This is just a quick initial review of the Khyam tent with the folding poles. My tent is a 2 person dome without the tunnel bit at the front i.e. only has 2 poles all together.

This is ideal for me on my own with biking gear or also good when i go away with the missus with the car.

I got the tent because it was very fast to put up and take down and can confirm that (excluding pegs) you can out it up / take it down in about 20 seconds. Since it's a dome that means it will be good for stony areas since the pegs are not really needed for it to keep it's shape though the ones at the front doorway are needed to keep the outer skin tight and stop it touching the inner mesh. Speaking of which the inner and outer are joined together i.e. there's no need to put the outer then inner up or vice versa.
To put the tent up it is as simple as take it out the bag, pull the centre (top) up and unfold 4 hinged poles and viola you just need to peg it. The thought of threading poles through bits of tent (as my last dome tent) seems like far too much work now and when you're on the road making and breaking camp is always a PITA so this is great.

There are some bad points though - no.1 is the size it's not as small as I'd like for a 2 person dome though to be fair it does have an inner and outer and is tall enough to sit in though the sleeping compartment is only just long enough for me as 6 foot.
No.2. is that the seams are not fully sealed and they give you a tube and instructions to do it at home, for a rrp of £125 i'd expect them to do it for me and worry i wouldn't do it right and so maybe it's not fully waterproof?
No.3. I would prefer Alu 'V' shaped pegs to the steel pin type this seems a bit cheap maybe?
No.4. the groundsheet is very thin - probably why they sell a seperate one I would worry this would perforate or wear through. I think most modern tents have a thin groundsheet though.

So overall it's very good but not perfect and I would recommend one is you want a tent that is quick to put up and take down.

Incidentally mine was £65 as last years models are being sold off.

Great review - thank you :-)

m

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1. sleep diagonally! thats what I did in mine!
2. if you seal them yourself, and they leak, you only have yourself to blame... i reseal ALL tents weather done at the factory or not.
3. steel although heavier are better as if bent can be straightened, the ally ones snap...
4 use a piece thick poly the same size as the tent floor underneath, makes for a cleaner tent when packing away too.


BIG TIP!! DO NOT LEAVE YOUR BIKE KEYS IN THE INSIDE POCKET OF THE TENT WHEN YOU PACK IT AWAY........


Martyn

I have one of these and its a brilliant tent, never had any leaks or breaks even in torrential downpours. Its not great in gales and I just got some lighter pegs. I have never used it on the bike as I find it too bulky but its great for car camping.

sounds like you have the one below mine with the two alu poles to hold up the porch? i have the eiger with a vestibule at the front. (its yours with a bit more storage space, same inner tent)

to answer some of your points,
1; to me, packed size and weight are most important, so i decide what i can pack on the bike then get the biggest tent that will suit. to be honest, you cant have too much room, can you? the QE system takes a bit of room so you could have a bigger tent for the packed size, but to me its worth it. i was going to look into getting the next size up with the bigger vestibule in fact.
2; i thought exactly that when i got the tent, so i rang the supplier and they said khyam now seal the seams from new and the instructions and tube of sealer are supplied 'just in case', and to be fair the tents never leaked a drop in some horrendous downpours.
3; peg preference- is exactly that, YOUR preference. if they supplied all the types of pegs people preferred there would be a world shortage of Al, Ti and steel! if you dont like them, go shopping mate.
4; i also thought the groundsheet was too thin so i got the tailormade footprint from khyam, it makes all the difference and also 'floors' the vestibule, so you dont tread on so many slugs in bare feet in the mornings. its handy because you can roll the tent in it as you pack and its much easier to slip into the tent bag.

i like it, people will say its too bulky to take on a bike but it goes across the panniers nicely. i pack it in a large ortleib dry bag with a folding armchair, dont see the point of slumming it

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dave

HAHAHA not just me then, i done it with my passport and ticket once, had to unpack everything at bilbao ferry terminal!! got up in the morning, all organized, put everything i would need in a wallet then stashed it safely in the tent pocket while i packed up.

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dave

A detailed review... I agree about the thin groundsheet - very disappointing. I have to carry another thicker one to stick below. Also they are a little bit too long when packed, but it's worth it when you have a tent which erects (oops!) so quickly. I dont want to go back to conventional tents after using this for a few years. I've got the Eiger one with no external porch, as I wanted the smallest they make.

I decided to get one after a memorable winter's night near Le Havre - wind howling, rain lashing, pitch black, trying to insert the poles in a conventional tent which was flapping all over the place, etc, etc. Sheer wet hell. By the time I got in I was soaked through. I cried myself to sleep, as you do.

Hi

I bought a Kyham Freelander last year and Im very impressed with it.

It is a large pack size and I think it wieghs about 9kg but I bought it for the following reasons

1. its simple to put up by myself, takes me about 5 mins to get it errect and bedroom fitted.

2. it has a huge porch, big enough to stand up in (my knees and back are knackered and it means i can stand up to get dressed in the mornings).

3. I also didnt buy the kyham groundsheet but a one which covers the whole length of the tent, this means the bedroom part never touches the ground.

Size and weight doesnt really matter as I strap it across my pillion seat.
I also ride a Suzuki Intruder cruiser !

I think that in a few years when I change bikes and get something like a vstrom I will replace the tent with a smaller one but will be Kyham for the simple way its errected !

Cheers
Will

a good way to protect ground sheet is with sheet of bubble wrap (the packageing stuff) cut to shape

good idea peachface, that would give you a bit of insulation too

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dave

i wouldnt bother Will, i got a varadero and its plenty wide enough with the panniers on to accomodate a big long tent.

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dave

I find the bubble wrap works a treat as well, infact ive used the same piece for years and its still going strong.