TENTS | Regatta Malawi 2 Pop Up Festival Tent – Review

May 9, 2021 Shell Robshaw-Bryan

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When you want something that’s fast to put up, you can’t go wrong with a pop up and the Malawi 2 from Regatta is great quality and offers some cool features, making this the ideal choice for festivals and solo camping trips. Read on for our full review.

What is it?

Regatta Malawi 2 Pop Up Print Festival Tent

Expect to pay around: RRP: £71.95

Overall Rating: (4.5 / 5)

Stockists

Technical Features

Pop up technology allows quick and easy pitching
Waterproof Hydrofort 70D flysheet with 3000mm hydrostatic head
Hardwearing, waterproof Polyester groundsheet
Fully fire retardant fabrics
Strong and flexible fibreglass poles
Practically positioned internal pockets and lantern hanging points
Multiple vents and mesh door allow airflow throughout whilst keeping out insects
Bright guy lines for extra visibility

What we thought

I’m going to be honest. My perception of pop up tents wasn’t great, I regarded them as the cheap and cheerful domain of teenagers attending their first music festival and not something a ‘serious’ camper would use. Well, don’t I feel like the idiot for fostering that attitude for so long, which turns out, was completely wrong.

As a dedicated maximalist camper who tends to take everything including the kitchen sink, or at least a popup washing up bowl that functions as a sink, last year in between lockdowns, I discovered the joy of taking off on short, solo camping trips and found that it was indeed possible to go camping without the car (and roof box) being full to bursting.

I now absolutely love camping in quick to set up tents, because it makes camping so much easier. Don’t get me wrong for a family camping trip, a bell tent or AiBeam is necessary for space and pretty quick to put up, but when it comes to speed, nothing can match a pop up.

Pitching the tent

Take the tent out of the bag and er, well, it instantly pops up! It then requires perhaps 2 minutes at the most to securely peg it down. It really couldn’t be quicker or easier.

Practicality & Features

Despite discovering a fondness for smaller tents, one thing I’m not fond of is the berth rating on tents which relies on people lying together like sardines and assumes that no one uses SIMs or air beds, and that no one takes luggage camping, which is of course ridiculous.

Yes, you could fit two people inside the Malawi 2 tent, but why would you want to?! If you’ve got bags, camping gear to cook on and so on, you stand no chance, so as far as I’m concerned this is the ideal size for one person to use in comfort.

That said, it will physically fit in two adult bodies and perhaps a small backpack, but it would be much better suited to smaller bodies, meaning 2 kids sharing would be far more feasible.

One of the things that set this tent apart from other similar, perhaps cheaper popups, is that it has more premium features including a secondary mesh zip door to keep bugs out, good ventilation and a 3000mm hydrostatic head which means it will stand up to a decent downpour, unlike a cheap single skin pop up.

Looks & Styling

Bright colours and funky patterns always divide opinion but I wasn’t put on this earth to blend in. Beige and bland is not my thing, so I love the pattern and colour. If this one isn’t quite for you there are a couple of other colours to choose from, but all of them make the tent stand out.

The verdict

Our Rating

Quality 4/5

Practicality 4/5

Features 4/5

Value 4.5/5

Overall Rating (4 / 5)

This is definitely better quality and a more capable tent than most similar pop ups, and get this, I actually managed to fold it down without having to call on my daughter – a first for me, as folding down pop up tents has always defeated me, but this one is idiot proof, so even I managed to put it away in a couple of minutes.

This is a fabulous little tent and makes an impromptu camping trip an absolute doddle.

The funky colour and pattern of the Regatta Malawai 2 make it eye catching and attractive and it has features that mean it really does hold its own whether it’s a solo night away camping or a festival.

For those with older children who want a bit of privacy and independence, it’s great for pitching alongside the family tent at the campsite, and it would also be great for back garden camping and sleepovers too. This is a fabulous little tent and makes an impromptu camping trip an absolute doddle.