robens lodge 2 tent on offer

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Sweep
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Re: robens lodge 2 tent on offer

Post by Sweep »

Well my dunwich dynamo ride and subsequent onward ride to north norfolk for a camping break proved to be a triumph of forum recommended stuff, light, tent, bike.

Apart from the test erections referred to above this was the tent's first field trip.

In short, great and I think I'll maybe now be disposing of my other tents.

Very simple to erect, being conservative I banged in ten pegs, no great bother as i had ten with me.

No guy lines used though i had them with me.

Camping site was pretty windy but it still didn't seem to need them.

On my last day a 12 hour plus rainstorm hit but all was snug and dry.

On first erecting the tent the inner enclosed area maybe seems a tad small ( i like a lot of room and have a lot of junk) but the wonder of the porches soon becomes clear. Even during the heavy rain i had one or two of the inner doors open during daylight and could just reach into the porches for extra stuff, it didn't compromise the weather sealing at all and I quite like being close to the elements/raging storms.

The design of the porches also means that it is very straightforward getting into and out of the tent during heavy rain without getting the inner wet.

In short, wonderful. Thanks again breton.

My only small reservation remains the fact that it is inner erection first. Not sure how I would have fared if I had had to put the tent up during that 12 hour storm. Particularly as a solo camper.
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PH
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Re: robens lodge 2 tent on offer

Post by PH »

Sweep wrote:My only small reservation remains the fact that it is inner erection first. Not sure how I would have fared if I had had to put the tent up during that 12 hour storm. Particularly as a solo camper.

That was my one reservation when I got my TN Solar about a decade ago. It disappeared after the first couple of time when I realised how quick it was to get it covered (like the Robens the inner clips to the poles rather than sleeves which helps) also that even if the inner got wet and the weather remained damp it would dry out in no time.
I've also realised how infrequent that is, in all it's been up and down at least 150 times and I can only recall two when it's been really chucking it down and another couple when I've waited till the weather eased off.
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Re: robens lodge 2 tent on offer

Post by bretonbikes »

PH wrote:
Sweep wrote:My only small reservation remains the fact that it is inner erection first. Not sure how I would have fared if I had had to put the tent up during that 12 hour storm. Particularly as a solo camper.

That was my one reservation when I got my TN Solar about a decade ago. It disappeared after the first couple of time when I realised how quick it was to get it covered (like the Robens the inner clips to the poles rather than sleeves which helps) also that even if the inner got wet and the weather remained damp it would dry out in no time.
I've also realised how infrequent that is, in all it's been up and down at least 150 times and I can only recall two when it's been really chucking it down and another couple when I've waited till the weather eased off.

That sums it up really. Even if the inner is wet, just wipe the floor over with a rag/dirty T-shirt and it'll dry in seconds even if it's raining. Likewise when people pitch them damp - they'll be dry in minutes raining or not. Always makes me smile to see people desperately trying to dry tents before packing up in the morning - best just open all the doors and let them air whilst you pack up...
38 years of cycletouring, 33 years of running cycling holidays, 8 years of running a campsite for cyclists - there's a pattern here...
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Sweep
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Re: robens lodge 2 tent on offer

Post by Sweep »

PH wrote:[
I've also realised how infrequent that is, in all it's been up and down at least 150 times and I can only recall two when it's been really chucking it down and another couple when I've waited till the weather eased off.


Quite probably true. I remember reading this counter intiuitive truth (even for britain) from my motorcycling (ok, vespa-ing) days with regard to wet weather gear. Even though it might chuck it down at night, while you were at work, it was surprisingly rare for you to need the gear for the commute.

Getting the top on the lodge is a tad complicated though with regard to figuring out which way it goes on. I found lining up the doors tricky so now line up the side vents instead. Doubtless i will get better with practice.
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Re: robens lodge 2 tent on offer

Post by Sweep »

Just had another ten days or so away in the Lodge and more convinced than ever that it's the best tent, of a few, I have had.

