MALAMOO X TRA (3 X MAN) POP UP TENT IN SOUTH AFRICA

(Used once and no longer require this tent.) Pop-up tents are becoming increasingly popular in the leisure market. Most people who own a heavy, expensive, large canvas tent have also bought a pop-up tent. They might have intended it to be used for shorter trips or weekends away, but they’re beginning to find that it’s being used for every trip. When a convoy arrives at a campsite everybody loves to be the first to finish setting up. I too have been unable to avoid the appeal of the pop-up tent. I love my swag (used for long trips provided there are no elephants about) and my lightweight 3-man hiking tent (used if there are elephants about or my travel entails weight and size issues). Now I have a third tent which I use most of the time and yes you guessed right, it is the Malamoo 3 Seconds XTRA! Weighing in at only 4 kg (the heaviest and biggest in the Malamoo range) one literally just throws this tent into the air and as it makes its way back to Mother Earth it self-erects. A bloke’s dream, some might say.Then if you are expecting a little wind and bad weather, knock in the tent pegs and fasten the glow-in-the-dark guy ropes. This tent is not going anywhere! During a trip to the Caprivi Strip we took three of these tents with and encountered the mother of all storms. The Malamoo stayed put in the wind and dry in the continuous rain, thereby comfortably passing the storm test. It is great when you are able to sleep dry in a storm; I love being in a decent tent in atrocious conditions. The reason for this is probably the 1 500 mm waterproof fly and a breathable inner which basically gives you two layers of protection, one which breathes and the other which keeps out the water. Furthermore the inner has a great fine anti-insect mesh so if in an area with mosquitoes and bugs you should be fine provided you keep the zips closed. There is a large rear window which can be opened for light or animal spotting while the two included poles can be used to put up the entrance awning. If arriving at a campsite late or only staying for a day I often don’t use the poles and awning. One of my favourite features is that if you have muddy or stinky shoes then they can be left in a separate compartment which can be found between the main sleeping area and the awning. This means that they’ll remain dry and out of your smelling zone. As for the inside there are handy pockets in which to store car keys, your headlight or your Kindle. They say this tent is suitable for three to four people but I say it is a spacious two-man tent, but if you don’t have too much gear or are sleeping with dwarves you might fit three or even four in! I read one Australian review where the reviewer complained that he could not fit two king-size mattresses into the tent. The tent does have a set of instructions which will explain how to fold it away into the big round bag. I watched an instructional video on YouTube and was good to go. Once you’ve mastered the technique you’re fine and putting it away should only take a little longer than putting it up. When I attended the Dakar Rally earlier this year the main camp which housed the teams only used Malamoo tents, except of course for the top riders or drivers who stayed in hotels. There were well over a thousand of them in the camp. I am sure those who camp a lot have noticed how this little tent has taken the camping scene by storm, mainly because there is no other tent that can be fully erected in only three seconds!