Help from a new member to make tent decision!

Submitted: Monday, Jun 01, 2009 at 12:47

ThreadID: 69406 Views:3806 Replies:3 FollowUps:0

This Thread has been Archived

zande

Hello all

I lurk around this site from time to time, but now I need your help!

We have a 10 year old dome tent that has been great. We have been camping a few times each year over that time and it is still going strong. We are about to go to Coral Bay in July for 2 weeks and down to Esperance at Christmas time for 2 weeks, and think our dome may be a bit small now, so are looking to upgrade.

We ultimately would love a camper trailer, but funds dictate that this will more a 5 year plan than this year. We are a tall family, so if we are going to upgrade our tent, I think a move to canvas rather than a dome is what we want to do, however if we can't afford a quality canvas tent another dome may have to be it.

We are happy for the time being to all sleep in the same room, but need a large area for cooking/dining/living outside as well.

We are trying to decide between a Coleman Montana Deluxe http://www.bcf.com.au/Products/TentGuide/DomeTents/Coleman_Montana_12_Deluxe_CV.aspx, and a canvas cabin: http://www.primusaustralia.com.au/pdf/pg_30%20920132%2015x12%20Lodge.pdf.

We can get the Primus tent at wholesale (through a contact), but I don't know if Primus tents are "good canvas". We essentially want a tent that will last for at least 5 years in good waterproof condition. We camp for all up 4 weeks a year (which may increase as kids are getting older).

Please help us make a decision?

I basically need to know if Primus tents are good, if not, which would be a good canvas tent to go for, and if we can't afford that (our budget is probably about $1,000), is the Montana going to be a better option?

Thank you so much!

Back Expand Un-Read 0 Moderator Share

Reply By: Member - John and Val W (ACT) - Monday, Jun 01, 2009 at 12:59

Monday, Jun 01, 2009 at 12:59

Have you had a look on eBay? There are a lot of tents there, some new, some used. A lot of people seem to buy a tent, use it only a few times then decide camping is not for them. So the tent gets sold and you may get a bargain.
Even if you dont buy there, eBay is a useful catalogue of what is available.

HTH

J and V
"Not everything that can be counted counts, and not everything that counts can be counted."
- Albert Einstein

Lifetime Member
My Profile My Blog Send Message

AnswerID: 367910

Reply By: Atta Boy Luther - Monday, Jun 01, 2009 at 16:52

Monday, Jun 01, 2009 at 16:52

I used one of those collapsable 3mtr x 3mtr gazebos you can buy . Put that at the front of the tent to cook under . For 4 times a year does it have to be canvas ?

AnswerID: 367966

Reply By: portlester - Monday, Jun 01, 2009 at 17:54

Monday, Jun 01, 2009 at 17:54

Hi zande

We are a family of 6 with the kids ranging from 3-7years. We have been using the Coleman Northstar 8 deluxe - the model smaller than Montana 12 - for 6 years now with no problems. We probably average 6 weeks or so a year camping in all conditions from the coast to desert and from summer through winter.

The four kids sleep in the bedroom area - initially using portacots then double bunk and now solely thermarest mattresses. My wife and I sleep in the 'living area' and throw our mats, sleeping bags, etc into the bedroom during the daytime. Doing this lets us use the living area if needed.

We also set up a large tarp - 12'x20' by memory - which gives us ample shelter for cooking/eating/playing etc.

We have found this setup works very well.

I have tossed up the idea whether to move up to a bigger sized tent when its time to replace the current Coleman, but at the moment would probably go for the same size tent again as many people have said that the kids like to have their own tent/swag as they get older. Also - for us - the Northstar is not too big to put up - can do it by myself; is quick to put up and is not too bulky when packed up.

I have found the Coleman tents to be very good quality for their price. Plus they offer more headroom than a traditional dome tent.

I have noticed however that whereas all my poles are aluminium, some of their tents now are a combination of aluminium and fibreglass poles - not sure of the quality of these poles.

Can't comment on the Primus tents as they are today, but many moons ago they were probably on par with the Coleman tents - both have changed significantly since then in design, materials, etc. however.

Good luck with the searching.

AnswerID: 367983