Just after opinions really. We're not looking to change our tent this year as we've only had 1 trip out of it so far. But how often do people change tent?
At the moment we have the Aztec Palacio 4 man tent and we consider it excellent for our needs. Even with us using 1 pod for each child and then us sleeping in the middle in the living area. The living area is so big we can do this without needing to move our bed during the day.
But with all the recommends that happen, i'm always dreaming about our next one!
Look after your tent and it will last several years. What you do find is that several people have more than one tent for different occasions - a week away, a weekend away, how many are going etc etc. If you are happy with your tent and it suits your needs, then why change it?
It seems to me from this site that people NEVER have just one tent for long. So don't worry about "when you need to change it", the question is, "When do you fancy buying ANOTHER one!"
I bought a tent in Woolworths 41/2 years ago and announced that we were going camping Took the tent home and phoned my Mum & Dad to tell them that I had decided to take up camping. They went out and bought a tent too and came camping with us. They made me take the tent back to Woolworths though and I got one from Millets. The one from Millets lasted 1 year and then I upgraded to a larger one as I couldnt stand up in the first one. The larger one was actually too big but with my Mum & Dads help we all managed to put it up but it was a bit of a chore for weekends. The larger tent was a Easy camp Cosenza 600 and we have used it for the last 3 years but my Mum & Dad are not coming with us this year so I have just bought a Coleman Cedar Creek. Hopefully this one will be a good all round tent for weekends and our fortnights holiday in the summer. I still have the 2 old tents in the garage and I will probably try to sell them this summer as my garage is getting rather crowded. I would say that if you are happy with the one you have got and it is still alright for your family then stick with it.
we started camping in1998 bought a 2 man dome tent just for 2 adults and 1 dog went camping once in it and upgraded bought a 4 man frame tent went camping for 2 years in it then my son came along decided not big enough so up graded to a 6 man frame tent used this for 2 years then my mum got a static van so stop camping and we now have a 1 year old girl and my son now 7. last year bought a 4 man dome tent for weekends not big enough so just bought a 8 man dome tent hopfully this one will be big enough and last,
5 tent in all
and it will last if i follow some simple rules
no looking on the web
no looking in camping shops
no going to shows
and finally blind folded when on camping holidays lol
------------- my hubby says it will only take a minute (to put the tent up)lol
Hi
When you first start camping most people buy a nylon tent
because they look shall we say futuristic, and better priced that polycotton or canvas, but they are not as strong, they will not stand up to extreme rain and wind for a long period? Some of the more expensive ones that are better made will be OK. None of them breath so all the moisture given out each day will run down the sides or drip on you should you have a sown in ground sheet it will collect on the floor giving the impression your tent is leaking. The makers of most nylon tents recommend you seal the seams of your new tent before you use it. This is one reason why people change their tents.
There are a few reasons people have more than one tent but I would say the main reason is for ease of use on short trips and for comfort and stability for longer stays.
But as was quoted at the start of this post, If the tent you have does all you require then they should be no reason to change until it lets you down.
but should you purchase a cotton canvas tent you should NEVER use a reproving agent, to water proof it. Should the tent start to leak through the material it will be due to dirt that as got between the weave of the material, and to cure it the canvas should be washed with a recommended cleaning solution, or just well washed with a soft brush and warm water. Once a cotton tent as been treated with a waterproofing agent it will no longer breath and you will get condensation.
Sorry for going off the subject.
Regards
Rex
------------- "Be the person your dog thinks you are" (BM)
The main reason we have a nylon tent is because there is no way we would be able to get a canvas one dry should our camping trip end with it being wet, we don't have a large garden nor anywhere in the house big enough to open up a large canvas tent. When first starting camping we considered the possibility of a trailer tent, but we would have to store it somewhere when not camping, and don't know of anywhere in the area, plus there is the added expense. We now have a dog and so are going to have to buy a trailer, and that problem has arisen again, don't know where we're going to keep it
That said i am perfectly happy with ours, I often look at frame tents and think, hmm yes that would be nice but at the end of the day, just know it's not for us. I do find our Campus Indiana 8 very sturdy and we have camped in very strong winds and rain, all we've had to do is tighten the guys up again.
We only have one tent, we've had it about 3 years, if we got another it would have to be a replacement for the current one for the same reasons above, we don't have room to store another one!
------------- May/June - Spring Valley
Aug/Sept - Leekworth
We started off with a two man tent, a wedding present!? but when we put it up to test it OH said it was too small and we had to get a bigger tent. Next tent was 4 man, but after a weekend away OH still not happy as couldn't stand up in it. We now have one 5 man and two 6 man tents, all with standing height in centre. Bought second 6 man tent to replace first, as OH thought it 'looked a bit shabby' although there was nothing wrong with it. Might sell one of tent to free up space, but going to camping shop this afternoon........ You know how it is, the tents just ask you to buy them!
The main reason we have a nylon tent is because there is no way we would be able to get a canvas one dry should our camping trip end with it being wet, we don't have a large garden nor anywhere in the house big enough to open up a large canvas tent. When first starting camping we considered the possibility of a trailer tent, but we would have to store it somewhere when not camping, and don't know of anywhere in the area, plus there is the added expense. We now have a dog and so are going to have to buy a trailer, and that problem has arisen again, don't know where we're going to keep it
That said i am perfectly happy with ours, I often look at frame tents and think, hmm yes that would be nice but at the end of the day, just know it's not for us. I do find our Campus Indiana 8 very sturdy and we have camped in very strong winds and rain, all we've had to do is tighten the guys up again.
