Robens Pioneer 2EX tent review

The banks of Loch Lomond in Scotland, home for us to experience the Robens Pioneer 2EX tent. Designed as a two person, tunnel configuration and having an generous vestibule area. Let’s dive right in see what it delivered.

For the purposes of clarity, the photos in this review are of the 2022 version of the Pioneer 2EX. The specifications remain the same, but for 2023 this tent has been refreshed with a lovely blue colour.

As you will see from the photos, there is ample room for 2 persons. The 120cm inner bedroom pod dimensions provided adequate space for two sleep mats, and the outer 140cm width allowed the Pioneer 2EX to be pitched where there was limited space.

Pitching of the Pioneer 2EX was very quick. There are only 3 poles, these being colour coded and they fed easily (with no snagging) through the pole sleeves. Cleverly from Robens, the opposite end of the pole sleeves are closed (and reinforced), meaning that you only have to attach the pole into it’s ‘loop end’ on one side, making for hassle free and quick pitching.

The Robens Pioneer comes in a sturdy roll-top dry bag, meaning it can be stored on the outside of your rucksack of required. As with most new tents, when first taking it out of the bag, the inner sleeping pod needs to be fitted into position.

Once the outer is pitched, just pop inside and starting from the back corners and working your way to the vestibule end of the tent, clip the sleeping pod to the fitting points. It’s only a 2 minute job, but something we often recommend is done at home before you set off on your adventures.

This provides a chance to get familiar with the tent, and it can be packed away with the sleeping pod left in place. As Robens are always generous with their tent bag sizes, everything fits easily and quickly back inside. No struggling to get everything away when it comes to packing away time.

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Robens Pioneer 2EX tent 2

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Robens Pioneer 2EX tent 3

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Front vestibule area, with dimensions of 165 x 140cm it provided us with enough room to stash a couple of backpacks. You could also use this area for cooking if the weather outside is a little less than desirable (provided to are safe and sensible). It also gave enough room to easily get in and out of the tent via its large side door. There’s an option to purchase a groundsheet for this area should you want protection for your bags etc.

Ventilation panels front and rear, are a good size for keeping the condensation levels under control. These panels can be either held open just via their Velcro strap, or if weather requires it, they can be guyed open. They also have mesh inners so the bugs can be kept on the outside.

Where we were pitched was a bit rough (shale/pebbles), as you would expect on the foreshore of a Scottish Loch. This wasn’t a problem for the Pioneer 2EX as the floor of the inner pod was very thick and coped adequately with the terrain and was undamaged after our nights sleep. The floor is 75D (thickness) and a 6000mm HH (waterproofness), meaning that our belongings, and most importantly our sleeping mats (air), had more than adequate protection from both the weather and punctures.

Continuing with the sleeping pod and its ample space, there are other numerous other handy design features. The light colour of the pod gives ab airy feel and the 2EX has useful pockets inside for storing your gear and keeping everything close to hand and tidy. If needed, the door of the pod almost fully unzips and has it’s own storage pocket.

It also incorporates an upper section that when unzipped reveals a mesh panel, perfect for increasing ventilation, improving cooling whilst preventing you from getting bitten to death or getting any other unwanted visitors.

Plenty of guylines around the outside of the Pioneer 2EX, along with it’s sleek design, means that this tent should stand up well to most weather conditions. Robens wind test gave this tent a 190km/h AVG rating.

Their attention to detail shows with all their products and this tent is no exception with it’s taped seems, lightweight alloy poles etc. Pair these things along with a reasonably small and lightweight pack size, we would certainly say that the Robens Pioneer 2EX offers great reliability, value and should see you right on many outdoor adventures.

Finally, good old Robens include a flysheet repair patch, so if you get any little tears/punctures, you should be OK.

QUICK SPEC
Sleeps - 2
Poles - Aluminium #7001, T6, 8.5 mm, anodised
Flysheet - HydroTex Core, 75D polyester 190T, Fire retardant, 100% polyester
Hydrostatic Head - 3000 mm
Inner tent - 68D polyester 190T, breathable, 100% polyester
Floor Inner - 75D polyester Taffeta 185T, 6.000 mm, 100% polyester
Colour - Blue
Pack size - 44 x 19 cm
Weight - 2.9 kg