This Eurohike Rydal 500 Tent Review is about a nicely designed tent for 5 people with 3 separate rooms, PVC windows, the dark rest design, and a fair price.
Key features & benefits
- 3 rooms.
- 2 entry doors.
- 2 inner doors.
- PVC windows.
- Very good price.
- Awning configuration.
- Dark rest design.
What type of tent is this
The Eurohike Rydal 500 tent is a tent for five people, a tunnel-type configuration with 3 rooms. So you have a shell tent plus a tent within the shell, with its own divider. This creates a large living room plus two sleeping rooms which you can see in the picture below. As you realize from this, you have a hybrid double-single layer structure.
The tent is not freestanding, it must be staked down to be fully functional. The stakes are included in the package.
Who is it for
Sizewise, the tent is with the declared capacity of 5 people. So, check the floor plan and the dimensions below to see if this is realistic. To calculate the floor area you need a bit of maths, so you have one square part plus a trapezoid section on the left in the door area. This all gives 152.4 ft² (14.16 m²), and this means 30.5 ft² (2.8 m²) per person.
Clearly, this is far more than you need and the declared capacity is truly generous. Though, the sleeping area looks too narrow for the 5 people sleeping on pads. It would be far better for 4 people. But as you realize you have a huge living room with more than 6 square meters of the fully protected area where several more people can sleep.
Seasons-wise, in view of its declared waterproof rating, this tent is good enough for any weather conditions in a 3-season use.
Weight-wise, the tent is heavy, you have 32.2 lb (14.6 kg), and you would not carry it anywhere. But this is a camping tool, designed for places with a motorized access. The packed size is such that you can transport it even on a motorbike.
Climate-wise, note that this is a fully enclosed shell so there is no mesh on the ceiling. It may become warm in such a tent if you use it in a very warm and sunny climate. I see it better suited to a cooler environment.
Overview of features
The poles
The poles are 12.7 mm fiberglass, so this material is frequent in such tents and this brand uses them in their other tents as well, see this Buckingham 6 and Buckingham 8, and also the Buckingham Elite 6. The tent would be much better with aluminum poles. In any case, you have them 3, and two of them are black 5.98 m and one is yellow 5.7 m, so you have a color coding for an easy pitch.
The fabric
The shell fabric is polyester with a 2000 mm waterproof rating. So this is a great number and this should be enough for any rain in a 3-season use. They do not provide info about the groundsheet rating, it is probably the same rating, and it is fully sewn-in and all seams are taped.
The inner tent is a breathable polyester plus a waterproof bathtub floor. So you effectively have two fully waterproof floors in the sleeping zone.
Note that the tent fabric is fire retardant and tested to the BS EN 5912 standard.
The inner tent is a dark rest design. This means it is a darker material on purpose to reduce glare and to let you sleep longer in the morning. This is a new trend in the tent building industry, please see more about it in my separate text. You can see a long list of such dark rest tents here.
The doors
You have two very large doors with flaps. Note that there is no mesh on these entry doors, pity. The front door allows for an awning configuration with the help of your trekking poles, see the picture below
Inside you have two inner doors for the two sleeping rooms, they are indeed with panels and with mesh for ventilation and protection against insects.
The windows
There are two of them, solid PVC material, and from inside you have shutters for privacy and to reduce glare. See one of them in the picture above.
Ventilation
There are 5 vents in total, so this looks quite good. Two of them are high vents on the front, and you also have two floor vents on the sides in the sleeping zone. Yet another very large high vent is on the narrow side behind the sleeping zone.
Other features
• The tent is with numerous storage pockets. You have a series of them close to the floor, then you have a hanging storage area between the two inner doors, plus you have storage pockets in the two sleeping zones.
• You have a zippered electric cable port.
• There are hanging loops for lanterns, and you also have Velcro tabs to pass and fix a cable at the apex point on the ceiling.
• This is an all-in-one pitch design. This means that the inner tent is preattached so when you raise the shell all inside is ready. Note that the inner tent is also removable and this is easily done if you need it without it.
Please see more in this video:
Specifications
- Weight: 32.2 lb (14.6 kg).
- Dimensions: 15.26 x 10.5 ft (183 x 126 in; 465 x 320 cm).
- Area: 152.4 ft² (14.16 m²).
- Area per person: 30.5 ft² (2.8 m²).
- Peak height: 80.7 in (205 cm).
- Packed size: 26.4 x 12.2 x 11 in (67 x 31 x 28 cm).
- Pitching time: 15 minutes.
Eurohike Rydal 500 Tent vs Competitors
In the table below I give this Rydal 500 side by side with two other tents from the same size range and built in a similar style, you realize this from the number of rooms. So this can help you to choose better and to make the best choice. Please follow the links to see more details about the other two tents, they are presented in my separate reviews.
