Voyager Hi Gear Eclipse 6 man family tent first set up & review
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Voyager Hi Gear Eclipse 6 man family tent first set up & review

Space, bedrooms & design: Why the Voyager Hi Gear Eclipse 6 man family tent is a fab fit for our family of 4

Voyager Hi Gear Eclipse 6 man family tent everyone in tent

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Buying a tent for family camping is a big purchase.  It’s important to make sure that you pick a tent that fits your family’s budget, size and needs.

When we were first offered the chance to review a tent from GoOutoors, I went online and did a bit of research. I wanted to find a tent that would be a good match for our family of four.

I originally thought that the Hi Gear Sienna Eclipse 6 was the tent for us.  It looked like it had plenty of space and was relatively easy to put up.  I also liked the sound of the Eclipse technology, which uses light-blocking fabric in the bedrooms.  I’ve had my eye on a tent with Eclipse technology since I visited the Grand Opening of GoOutdoors Chesterfield.  I hoped it would keep the kids sleeping longer on early summer mornings. (A mum can dream, right!)

However, when we visited the GoOutdoors store in Pudsey, we ended up taking the Voyager Hi Gear Eclipse 6 man family tent home instead.  It was great to be able to walk in the tents, talk with the friendly sales people, and get a feel for what we wanted before we made our final decision.  Here are some of the reasons why we found the Voyager Hi Gear Eclipse 6 a great fit for our family:

Voyager Hi Gear Eclipse 6 – Just enough Space

Voyager Hi Gear Eclipse 6 man family tent peeking

I did a bit of a Golilocks with our tent purchasing.  The Sienna Eclipse was too big for what we needed.  It seemed better suited to a family who camps for weeks at a time.  For those of you looking for a bigger tent you might also want to check out what Kids Days Out Reviews thought of the Kalahari Elite 8.

The Zenobia Eclipse 6 Tent seemed a bit small.  Although it was very budget friendly, I was looking for a bit more living space.

The Voyager Hi Gear Eclipse 6 man family tent was just right!  It also got great reviews online and was one of the best selling tents last year (according to the salesperson who helped us!).

The Voyager Hi Gear Eclipse 6 man family tent has plenty of space for indoor furniture and play areas for the kids.  With the addition of the porch, we can even have a dedicated kitchen and storage area.  The tent also comes with built in storage hangers and two entrances.  Although the tent is over 225 cm high, the dome shape gives it a cozy feel.

cross pole design

The Voyager Hi Gear Eclipse 6 man family tent uses a partially geodesic, cross-pole design which makes it strong and flexible enough to withstand very windy conditions, an important feature in Yorkshire weather.

Black out Bedrooms in Voyager Hi Gear Eclipse 6

I love the bedroom set up in the Voyager Hi Gear Eclipse 6 man family tent.  There are three bedrooms in total.  For now we will take the divider out of the larger room and turn it into one giant room where we all can sleep.

The set up of the bedrooms means that the tent will be able to grow with us.  While the kids are little we will all sleep in the bigger room, but as they get older it will allow us the use one room for a parents’ room and still have a ‘private’ room for each of them.

One of the most difficult things I’ve found about camping is that the kids tend to get up with the sun.  I can’t wait to put the Eclipse technology in the bedrooms to the test.   The the light-blocking fabric keeps the bedrooms much darker than we’re used to, and I am very hopeful that it will keep the kids in their sleeping bags a few hours longer in the mornings.

Easy Set up

The friendly young man at GoOutdoors told us that set up of the Voyager Hi Gear Eclipse 6 man family tent takes about 30 minutes, but I wasn’t convinced.  However, I am happy to report that our first set up only took about 45 minutes, including stopping to take photographs.  I am pretty confident that we could easily set it up in 30 minutes after a few more tries.

Voyager Hi Gear Eclipse 6 man family tent poles

Set up is made easier by the fact that the poles and clips are colour coordinated and the tend tent comes with pre-attached guylines.  This takes the guess work out of figuring out which pole goes where.

It is also helpful that the instructions are sewn into the tent so they can’t get lost!

I would need a second adult to help me set it up as it is a two person job feeding the poles through the tent.

Voyager Hi Gear Eclipse 6 man family tent unroll

I am also a fan of the easy pack tent bag.  Essentially, the tent packs back up into a roll that can be fastened around the tent. It can be adjusted across four directions, so there’s no trying to cram a tent into a bag at the end of a camping trip.

