Khyam XXl Classic QE Ridgidome Review

Overall Rating

Rapid erection of main tent structure. Generous living room. Windows

Poor design of important details, eg: bedrooms, 'tri-'guys, door and window zips. Unnecessary complexity. Dubious weather resistence. Weight and volume packed.

Note that the new version of the Khyam Ridgedome is effectively the Harewood (but without sewn-in groundsheet). Khyam sell these tents on the quick erect 'ridgi-dome' system, claiming that the tent can be erected in minutes by one person, but it seems to me that they have scrimped on the rest of the design. In fact, even this claim is misleading, because this particular model requires a 2nd person to support the central hub during erection, and because the complete job of pitching takes much longer - at least as long as our old Sunncamp Profile we were replacing - because of all the unnecessarily complex guy and pegging system. The nature of the ridgi-dome system means that the tent walls are never taut and end up flapping in the wind; and I cannot believe that bringing 3 guys together onto one peg is secure as pegging 3 seperate guys. We have had our Sunncamp Profile in 40mph gales in Scotland without mishap - a taut tent is an aerodynamic tent. In contrast, I would barely trust the Khyam in 20mph gales. The bedroom attacchment design are a disgrace. There is nothing in the written or video instructions to help you fit the bedrooms; and you quickly find that there is no provision in the groundsheet or main tent design to secure the front floors of the bedrooms. Furthermore there is no advice about what to do with the skirts. After the 1st night of rain in Wales, we found that water had laked between the bedrooms and grounsheet. I then spent an hour repegging the groundsheet and skirts - this time could be added on to the total pitching time.