ARB Flinders vs Darche Detachable
The ARB Flinders and the Darche Detachable are both softshell tents in the same part of the market, which makes them a genuine head-to-head rather than a comparison across categories. ARB and Darche take noticeably different approaches to the same problem.
List prices are within $141 of each other, so price is unlikely to decide this one.
They open differently: the Flinders is a fold-out and the Detachable a clamshell. 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. Canvas differs too: PU-coated polycotton against 140gsm 200D Ripstop Polyester Oxford body with blackout (2000mm); 140gsm Ripstop Polyester Oxford fly (2000mm).
ARB
Flinders
The Flinders is a fold-out softshell tent with a low pack-down profile and a large bed footprint of roughly 2400 x 1400mm. It includes a 50mm high-density foam mattress, an integrated dimmable LED light with USB charging, a skylight window and five mesh-screened windows. It uses 25mm anodized aluminium poles.
- Large sleeping footprint for a softshell
- Integrated LED light with USB charging
- Low pack-down profile with attached cover
- Slower fold-out setup than ARB's hardshells
Darche
Detachable
The Detachable is a softshell rooftop tent whose tent body (13kg) can be separated from its aluminium honeycomb baseboard, which with the ladder and transit cover weighs 41kg. It has an oversized sky window on body and fly, blackout coating, a built-in LED strip and a 50mm high-density foam mattress. Two floor mats and a heavy-duty PVC transit cover are included.
- Detachable tent body separates from the baseboard
- Oversized sky window and blackout coating
- Lowest price point in Darche's rooftop range
- No single combined weight published (13kg tent + 41kg base/ladder/cover)
Which one to pick
These two are closely matched on the numbers that usually decide it. Read the feature rows below — heater port, skylight, annex — and let whichever of those you will actually use break the tie.
Every specification, side by side
| Specification | ||
|---|---|---|
| Overview | ||
| Type | Softshell | Softshell |
| Opening style | Fold-out | Clamshell |
| Sleeps | 2 | 2 |
| Season rating | — | — |
| List price | $1,180— best of the tents compared | $1,320— worst of the tents compared |
| Weight and size | ||
| Weight | 119 lb | 119 lb |
| Packed length | 4 ft 7 in— best of the tents compared | 4 ft 10 in— worst of the tents compared |
| Packed width | 3 ft 11 in— best of the tents compared | 4 ft 1 in— worst of the tents compared |
| Packed height | — | 12.2 in |
| Living space | ||
| Sleeping length | 7 ft 10 in | — |
| Sleeping width | 4 ft 7 in | — |
| Floor area | 36.2 sq ft | — |
| Interior height | 3 ft 11 in | — |
| Mattress thickness | 2 in | 2 in |
| Setup and build | ||
| Setup timeManufacturer's claim where published; otherwise estimated from tent type. Expect longer in practice. | ~5 minest. | ~5 minest. |
| Shell material | — | Aluminium Honeycomb base |
| Fabric | PU-coated polycotton | 140gsm 200D Ripstop Polyester Oxford body with blackout (2000mm); 140gsm Ripstop Polyester Oxford fly (2000mm) |
| Warranty | 3years | 3years |
| Features | ||
| Integrated LED lighting | Yes | Yes |
| Heater / HVAC port | — | — |
| Roof skylight | Yes | Yes |
| Annex available | — | — |
| Solar ready | — | — |
| Carries cargo on top | — | — |
| Sources | ||
| Last verified | ARB product page | Darche product page |
Related comparisons
Or read the full spec sheets for the ARB Flinders and the Darche Detachable.