Decathlon Freestanding 6 Person Camping Living Area

Hello Gary,

Regarding your question about how the openings on the Arpenaz Base M work, the product description mentions "openings on 3 sides," which is often misread as having three full entrance doors. Here is how the four sides of the shelter are actually configured:

- Main Entrance Door (1 Side): One front wall functions as the main walk-through entrance door with a 1.70 m height clearance and a full-zip closure.
- Ventilation / Screen Windows (2 Sides): Two of the side walls feature large mesh/mosquito net openings with zipped outer fabric panels. While these open for ventilation and light, they function primarily as windows and screen vents rather than full walk-through doors.
- Solid Back Wall (1 Side): The fourth side is a fully closed solid fabric wall.

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Hello Dex,

To answer your question regarding its height: yes, it is taller than a standard tent. While typical 2–4 person dome or tunnel tents range from 1.0 m to 1.4 m in peak height, the Arpenaz Base M has a maximum height of 2.15 metres (7 ft) and a doorway clearance of 1.70 metres (5 ft 7 in). This allows most adults to stand completely straight within the 6.25 m² floor area.

Regarding whether it can replace a normal tent, it can be slept in, but it is primarily designed as a standalone living area or shelter. Here are a few important factors to consider before using it as your primary tent:

1. Waterproofing & Floor Design: It features a single-walled structure without an inner fabric bedroom, meaning overnight moisture from breathing will condense directly on the inside walls. Additionally, the included polyethylene groundsheet is not fully sealed, so heavy rain or surface runoff could seep in around the edges.
2. Ventilation vs. Privacy: It has large mesh mosquito nets on three sides for airflow. While you can zip down the outer panels for privacy and rain protection, this single-skin design can feel colder in windy or chilly weather compared to a double-walled tent.
3. Space: The 2.5m × 2.5m footprint comfortably accommodates camp beds or air mattresses for 2–3 adults with gear, or up to 4 sleeping mats placed closely together.

Summary Recommendation:

- Ideal Use: As a social or dining shelter alongside a standard sleeping tent, providing great headroom, shade, and bug protection.
- Fair-weather Camping: Works well for warm, dry summer conditions as a cost-effective way to get standing height.
- Rainy, Cold, or Windy Conditions: Not recommended due to potential condensation buildup and ground leaks. A dedicated double-walled tent is a much better option for these environments.

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Hello Girlmum,

You can fit up to three single blow-up mattresses inside the Decathlon Arpenaz Base M living area, though two is ideal for comfort.

Here is how the measurements work out:

- Tent Floor Area: The Arpenaz Base M is a square measuring 2.5 m × 2.5 m (250 cm × 250 cm).
- Standard Single Air Mattress: These usually measure roughly 0.7 m to 0.9 m wide and 1.9 m long (70–90 cm × 190 cm).
- Three Single Mattresses (Tight Fit): Laying three mattresses side-by-side takes up 2.1 m to 2.7 m of width. They will fit across the 2.5 m width, but they will sit wall-to-wall with little to no room for luggage, gear, or walking space.
- Two Single Mattresses (Comfortable Fit): Laying two singles leaves approximately 70–100 cm of open space, giving you room for gear, boots, and easy entry and exit.

Please note that because the Arpenaz Base M is designed as a standalone shelter/living room rather than a dedicated sleeping tent, it has a single-wall design and large door openings. If you plan to sleep in it, please ensure the groundsheet is laid down securely and be mindful of overnight condensation build-up on the walls.

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Hello Laz,

Not particularly. While Decathlon highlights an eco-design effort for this shelter overall, the groundsheet itself is made from standard synthetic plastic.

Here is a breakdown of the material and environmental details for the groundsheet on the Quechua Arpenaz Base M:

1. Material & Environmental Profile

- Material: 100% Polyethylene (PE), 140 g/m²
- Environmental Impact: Polyethylene is a synthetic, petroleum-derived plastic. While it is lightweight, highly durable, and waterproof (2,400 mm rating), it is non-biodegradable and requires fossil fuels to produce.
- Recyclability: Standard PE groundsheets can theoretically be recycled, but specialized facilities are needed, and they are rarely recycled at end-of-life once worn or dirty.

2. Where the "Eco-Design" Actually Applies
Decathlon lists an Ecodesign approach for this product, but it applies to the main canopy fabric, not the groundsheet:

- Dope-Dyed Polyester Fabric: The main fabric uses a solution-dyeing (dope-dyeing) process where color pigments are added during yarn spinning rather than dyeing finished fabric. This reduces CO₂ emissions by at least 17% and saves significant water during manufacturing.

3. Positives for Sustainability

- Repairability & Durability: Quechua designs the shelter to be repairable with available spare parts, and the sturdy 140 g/m² groundsheet is meant to resist tearing. Keeping outdoor gear in use longer rather than replacing it is the most eco-friendly aspect of the product.

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Hello El,

Yes, this living area provides full privacy for changing.