Never had any issues with zips sticking.

The design seems to ensure that doing a one-handed zip/unzip is fine and dandy and won't cause a jam or do any harm to the tent.

Still find it supremely easy to erect - if I can erect it in the dark it must be easy - and never have to worry about tensioning the bottom so that there are no wierd folds in the groundsheet.

Very easy to get in and out of - especially important at night for those annoying leakage exits.

No problems whatsoever getting in and out even in heavy rain - the inside compartment remains dry.

Bretonbikes is right - it IS very stable and DOES NOT need any guy ropes, even though they are supplied. Guy ropes are of course a menace and virtually guaranteed to be tripped over at some point, even if luminous/radioactive.

I was camping on the east coast but some of the remnants of Hurricane/storm Brian did hit us. One day the forecast was showing 50mph gusts and the tent just took it.

The two porches are great for holding gear you don't want in the tent. But at the same time all is within reach.

Have taken to packing it in a way that seems to make camp arrival particularly easy. Poles wrapped in outer and shoved in bag. Rather than trying to include the inner in this roll and fretting about whether you are keeping certain surfaces away from each other I now just randomly stuff the inner in a lightweight cordura dry bag and put this on the top. So inner and outer are always protected from damp/muck transfer.

On arrival, take the inner out in its own bag and lie it down. Pull the poles from the inside of the outer leaving the outer in the bag. Erect, then take the outer flysheet out of the bag and throw it over.

Relax.

Hence my question in that other thread about tent storage and my plans to lay another one up.
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mercalia
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Re: robens lodge 2 tent on offer

Post by mercalia »

is it still available? one website said it was discontinued.

3.4 kgs seems a lot -My superior Vaude mk2 is 4kg and I dont take that on my bike weighs too much

http://www.ukcampsite.co.uk/tents/p/Vaude-Mark-II/509

[youtube]ay80krtlVxs[/youtube]
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Sweep
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Re: robens lodge 2 tent on offer

Post by Sweep »

Still available as far as i know.

Weight is no problem at all, especially if you see the mountain of stuff i take with me. Did the dunwich dynamo and more with it and accompanying mountain.

You toss the word "superior"around very lightly considering you give no details.

I would invite you to start a new thread outling its merits (i would be genuinely interested) but then you say it is not a tent for cycle touring.

The lodge 2 is not significantly heavier that it matters from other tents i have had on the back of my bikes. And if we are going to be weight weenie, as breton points out, it needs less pegs than many other tents.

Edit, that nice vid of the vaude describes it as a backpacking tent so i'm sure i would be fine with that on the back of my bike as well.
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mercalia
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Re: robens lodge 2 tent on offer

Post by mercalia »

Sweep wrote:Still available as far as i know.

Weight is no problem at all, especially if you see the mountain of stuff i take with me. Did the dunwich dynamo and more with it and accompanying mountain.

You toss the word "superior"around very lightly considering you give no details.

I would invite you to start a new thread outling its merits (i would be genuinely interested) but then you say it is not a tent for cycle touring.

The lodge 2 is not significantly heavier that it matters from other tents i have had on the back of my bikes. And if we are going to be weight weenie, as breton points out, it needs less pegs than many other tents.

Edit, that nice vid of the vaude describes it as a backpacking tent so i'm sure i would be fine with that on the back of my bike as well.


The video above of erecting the Vaude mk2 that shows how quick and easy it is to put up says it all. brilliant design

when I was staying at Portland YHA camping I arrived there dead tired after a gruelling m/c ride all fingers and thumbs still able to putit up in a few minutes, a fellow camper offered to help I looked that bad, but she looked on in envy as it went up..

