Darche Streamliner 1250 vs Ironman 4x4 Ursa 1300

The Darche Streamliner 1250 and the Ironman 4x4 Ursa 1300 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. Darche and Ironman 4x4 take noticeably different approaches to the same problem.

By the numbers, the Darche Streamliner 1250 brings 69 kg, 2.4 m² of floor, 145 cm of headroom and sleeps 2. The Ironman 4x4 Ursa 1300 counters with 3.28 m² of floor, 133.1 cm of headroom and sleeps 3.

Inside, the Ursa 1300 gives 3.28 m² of sleeping floor against 2.4 m², about 37 percent more, and it sleeps 3 to the Streamliner 1250's 2. Their list prices are within a few percent of each other, so price is unlikely to decide this one.

They open differently: the Streamliner 1250 is a clamshell and the Ursa 1300 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 Streamliner 1250 uses 6-Series Aluminium / EPE composite; the Ursa 1300 uses ABS hardshell with aluminium honeycomb base. Canvas differs too: 280gsm Ripstop Polycotton Canvas body (3000mm); 420D Polyester Oxford Ripstop fly (1500mm) against 420D polyester Oxford fly; 320gsm ripstop nylon mesh. Closed, the Streamliner 1250 sits 17 cm lower on the roof — 15 cm against 32 cm — which is drag you carry on every mile you are not camping.