Weight, lb (kg)
Floor size, sq ft (sq m)
Peak height, in (cm)
Doors
Porch
Vestibule
Rooms
Support
Type
Eurohike
Rydal 500
32.2 (14.6)
152.4 (14.16)
80.7 (205)
2
no
no
3
fiberglass
tunnel tent
Vango Odyssey
5 Air
35 (15.9)
160 (14.9)
76.8 (195)
2
no
no
3
air beams
tunnel tent
Vango Capri
500 XL
48.3 (21.9)
172.2 (16)
80.7 (205)
2
yes
no
3
air beams + fiberglass
tunnel tent
Final thoughts
In the summary of this Eurohike Rydal 500 Tent review I must say I love the concept of this tent. They know the importance of a large living area in the camp. The weather is not always great and you may be forced to stay inside, so you have to have a place for cooking and sitting, and it is high enough that you can walk inside.
The sleeping area is a bit small for the declared number of users, but this is typical also for many other tents that use the backpacking principle. But you realize that you have the bonus living room with 6 m² which compensates for the narrow sleeping zone. In my view the price is fair for the value. Please check also the larger 6-person tent from this series.
For UK & EU visitors, to check the price or to order this tent, please check here.
I already mentioned above a few other tents from the same brand, so have a look, and check also the Hampton 6 tent from the same brand. If you still need something different, please look around in the site, it is all about tents so you will find something for you. You might want to check this Coleman Rocky Mountain 5 Plus tent with 3 blackout rooms and 99% blocked daylight.
In the case of questions or comments, please use the comment box below. Have a nice day.
Hello,
Could you answer…does the trekking poles come as standard with the tent or would I need to buy these separately?
No, trekking pole or any other poles you would add separately.
Hello,
I was wondering what pitch size you would need for the Eurohike Rydal 500?
Thanks
Hi Fran, you have the tent’s base dimensions. So add at least 1.3 meters on each side for the guylines.
Hello,
What pitch size would you need for the Eurohike Rydal 500?
Thanks
good morning
i have a rydal 500 green, looking for side porch, i know they dont do one for this tent, was wondering if any of the universal porch would fit,
like the vango universal side awning small
or
vango experience side awning
Hi Chris, there are so many possible options, but I do not know any that is specifically recommended for this tent. Some small detail can ruin the concept. So it would be irresponsible to suggest something because I have not tried them and cannot be sure.
Hi I have a eurohike side porch which goes with the Hampton 6. Would this fit this tent please?
Hi Hannah, the height difference between the two tents is negligible. On the other hand, the porch has a flap that goes over the tent’s roof and then you stake it on the other side. So I am pretty sure it will work with your tent.
What carpet do people use for this tent
This is impossible to say in general. This brand is particularly known for its tent carpets, they have tens of them on the market, I do not think there is any other brand that can match them in the number of models, but as far as I know there is no carpet built specifically for this tent.
You have tent’s floor given in the text so try to find what fits best. On the other hand, a carpet is not compulsory.
I would say this is a luxury two man tent, I love mine I have the new model (Navy) I have survived the Scottish rainy season and had no leaks. I use the awning poles which provided great shade from the sun.
Hi Christina, no doubt you can use it as a 2-person option, you are right. This about the Scottish rainy season without a leak tells it all about this tent, thank you for this.
Is there any type of porch you can buy for this tent
Hi Steven, I do not remember seeing it anywhere.
I’d love one for my tent thinking one of the universal ones?
You say it’s 3 season rating, new tent 1st-time use and it rained in. Leaking from the top front seam, wouldn’t say the rain was that heavy.
Hi John, this is surely a bad experience. I would contact the seller. Yes this tent is declared as a 3-season tent, with a rather high waterproof rating, and with a construction very appropriate for 3 seasons. Something is wrong in this case, you have the right to know the answer and to have a waterproof tent, no more no less. Contact them.
Hi just wondering if you can get a porch for the eurohike rydal 500
Hi Roy, I am not aware of a porch or extension for this particular model.
Hello, does the tent come with the poles for the awning configuration?
Hi Holly, for the awning you just use a pair of trekking poles. As far as I know, they do not include awning poles in the package.
Good morning
We purchased this tent last year no rain brilliant sunshine had a fab time, second outing this year and it leaks in the back bedroom area (not impressed) rain is quite persistent but for the usage and for the supposedly rain proof I do not recommend this tent at all!
I am hoping that where I purchased the tent from they can give me the answers I need as to why I should have needed to waterproof my tent after it’s very first outing to make sure the second was fine!
Only myself and two children aged 13,11 so not over filled and most things stored in the car!
Thank you Nicola, it is so bad to hear about such an experience. This was a bad lack, the tent is supposed to be fully waterproof with such a high rating and seams taped. Such tapes degrade in time and the tent can leak, but this happens after lots of time. So yes, you have all the reasons to ask them about this issue.
Hi, how many poles come with this tent? I have one long pole and 2x smaller poles in my package.
Hi Kieron, this sounds similar to what I gave in the text, there is a paragraph about the poles, please have a look. It seems all is OK with your poles.