Breton presumably rents out the tents so have to be economic - good but cheap? individuals dont suffer the same constraints?
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horizon
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Re: robens lodge 2 tent on offer

Post by horizon »

Sweep: why I did you go for the Lodge as opposed to other Robens models? I had a look at the Voyager EX2 and might have bought that rather than a dome. There are obviously personal preferences at work here: what were yours?

http://www.robens.de/en/Products/tents/ ... oyager-2ex
When the pestilence strikes from the East, go far and breathe the cold air deeply. Ignore the sage, stay not indoors. Ho Ri Zon 12th Century Chinese philosopher
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Sweep
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Re: robens lodge 2 tent on offer

Post by Sweep »

Good question/s horizon.

The first and main reason was bretonbikes' review since he clearly has a lot of knowledge and also long term intensive experience.

He made an exceptionally good case.

But strange/relevant that you bring up that other tent.

For it is very similar to my Vango Spirit 200 +

http://www.ukcampsite.co.uk/tents/p/Van ... t-200+/873

maybe not surprising as I think both are maybe copies of/inspired by a more expensive tent.

I have no idea about the respective build qualities of the Robens and Vango versions, but I can talk about my experience of the Vango:

Very nice tent

Easily goes on the back of a bike.

Nice that you can keep loads of clutter in the outer porch.

The entrance system is good for keeping rain out of the inner, though the arrangement it uses for this can make getting out of the tent in the middle of the night slightly tricky, particularly if you haven't arranged your junk too well.

BUT

It shows signs of a certain stress in high winds - it is a tunnel tent after all.

Bretonbikes' points out in his review about some tent designs putting undue stress on their poles rang true. Every time I put the tent up I had the feeling that the poles were being taken to their limit with the curvature.

I had a few poles break - and as Breton said this very often seems to happen when the tent appears to be under no particular strain - ie: it's just fatigue brought on my poor design/materials speccing - I particularly remember sitting outside my Spirit 200 + having breakfast on a calm peaceful day and hearing a crack - a pole had just gone. And it tore through though the flysheet housing it went in. That housing also makes the poles harder to insert/remove than than the clip system used by the Lodge 2. And mercalia's favoured tent. The single short transverse pole on the Lodge does use a sleeve built into the fly but that is only a short run, is far more straight, and is not a great problem.

I also decided that that the dome/semi geodesic design is better in many respects. I have fond memories of a very cheap Vango dome tent (with fibreglass poles) that first got me into camping in my car camping days. It just seemed liked a good strong simple sort of design.

I prefer the twin porch design of the Robens Lodge - it allows a disorganised bod like me to sort the outside stuff - one porch for less frequently needed stuff and one for stuff I need more at hand.

As it is perfectly possible to have one or more inner tent doors open during even heavy downpours this very effectively extends the usability of the tent.

As a vaguely square footprint the Lodge is far better if you are trying to clear a spot for pitching in a wood or whatever.

The Lodge is effectively free standing and needs very few pegs - the Spirit 200 + and all those tunnel tents - really do need all those guy lines. Takes longer to set up, you forever wonder if you have got the relative tensions right. And you WILL trip over them.

I could go on :) willing to answer more questions.
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Re: robens lodge 2 tent on offer

Post by horizon »

Well, that's quite a reply!

It could well be that the Robens is better or that they are identical. But you are right, both are tunnel tents. I really disliked tunnel tents because of their tendency to "roll" like a jelly. But after reading lots of reviews of not only the Robens but also both the Hilleberg Nallo 2 GT and other makes, they seemed not as bad as I thought. What they give you in layout seemed a good compensation.

In the event I've gone back to my old Force Ten for now while I peruse others including the Force Ten Titan 200 (https://www.blacks.co.uk/equipment/0102 ... -tent.html). Yes, my old Vango is heavy and of course cramped (it's a ridge tent of course) but I love the solidity of it and the simplicity of putting it up. I've also come to the conclusion that you really need two tents: one that is very light for high mileage cycling and the other which is spacious and comfortable for when you really want to camp. At this time of year i would go for the second one.
When the pestilence strikes from the East, go far and breathe the cold air deeply. Ignore the sage, stay not indoors. Ho Ri Zon 12th Century Chinese philosopher
mercalia
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Re: robens lodge 2 tent on offer

Post by mercalia »

horizon wrote:Well, that's quite a reply!

