Before I begin the review I would like to apologise for the depth, but I’ve tried to describe things about the tent that can only be gained from living in the Vermont for over a week with a family of 5, as such there’s a lot to say. What I’m trying to avoid saying is what can be read on the sales pitch, and rather try and cover what a family has to say about the Vermont.

The Vermont-L is a really adaptable and family friendly tent that ticks all the boxes for us. I figure if you’ve come this far looking for reviews on the Vermont then you already know its dimensions and specifications. When we first started looking for the Vermont we were considering the XL as it has the third sleeping pod but whilst the XL is a little wider the additional width of the XL didn’t equal the size of the third sleep pod and as such comes at the cost of stealing space from the other two sleep pods, so the sleep pods on the XL are actually smaller than on the L. We did consider the fact that we could unzip the divider on two sleep pods and make one bigger pod, but then we are back to the same layout of the L. At the time we brought the Vermont-L, we were 2 adults and 2 children with a third on the way. Our planned sleeping arrangements were for the two girls in one pod and us and the baby in another pod. The 2 girls sleep in the smallest pod with their two single self-inflating mats. They have ample room and there’s still space between them to exit the pod without disturbing each other. In the largest pod we’ve a double self-inflating mat and a Littlelife Arc2 cot. We’re happy with the space and the cot doesn’t take up as much in length as a normal bed so we also have space for a large kit bag at the side. Generally, we lie with our heads to the back wall with feet facing the door. The rear pod wall is vertical enough that we don’t feel claustrophobic with the inner material over our heads. I think we’ve actually slept all 4 ways in the pod with no problems and it’s usually the slope of the land that dictates the angle we sleep.

The living area is a large space and is big enough for the 5 of us to live comfortably. When we first purchased the Vermont we thought the built-in-wardrobe in the living area was a bit gimmicky and we planned to take it down and have more living space. However the wardrobe is actually an amazing use of space, especially on week long holidays and we recently brought a pack of plastic coat-hangers that we now keep in the tent bag with the tent. We also have a Royal 4 shelf travel wardrobe that we set up and put in one half of the built-in-wardrobe and there is still room to have coats hanging from the integral clothes rail that comes with the tent as standard. As the built-in-wardrobe is quite deep there’s plenty of room behind the travel wardrobe for the tent bag and all the equipment bags and other bits and bobs, and there is still more room on the floor next to the travel wardrobe for beach towels etc. All the windows in the living area open fully as well as the two side doors and when it gets hot we often open both doors in the living area and the window and then on warm evenings we can drop the fly mesh curtains on the doors and window. We have a Royal Rutland Ali camping table set up in the living area and manage to get 4 director style chairs round the table to eat or socialise and still the baby has room in the area adjacent to the wardrobe for a play-mat and toys. We did purchase the carpet as an optional extra and with a young family it’s a must have for rainy days stuck in the tent.

The awning is an integral part of the tent and as such cannot be separated from the main tent. We always cook down one wall with the stove under the window and when cooking we open the window to allow steam, heat and cooking smells to escape the tent. Because of the angle of the side wall cooking smells escape quite nicely. This isn’t always convenient if it’s raining and as such we have to leave the window shut then. We tend to set the kitchen up down the left hand side and use the right hand side as a dumping ground. To date, we have always fitted the bath-tub ground sheet in the awning and used the smaller door in the front wall. However, on a recent holiday it was raining but still humid and we had to keep the doors and windows shut to keep the rain out. I have been thinking that in the future, I might try leaving the bath-tub ground sheet out and place the kitchen across the wall adjoining the living area and then the front wall of the awning can be rolled up during the day to make a porch (so it won’t be an enclosed kitchen). We can then open the inner living area wall and sit looking out without being bothered by the rain. My wife and I have found the tent easy to put up, however, I do feel it requires two people to erect. I think it pays to try and watch the on-line videos of the Vermont being erected for the easiest way. We’ve had the tent up in some awful weather including heavy pounding rain and strong winds and we have had no problems at all. I’m trying to think of a negative to say about the Vermont-L and I can’t really, other than I sometimes wish the awning was detachable so we could use it as a smaller long weekend style tent.

Just to clarify some data that might not be clear from the Outwell specification. The living area actually has two windows and two doors, however one of the windows is inside the wardrobe and as such is often inaccessible when the wardrobe is fitted. The windows can be unzipped and fully opened and then there is the option to have just the fly mesh down on the windows and the doors, allowing a level of privacy whilst still allowing airflow. The awning also has two windows that can be fully opened. However there are no fly screens on the awning windows.

Correct for the 2009 model.