Coody Inflatable Tent Review — Is This the Best SA Family Camping Tent?
## Howzit Everyone — Let Me Tell You About Our Coody
After one too many evenings down the airtents.co.za rabbit hole, we pulled the trigger on a Coody 17.2 Pro (Familia) for our family of five. Eight months on, we've used it in Kruger, at Storms River, and at Boulders Beach outside Simonstown. Here's my honest take.
## Setup — The 3-Minute Party Trick
I was sceptical of the marketing claims. Three minutes? Ja nee, sure. But my wife timed me on our second pitch — 2 minutes 48 seconds from bag to fully inflated. The pump that comes in the box is a proper high-pressure bellows unit, not a cheap beach-toy pump. Two adults, maybe 80 pumps each, and the tent is rock solid. No poles in the dark, no guylines pulling wrong directions, no arguments.
## Build Quality and Fabric
The TC cotton-blend canvas is noticeably heavier than the nylon tents most SA campers are used to. It breathes well — we had zero condensation issues even in the humid Lowveld air — and it kept things noticeably cooler during the midday heat at our Satara campsite. The inflatable tube frame is the clever bit: it flexes rather than snapping under load, which matters when you're on an exposed site.
## Cape Wind Test — Passed
This is the one everyone asks about. We pitched at a campsite near Langebaan on a Saturday afternoon. By 10pm the south-easter was properly up, gusts that had our neighbours' dome tent doing gymnastics. The Coody barely moved. The inflatable beams absorb and deflect rather than resisting rigidly — a bit like a rugby player going with a tackle. Impressive stuff.
## Sizing for a SA Family
The Familia comfortably fits two adults and three kids with space for luggage inside. The porch / vestibule area is big enough to braai under if the weather turns. For a smaller family or couple, the Coody 8 (around R22,000 at airtents.co.za) makes more sense. The full Familia Pro runs to about R39,400 — not cheap, but comparable to a decent traditional canvas tent from the big names.
## Minor Gripes
- Weight and pack size — this is a chunky bag when packed. Fits in the back of a bakkie no problem, but it's not a backpacking tent by any stretch.
- Repair anxiety — I carry a repair kit always. A puncture in the field would be stressful, though I've heard of no failures from SA owners so far.
- Airtents.co.za delivery — took about a week to Joburg, which is fine.
## Bottom Line
For family camping in SA — Kruger, the Drakensberg, the Cape — the Coody 17.2 Pro is genuinely one of the best family tents I've ever used. The setup speed alone makes every Friday afternoon departure less stressful. airtents.co.za is the only SA stockist I found with real stock and a proper after-sales contact. Highly recommend at least going to have a look.
4 Replies
Jislaaik, this review is exactly what I needed. We've been on a Quechua dome for five years and the poles are finally giving up the ghost. The Cape wind test is the dealbreaker for us — we camp at De Hoop every Easter and it gets hectic out there. Did you use any additional pegs or just the standard kit? Also, what's the lowest temp you've camped in with it — we're thinking of hitting the Hex River mountains in June.
We got the Coody 8 last year for our couple's trips up into the Waterberg. Absolutely lekker bit of kit. Setup time is legit — I did it solo the third time out in under five minutes. The only thing I'd add to your review is that the black-out inner liner option is worth every cent for Limpopo summers when you want to sleep past 5am. Thanks for the detailed write-up, this is the kind of review BushCamp needs more of.
We took ours to Giant's Castle for a four-night trip in April. The Drak can throw some weather at you — we had rain every afternoon and one proper storm on night three. The tent was dry inside throughout. Condensation was minimal compared to our old dome. Only issue was the ground pegs in that hard KZN soil — packed a rubber mallet and was glad I did. For anyone wondering about colder temps: with a decent sleeping bag it was fine down to about 4°C overnight.
Price point is steep but you compare it to a Howling Moon or a quality canvas tent and it's not far off. The pole-free design is the real win for overlanders — I've snapped tent poles in the veld more times than I care to admit, usually on the most inconvenient possible nights. Ordering process through airtents.co.za was painless, the guys responded quickly on email when I had a question about the pump fitting size. Delivery to Pretoria took about eight working days. Would absolutely buy again — already convinced two mates to get the Coody 8.