It could well be that the Robens is better or that they are identical. But you are right, both are tunnel tents. I really disliked tunnel tents because of their tendency to "roll" like a jelly. But after reading lots of reviews of not only the Robens but also both the Hilleberg Nallo 2 GT and other makes, they seemed not as bad as I thought. What they give you in layout seemed a good compensation.

In the event I've gone back to my old Force Ten for now while I peruse others including the Force Ten Titan 200 (https://www.blacks.co.uk/equipment/0102 ... -tent.html). Yes, my old Vango is heavy and of course cramped (it's a ridge tent of course) but I love the solidity of it and the simplicity of putting it up. I've also come to the conclusion that you really need two tents: one that is very light for high mileage cycling and the other which is spacious and comfortable for when you really want to camp. At this time of year i would go for the second one.



if you in the market for a tent consider the latest incarnation the Vaude Mk2 -

http://www.uttings.co.uk/p113810-vaude-mark-l-3p-tent-green-11490-400/?adwords=true&gclid=CjwKCAjw-NXPBRB4EiwAVNRLKgtHtlCAT78Xnr5dxhLP--kS4x7DrglFb5Jv-ho4QhuQbE3PXLdDZhoCJQcQAvD_BwE

or probably better for "2" people

http://www.uttings.co.uk/p116501-vaude-mark-l-2p-tent-green-11836-400/?adwords=true&gclid=CjwKCAjw-NXPBRB4EiwAVNRLKlHZEdw8_R2oyAvsIwJUuH2Dr-bJS5ZKyLk4QUCa22HpXMyGr5G8CRoCeGgQAvD_BwE

both have the exoskeleton quick errect method inner & outer all in one at a time
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Re: robens lodge 2 tent on offer

Post by crazydave789 »

horizon wrote:Well, that's quite a reply!

It could well be that the Robens is better or that they are identical. But you are right, both are tunnel tents. I really disliked tunnel tents because of their tendency to "roll" like a jelly. But after reading lots of reviews of not only the Robens but also both the Hilleberg Nallo 2 GT and other makes, they seemed not as bad as I thought. What they give you in layout seemed a good compensation.

In the event I've gone back to my old Force Ten for now while I peruse others including the Force Ten Titan 200 (https://www.blacks.co.uk/equipment/0102 ... -tent.html). Yes, my old Vango is heavy and of course cramped (it's a ridge tent of course) but I love the solidity of it and the simplicity of putting it up. I've also come to the conclusion that you really need two tents: one that is very light for high mileage cycling and the other which is spacious and comfortable for when you really want to camp. At this time of year i would go for the second one.


or a summer set up and a winter one. although in winter you go indoors to stay warm and dry - in summer to escape the bugs and beasties - and stay dry.

I'm playing about with my several pannier sets to make a light dry and heavy wet set up.
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Sweep
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Re: robens lodge 2 tent on offer

Post by Sweep »

Nice tent horizon but though I'm no weight weenie it is heavy.

And I must say i would never buy an orange tent. The colour and tunnel design would make a planned or unplanned wild camp a bit tricky. I like to have the flexibility and i think you need this on a bike - days don't always go to plan.
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Re: robens lodge 2 tent on offer

Post by Sweep »

Ckearly the vaude mark II is a nice tent mercalia. Think i may have camped with someone using one once. Has it been duscontinued/had a redesign though?

Will stick with my lodge 2 though - the only slight issue with it is its inner first pitching but never yet had to put it up in heavy rain. Have put it up in high wind though and don't find putting the flysheet on solo a great problem now I am practised.
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