tents ?

We have a centre pole extended canvas tent which we used for a three month and six week trip,Found it really quick to set up and pack up,packed fairly small and flat(oz tents are very long packed) and if you want you can get an external pole kit.For a long term prospect I'd go for a canvas tent.Ours is a Southern Cross type copy made by COI,cost $700.

To my way of thinking bundy, either the Oztent as you have mentioned, or the Black Wolf Turbo Tent.

Depends on the style and make of dome tent. There are some excellent dome tents out there. Really quick to put up and down, light to carry, can be guyed for wind etc. Pleanty of room inside with no pole.
Get one slightly bigger than you think you need. A 3 man tent is Ok for one night, but I've lived in one for a week at Weipa while having a radiator fixed, and I'd never do it again ! Even though I travel alone my tent is big enough to live in if I have to stay somewhere for a while. (some wags rekkon its big enough for me and the entire netball team...dunno, seems small to me after I get some junk inside out of the weather)

Bundy,
Dome tents are too slow to erect, you will hate it. Ask for a demo when you look at domes again and see what sort of excuse you'll get why they wouldn't do that for you.
Single poles are great but too bulky in area to pack away easily, but they have their place, lots have them and will swear by them.
I've gone over to OZtent and even the missus will put it up down by herself because it's that quick and easy. Takes longer to get out of truck than to erect.
We have the 2 side awnings and the front as well which makes it a really good size when stopped for more than 1 nite, but they will take another 10mins to zip on, peg down etc.
It does only take 30 secs to erect or pull down, and withstands winds like nothing I've had before.Everything is of high quality materials. Their backup service is second to none.
It's not cheap, but all the quality tents are in the same pricebracket.
When it's bleep in down rain or looks like it will, the Oztent is the go.
If you don't own a Troopy then you will probaly have to settle for on the roofrack for carrying.

Hey Footloose you following me around. : )))
Not too many domes are quick to erect.

We're very happy with our Coleman Classic Camper 4. If there's only one of you then it would have plenty of space for a longer stay. Very quick to set up and pack. Rolls up into a 1m x 30cm bag. Heavy coated nylon with thick PVC floor. Retail is $699 but regularly see them for $599. We got ours as-new on eBay for $225 but I waited for over 6 months before one came up.

Adrian

Hey Bundy

You didnt actually state how many people you goin to have in this tent....but....just a bit of warning with the Oztent they are small. Anyway that is my opinion. I have 8 domes and love each and every one of them. I personally dont see tents as living quarters only a sleeping compartment.

Cheers HLC

At last a subject that hasnt been asked 2390820348203489203948230498320493802498203498230948 times.

We have an oz tent but find it heavy to put on top of the car. We also now have a Coleman tent and it folds down into a square which fits in the car. It also has side windows and is just a that bit larger than the oz tent. Like the oz tent it goes up and down in next to no time.

Carolyn

I had a Black Wolf Turbo 300 which was a great size, good quality, & easy to put up/down. I liked the shape it packed up into (1.5m long & approx 600mm round) which I could easily pack inside the car. The square flat shape of the single pole tourers (Freedom, southern Cross etc) did not suit me for packing purposes.
I did however swap it for a Turbo 240 because it packs even easier into the car (fits much easier sideways across my upper shelf in the cargo area). Its also a bit lighter for getting off the roofrack.

My vote is the classic, canvas centre pole tent - quite a fair brands on the market or the small makers do them to order. I like the simplicity of design ; the ease of use - compact to store. 1. Slap a groundsheet down. 2. Fold the tent out. 3. Peg in each corner. 4. Up with the pole. If staying longer (or for the shade factor) , I might opt for a tarp and poles, or an extension on the tent. Plenty of good reports around on the OzTent, if you can store the long bag.

Depends on your style, and place, of camping maybe....

On my own I use a swag, if someone (female only! :) is with me I use a dome tent which measures about 2.5m x 2.5m but I see the tent as purely a sleeping quarter. If the weather is poor I erect a tarp shelter using one or two 3m x 4m tarps for which purpose I carry two extendable tent poles and nylon string therefore I only need two fixed points for the overhead tarp one of which can be the vehicle. If there is high wind I use the second tarp as a "wall" to make a windbreak. This means I can remain outside in bad weather (which I prefer) and keep all my camp stuff dry plus I can build a fire at the edge of the tarp shelter and remain in the dry whilst still getting some heat from the fire.

Works well for me but I always camp in remote spots, I guess this setup wouldn't work well on a campsite.

