91 Reviews of the Bear Lake 6Showing 21 to 30Page:12345678910
By: DbiceReason:I own(ed) oneMade in:2012Rating:
Bought this tent recently and used it on its 1st outing to Norfolk and to north Yorkshire.
Plus points are:-
Its quiet and doesn't rustle noisily in winds and it feels very stable and planted.
Lots of window/door opening and venting options so it doesn't get excessively hot inside in the sun.
We had a terrific thunderstorm with torrential rain 1 day and it was completely watertight. In fact it was soooo watertight that I had left a window open and hadnt noticed it, but later on someone else asked if that was water in the tent! - the rain had come in the open window ( the mesh was down - so disguised the open window!) and collected in the rolled up window pocket - but it didnt leak or drain anywhere - it just stayed there - a huge pocket of water! - I was impressed as to how watertight the fabric actually is.
Negatives - for the size of tent we found getting a double height double airbed into the main bedroom was a tight squeeze if you wanted the bed to be inline with the tent ( which we wanted due to the slope in the ground or one of us would be rolling into the other during the night ). I don't know how Outwell can call this a 6 berth - we felt comfortable with 4 of us - but 6 is just ridiculous!.
There is only 1 place to hang a lamp! - only 1 central hanging point in the centre of the living area isn't really sufficient - id love to sew some into each corner of the living area plus more into the bedroom pods - hanging points are sorely missing in this tent!
The sheet of pockets on the front of the bedrooms and under the front windows are useful - but got to remember to empty them before packing up the tent!
The bag for the tent is great as the tent rolled up actually fits into the bag!
The ground sheet is very heavy and awkward to handle - I realise this comes with the quality and ruggedness of this tent - but it is hard work to fold up after camp.
The front porch is next to useless as it doesn't come all the way down to the ground! - during a heavy rainstorm we had to move everything under the porch to the centre of the porch to stop things from getting soaked - the fabric really needs to reach down to the ground and I might look at buying some fabric to sew onto the bottom of the porch material to do this.
The front extension replacing the porch works in this respect but it has no front protection so in windy wet weather it becomes almost useless as the wind blows the rain in, soaking everything - an optional / detachable window/door panel on here would help greatly.
Outwell are a bit cheeky in that they expect you to utilise the included front porch pole for the 1st leg of the front extension (the extension replaces the porch canopy altogether except for its pole!. We were lucky as this was the tents 1st outing we had the porch bits with us ( and the pole! ) - but I can see situations where some folks would leave the porch pole at home assuming the front extension comes with the necessary poles - which it does only as long as you bring the porch pole with you ( and leave just the porch fabric behind! ).
We also bought the side extension but we find this useless really as its very short only about 1m, (unlike the front extension) - and also it doesn't have a front panel/door so in the rain anything in this area will get wet if there is the slightest breeze/wind with the rain. - I wouldnt recommend buying the side extension for this tent as its pretty much useless! its also quite a polava trying to attach as uv got to get a large piece of extension over the tent roof and guy it down on other side of the tent and at same time trying to make sure its all even and square - took us as long to try to fix the sagging roof (which would have turned into a fishpond if it had rained and we had left it) as it took to put up the main tent! this side extension really needs a front of some sort to give protection from the rain in this area to make it useful.
This is an excellent tent but its not perfect, but what tent is?, however I would still recommend it as a strong, pleasant place to camp in. Its disadvantages are minor niggly points and no tent is a perfect fit for everyone who buys it but I like this tent and will be keeping it for some time I hope.
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After owning various polyester tents I finally got my hand in my pocket and bought a Bear Lake 6, after first seeing one at a local outdoor tent display and it by far stood out from the competition.
Having just returned from its virgin outing I can honestly say what a fantastic tent even better than I expected and the quality simply shines through.
Great looking tent thats super stable even when the wind picks up (unlike previous polyester tents!), quiet, spacious, easy to pitch and very light and airy its almost like sitting in a conservatory.
There are numerous different combinations to choose from, with three doors and windows that can be fully opened to allow plenty of fresh air to circulate.
Takes camping to a new level!
We can't wait to get off again!
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If you are looking at this review because you can't make up your mind about owning a BL6, then look no further. Go and get one. I am the type who looks into things pretty intensely, and I got the bear. After owning a Pennine pathfinder for years, we decided to downsize to a tent due to lack of camping time availability. My first thought regarding a tent was an Arkansas 5. When I started to look for one I discovered the Arkansas was an old model so we turned our attention to the Montana 6. This seemed perfect for us. One thing kept niggling at me, the material. My brother inlaw has one of similar material and it is very noisy in the wind and lets face it it gets windy on the coast or in the hills. I spoke to a mate who has a BL6. He told me about the noise factor not being a problem with the polycotton and he also said it didn,t get unbearably hot in good weather and it holds good heat in the cold. I got one and can confirm all of this is true. I had to get a roof box due to the size of it, a mant banc 4500. I can fit the tent and sleeping bags in there. One tip I will give you, because the poles are tunnel shaped, there is strap running between each end of the poles to prevent them spreading. These are attached to the top sheet using rings. I disconnected mine. When we put the tent up, before the pins are inserted into the bottom of the pole we hook the strap on to the pin, which holds it into place perfectly. The reason for this is when you take your tent down, hopefully it is dry, but these straps run under the bathtub style groundsheet and therefore are usually damp in not wet. Can you imagine unpacking your tent without noticing these were wet! The BL6 is a solid well built tent.
4 from 4 people found this review helpful, was it helpful to you?
