Outwell Indian Lake Tepee

Family teepee. Luxury tent.

UK price: £ 699.

Pros: Interesting style, headroom, luminous guy ropes.

Cons: Expensive, heavy and you may get attacked by the US Cavalry.

Verdict: Stylish newcomer on the campsite.

Rating:

Available from: www.cotswoldoutdoor.com

Product Review

They keep trying to make camping more trendy. First we had Kath Kidston designer tents covered with floral patterns, now you can buy your own teepee tent. It's not the product of a gang of hippies living in the woods though, it has been introduced by Cotswold Outdoor and they are calling it the ‘Rolls Royce’ of tents. Forget the shape though, the first thing you notice about the Outwell Indian Lake Tepee is that it costs a hefty £699. So what do you get for that?

Well, the Outwell Indian Lake Tepee has clearly got a style that you'll either love or think is silly. Perhaps more importantly it's three metres high so that's taller than virtually any tent you can buy. Hurray, I can stand up inside... Inside there's plenty of room for all the family: 580x320cms. The two bedrooms can sleep up to six and there's a living area too. It would be cramped with six, but it's fine for four.

The Outwell Indian Lake Tepee is supposed to replicate the easy-pitch-and-pack tents of Native Americans who would follow the bison trail on the Great Plains. On the modern campsites of the world this new design is also easy to pitch. With just one telescopic alloy pole in the centre you can pitch it either flysheet first or all as one. An innovative roof vent gives you a chimney effect, making it cooler in hot weather. For windy times, there are plenty of guying points to provide stability. It's clearly not meant for a mountain expedition or arctic adventure but the heavy duty cotton canvas and robust groundsheet seem plenty robust enough for family camping.

The contemporary technical features include features that old Sitting Bull would have found pretty convenient: four panoramic windows with roll down curtains let plenty of light in during the day and a porch provides shelter at the entrance. There are organiser pockets under the windows, heavy duty zips and, cleverest of all, luminous guy ropes. It's not especially light at 36kg so you won't take it backpacking, this is a tent for the car boot.