About Khyam

ABOUT KHYAM:

Dedicated to Camping and Outdoors the Khyam brand has a heritage that dates back to the mid 1980´s. 

For 40 years the new management team who built the brand from its inception in 1987, and who have only recently returned (February 2025) to manage the brand after 6 years of absence, have always innovated the camping market with tents and driveaway awnings of all sizes and configurations.

Tim and Nigel who now run the Khyam operation have over 80 years of experience in the Camping and Outdoor Industry between them. We are not just designers making our products look good, but we have hands on “manufacturing” experience that no other brand can offer.

Our heritage stems from being manufacturers of tents and portable shelters for the British Army. In 1992 we received the largest ever re-supply contract from the Ministry of Defence for tents and shelters since the second world war. We have learned the stringent quality control procedures necessary to produce great products from our long military based, history. If you produce bad product for the MOD you don´t get a second chance.  Our extensive MOD experience means we are not just designers making our products look good but have hands on “MOD manufacturing” expertise that no other brand can offer.

Building a tent is far more complicated than building a house, it has far more intricate parts, moving parts and different materials to hold it all together. You may ask an architect to design a house, but you wouldn´t ask him to build it. So why buy a tent or portable shelter from a designer, if you want it to last, buy it from a builder who knows how to put it together.

At Khyam, unless there is a weight requirement, we don´t use fabrics below 150 Denier. 
Denier represents tensile strength which makes the fabric last longer, it´s a case of do you want to buy a house made of wood or one made of brick.
 
At Khyam we don´t use fabrics below 6000 Hydrostatic Head. Hydrostatic Head (HH) represents waterproofness. It`s a case of do you want a leaky roof or a dry one.

Although we started out in life as manufacturers of tents and portable shelters, like all the brands today, our products are now manufactured in factories abroad. However, at Khyam we maintain the strictest quality control mechanisms as if we were still manufacturing ourselves. This sets us apart and is the reason so many of our customers have owned Khyam tents for such a long time. And when they do finally give up the ghost, or where customers want to upgrade to another model, our customers invariably choose another Khyam. 

We will never allow any tent production to commence in any of our carefully chosen sub-contract factories unless we are sure the materials ordered are up to standard. Why start to build something if it´s not going to stand up to the job its intended to do.

We do not set out to hit a price point, we at Khyam set out to build the best product we can, and if a price has to be achieved then we will cut our margins. By being a direct supplier to the general public, we can pass on those savings to our customers, thereby knowing the product we are supplying is the best and the best price is always offered. 

Buying through a high street retailer has some benefits, but it comes with an added cost that we at Khyam prefer to pass on to Khyam customers. 

As to our innovations, in 1987 Khyam introduced the first and very best quick erect pole system for tents and driveaway awnings (QE). Nearly forty years on, these are still seen as the number one in the market today, and only at Khyam can you buy the three pole systems now available.

We offer traditional steel and fibre glass pole structures, we offer air pole structures and we offer quick erect pole structures. All play a different but important role in your choice of tent or driveaway awning. 

Choosing a Tent or Driveaway Awning pole structure:
If ease and speed is most important, mainly a requirement for those constantly on the move and touring, or for short weekend breaks and overnight stays, then you need look no further than our unique QE system. It cannot be beaten for simplicity and time either to erect or strike.

If you want luxury for long stay camping then our air pole structures are the best on the market and at an affordable price given our direct to consumer business model.

Air tube tents and driveaway structures are big, they are heavier in just one bag and they do require more due diligence when pegging and guying particularly in stormy conditions. Changes in climatic conditions particularly warm days and cold nights do have an effect on the air poles and again its always important to be aware of the pressure in each pole. However, they are extremely luxurious offering unbridled family camping experiences.

The traditional pole structures whether steel, aluminium or fibreglass, threaded through a sleeve on the tent or portable shelter are the cheapest, they can also be big and luxurious, but take the longest time to erect and strike.

Our designs:
As to design, we at Khyam are at the forefront, our flagship model the Igloo which has been around since Khyam´s inception nearly forty years ago, this model has remained as one of the very best small camping tents on the market and has hardly changed in all that time. This has been to the North Pole, the South Pole, has been used by the Marines and chosen for both the Dakar Rally and Landrover G4 Challenges in the desert.

Rarely has one design of tent covered so many parts of the world and in so many different climates. It´s a true leader and no wonder forty years on it remains in high demand.

There´s only so many designs you can come up with from a few poles and a piece of canvas. In the forty years Tim and Nigel have worked together they´ve designed all possible shapes, sizes and colours from the sublime to the ridiculous. The number of times our designs are copied is testimony to our credentials. We are not anti those who copy us, that happens all the time, but we are proud to be leaders in our field. And indeed, in any field a Khyam tent or Driveaway awning will always stand out!

Placing trust in your purchase:
Apart from our forty year history, apart from our pride in our brand, apart from our manufacturing credentials, we are a “cradle to grave” supplier. Once you own a Khyam we will be here for you to the very end. 

We won´t abandon you when your warranty runs out, we carry spares and accessories, we have a fully operational repair service and we maintain the highest of moral standards when dealing with our customers, whatever the problem.

From time to time one of our products may fail, we are after all, human, but when it does, we won't fob you off with excuses. We will deal with you as a friend and most importantly as a valued member of the Khyam club. Our customers have remained loyal to us because we always remain loyal to our customers. 

Thanks for taking the time to read about us and we hope his has given you an insight our history, our commitment to quality, our strong ethos  and most of all looking after you the customer.