23Zero Armadillo Horizon 2 vs Femkes Alu Khosi Family

The 23Zero Armadillo Horizon 2 and the Femkes Alu Khosi Family are both hardshell tents in the same part of the market, which makes them a genuine head-to-head rather than a comparison across categories. 23Zero and Femkes take noticeably different approaches to the same problem.

By the numbers, the 23Zero Armadillo Horizon 2 brings 93 kg, 2.57 m² of floor, 109 cm of headroom and sleeps 2. The Femkes Alu Khosi Family counters with 82 kg, 3.87 m² of floor, 129 cm of headroom and sleeps 3.

The Alu Khosi Family is 11 kg lighter at 82 kg against 93 kg, which on a factory roof rated for 68 to 75 kg is often the difference between a legal fit and a rack upgrade. Inside, the Alu Khosi Family gives 3.87 m² of sleeping floor against 2.57 m², about 51 percent more, and it sleeps 3 to the Armadillo Horizon 2's 2. Headroom separates them further: 129 cm in the Alu Khosi Family against 109 cm, which is the difference between sitting up to dress and doing it lying down. Their list prices are within a few percent of each other, so price is unlikely to decide this one.

They open differently: the Armadillo Horizon 2 is a clamshell and the Alu Khosi Family a fold-out. That is not cosmetic — it decides whether headroom is even across the tent or tapers towards one end, and how much of the roof the tent occupies when closed. The Armadillo Horizon 2 uses 14-gauge fully welded aluminium hard shell; the Alu Khosi Family uses aerodynamic ABS, waterproof. Canvas differs too: ECO13B fabric with Light Suppression Technology (LST) against oxford 210D with silver coating, 300% waterproof. Closed, the Alu Khosi Family sits 7 cm lower on the roof — 27 cm against 34 cm — which is drag you carry on every mile you are not camping.