After many days searching the Internet for tent reviews and visiting Yeomans tent exhibition at Ripley Castle last year, my wife and I eventually plumped for the Outwell Bear Lake 6 (our 1st proper tent!) We also purchased the front extension but did not bother with the side one as could not really see the point of it. The space for the 2 of us and the dog is fantastic (kids now grown up!) although I could not imagine 6 of us in there!
After standing in various polyester tents on a windy day at Ripley, I'm so glad we got a poly cotton. The Outwell Tennessee I originally wanted was like standing in a giant crisp packet in comparison! I am really pleased with the quality of the tent, several doors, opening windows etc etc. The footprint and Carpet also enhance the whole experience. I was very doubtful at the start as it was my wife who wanted a return to camping, I'm so glad we did, although having the Bear Lake makes all the difference! It seems the Outwell tents overall were the best quality on the market, not cheap, but you get what you pay for!
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We have had a Bearlake 6 for 5 years for a big tent it is quite easy to put up my 14 year old and me (only 4'11') have done it. I like the idea of zipping the floor in there is lots of room for 4 of us and the dog and we do take everything except the kitchen sink. We also go away for weekends so have recently bought an Oakland xl which you can put up in a matter of minutes. We are going to buy the side extensions for both before next year as it gives you that bit of flexibility. Oakland are a very good make of tent and we are very pleased with both of ours sometimes it is worth paying a bit extra for good quality. I have been camping for 35 years and met lots of lovely people and stayed at some great places,
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After spending weeks, and I really do mean weeks, researching tent reviews on here and watching endless videos online. We'd also been to Go Outdoors and our local specialist indie shop, Norwich Camping and Leisure and received some great advice. We really wanted a poly cotton to cut down on the plastic bag rustle and stuffiness of regular polyester tents. A few quid more, ok nearly double, but so much more comfortable.
We wanted loads of living space and the Bear Lake does that. We can get two large hammocks in there and still have plenty of space for storage. I'm 6'5' and the good lady is 5'11' so we need good head room, we also need plenty of room in the bedroom area too. Another big 'YES' for the Bear Lake.
I could go on and on.I normally do! It's heavy and Outwell should have charged another £100 for a proper trolley bag for the main tent but hey ho. I wish they did a better quality carpet but at least the tent has the heavy duty zipped in groundsheet in the main & bedroom area. You really need this if you want comfort and durability. Prepare for colour fading of the canvas in the first six months but it's no big deal in my opinion.
The best all around tent we could find for around £1000 and we paid a whole lot less. Outstanding Outwell! Thanks to Norwich Camping & Leisure too :)
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We got our BL6 from the camping and caravanning show at the NEC this year. We are a family of 4 and this tent was ideal for us. The tent is absolutely amazing. Having done most of our camping in normal tents to then go to the BL6 with Polycotton the difference was second to none. Its like going from a 3 star hotel to a 5 star. If you use this tent then you will know exactly what I mean. The only slight mark I will put against it is the front canopy should have been made to go straight to the floor. We did look at the wolf lake which has the canaopy to the floor but the 4berth was too small and the 7berth too big. This is why I have marked the BL6 9 out of 10 instead of 10 out of 10. We are going to buy the front extension as it will be perfect to have your kitchen set up in without the rain getting to it.
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Following up from my last review. I have now used this tent on two occasions. Once was a short 3 days and we saw moderate amounts of sun and rain in which the tent worked fine worked well in both. The pretty was over the last week in Somerset and I have to say the tent took a right hammering by the rain. We had 17hrs of near non stop rain and for most of the time very heavy. Fortunately the tent was fine with only a small drip coming through at low level where a baby seat was pushed hard into the side of the tent but once removed soon stopped. There were a lot of people on the site packing up and going home as the rain was to much for some tents, even my mates kampa frinton 4 leaked which are regarded as a quality tent(my friend was amazed at how totally dry the tent was on the inside with not a hint of moisture getting through). The main difference I have noticed between the polycotton and the 100% polyester tents is the lack of condensation and dampness you always get from the polyester tents, also very quiet in the wind as doesn't flap about as fabric is weighty. All in all a very nice tent and definitely worth the extra weight and if the price tag is a bit steep go for a second hand one like I did ( used twice £350 +50 postage bargain) and the tent is pretty much identical to the newer models so all good. I won't be changing tent for some time. Might treat myself to the front extension though
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Ok this is not going to be a tech review of the tent but a purely wifey, mum review!
I love this tent, we are a family of 4 with 1 large dog and the tent gives us so much space and comfort I wouldn't swap it for the world or a caravan (which is what I so wanted until we got this tent)
It takes me and my husband from start to finish 2hrs to put up with no arguments and that includes everthing; zipping in ground sheet, inner bedrooms, carpet, tables, air beds,sleeping bags, kitchen set up, electrics etc etc
We have table and chairs inside and kitchen table and still enough space for 2 kids to play and a dog to snooze. I love the sun porch as in the evening you can sit out with a drink and watch the world go by or keep kids out of the sun on hot day but without full sides still feel you are outdoors.
I'm very impressed with the tent, would recommend taking ground sheet out each time as VERY heavy with it zipped in, doesn't take long to attached when you putting tent up.
Been camping in some weather this year, wind and rain and the bearlake takes it all in its stride without moving or letting a drip in.
What can I say, I love this tent!
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There were several reasons we chose this tent, head height and living space being one of the most important. The windows are great giving a great view if your having wet weather and can open completely in hot weather. Love the zip in ground sheet, which is really easy to zip into place. Pretty easy to put up, but really needs two people to do so. We bought the side extension too, which is a brilliant kitchen area. Would love to have the front extension too, but think a lot of money and there is only so much space you can pitch on :)
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