Of all the family tents we've tested at LFTO, the Robens Eagle Rock ticks the most boxes in terms of the way it looks, the way the layout works for kids and parents, and the way it feels like you're investing in something you'll be using on camping trips for many years to come.
Everything about the Eagle Rock feels premium, from the aluminium poles and door toggles to the fabrics and the taped seams. The design is also quite understated, with the green and beige colours allowing it to blend into the landscape on any campsite. The interior space is generous in both floor area and height, and we’ve always found it simply a very nice place to live while camping.
Like all products from Robens, the Robens Eagle Rock 6+2XP feels very durable and premium, which is also reflected in the high price. But this feels like money well spent if you want a tent that will last a long time and join you on many family camping adventures. The porch area is large, the features (described in detail below) are plentiful, and there are two large entrances. In fact, we can't pick many faults with it at all!
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Pros
- Excellent weatherproofing
- Lots of internal space and headroom
- Adaptable bedroom setup
- Superb quality materials
- Feels very durable
Cons
- Takes up a lot of car boot space
Design and features
We’ve been using the Robens Eagle Rock TC 6+2XP for the past couple of summers and, in our opinion, it’s perfect for a family of four or five people who want to spend multiple nights away camping together.
Robens uses its own HydroTex HD 75D polyester Taffeta material as the outer fabric of this tent, which has taped seams and a hydrostatic head of 5,000mm. It feels completely weatherproof, while also being breathable enough that we haven’t noticed much of the dreaded condensation buildup on the inside of the tent. We’ve used the Eagle Rock in all kinds of weather – storms, heatwaves, high winds – and it’s always performed well. That tough waterproof material has also withstood a couple of rampaging toddlers with all the camping chaos they cause!
The 6+2 in the name refers to the tent’s bedroom layout. At the rear of the Eagle Rock you get two blackout bedrooms technically large enough to sleep three people each, but we’ve found them both to be better suited to two people on double air beds.
Our favourite feature of this tent is the optional 2-person bedroom that can be positioned near the front of the tent. This is great for either an older child, a parent who wants to escape for a night of peace and quiet, or for storage which is what we’ve always used it for.
Outside the tent, there are large entrances to the rear and the side, both with mesh bug protection. If you rig up the optional front bedroom, we’ve found it makes more sense to use the side door as your main entrance. The porch area at the front isn’t huge, but it’s large enough to fit a couple of camping chairs underneath for some rain protection.
Pitching
Because the Eagle Rock is a bit of a beast, it’s not the kind of tent you want to pitch by yourself, so we’d say it’s a solid two-person job.
The tent comes with impressively well-made alloy tent poles that slot together easily and are colour-coded, making them easy to match to the relevant sleeves.
Once you’ve got the main structure up, you simply peg out the rest of the tent and tension it up using the adjustable guy lines. Then all that’s left to do is decide what sleeping layout you want to use inside, using the Adaptive Inner bedrooms.
Living and comfort
To really understand the benefits of the Robens Eagle Rock, you need to spend a few days living in it. Because once you’ve done that, you’ll forget all about the bulk of the packed tent, the pain of pitching it, and the relatively high price.
The first thing you’ll notice is the vast amount of living space. The bedrooms are well-sized, and even if you use all three of them you’ll still have plenty of space to store bags, chairs, gadgets, and anything else you want to keep inside.
The internal height of 220cm means you’ll have plenty of headroom as you walk around the main living space, and the fact the two main bedrooms easily take double airbeds means you’re left with plenty of room for things like water bottles, torches, and spare clothes around your bed.
Plus, if you want more living space you can choose not to use the small bedroom at the front of the tent, which would create space for things like chairs, tables, or even bike storage.
There are also plenty of mesh internal storage pockets inside the tent, which we always find useful for stashing everything from car keys and phones to baby wipes and torches.
Durability and weather resistance
We’ve got no problem vouching for the durability or weather resistance of the Eagle Rock. As mentioned above, the HydroText flysheet is fully waterproof, seems breathable, and after a couple of years of use still looks as good as new on our model.
The Hydrostatic head of the groundsheet is 10,000mm, the tent is built to withstand winds of up to 185km/h (although thankfully we haven’t needed to confirm that yet), and the alloy poles feel built to last.
In fact, the only thing we’ve managed to damage so far is one of the straps on the main bag when the tent was packed away, which ripped clean off while we were carrying it.
Sustainability
There aren’t too many blatant sustainability features to shout about on the Eagle Rock models from Robens, but the fact this tent is so well constructed means it’s a product that should last for many years without being replaced. Which is incredibly important when it comes to reducing the environmental footprint of consumers.
Robens have also started introducing products using recycled materials into their camping range, so look for the Robens Sustain logo when shopping for a new tent on their website.
Price and competition
There’s no question that the price is high for the Robens Eagle Rock 6+2XP. The RRP is £1330, but we’ve found deals for half that price at around £650. The slightly smaller 5-person version is similar, starting at just over £1,000 with better deals available if you shop around.
Needless to say, this is a big investment in a family tent, especially since you’ll find similar-sized alternatives from trusted brands such as Coleman, Vango, and Decathlon at far lower prices. What you need to ask yourself is how much you’ll use a family tent of this size, how long your camping trips will be, and how many people will be sleeping inside it on each trip.
In our opinion, if you’re a family that loves to camp and want a tent that will last for many years, then the Robens Eagle Rock is a superb investment. If you look after it this should be the only family tent you’ll ever buy, so if you can find it between the £600-£700 price range that represents excellent value for a well-built tent with such a vast set of features.
Verdict
We’re huge fans of Robens Eagle Rock tents. For smaller families, the 5XP is a solid choice, but for larger groups planning lots of big family camping trips the 6+2XP is as good as anything we’ve tested. It’s spacious, adaptable, weatherproof, durable, and looks great too.
It’ll make a fairly severe dent in your bank account and you’ll probably need to add a roof box to your car to transport it, but this tent should be an excellent investment for many years of family camping.
How we tested
We've tested the Robens Eagle Rock 6+2XP over a few seasons and in a group test alongside a selection of other family tents from rival brands in order to directly compare products.
This review was written by Oli Reed who is Editor of LFTO and Trail Magazine. Oli is a lifelong hiker who's climbed hills and mountains everywhere from the Lakes and the Dales to the Dolomites and Yosemite. Oli loves a night in a tent somewhere wild, is rarely seen wearing long trousers, and can often be spotted walking, cycling or paddling along a trail or river with his two young boys in tow. Which also makes him our go-to tester for family outdoor kit. Find out more about how we test here.