REVIEW: Star Bell Tent from Boutique Camping

So here we have something a bit different from the standard 5m bell tents....the Star Bell Tent from Boutique Camping

Finally there was a dry weekend forecast, and as we were having a bunch of mates from the Crafty Campers Group meeting up, I took it along.

So I laid everything out, and worked out what was a bit different from the normal

The star bell has an inbuilt canopy, so the extra five minutes you spend pitching this one, are justified in that you don't need to put a tarp or anything else at the front.

The canopy whilst not massively deep (about 500-750mm), is big enough to shield the doorway from rain etc, and gives some protection for shoes, wood and other bits

The actual doorway itself is also larger than a standard bell - in summer this is a really nice bonus (not that summer lasts more than 48 hours generally)

Contents

Mallet - Initial thoughts were 'YAYYY, I got a free mallet'

Pegs - Decent strong pegs supplied (enough to peg the groundsheet once, but elastics share the same peg.  In fairness most suppliers only ever supply one set of pegs for this purpose)

Guy ropes - seem to have been upgraded with little metal barrel sliders. The same 'boutique purple' guy rope


Rain Cap - Simple things! - They added a screw to the rain cap, so you just screw it on and off! No more lost rain cap, and it secures the canvas down

screwy rain cap

Purple Guys and metal runner

Centre Pole

Canopy pole

Canvas - Nice deeper sandstone colour, and same quality as most credible bells

Groundsheet & zips - again, fairly standard, thick and decent quality

Packaging straps - Nice quality, decent straps for pulling the canvas tight for packing

Poles - Made of aluminium, rather than the normal steel.  Centre pole is in 4 sections with the button type push out joins, which work just as well, if not better than the standard springs (which always break anyway).  The hook on the centre pole doesn't look as sturdy as the usual steel ones, but its easy enough to add a bolt if you wanted anything more substantial.  The A-frame is made of the same aluminium.  Lighter and look fine, my only gripe would be the ease of them sliding into each other - they tend to be a bit 'sticky' when you push them in.  Perhaps after a few uses, this will wear off, and connecting will be simple....

Pitching

1. As normal, peg down the groundsheet - as there are fewer panels than a standard bell, this is a bit quicker.  The info sheet advise to then do the elastics - I don't. Why pull the canvas taught, before inserting the centre pole?  I always do the elastics around the edges, after the centre pole has been positioned

2. Sling exciting new lovely free broken mallet in bin, and dig out stronger mallet from the van

Arghhh

3. Once the groundsheet is pegged, you then slide the long thin pole through the edge of the front of the canopy, and push the ends over the 2 pins at the end of the canopy edges - this gives it its shape.

4.  Insert the centre pole.

5.  Then you do the A-frame. Except it isnt. It's a H frame. Now if I am going to have any whinge about this tent (and in honesty, I really like it), its the bloody H frame!!!  This part of the process took me longer than pitching the rest of it.  The H frame falls as you are trying to slip it into two pockets, which go at right angles in the corners of the tent.  You have to place the frame into the entrance, then add the extra section at the bottom on either side.  This was a total ball ache.  As I said previously, the pole is quite stiff/sticky to slide into each section, so the frame didn't want to go together properly, until it was locked into place, and tied into position.

I had a H style frame on my canvas and cast, and was never very impressed with them then, either.

I am presuming it has to be this shape, to get the entrance of the star bell in position, as the standard A frame wouldn't work (but is a lot quicker)  It probably didn't take that long to do it, but it doesn't take much for me to throw my rattle out

Then you go round and guy the star portions of the outside of the canvas.  Now rather than guy ropes, you insert the peg into a webbing strap at the end of each of the star points.  Read the info leaflet for this.  I tried to put the peg into the open strap at the end. Went back, read the info, and realised you need to make a loop behind the buckle at the top. The peg then goes in there.  The beauty of these points is that the tent feels a lot more stable and secure (windy weather etc), and as the points cover a lot of the wall canvas, there is less chance of leakage around the ZIP

Overall

Pros

The tent has the standard mesh door nets included

The stability seems sturdier than a standard bell

The aesthetics (in my opinion) are nicer than a standard bell

The canopy at the front is incorporated into the design, so you dont need to faff with tarps and canopies, to give some protection to the door entrance

Pitching time is probably similar to a standard bell

At 29kg, its no heavier than any other 5m 285g bell, despite having the canopy

The walls are higher than other bells - always a bonus

No crouching to get into the entrance

The bag was generally larger than normal, so it was easy enough to pack away

Higher Walls

Lantern Holder

Large Entrance 

Cons

The H Frame.  Farty thing

No inner tent available at the moment (if you are handy with a sewing needle, you could probably easily adapt an inner)  The plastic rings are in place for an inner to hook to, so I am presuming there is one in the pipeline

I'm not sure you would get clearance with a wall exit wood stove - It would take a bit of manouevering to get it into a decent clear space (roof exit would be fine)

It you want fit a larger tarp to the front, for kitchen use etc, you would struggle to fit it against the existing porch

Standard lantern holders won't fit around the bigger centre pole

Summary

So overall, yes ok , I am sold on it.  If I was starting out and wanted a 5m bell - I would go for this option rather than the regular shape

As it was a decent weekend for weather, I can't comment yet on waterproofing etc (thankfully, no rain)  So I will pitch it again, when I can go through the lovely chore of camping in horrible wet conditions.  I will pray that summer comes on the day I take it down

Link to the seller:

https://www.boutiquecamping.com/tents-c1/star-range-c64/5m-sandstone-star-bell-tent-p995






The standard manufacturers blurb is:

