Vango Airbeam Odyssey Air 500 Villa Tent, Epsom Green

I was looking for the perfect tent - small enough for travelling but large enough to accommodate 2-4 people comfortably with all our stuff but also something warm & with lots/large windows - so I was very excited to find this tent - it was exactly what I needed in terms of size, easy to pitch, airbeams (my first experience), and lots of space & clear views outside in poor weather. I was lucky to buy it on deal for £330. Delivery via Prime was great as always, took only 1 day and the tent arrived well packed with all its contents. No issues here.Last weekend we took it to Wales for its first outing- pitching was relatively easy, not as quick as poles in my opinion but I pitched it myself within 10-15mins the first time - job done. Providing you secure the ground sheet properly first and then pump up the 3 beams (they get quite heavy when full of air so make sure you secure each one by one), it's easy and quick enough to pitch in all sorts of weather.Expecting about 15mph wind overnight we secured it properly, all guy ropes pegged down and pumped up the 3 beams to one extra psi as advised. Unfortunately, at 2am we were woken up by all 3 beams collapsing on one side- they would pop back up eventually by themselves (or with a bit of help) but by the daylight, the whole left side was pretty much lying down - see photos. Checking outside, all guy lines were holding strong (using my own hardened pegs) but the canopy pole snapped and tore the fabric. Sadly (and surprisingly) we were the only tent in the whole campsite with this issue, other tents (incl other Vango airbeam ones) were flapping but stood firm - not a single one was down. With the damage already done, we packed up and headed back home (it was a short trip anyway - just didn't appreciate the early morning drama...)Amazon was excellent in sending out a replacement and Vango were quite helpful too discussing the issue - albeit they confirmed we did everything correctly and it was probably a bad inner tube which caused the issue. As this was my first experience with airbeams, I cannot comment on how normal this is, I am told that in high winds the beams may bend and would always pop back in ok - that's supposed to be one of the advantage of airbeams over poles. On this occasion however, the wind was not that strong and we were the only tent down among 30-40 other tents in exactly the same conditions.Pros:- the design - I just love how bright & clear to see outside it is. I often go camping with an elderly relative who enjoys the views (not so much the weather) - this allows her to stay inside when it's cold & windy and still see outside- small when packed - large when pitched with lots of space - sleeping area would fit 2 king size mattresses and the living/storage area also large enough to hold a party!- large clear windows - great in poor weather when you can still enjoy the views- storage pockets in sleeping area - could have more but sufficient- easy to pack back into its bag incl the pump- warm inside with no draft- clever ventilation points- no condensation so farCons:- see photos ....- entrance zip kept snagging - not a major issue but you have to be careful with it- groundsheet was ripped slightly by a chair - was quickly & easily fixed but I was using the same chair in other tents and never had a rip. I'll be using a carpet / tarp on top of the main groundsheetWhy 4 stars? All in all, the tent design is amazing, I still love it and I hope my bad experience was just a one off. Should this happen again, I will review the rating but for now I would not want to discourage others. I will be camping again in few weeks so will update this review then, hopefully to full 5 stars.

I love this tent. Though I have only used it once (last week) for 7 days. It rained gently, but constantly for the first 2 days and then various downpours every day along with hot sunny periods. So far, no leaks. The only down side is that its difficult to get the canvas taut no matter how you stake out the guylines or pegs. Because of this and the flatness of the roof, the rain collects and pools on the roof. Some people have said that the weight has even collapsed the air beam. Apparently, quite a few people have complained about this, but have had no solution from Vango. I found that using a vertical pole in the middle of the tent during downpours, creates the typical "A" shape and the rain then trickles down the side as it should do. But I made sure that the pole has something blunt at the top so as not to rip the canvas. Seems a palava, but only needed when there is constant heavy rain and otherwise, I love the tent. The porch is a decent size, with vents. The sleeping area is one large area which can be separated into two bedrooms if needed, or just remain as one large bedroom. It inflates easy. I put up and took down the tent by myself, easily enough.

tent is great! easy to assemble, little difficult to get down due the having to squeeze all of the air out the beams. But apart from that its great.Tonnes of head height, I'm 6'4 and there is still plenty of room above my head even in the sleeping pod.Shame it took 4 week to arrive even though it is classed as a "prime" item

As a Tent great easy to out up. But as a 5 man Tent it is not 4 at a push. Also the only pole didn't come joined together with elastic, so that took the time to get in one by one. Small in side and not alot if pockets for your bits. So going to use it as a festival Tent from now on.

Wasn’t disappointed with this amazing tent. Bought the vango air beam to replace my vango pole tent! After an operation I really struggled with the grind of putting the pole tent up! Air beam is the way forward! Setting up camp can be a very stressful experience, not with this. It took about 10 minutes to put and peg! Very strong and sturdy. We camped for 5 days with a little wind and a few showers, everything stayed as it should. The only thing I was disappointed about was on the description it states that it’s BLACKOUT bedrooms, it’s not. Apart from that, great quality and highly recommend 👍

I've now been on two camping trips with this tent - rained both times! It easy to put up with minimal hassle. The large windows are great, its spacious, sturdy and seems to be cheaper than others that have a similar spec.Good luck putting it back in the bag though.. I managed it, but took a lot of effort!

Great tent, extremely easy to put up (Alone) very spacious. Only down side was not blackout inside which I thought it was and very hard to fold small enough for the bag after.

Not what it says on tin. Advertised as new , although tent made in November 2018. Labelled as having the skyhook 2 system , nope. Doesn’t have it. If I didn’t know better I’d say this was an older model re badged and sold . Did I pay over the odds , who knows .