Voyager Hi Gear Eclipse 6 Extras

Voyager Hi Gear Eclipse 6 man family tent boxes

We purchased the Voyager Hi Gear Eclipse 6 man family tent bundle, which included the tent, a porch, a carpet and a tent foot print.

The porch adds extra room but I didn’t find it nearly as easy to put up as the tent.  It didn’t come with instructions, so we watched an instructional video from the GoOutdoors website.  Set up of the porch took about a half an hour.   I would struggle to put up the porch without a chair or stool, as you have to reach the top bit over the tent.

The footprint groundsheet was an investment to keep the tent clean and protect it from abrasion, rips and tears. It also adds another layer between the campers and the ground, so a bit of extra insulation too. With the addition of the carpet, the tent feels very cosy under foot.

I wasn’t sure we needed the carpet but in the end it was a great buy! It’s soft, attractive and is made to fit perfectly into the tent.  It’s also very lightweight and easy to pack.

Cobb Pro BBQ

cobb pro bbq thumbs up

Along with the tent, we also had the chance to try out the Cobb Pro BBQ. It is more than a portable grill, it can also roast, bake, fry, grill and smoke food.

cobb pro bbq

All you need to get the Cobb Pro BBQ started is  8-10 briquettes or one Cobble Stone.  The briquettes are lowered onto the firelighters via the fire basket.  A stainless steel moat surrounds the fire basket and is used for catching fat or cooking vegetables.

Once the fire is started, you simply put the easy-clean Teflon coated Grill Grid on top.  The holes in the grill grid drain off the excess fat where they land in the moat below.

Finally, the stainless steel dome with heat-resistant handles is put on top.  The holes in the dome provide even ventilation so the Cobb Pro BBQ cooks like an oven.

cobb pro bbq food on grill

The Cobb Pro BBQ is big enough to cook dinner for four.  It’s great for families as the sides stay cool and everything but the base is dishwasher safe.  Cleaning the BBQ after we were finished was a breeze.  I just drained the fat and gave everything a quick scrub in the sink.

cobb pro bbq pack away

The Cobb Pro BBQ also comes with a carry bag where everything fits neatly inside.

We had a great time trying our first set up in the back yard but can’t wait to put it all to the test out camping soon.

Do you have a bit of camping kit you love?  I’d love to hear about it!

Voyager Hi Gear Eclipse 6 man family tent first set up & review
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16 Comments

  1. This tent sounds great – nice and roomy, but as you say, not too huge. We tried out a different blackout tent last summer, and it really was a revelation. I bet you’ll enjoy sleeping in it! The Cob Pro looks good, too – nice and light, by the looks of things.

    1. You really have to get the size right with tents don’t you? We cooked on Cobb Pro for a mid-week dinner tonight. My husband is having a great time playing with it!

    1. My friend and I were talking last summer saying ‘why hasn’t someone invented black out blinds for tents?’ Turns out they have! There goes my million dollar idea but it’s a good un’

  2. Loving the flexibility of the bedroom space and the fabric not letting in as much light is a HUGE advantage!!! We are going camping tomorrow and I just know my kids are going to be up at the crack of dawn!

  3. Looks great! Thanks for including a link to our review of the slightly larger Kalahari 8 – we should do a Yorkshire family bloggers camping trip!

  4. This tent looks amazing! I haven’t camped since I travelled round Australia fifteen+ years ago and we’ve never been with our girls so the thought of buying a tent makes my head hurt. I love that there are bedrooms and a carpet!

    1. haha.. it is a big purchase. I think it’s made harder by needing to buy one when you haven’t been much to try a variety out. The guys at GoOutdoors were really good with helping with questions etc. Definitely go look at some set up first!

  5. This tent looks fab!! Love the bedroom setup, and the black out material is a great idea. I hope you have many lovely outdoor adventures in it 🙂

  6. This tent looks amazing Erin, I’d love a bigger one and I love how you have showed us exactly what we are getting of we buy it.

  7. I love the size of this tent. we like a lot of room when we camp and the set up sounds perfect. How did I not know you could get black out tents, this could be a game changer

  8. Christina says:

    Thank you so much for this review. We have been considering buying this tent in the recent Go-Outdoor Sale so it’s nice to know that it’s a good tent and easy enough to put up etc

  9. This is the ultimate guide about family tent review. Thank you for sharing this review.

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