canvas or dome?

I've had both and it really depends on a number of things , like storage space , how long your are staying put for , and who is helping put it up.

For a week or so , NOTHING beats the big Canvas Tent. I went through Cyclones in it , and we did 6 weeks over Xmas a few times.

I wouldn't even consider that in a dome tent.

Dome is MUCH lighter and easier to carry though.

The one thing I would be giving serious consideration to though.

A few weeks back I got caught in a big wind storm down on the Great Ocean Road. 40-50 k winds and gusts on up to 120kph , it knocked my Campertrailer over (but a few issues around that), the 2 dome tents , last less then 10 minutes , and the Canvas OzTrailer was fine.

The Manager told me a few weeks earlier that a family had abandoned their brand new $700 odd Dome tent , during a storm (of less then we went through).

If it's just you putting it up then Canvas. I have had a Freedom (minute tourer i think it's called) for just under 10 yrs and it looks almost as good as when I bought it. It sets up in under 2 minutes if you go flat out showing off how fast you can set it up. You can have 2 double matresses either side of the center pole. Will cope with wind and rain better than a dome. Lot tougher etc. Only downside is size when packed up but then you can remove the sqare frame in the roof so you can roll up the tent more compact.

Leroy

Hi Tonester

Check out the Oz Tent RV seris

Very versatile in that you cand zip 2 tent to gether and have a brease way or enclosit have wind breaks etc. The RV4 will fit the three kids and the other end will comfortably fit you and the missus. You can also get a mesh room that fits onto the side.

I priced the set up at the Adelaide off road show $3000 two RV4s with walls to enclose the awning.

Yo will need a roof rack (they pack up to 2m and each tent is around 13kg

My thoughs were if just the wife and I go we take one and the awning walls for one if the kids go we take too and if we want (security or the like) we zip the tents together. If all is ok they kids could set up on the other side of the camp fire for privacy.

Long stays you can also geta full fly to cover the tent (especialy if camping under trees with birds)

I am looking at this option as a altunative to a camper trailer and spending the diff on the drawer setup for the car.

all previous posts refer to the strong wind ability of the oz tent when all the ropes are pegged.

Check out the web site for a look at the options www.oztent.com.au

Given the ease of setup and pack up it should take alot of the stress out of this process.

Have fun camping

Trevor

Tonester

I have used both and currently using canvas. I found with the dome tents in rain that because the door zip goes up the dome, when you open the door the flap falls inwards and all the moisture that is on the flap runs down onto the dry floor. I used to try to remember to make sure the door was at the lowest point so the water would then run out and not get everything wet inside.

Also dome tents tend to be hotter as the hot air get traps in the tent, unless it has good high ventilation.

As most domes have a fly over the inner material when putting it up or taking down in wet weather it is difficult to keep the insde dry. Can also be a problem with some canvas tents.

I have found the erecting and disarecting to be similar although i currently have a Oztent so there is no real comparison.

link text

Tonester

There are practical considerations when touring with a family and I think these need to be looked at first, not last.

- Children, though small now get bigger and demand space. That needs to be standing space in the tent and adequate room under cover (fly).

- Children of whatever age quickly tire of 'one night stands' when travelling. It just gets their backs up and that will show. So it is infinitely better to plonk in a spot for a few days before moving on or better still, have longer stays and day trip to the sights.

- All need midge/mozzie screened day space. Can the awning be screened or what about a screened kitchen & day area.

- parents and childrten need full standing height in the tent/s and not just in the centre. If you are forever crouching to do things, you become bone weary in no time. It is not supposed to be about survival , all have to keep in good spirits and well rested.

- Like it or not, UV is strong in most opf Australia and is said to be increasing. So broad shelter is needed all day.

Tent zips cause most problems. Cheap tents do not have YKK zips (or quality equivalents).

I could add more but I think you get the general drift: it is better to have a bit more room and standing soace even if the tent/s is/are a bit slower to erect and maybe a bit more bulky.

If you have a lot of money and are a bit shorter in frame, and Oz tent is beaut. They do charge ferociously (I reckon) for the design and for additional bits.

The canvas OzTrail tents are fine for night but do not offer much in the way of standing room and the fly is small. Heavy up top on the rack too.

Cabin tents are great for extended stays. Real comfort and the children are less of a problem in rain. Plenty of shelter. Big and bulky and slow to erect.

Resolution: I don't sell them but I reckon a Coleman Classic 4 or the dearer Wolf Turbo are the best compromises for families who are travelling. We also have a couple of plastic flys (one for kitchen and other can go over at least one tent). Not heavy and leaves room on the rack for more water and a couple of rolled up mats (shade cloth) to keep the site/tents off the ground.

This is just one solution.
EV700

I forgot to mention that we use 2X Coleman Classic 4 - good quality, strong and a reasonable price.

The starting point was one Coleman Classic 4, dome for kids at night and flys.

