James Roddie takes the Robens Lodge 2 Exp for testing in the Highlands. Here’s why he recommends this tent.
The Robens Lodge 2 Exp is a highly robust and feature-packed three season tent. At 3.3kg it is certainly quite heavy, so it is arguably best suited for use as a ‘base camp’ tent or for car-camping rather than long-distance walks.
James Roddie recommends
Overall this is a highly durable tent with some useful features, and it should withstand years of heavy use.- robust materials
- high hydrostatic head
- feature-packed
- heavy
| Quick specs | |
|---|---|
| Price: $357 / £265.99 Weight: 3.3kg (including storage bag) Pitching: Inner and flysheet separately (Inner first) Flysheet: 75D recycled polyester ripstop Inner: 68D polyester Groundsheet: 75D polyester 10,000mm HH Poles: 8.5mm anodised aluminium Pegs: 14 V profile Porches: 2 Inner dimensions: 125cm (W) x 225cm (L) x 100cm (H) robens.de/en-gb |
The materials are extremely sturdy throughout. 75D polyester on the flysheet and groundsheet will resist wear-and-tear for long term use, and there is a repair kit provided. This is a tent which performs well in bad weather.
The flysheet and groundsheet both have a very high hydrostatic head value, and in moderately strong winds I found this tent to feel very stable. There is very low clearance between the base of the flysheet and the ground which helps to keep out any horizontal rain.
Overall things feel quite spacious. The relatively wide cross pole allows the inner walls to be near vertical, and there is ample headroom for two people sitting upright. However the internal width is marginally narrower than some much less heavy tents. I would prefer a little more width for the weight premium. You can store a lot of gear in the two porches, and the low flysheet clearance helps to keep things dry.
I’m a big fan of the ventilation options on this tent. There are two large kickstand vents, and I really like that they can be adjusted from inside. Large mesh panels on the top half of the inner doors can also be opened for ventilation.
There are some other handy features as well, including luminous zip pulls, a clothes line, guy-line retainers and a detachable gear loft. The gear loft’s attachment points line up with the two main poles, so it is stable enough so you can store really quite a heavy load in here.
Overall this is a highly durable tent with some useful features, and it should withstand years of heavy use.
Testing conditions
James tested these tents in a variety of conditions in Spring in the Scottish Highlands. Conditions included moderately strong winds, clear nights with heavy dew, and some periods of heavy rain. James is 180cm tall with average width shoulders. All tents were weighed on James’s own scales.
This review was first published in the September 2025 issue of The Great Outdoors.
