If you’re looking for a stunning bell tent with heaps of space, you’re going to love the new Boutique Camping Star Emperor Bell Tent! Read on for our full review.
What is it?
Star Emperor Bell Tent
Boutique Camping RRP £999.00
Find out more or buy it here
Features
- 6x4m Star Emperor Bell Tent design
- Heavy duty zipped in water repellant, extra thick groundsheet
- Total weight 6.55m x 4m = 48kg
- Two spring-loaded 32mm diameter Aluminium poles
- 3 Extra thick 5mm guy ropes
- 360 netting around the 60cm walls, can be rolled up for airflow
- Pack size 95cm x 35cm x 35cm
- Entrance door 2m high & 2.55mm wide
- Webbing to secure the tent to the ground
- Bendy pole for canopy
- Integrated canopy with a 110cm overhang at the entrance
- Heavy Duty Pegs; 6mm groundsheet pegs and 8mm robust groundsheets
- Breathable and durable polycotton canvas 285g per sqm, with reinforced double stitched seams.
- Spring-loaded 22mm A-frames
- Walls can be unzipped and rolled up for airflow.
- Zipped mosquito doors
- 6 zipped windows for airflow and ventilation with mesh cover to keep insects away.
- Canvas is treated with UV, mildew, rot & water repellent
- 12 months manufacturers warranty
Before we start talking about pitching the tent, we need to mention the size and weight of it! At 48kg it’s a pretty hefty beast, and that makes for a substantial pack size of 95cm x 35cm. I needed help packing it into my car and lifting it out again, and although it is heavy and is likely to require two to lift, it does have a whole heap of benefits (namely so much space!) so bear with me on this and don’t let the weight put you off.
Pitching the tent
Rather than just a centre pole and an A frame for the door like a regular bell tent, with the Emperor there are a total of 5 poles. 3 poles form the main shape of the tent which includes 2 verticals plus a horizontal pole that runs across the top to connect the two uprights. Then there’s the A frame to create the massive doorway as well as a flexible pole that forms the front canopy. As a result, this is not a tent that one person can put up on their own and our first attempt took around 40 minutes from start to finish.
Just like all Boutique Camping tents, the Star Emperor Bell comes with high quality, heavy duty tent pegs and it was nice to see a branded mallet included in the bag too. After unrolling the tent and laying out the poles ready to assemble, I started by pegging out the groundsheet, just as you would with a regular bell tent.
Next, and with some help, we attempted to raise the tent using the centre poles, and after a couple of failed attempts, got the knack of positioning the horizontal pole that attaches to the very top of the two vertical poles.
Then it was a matter of popping in the A frame to make the doorway, then outside to pull out and peg down the star canopy, before finally erecting the canopy section at the front using the thin, flexible pole and pegging out the front guy ropes. Although our first attempt took a good 40 minutes, we’ve since managed to get it set up in just under half an hour.
Internal space
As you can see from the photos, the natural sand colour of the canvas takes on a bit of an orangey hue in bright sunshine, but the two photographs below will give you an idea of the space inside the tent, which is immense!
We had the tent set up with our very large camp kitchen unit as well as our large double camp bed, along with a bedside table, and there was still masses of space. If I had to take a guess as to how many people you could sleep inside one of these, then assuming simple single air beds or SIMs, you could easily sleep 6-8.
Just like a normal bell tent, the Star Emperor tent features half moon air vents that are mesh covered, the tent also features a heavy duty groundsheet that can be zipped off, allowing you to roll up the sides of the tent in very hot weather. With the huge front door, roof vents and the half moon vents unzipped, there was plenty of airflow, helping to keep the tent relatively cool even in blazing sunshine.
One thing to mention about this tent is the enormous doorway, which means no bending to walk in and out and it also makes is very easy to get all of your camp furniture into the tent. The large doorway would also be ideal for wheelchair users, making it easy to gain access to the tent.
Pros
- Beautiful looking tent
- Addition of the star canopy provides shade and extra cover from the rain
- The tent is very light and airy with excellent air flow
- Excellent construction and quality
- There is loads of space inside the tent
- I’d like to live in it all the time
Cons
- At a whopping 48kg, it’s heavy to lift
- It takes longer to erect than a bell tent and it takes 2 people to do it
Final thoughts
This is an absolutely stunning tent and I adore it. That said, if you are thinking about buying the Star Canopy Emperor Bell, you will need to consider the fact that it’s bigger and heavier than a standard bell tent – I can manage to carry and set up a normal 5m bell tent on my own, but this is too heavy for me to be able to manage on my own.
If it’s a true glamping feel you want from your tent, this is the one to go for.
It’s also worth taking into consideration the fact that pitching the tent takes longer than a regular bell tent as there are more poles to contend with, so it’s a 2 person job to get the three main internal poles in place. That said, for family campers and for those who want something a bit different, this tent is incredible.
In terms of stylish good looks and the sheer amount of space it offers, the Star Emperor Bell get’s top marks from us, so if it’s a true glamping feel you want from your tent, this is the one to go for.
Thank you to Boutique Camping who supplied the featured tent for us to review. We were not paid to write this review.
The post TENTS | Boutique Camping Star Emperor Bell Tent – Review appeared first on Camping with Style Camping Blog | Activities • Glamping • Travel • Adventure.
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