The devil is in the detail!

With important concerns like weather durability, sleeping capacity and storage space at the forefront of most tent buyers’ minds, it’s often the smaller details that get overlooked. We tested a Howling Moon Diablo Kwik-Pitch family tent and found that its appeal came from the attention to detail in its functional, stylish and easy-to-use design.

Thrown onto the back seat of your car, the Howling Moon Diablo could quite easily be mistaken for a fairly large body bag – but, despite the size of the black drawstring container, it was the contents that really impressed us.
Large on unfolding, this four-man Kwik-Pitch takes any unnecessary hassle out of erecting a tent. The already-constructed aluminium frame pops up and snaps into place with a few easy manipulations. The aluminium structural joints won extra votes from our team, as they offer extended longevity compared to plastic alternatives.

Once secured with the good-quality metal tent pegs, the Diablo boasts two fairly large-sized rooms – the perfect sleeping solution for a family of four – separated by a fold-away zippered door with insect mesh at the top for added ventilation. This gives campers the option of sleeping either together in a group or separately (an added benefit when sharing the space with friends). The back room has two windows on the rear wall (both with insect mesh and fold-away weather flaps on the outside), while the front room has two side windows as well as double doors, all combining insect mesh and a solid door to keep out bad weather. Included in the interior design are four multi-sized storage pockets (perfect for cell phones, books or other bits and pieces) and a strategically placed hanging hoop to aid with lighting or conserving space.

An appealing feature of the Diablo is the secure double-zip system on the side windows, which allows them to remain open, but down (offering shaded ventilation, as the flaps are secured with guy ropes) or rolled up entirely, or alternatively zipped tightly closed, to stop any unwanted airflow. A few added details that really impressed us were the separate pouches that house the guy ropes when they’re not in use (keeping them tangle-free, neat and compact); the fact that the guy ropes are red, making them easier to see (a great safety measure when you’re stumbling around in the dark); and the attached groundsheet in the front of the tent, which acts as a dirt barrier and provides a dry surface where you can leave your wet shoes on entering the tent.

Overall, we found that the 2.5 m x 2.5 m x 2.0 m space, combined with the second room (1.8 m x 2.5 m), was more than sufficient for four people to sleep in and store things comfortably. A positive difference we noted between the Diablo and other synthetic tents was in the material from which it’s made, which is free of that cheap, synthetic feeling. This great Howling Moon product appears to offer high levels of quality and quantity, evident in the tent’s size, neatly tailored seams and ripstop characteristics – all major advantages when you’re facing the great outdoors.