One of the items on our wishlist this year for camping was a new tent. Our previous tent Gelert Bala Air 6 had done us incredibly well. However, we were ready to explore the wonders of a pole tent. We were sent a Skandika Gotland 6 Tent and Canopy to review and we couldn’t wait for our first camping trip of the season. 
Skandika Gotland 6 Tent and Canopy
If you had seen Mark and I try and pitch this tent you would have been standing there and either laughing with us or at us. I hope to anyone who may have watched us, it was apparent we were not experienced in pole tents. We were determined to get pitched and inside quickly! All in all, it took 2.5 hours to pitch up and unpack everything. Including setting up the kitchen area and making the boys bunk beds. The tent was really simple to pitch, we were just tired, cold and hungry.
In hindsight, it really shouldn’t have taken us long to put up. We pegged out each of the 4 corners and then worked the poles through. Mark then worked round to put the poles into the right areas as I stood and held the tent as it was being pitched. When the tent was fully up I was pretty pleased with the amount of space we had inside. We chose to have the added canopy to help make more outdoor space in case of bad weather. However, inside the tent, we were able to have a camping table and benches as well as a couple of camping chairs up.
We did struggle to put the canopy up and this was most likely down to experience. We are both pretty confident that with more use the easier it will all be to attach together. The issue we faced was making sure that the velcro of the canopy and tent matched up. We struggled with making sure that there was enough material to hook to the pegs.
Inside the Skandika Gotland 6 and Canopy
We don’t bring an awful lot of stuff and we tend to keep to the basics. So we don’t have fancy wardrobes, blow up sofas or even a fancy kitchen set up to contend with. When we went camping the weather wasn’t the greatest and it even poured with Rain at one point. The Skandika Gotland 6 tent has a water column of 5000mm! The minimum needed for British weather is 3000mm. For those who don’t know about what the water column is, well it is what is used to measure the strength and waterproofness of tents. The higher the number the better it is.
The bedroom
The bedroom in the Skandika Gotland 6 tent sleeps 6 and can be made into 2 small rooms or one big one. When we camp we prefer to use it as one larger room and we all sleep together. The younger 2 boys have Kid o Bunk beds so it helps to save some space in the room. Mark, Jack and I all sleep on self-inflating mats and we all have matching 3season sleeping bags to keep us warm. Oliver and Arthur were sent a sleeping bag each from Skandika to try too and the first night we camped they were both so eager to get inside them.
Measurements
The Skandika Gotland 6 measures 540cm(length)x450cm(width) altogether. The bedroom section on its own measures 215cm(length)x420cm(width). When packed it measures 80cm(length)x42cm(width)x23cm(height). The tent comes with a sewn-in groundsheet and all the seams are sealed and waterproof. There are 2 plastic windows at the front of the tent but all other windows and doors are made using mesh materials. There is a hook in the roof of the tent to hang a lantern as well as small compartments for electric hook up on either side of the tent. The Tent also features 2 side doors to help with access
The Canopy
The Canopy attaches to the tent via a velcro strip which runs on the top of the tent. It also features the same 5000 mm water column as the Gotland 6 tent. The Canopy measures 290cm(length)x450cm(width) and when packed away measures 47cm(length)x18cm(width)x18cm(height). The canopy also comes with a groundsheet, although not sewn in it does attach to the pegs seamlessly.
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*We were given the Skandika Gotland 6 Tent, Canopy, Sleeping Bags and a self inflating Mat in exchange for an open and honest review.
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