We only have one tent, we've had it about 3 years, if we got another it would have to be a replacement for the current one for the same reasons above, we don't have room to store another one!
Quote: Originally posted by Safeway56 on 02/3/2008
Quote: Originally posted by TraceyD on 02/3/2008
The main reason we have a nylon tent is because there is no way we would be able to get a canvas one dry should our camping trip end with it being wet, we don't have a large garden nor anywhere in the house big enough to open up a large canvas tent. When first starting camping we considered the possibility of a trailer tent, but we would have to store it somewhere when not camping, and don't know of anywhere in the area, plus there is the added expense. We now have a dog and so are going to have to buy a trailer, and that problem has arisen again, don't know where we're going to keep it
That said i am perfectly happy with ours, I often look at frame tents and think, hmm yes that would be nice but at the end of the day, just know it's not for us. I do find our Campus Indiana 8 very sturdy and we have camped in very strong winds and rain, all we've had to do is tighten the guys up again.
We only have one tent, we've had it about 3 years, if we got another it would have to be a replacement for the current one for the same reasons above, we don't have room to store another one!
Won't it feel the draught ?
Nah the kids are going in the trailer.
------------- May/June - Spring Valley
Aug/Sept - Leekworth
We have two tents a small one and a large one. The small one is 4 years old now and the large one we are hopefully be taking out for the first time next weekend.
If you look after them well, a tent should last you years BUT once you start buying them, its hard to stop
I actually threw away my last tent but two when I moved down here, as there more bits broken on it than working and it had a few little tears etc. A year or so later, I bought a little 4 man dome tent (you could only get 4 men in there if they were little!).
A couple of years after that, I met my husband. He had a little 2 man dome tent, so we used mine and his would occasionally be loaned to friends who came with us.
After a couple of camping trips in my 4-man, we decided we needed a tent big enough to stand up in, so bought a bigger 5 man dome in 2003. That served us well for many a trip and saw us through a fair few storms, although we found the lack of headroom in the porch a pain in the neck (literally, in my case). After a few years, and a particularly windy holiday at Three Cliffs Bay on the Gower, the elastic bits that hold the sleeping pod up had stretched so much that it billowed in and was effectively half its original size. I thought about sewing new elastics on, counted how many there were and decided I couldn't be at rsed! Plus it still wouldn't have head enough headroom in the porch and with a second dog we really needed a bit more living room. We still used the little 4-man for occasions like camping overnight at parties etc, or for lending.
Then we bought a cheapo Pro Action 6-man tunnel tent which was perfect in terms of its size and layout but died one windy night in the Dales, when 3 poles buckled, two snapped and one of them ripped the outer. Argos gave us our money back without quibbling and after looking about for the rest of the season we settled on a Khyam Excelsior which we haven't even put up yet!
We still have the 3 dome tents in the loft. We can comfortably accommodate several people, should we ever have lots of friends who want to come camping but don't have tents!
You can buy a reasonable tent for the cost of a couple of nights in a Travelodge. Even if you only use the tent for a couple of years you would have got your moneysworth.
One important factor to remember is that manmade tents get their waterproofness from having a layer of polyurethane (PU) bonded chemically on the inside. UV from the sun degrades that chemical bond, so the actual life of the tent is determined by how much UV exposure it has before it loses its waterproofing layer. This can be as little as 10 weeks. (Though if that is used just for a 2 weeks hols a year, your tent will last 5 years). Once the PU coating starts peeling off it cannot be re-attached, and water resistant treatments on the outside will not replace the function of the PU coating. I would say a maximum of 20 weeks UV exposure is all you can hope for.
Cotton canvas is UV resistant and that is why cotton canvas frame tents can keep going for 20 years; they are not as affected by the sun and their waterproofness comes form the swelling of natural fibres when wet, thus sealing to little gaps in the weave of the fabric.
The jury is still out on how long the new poly-cotton fabrics will last as they have not been around long enough; manfacturers seem confident that it will last longer than purely manmade fibres, but none are claiming it will be as good as cotton canvas.
Amazing family weekend with old steam engines, classic car displays, market stalls, and full catering and bar. And camping on site - Save £25 by booking in advance.
Topic: How long do they last?
Took the tent home and phoned my Mum & Dad to tell them that I had decided to take up camping. They went out and bought a tent too and came camping with us. They made me take the tent back to Woolworths though and I got one from Millets. The one from Millets lasted 1 year and then I upgraded to a larger one as I couldnt stand up in the first one. The larger one was actually too big but with my Mum & Dads help we all managed to put it up but it was a bit of a chore for weekends. The larger tent was a Easy camp Cosenza 600 and we have used it for the last 3 years but my Mum & Dad are not coming with us this year so I have just bought a Coleman Cedar Creek. Hopefully this one will be a good all round tent for weekends and our fortnights holiday in the summer. I still have the 2 old tents in the garage and I will probably try to sell them this summer as my garage is getting rather crowded. I would say that if you are happy with the one you have got and it is still alright for your family then stick with it.
should you have a sown in ground sheet it will collect on the floor giving the impression your tent is leaking. The makers of most nylon tents recommend you seal the seams of your new tent before you use it. This is one reason why people change their tents.
