What is it?
The Arpenaz 4.1 Fresh & Black is part of the Quechua range of tents from Decathlon. Designed to accommodate up to four campers, the Arpenaz 4.1 F&B is split into two sections - a bedroom and a living space at the front. That's it in a nutshell, but let's take a closer look at the main features.
The bedroom compartment measures 2400 x 2100mm and features Decathlon's Fresh & Black technology that helps deliver 99% darkness in your tent. Ideal if you're camping in the summer with those early sunrises that can otherwise light up your tent and wake you at 5am. The Fresh & Black technology also reflects the sun's rays on the outside of the tent to reduce heat inside.
When you're not sleeping the living area is 5sqm, but just as importantly, it has a ceiling height of 1900mm. So you can keep an eye on your neighbours theres a window with a fold down shutter, while there's also a liftable floor mat at the front so should it rain, you won't flood your living space.
When the sun is out and to keep the Arpenaz 4.1 Fresh & Black cool the ventilated flysheet airs the living room and reduces condensation inside. There's also ventilation hatches positioned at the front and rear of the Arpenaz 4.1 Fresh & Black to help circulate air through the tent, while there's a useful mosquito net at the back of the bedroom.
What's it like?
The Arpenaz 4.1 Fresh & Black comes in a moderately compact bag that measures 650 x 300 x 250mm and weighs 10kg, making it pretty easy to transport if you're not able to park near your pitch.
Rocking up at our campsite and there was a little trepidation about what it was going to be like setting it up. These worries were short-lived however as it couldn't have been easier to have set up for a couple of relatively inexperienced campers.
The Arpenaz 4.1 Fresh & Black is an all-in-one structure and comes with a pre-assembled bedroom and flysheet, so once this has been laid out on the ground, it's a simple process to then insert the three coloured poles into the fabric. Once these have been threaded through they need to be bent taught and positioned in the black end pieces below the flysheet. Once this has been done you need to hammer in a couple of pegs at the rear corners of the tent before you raise the frame of the tent. You then need to drive two more pegs in at the front before unravelling the guide ropes and driving anchoring these down with more pegs.
With the tent set up we could make it a little more homely. The living space has enough some of a decent-sized table that we could lay out food on (as well as a little Campingaz stove), a couple of camping chairs and luggage. The decent ceiling height of the Arpenaz 4.1 Fresh & Black meant we weren't hunched over either.
As it was just two off us, there was ample space in the bedroom for a double blow-up mattress. It is sold as a four person tent though and designed to accommodate up to four 600mm-wide mattresses. It would be pretty cosy with this kind of arrangement, but if you were a young family of four it'd certainly do the job for a couple of nights.
The blackout fabric worked a treat - keeping the morning light out of the tent first thing, though it'll come as no surprise to hear that it's pitch-black at night, which might not be for everyone. You didn't get woken up by a drip of condensation either as the bedroom compartment was separate to the shell of the tent.
When it was time to pack up after a couple of days, it was nice and easy to pack away. Simply reverse the process and then fold. That's where you'll need to be particular attention as you'll need to really tightly fold the tent if you want to get it back in it's carry case.
Should I buy one?
If you're a casual camper then the Decathlon Arpenaz 4.1 Fresh & Black is a great buy. At a whiff under £200 it's great value for occasional use.
Really easy to pitch up, there's a decent amount of space inside, making it a comfy and welcoming place to return to after a day out.
As a tent for four people, we'd avoid trying to squeeze four adults in the sleeping compartment, but the Decathlon Arpenaz 4.1 Fresh & Black is perfect for a couple or a young family.
