Terra Nova Hyperspace

Terra Nova market themselves as makers of 'the best tents in the world' and this is an expensive tent, costing 500 quid. Personally, I don't feel that either the quality of the tent, or the customer service, live up to the hype.

It is certainly a solid, roomy tent.

Unfortunately, these tents have a major problem with poor quality zips on the inner doors. Especially in dry, dusty conditions the zips rapidly wear out and refuse to work.

Having returned from a trip last year with the doors held up by safety pins, I sent the tent back to Terra Nova for repair before this years trip. They replaced the zip sliders - and charged me to do so, which I thought was a bit off as this tent is supposed to have a 'lifetime guarantee'. Still, problem sorted, I thought.

Not so. After FOUR DAYS use, the zips at one end refused to work, and we had to use the other end only. After four weeks, the other zips failed also. e-mails to TN produced only fobbing-off responses - ie you should lubricate the zips, and it was OK when it left here. NOT IMPRESSED.

This seems to be a design fault which TN know about but do not see fit to rectify. As such, I really cannot recommend this tent.

We have owned a Hyperspace tent since 1996, it has been used many times every season and we have always found it to be reliable and comfortable to use. It has seen some very tough weather conditions and stood up to it well.

We have looked after our Hyperspace really carefully a) it was expensive and b) we rely on it in inhospitable places and it has not let us down. It has been back to Terra Nova a couple of times for repair, as you'd expect for a tent used this way. We thought the cost of the repairs was very reasonable and high quality workmanship.

We did a trip 2 years ago and needed a lightweight tent so bought an Explorer which, although rated the same, suffered bent poles in an Icelandic gale. We sold it on and have gone back to the Hyperspace.  

All materials top quality, will stand up to anything. The double porches are brilliant for kit storage. It's meant to be a 3-man, but I've used it as a four-man with three others, all of us around or well over six foot tall.

Relatively easy to put up with practice, but at -5 in the mountains in failing light the poles pose some definite problems. Also very difficult to put down in the morning at -10! Totally waterproof unless you forget to put the fly on because it's dark and you're in the jungle (quote: "thats odd, you can see the rain spots on the tent...S**T"). Packs quite large, not suitable for carrying whole tent in a rucksack.

Overall a very good tent, but not the easiest to put up or down.

Four-pole geodesic dome with an additional pole supporting a porch at one end. Other end has a smaller, unsupported porch. Inner tent has midge-proof doors and a strong bathtub groundsheet.

The tent is incredibly strong, with good internal space.

Pitching is easy, continuous sleeves for the poles help. Inner first pitching is OK in good weather, but a pain in the rain. It is posssible, but fiddly, to throw the fly over the top and erect the tent under its protection. The whole assembly is held by a few pegs, guy lines are present but not ususally structiural. Side guys help to preevnt condensation appearing on the inner.

All in all a great base tent.