with the equivalent of 261 plastic bottles! Dimensions and Layout Two or more bedroom compartments – it’s our opinion that it’s both warmer and more private to have multiple sleeping quarters within a family tent than all sleeping in the same area.You may not have heard of polycotton before – it is essentially a 65%/35% mixture of polyester (modern waterproof modern tent fabric) and cotton (traditional breathable canvas). By combining the two you get improved breathability but with similar waterproofing ability, as well as a natural feel. Front porch area (380cm x 100cm) with decent ground sheet. Perfect for sitting on to remove muddy boots. We did get a bit of wind offering an unusual strange experience. There is no flapping as such like with a poled tent, infact it just kind of bends a bit when the wind catches hold of the air beam. The Air 8 tent from Berghaus is one of their largest models, with a floor space that measures 750 x 300 cm, and a 215 cm height for easy maneuver. Weighing 30 kgs, its tunnel-designed with a centralized living area and 2, 210 x 280 cm bedrooms on each end.
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