Jack Wolfskin Grand Illusion IV (4-Person Camping Tent)

This Jack Wolfskin Grand Illusion IV 4-Person Camping Tent comes with top quality DAC aluminum poles, a high waterproof rating, two vestibules, and two doors, that make it suitable for 3-season-plus camping.

---

Key features & benefits

---

What this Jack Wolfskin Grand Illusion IV Tent is about

Here you have an extended dome tent that looks very different with the fly (the top picture above) and without it (the picture below). So the inner tent alone is a fully freestanding and very simple dome shown below, but the fly creates a completely different asymmetric configuration.

The doors, vestibules & windows

The inner tent has two doors on the opposite sides (one visible above), and they match the vestibules’ doors. The main entrance is under the larger vestibule shown in the top picture above, but there is also a back door with a simple zipper in the middle. The back side of the tent is shown in the picture below.

The back vestibule is quite symbolic and not very deep, you have space just for shoes and similar stuff, the area is around 7.2 ft² (0.67 m²), see the floor plan below. But the main vestibule is much larger, you have around 44.1 ft² (4.1  m²); note that they do not give their exact numbers and these are my estimates.

The picture above shows the floor plan and the most important dimensions, so you realize that the tent is not very tall. The height in the two zones is given in the picture.

The main vestibule is so large that it looks like a separate living room, and you can understand it as such. But it is not floored, so in this area you are protected from the rain and from flying insects, and you can use it for cooking and for storage. The main vestibule is high enough to use camping chairs inside.

The tent has two solid windows on the larger vestibule, and they are equipped with zippered panels from inside, for privacy and to reduce glare. The picture above shows their positions in the vestibule.

The blue lines are the poles. Observe that you have a very specific frame, this is a hybrid inner and outer frame combination. But in general, with the fly on and with the large vestibule the tent is not freestanding and it must be staked down properly.

Is it a dark rest tent?

So strictly speaking the tent is not a true dark rest, but as you see from the picture above, the back section of the fly that goes over the sleeping area, is darker and you have reduced glare in the inner tent.

Ventilation

You have many great features here for improved ventilation. The fly is a full-coverage type (and this is why I have included it in my list of tents with a full fly), but you can regulate a bit its distance from the ground and you can always have air flow from the ground. On the other hand, the inner tent is a breathable mesh, and there is enough space between the shell (the fly) and the inner taffeta so air can circulate and this will reduce condensation.

There are vestibules as well so you can keep the inner doors as you wish, with mesh or with zippered panels, and regulate ventilation as it suits you best. But this is not all; there are two vents on the roof. This allows the vapor to escape and condensation should be reduced to a minimum although the structure is with such a massive fly. Note that the inner tent has triangular sections on the top and they match the fly vents, see one of them in the picture:

Other features

• There are 4 pockets in the corners of the inner tent.
• One hook is available on the ceiling.
• Loops for washing lines.
• Reflectors on main guying points and zips.
• 18 Pegs & 7 guylines in the package.

Please see a bit more in this short video:

---

Materials

The poles

You have top-quality DAC poles here, and you will want to know that this is the leading manufacturer of tent poles, a globally known South Korean brand. This is a 7001 T6 aluminum and the poles are with variable diameters 9.5 – 11.1 mm, for improved stability.

You have a combination of the standard inner skeleton with 2 identical poles for the dome, plus a double-hubbed exo-skeleton for the main vestibule, see the picture above. The shock-corded poles attach to the base through the usual grommets and boll-shaped ends, see the picture. On the canopy you have clips for the poles attachment.

The fabric

The fabric is impressive just like everything else in this tent, so the fly is a durable and robust 75D polyester, they claim it is UV resistant, and you have a PU coating that provides a 4000 mm waterproof rating. The inner tent is again a durable 68D breathable polyester taffeta.

The floor is also a polyester, but here it is 150D, so this is very strong, and its waterproof rating is 10000 mm. Note that this is a bathtub design. The solid windows are translucent material, this is a great feature that adds a lot to comfort. The video below shows some more details, please have a look:

---

Who is it for

Regarding the area, you have seen IV in the name, so this is a 4-person tent. But as I said elsewhere in my motivation for adding the 4-person tents category here in the family camping tents site, this means that this is real, and the tent can indeed accommodate such a number of users.

Now, the inner area is not particularly large, you have seen the floor plan above. You have 53 ft² (5 m²) and this is not much. But there are two vestibules that add around 51.3 ft² (4.77 m²). So the total covered space is 104.3 ft² (9.77 m²) and this is far from bad. In total, you have 26 ft² (2.4 m²) per person.

Regarding seasons & climate, they describe it as a general camping tent. You have seen above that the inner tent is all taffeta, and you have the massive fly. So this is a true 2-layer tent. The picture below shows how it looks when fully closed, so the inner tent is well-protected under the massive shell:

On the other hand, it is quite aerodynamic and relatively low, the poles are among the best you can have in such a tent, and the waterproof rating is impressive. There are 14 guyout points on the shell so you can secure the tent properly. I already said a few words about its ventilation. They describe it as a 3-season tent, but I would say it even more than that, at least a 3-season-plus if not a 4-season tent, suitable for all climates.

Regarding the weight, you will see in my rating below how I rate the tent regarding the area/weight ratio. In any case, it weighs 14.44 lb (6.55 kg) so this quite good in view of the total protected space.

On the other hand, the packed size is 24 x 9.4 x 8.3 inches (61 x 24 x 21 cm) so this is also far from bad. This is still short enough to be transported it even on a bicycle or on a motorbike.

---

Specifications

• Weight: 14.44 lb (6.55 kg).
• Dimensions: 14.93 x 8.04 ft (455 x 245 cm).
• Inner tent dimensions: 7.54 x 7.05 ft (230 x 215 cm).
• Inner area: 53 ft² (5 m²).
• Vestibules area: 44.1 + 7.2 ft² (4.1 + 0.67 m²).
• Total covered space: 104.3 ft² (9.77 m²).
• Total covered space per person: 26 ft² (2.4 m²).
• Packed size: 24 x 9.4 x 8.3 in (61 x 24 x 21 cm).
• Inner peak height: 55.1 in (140 cm).

---

Final thoughts, rating, pros & cons

In the table below you have a summary of my rating, and some pros and cons. The tent scores great in all criteria so the overall rating is high.

For more options of the dome and extended dome type tents please check under the category Dome Tents here in the site. Regarding this capacity group check under the category 4-person tents, and in particular these Robens Midnight Dreamer 4 and Coleman Tent Vail 4 Person that are tunnel-type tents.

Please subscribe to our weekly newsletter, this will keep you informed about the situation in the tents industry. Thank you for reading and have a nice day.