I have 1 x large'ish canvas and 2 x small dome tents

The canvas is similar to the 1 minute test and as easy to use, however the domes although smaller are much warmer in frosty and cold wind conditions. Also with the dome tents fly it also seems cooler in direct sunlight.

As for rain, nobody wants to be in any tent when it rains :-)

When we are touring the High Country (summer or winter) without the camper trailer the domes are the first choice.

My canvas tent I have had for years, I dont think the domes have the same durability (zips can be an issue, much lighter duty) time will tell

The kids use one, mum and dad the other.

Like most of the other replies, we believe it depends on the use it will get. We used a dome tent from Aussie Disposals for a few years and believe me, it got a lot of use in rain, wind, hot sun, you name it and apart from fading and a few sleepless windy nights wondering how it would hold up we had no problems whatsoever. My partner recently upgraded us to a canvas Black Wolf Turbo tent with annex and side panels with me wondering how on earth we were going to fit it in whenever we went away. After having just spend my first big trip in it (10 days finishing up 3 days ago), I am completely converted. Dry (we were rained on non-stop for two days straight camping in Croajingalong with not a single problem), plenty of space for our gear, I love being able to stand up right (not just in the middle so now I don't have to watch out to see who I stand on when getting dressed) and much more. Due to the size etc we may still take the dome for quick one night weekenders, but I still reckon that the Turbo Canvas tent is faster to put up as well.

You cannot go past a Canvas tent. They last for ever if treated well, and are an investment. You can also sell them years later at current prices for the time. 15yr old SC tent sold on Ebay for way more than the dude paid for it, hes in our club :)

We went thru several Domes, but they dont hold a candle to the Southen Cross tent I got.

Also time time to put the thing up, Canvas - 4 pegs, 1 pole, your in.. while the poor sap with the dome is still lookin at which pole goes in where.

I'm about to get a 9x9 in Canvas as well.. On the weekend in the rain the blokes with 9x9's had it easy.

YMMV

If considering desert travel, you usually have to contend with wind, dust and rain.

The dome tents often leave the occupants covered with dust as the wind blows under the outside layer, and then drops thru the flyscreen layer. The fibreglass poles usually bend too so half the tent goes concave.

A quality canvas tent with sealed floor and fully sealed zippers, is the best option in wind.

I've used a Halls Canvas goods tent called the Breezeway for the past 13 years - twin centre poles, 12x9, and made in Adelaide from quality materials. I think we'll be carting it around for another 20 years. We were able to fit the 4 kids and 2 adults in it for overnight stays. For longer stays, we'd put up an extra tent like a dome, and shuffle some of the kids into that.

Now that the kids don't travel with us, its nice to move from the swag into a decent tent when the weather turns nasty.

Cheers
Phil

Hi
we have had both the dome tent was great but was abig job by myself to set up and didn't last very long(3yrs). We then bought a COI canvas centre pole with an extension, we were able to set our queen air mattress behind the pole at the rear where the extension is and still have the tall part of the tent to stand and dress etc. this tent has been used for 2 months solid and lots of weekends skiing up the river for the last 4-5yrs and is still as new!!! BUT it takes up more room and u have poles, but if it is not windy u only need to peg the 4 corners and put the centre pole up and the extension poles and it is up and can be done alone easily.

Cheers Mattie

What about a canvas dome tent?

Tonester,

A lot of conflicting information and opinions posted so far which has probably just confused you more, but not to be left out...

Prior to getting a campertrailer, we had both canvas and dome tents. Our canvas tent served us well for 8 years of touring in around SA, Vic to Cape York and NT during which time we encountered all climates and weather conditions except snow. BUT, when the time came to replace it the lightweight, compact size of the dome tents was too hard to resist. We used the dome tent for many years and would never go back to canvas.

There have been several comments made already re dome tents not being able to stand up to high winds etc - I couldn't disagree more! I'm not saying every dome tent (or canvas tent for that matter) can tolerate high winds, just that generally you get what you pay for. Make sure you get a good quality one. A point often overlooked is that dome tents (and tunnel tents) where originally designed and developed for alpine and extreme conditions. They are actually designed to flex in extreme winds but will pop back into shape as soon as the wind abates. The only time I have ever seen a dome tent blow away was when the owner didn't bother to peg it down.

I also have to disagree with another comment made about dome tents being stuffy and don't breath. When we lived in Darwin by necessity most of our camping forays we're made during the wet season when conditions were very hot and very humid. Unless it's actually raining there is no need to use the outer covering and without it, dome tents are superbly suited to these kind of conditions. If it was raining, our preference was to erect a large tarp over the entire camp and pitch the dome tent (sans outer fly) beneath it.

Finally, I have to agree that erecting a large family tent of any type can be a PITA. Have you considered using two smaller tents rather than one big one. You'll find the older the kids are, the more they prefer to have their own place anyway and they can have the job of setting up their own tent, beds etc. Also, in my experience the simpler the design the better so I'd always go for two seperate tents over a big 2 or 3 room family tent.

Hope this helps.

:o) Melissa