Tent Review: Pomoly Chalet 70 Pro Hot Tent
I was first introduced to the Pomoly Chalet 70 Pro through the YouTube channel TA Outdoors, where the channels host Mike demonstrated using it with a wood stove in his own woodland. For a long time I've been really interested in the idea of using a hot tent, to extend the camping season deep into the colder months, and I also like the idea of using the stove to cook whilst inside the shelter of the tent (especially when in poor weather conditions etc.). After seeing Mike's videos of the Pomoly I started to watch some others on YouTube using the tent, and I even found some up in Alaska which I think was a real testimony to the tent's ability to keep it's inhabitants warm and stand up to harsher weather conditions. So around January, I decided to buy my own and try it for myself, having borrowed a tent stove from a friend so that I could try out hot tenting!
When I bought the tent, I hoped that I would be able to take it out for some cold weather camping within the first few months of the new year, but unfortunately, with buying and moving into a new house, the dreams of my camping trip in cold weather quickly faded away. Ultimately, it wasn't until the end of May that I could actually take it out for a 'spin', and since then I have now taken it away twice (third trip pending) - so based on this, here are my thoughts and feedback on the Pomoly Chalet 70 Pro.
Setup
Using only 2 poles and 12 pegs, and being single skinned, the Chalet is a nice and easy, fast setup process, that can be done with no problems by just one person, and even quicker with two. The tent comes with only 12 pegs, which is enough for the tent, however there are two extra peg out positions on the sides of the tent which would be good to use, but you'd have to bring some spare pegs. I've tried looking online for some of Pomoly's own spare pegs, but I have yet to find them.
Using the tent
Inside, the tent is very spacious for a two-man (2.5x2m footprint), and actually fine for two people for a number of nights. Our double air bed took up half of the floor print, and the other half held room for the stove, firewood, a small table and even a small chair. In the centre of the tent, head room is good too, at a height of 1.5m, however of course being an A frame tent, the head room decreases the further you are from the centre.
As it is a single skin, which is the norm with hot tents, you will get some condensation during the night. The manufacturer has tried to mitigate this with vents either side, which are covered from the rain and can be left open all the time, and it also has openings on both ends, which could be left open too, although if you're using it during colder months, this wouldn't be recommended. I think that the amount of condensation is permissible, and nothing that a micro fibre towel can't wipe away in the morning.
The doors are nice and big, so it's easier to get in and out of than many small tents, although you do have to watch for the guy line coming down the centre from the pole.
I also love how the pegged out side faps can be used to stow away gear to keep it out of the rain, which is great for anything that doesn't need to be kept with you in the tent, but you do wish to keep dry.
There are also lantern hooks inside on either end above the door, which are a great addition, and can make it feel really homely. You could also run a line between these hooks and hang your lantern or anything else from that.
Using the stove
Taking away this tent during May did mean that we didn't utilise the stove in the same way that we would have during the winter months. It was too hot during the nights to need a fire going, so we only used it on the first morning of our trip to try it out for cooking. I think being able to use it for cooking is a massive benefit, and if you were trying to pack light, you could avoid bringing a gas stove and bottles, or any other type of stove, because cooking on top of the wood stove works so well.
I used a fire lighter and some good dry firewood to get the stove going, and with the vents fully open it burned really well, and soon a pillar of smoke was rising from the chimney, whilst it made a satisfying puffing sound like a steam engine. I used it to boil the kettle, and then make a chorizo hash for breakfast. Even with both doors fully open the tent heated up really quickly. The heat proof corner of the floor for stove use is great, and the stove came with it's own heat proof mat too. But unfortunately, one of the times that I opened the door to add fuel, the wind must have carried a spark out past the heat proof mat, and it burned a small hole in the floor. I have since easily repaired this with tent repair tape, but in the future I would cover more of the floor with an extra mat or even better, a welding blanket.
Quality
Before I purchased the Chalet 70 Pro, I did have some reservations regarding the potential quality of the manufacture and materials used for the tent, given that I wasn't overly familiar with the brand, other than what I'd seen on YouTube, but so far, I have been not only surprised, but very impressed!
The materials that Pomoly have used feel and look like high quality items - and they perform like it too. The little and sometimes overlooked details like the zips, door tie backs, and even the storage bag are much better than many that I've experienced with very well known, reliable brands. The tent 'canvas' material is lightweight, yet strong and waterproof, the guy lines are fine and small, yet also strong and well made. The pegs are actually brilliant, as Pomoly opted not just for standard aluminium or steel hook style pegs, but instead they've provided pegs with a square cross-section that makes your tent secure in muddy conditions, but they're still metal and can be hammered into harder ground types too, plus, each peg is fitted with a small paracord hoop, to make getting them out even easier.
Conclusion
Overall, I am well and truly chuffed with the Pomoly Chalet 70 Pro. It's functionality and high quality feel make it a pleasure to use, and I think it just looks great - a proper tent! Although it is more expensive than some tents of the same size, it is reasonably priced for a hot tent of it's size. I'm looking forward to taking it out for more trips!
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B09MGTPM2R/?coliid=IUHPNCB50FNK8&colid=1KTMI2EMHQIBJ&ref_=list_c_wl_lv_ov_lig_dp_it&th=1
Comments
Post a Comment