• Brand new Boutique Camping 5m Star Bell Tent design 
• All Boutique Camping tents come with zipped In groundsheet (ZIG)
• Luxury bell tent with heavy duty zipped in water resistant, extra thick groundsheet (540g per sqm)
• Total weight 5m = 29kg 
• 3m lightweight 35mm diameter Aluminium centre pole.
• Centre pole has a loop to hang chandeliers
• This bell tent does not fit our current, standard inner tent.
• 3 Extra thick 5mm guy ropes for the canopy entrance
• 360 netting around the 75cm walls, can be rolled up for airflow
• Heavy Duty Pegs; 6mm groundsheet pegs and 8mm robust groundsheet pegs
• Packed downsize (105cm x 36cm x 36cm)
• Big entrance door 2m high & 2.90cm wide
• Bendy pole for canopy
• Integrated canopy with a 50cm overhang at the entrance
• Breathable and durable polycotton canvas 285g per sqm, with reinforced double stitched seams. For more information, please click here.
• Webbing to secure the tent to the ground
• Double-sided zippers
• 3 way zips with loops that can be easily padlocked for extra security
• Secondary zipped mosquito door
• 4 zipped windows for airflow and ventilation with mesh cover to keep insects away
• Canvas tents are renowned for retaining heat and their cooling effect, as they are a breathable material.
• Canvas is treated with UV, mildew, rot & water repellent
• All our bell tents will fit a wood burning stove, however, you will need to create the opening yourself
• Can sleep up to 6 adults on airbeds comfortably with space for luggage, furniture or a walkway
• Easy to assemble – one person can assemble in under 15 min
• Comes with 12 months manufacturers warranty

Alcohol is flowing

REVIEW: Boutique Camping 4m Pro Bell Tent

Boutique Camping 4m Pro Tent

I was offered the option of testing a 285g standard bell, which Boutique have been selling for a while.
However, they had new stocks of the 'Fireproof Pro' -fire resistant heavier weight canvas in, so I opted to test one of these instead.

Initial reaction was that all seemed good.  Thicker guy ropes in purple with personalised sliders.

Pole thickness was fairly standard on both centre pole and a frame.  Nice top opening bag (easier to get the tent back in)

The canvas was thicker, however it does have a plastic finish feel coated onto it.  I prefer the softer treated canvas, but had no issues with condensation, so it wasn't a major problem.

There is a flue hole already incorporated in the roof, I didn't think was a particularly good placement.   Its quite far back into the tent, and renders using an inner useless, unless you could somehow angle the inner right into the door frame at the front.  If using a side stove, then you have no option other than to make another flue exit anyway.

I'm never a fan of pre-fitted flue holes in tents for these reasons 1.) It's invariable positioned badly.  2.) It will be rendered useless dependent on whether you get a roof or side exit stove

Groundsheet was the heavier weight 540g and was fine.  Pegs are fairly standard.  Stitching quality was good, with no obvious shortcuts on seams etc.  Zips good quality and glided well

Mesh doors are always a bonus, and it was nice to have these

So overall it appeared to be a nice little tent.  Until it rained.

No torrential downpour, but some showers, and it resulted in puddles pretty much everywhere.  It appeared to come from the lower zips, the a frame and even dripping from the seams and further into the tent as well.

The tent hadn't been weathered prior to this use, so I thought it would be only fair to retry the tent a second time.  So after drying off, I pitched again at home to test the waterproofing.

It has been outside for about 5 days, and there are no points where it could wick etc (fairly empty tent), but unfortunately the waterproofing was just as bad as before, if not worse.  Not just a few drips which is quite acceptable, but over an inch of water pooling around the main A frame, running in the back of the groundsheet, and just drips and puddles everywhere.

As a new product, perhaps revisions have been made, as the item wasn't for sale at the time of me testing it, or it may have just been a one off rogue tent in the batch

However, it is hard for me to recommend it with any confidence, as its let down purely on the waterproofing

Although Boutique do some really nice accessories, and are brave enough to develop a wide range of coloured tents (standard 285g, which generally seem to get better reviews)...


Manufacturers Website Spec:-

• Our first fireproof bell tent!
• British Safety Standards: BS EN ISO 5912 and BS 7837
• Heavy duty 385g per sqm 100% natural cotton canvas
• 100mm pre-cut flue hole for stoves 
• Includes integrated canvas flap with velcro, to cover the hole when it's not in use
• Available with single door only
• Luxury bell tent with heavy duty zipped in ground sheet (540g per sqm)
• New secondary mosquito door, with thicker guy ropes and extra strong pegs
• Thickness of pegs: 6mm and 8mm

Our exclusive Bell Tents by Boutique Camping aims to provide you with prominent luxury and comfort away from your home. There is a 4 and 5m tent, both with heavy duty zipped in ground sheet, which gives you the option to unzip and roll up the sides whilst you lounge and enjoy the surroundings around you. Available in an array of colours and patterns, our bell tent also come with 4 zipped windows and air vents at the top to allow more airflow.

The 4m tent is perfect for couples however can sleep 4 adults comfortably, luxuriating in an open-plan bedroom whilst the 5m tent is perfect for larger families and groups.

All our Bell tents are made from 100% natural breathable cotton canvas that drapes down from the centre pole and is held tight by ropes to create that distinctive vintage shape outside and to compliment the wonderful soft ambience within.

We are keen to give our customers the best and build upmost comfort combined with luxury; following feedback, we have introduced a secondary mosquito netting door, as well as a thicker 32mm centre pole, thicker guy ropes and durable pegs that will not bed and change shape once they are hammered into the ground.

With added branded zippers and metal guy ropes, to add that exclusive Boutique Camping touch And finally, all our Bell Tents Canvas’s are treated with mould, rot and water repellent. We recommend that you re-proof the canvas after approximately a year; this of course is dependant on how frequently it is used however we generally recommend reproofing after 52-60 weeks.