Mike Harding

I've had a Serengetti steel pole dome tent for 5 years and bought it when the kids used to come camping with me. I can put it up single handed in about 10mins but there is a knack to it. I now only use it when I'm camped for a few days or the weather is realy foul. It's still as good as ever and has survived some decent storms.
If I was buying a tent today I reckon I would look closely at the Turbo.

We use a 9' x 9' touring tent with 2 side poles. Have been for over 20 years, a NZ tent that you most probably can not get any more.
Just the two of us now, but used to be 4. Was just enough room for the 4 mattresses and a 4 clothes bags.
If you prefer a centre pole, similar idea, quick and easy to erect.
Time from stopping the car to tent up, car unpacked and billy on the stove, and starting to prepare the meal is generally about 20 minutes. Same packing up.
Cook outside, live outside. Only been caught by fly or mozzie plagues a couple of times. Have moved the table inside to eat.

But we also take a big tarp.

One night stands, just the tent.
A few nights and a tree or shade handy for some extra living space, fine.
In centre OZ when the weather is balmy, sometimes don't worry about the tent.
Just put the mattress on the ground and watch the stars.

If for a few days and/or it is wet, or no shade, put the tarp up.

Have tried a large tent (12'x13') and also a dome tent. Also have a small 2 man dome tent for weekends by myself.

OZTRAIL Karoo canvas dome tent,I can even stand up in it, easy to put up for an old f##t

Like Mike & Old Plodder above we have multiple
bits that can be used depending on conditions,
like Big Tarp for longer /bad weather etc and Tents
as mainly just sleeping.

We are usually camping out of the back of the car for short stays
and things need to fast and effective.

We have a Patrol with opening barn doors and have a little tarp
that goes over them making a sheltered bay for preparing
food and relieving pressure on tents.

For tents we have found it hard to beat small domes for
size and weight, but have found them slow and a bit fiddly
and mostly now use a low cost (<$200 centre pole tent).

However on a recent 3 week cape-York trip the dome was great
as for 10 out of 12 days we didn't need to erect the outer fly.

The centre pole tents pack into a square 900mm and can stand
vertical in the back of the car against one side so take up
little used space.
By buying a cheaper tent we had no issues in modifying it by
adding velcro bits, removing panels etc. We consider it a
consumerable item with a 2-3 year life and hence don't even
bother with ground sheet now , it goes up/down so fast
we even beat our mates new rooftop camper setup.

Robin Miller

Hi,
We have had both a dome tent and oztent (30 second tent). They both work ok but we found the oztent faster to erect and easier to erect in windy conditions. From pulling up our camp is usually set up in 10 minutes. By set up I mean set up, bum in chair, beer in hand. The dome usually took 20 minutes and sometimes longer if there was a strong wind. If you need to put the guy ropes up on the oztent it added about 5 minutes. The only hassle with the oztent was it had to go on the roof rack and they are relatively heavy. We only ever had one problem with the oztent. We broke one of the hinges because we were to slack to put any pegs in and a sudden wind (not to mention heavy rain) sprang up and blew the tent into a tree. We managed another 9 weeks without repairing it by using that modern blessing, duct tape. If we were still using the tent I would probably get a pair as spares.

Steve

We have 12'x8' cabin, 9'x9' centre pole and a couple of domes. The domes pack up nice and small but are fiddly to put up, threading the poles through loops/clips, and the poles always pull apart & get caught when packing up. Now we are a family(by three weeks!) we're planning to use the big cabin again. Pretty quick to put up, just bulky, but if you can handle that then no probs. Have seen the centre poles but with two side poles instead if one down the centre (southren Cross) at the shows. These look very good with a bit more open space seeing as the pole is not in the middle. Good luck!

It is not until you've tried putting up a tent in the dark, the cold, or in a downpour that you appreciate the OZTENT. Thirty seconds and you are at least dry until the morning, it warms up a bit (get a fire going), or the rain stops.

Its weight is a bit of a problem getting it on to the roof of a vehicle, but it certainly is not unmanageable even with one person, more awkward due to its size and inertia than anything else.

THANKS EVERYONE FOR THE INPUT.......HAS GIVEN ME LOTS TO THINK ABOUT ......OZTENT WAS MY SONS IDEA (13)AS WE ALL KNOW ANYTHING THATS NEW IS THE BEST ACCORDING TO KIDS ...................MAY HAVE TO GET HIM TO DO SOME PRACTICAL....PUTTING UP AND PACKING UP OF TENTS ....TO GET SOME IDEA ....................THANKS TO ALL..........BUNDY