The Decathlon Freestanding 6-Person Living Area (Arpenaz Base M) features a convertible door design with two layers:

- Full Fabric Doors (Privacy Mode): Solid, waterproof polyester fabric flaps zip down completely over the openings to fully block the view from the outside, allowing you to change in private.
- Mosquito Netting (Ventilation Mode): You can roll back or unzip the solid outer flaps to leave just the mesh screen in place for airflow while keeping insects out.

When all the outer fabric doors are zipped closed, the shelter functions like a standard closed tent with full visual coverage.

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Hello Jim,

No, "nature's confetti" (dead grass, bugs, or flies) is definitely not an official feature included in the box!

If you purchase a new living area, it will arrive fresh and clean from the factory. However, if you are looking at Decathlon’s Second Life refurbished stock, or if you purchase a floor display model, there is a small chance a blade of grass or a fly may have hitched a ride during its previous use.

To help keep uninvited guests out after setup, the Decathlon Freestanding 6-Person Living Area comes equipped with built-in defenses:

- Mosquito Mesh Windows: Large mesh panels on the doors and windows let the breeze in while keeping flies and midges outside.
- Zip-up Doors: You can seal the main entrances completely when bugs become active.
- Groundsheet Protection: The included fitted groundsheet helps block crawling insects from entering from the ground below.

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Mine did! I suspected that I had been sold a second hand tent as new. I tried to contact Argos to make this right , they suggested that I seeing my campsite and take the tent to a store to be inspected. While the thought of watching the tent being erected inside a a busy Sainsburys on a Friday evening made me chuckle I decided not to ruin my camping trip and kept the obviously previously used tent

Hello Steph66,

The small white plastic plug (or end cap/ferrule) anchors the fiberglass poles to the bottom corners of the shelter.

The Decathlon Arpenaz Base M uses a "pin and ring" system at ground level to hold its shape. Here is how the plug functions:

- Setup: When assembling the fiberglass poles, the white plug sits at the end of the pole. At each bottom corner of the tent fabric, there is a metal ring with an attached pin. To tension the tent into its dome shape, slide this metal pin directly into the hollow opening of the white plug.
- Fabric Protection: The plug acts as a protective shield, preventing the metal pin and the ground from damaging or splintering the ends of the poles.
- Smooth Feeding: The smooth, rounded shape of the plug helps guide the poles through the fabric sleeves on the roof without snagging or ripping the material.

Note: If you found a spare white plug loose in your tent bag, please keep it. It is a common replacement part that can be used to repair the tip if a pole ever cracks.

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Hello Lonnie,

Thank you for reaching out to our Q&A service regarding the Decathlon Freestanding 6-Person Camping Living Area (Arpenaz Base M).

The groundsheet on this model is fully sewn-in, creating a solid, fully attached floor to the main walls. Because the heavy-duty floor is completely sealed against the bottom edges of the shelter walls, crawling insects, slugs, and rainwater cannot enter from underneath or through gaps at the floor perimeter.

Whether flying bugs can get in depends on how the doors are managed:

- The Mesh Windows/Doors: Three of the four large side openings feature fully integrated mosquito mesh screens that zip completely shut. Keeping the outer doors rolled up and relying solely on these closed mesh layers allows for excellent airflow while keeping flying insects out.
- The Main Door: The front/main door flap does not have a mesh screen layer and is a solid fabric panel. If this main entrance panel is left open, flying insects can easily enter.

In summary, the floor is a completely sealed, sewn-in groundsheet with no gaps for bugs to crawl underneath. To make the entire structure bug-proof, you simply need to keep the three mesh side doors zipped up and the solid main front door closed.

Hello Matt,

Thank you for reaching out to our Q&A service regarding your equipment.

To answer your question, the Freestanding 6-Person Living Area cannot be physically attached or zipped onto the Arpenaz 6.3 tent to create a fully sealed, seamless additional room. While both items are part of the Arpenaz line, the Arpenaz 6.3 is a tunnel tent and the Freestanding Living Area is designed as an independent, standalone shelter.

However, you can still use them together to expand your campsite layout using the following methods:

Using Them Together (The "Butt-Up" Method)
Many campers pitch these units side-by-side by backing the entrance awning of the Arpenaz 6.3 up to one of the large doors of the Living Area. While this effectively doubles your sheltered communal space, please note that it is not fully weatherproof. Because there is no airtight connection, rain and wind may still enter through the gap between the two structures.

Alternatives for a Sealed Extension
If you require a weatherproof extension attached directly to your tent, we recommend the following options:

- For an Extra Sleeping Room: The Arpenaz 6.3 Extra Bedroom inner tent clips directly inside your existing tent shell to provide additional sleeping berths.
- For a Seamless Front Extension: The Arpenaz Fresh Camping Awning/Canopy is specifically designed to overlap and strap onto the poles of tunnel tents like the 6.3. This creates a stable, continuous extension to protect your main entrance from sun and rain.

I hope this information helps with your campsite preparation.

Hello TV,
Yes, it can be put up by just 1 person, but it requires a bit of patience and strategy the first few times. Thank you for using Q&A!