What is the shortest trip that you would put a frame tent up for?
We are having a whole dilemma about what to do this year and husband is insisting on a canvas frame tent...which is also my dream, but he insists we will use it all the time. I think otherwise. I've heard it is too big and too heavy and takes to long to put up for a short trip.
Sooo what is the minimum nights you would want to be camping to use a canvas frame tent?
I guess it all boils down to how much you want to use it, how long to put up a frame tent ?
We used to put up the awning on our small caravan for a 2 night stay, we also used to put up and take down our market stall 5 or 6 times a week. (2 hours to put up and a little quicker to take down)
Which ain't much different from putting up a frame tent.
How big is the frame tent and what make? Lots of variations. Some of the smaller Cabanon frame tents have aluminium poles (Pacific, Atlantic) which I'd easily pitch for a couple of nights stay and can be done solo. if you're talking Aruba or Andorra then it'd have to be 4 nights minimum and really needs 2 people to lift the canvas over then raise the frame from its knees. Espace 8 would have to be for a week-long stay, minimum (3 bags of poles) and definitely needs 2 people (minimum) to pitch with relative ease.
Remember, it's not just the tent pitching which takes the time but the setting up of all the stuff we take to fill it!
it depends on whether pitching the tent is part of the w/e away or a chore to get over as quickly as possible.
it also depends on frame tent my old 6 berth cabanon could be pitched in twenty minutes where as my pyramid tent has so many guying points if I use them all can take 30 minutes or more
I agree with all that's been said above. I adore our frame tent - a 6-berth Cabanon - which I can put up alone. But, I wouldn't want to take it away for a two-night, let alone overnight stop. Well, not unless I didn't put up the roof lining and curtains... nor bother with the layers of groundsheets, rugs and other bits I use(d) on two-week trips. You have a tent already so know about how long these things take to pitch and strike. Treat yourselves to something smaller perhaps, there are some great taller but smaller tents available with SIGs (which frame tents do not) which make weekend trips (with British weather) more feasible/enjoyable.
------------- Camping - emotional resilience in action, a triumph of hope over adversity and antidote to virtual reality.
I think it very much depends on the size and build of the frame tent. If you are only 2 persons, you might do well with a "smaller" frame tent. I have nearly given up tent camping because of (mostly my partner's) health issues, but although we go caravanning now together, I myself have kept a lightweight poly tipi and my vintage canvas frame tent for occasional solo camping. The frame tent is appr. 3 x 4 metres, with an inner tent for bedroom, and I feel there is lots of space for at least 2 persons.
I can carry the bags with the canvas and the steel poles for shorter distances, and I am not very strong.
Last time I put up the tent on my own, it took me 25 minutes, and it was not too heavy. That is only 5 minutes longer than pitching my lightweight tipi.
It doesn't have a SIG of course, but I have made a "bathtub groundsheet" from a tarpaulin.
I have used it for an overnight stop and didn't feel it too much work for that. Only make sure not to take too much to put inside the tent - arranging the rugs, inflatable sofas, flower decorations, and kitchen outfit is the thing that takes hours!! :-D
------------- Proud owner of a 1987 Sprite Alpine 370 EK, a cheap popup tent and a beloved retro Trio frame tent from the early seventies, called Giraffen.
Get a folding camper. Our Conway Challenger takes ten minutes to set up for simple overnight/ weekend stops. No pegging out required as the main part of the camper is self contained.If we stay for longer the awning takes about 20 minutes extra. It’s camping under canvas without the hassle of hours of setting up and putting in hundreds of pegs
A budget 4-5 man 3 hoop tunnel tent with sewn in groundsheet and pre fitted inner will take less than half an hour to pitch, so could be a possible choice for a weekend tent. Our 5 man is 4.7 x 3.3m so more than enough room for two.
Or ditch the frame tent idea and go for a bell tent.
EDIT - or if you want to go back to basics, get a Force Ten ridge tent! Dead easy to put up and absolutely bomb proof - and you've got that true camping under canvas feel.
Im with Darren Elbrow. We went from a tent to a TT to a FC. I think a TT is a good compromise. Everything fits into a trailer but looks like a frame tent with the added bonus of sleeping off the floor. It doesnt take much longer to pitch than a tent but is much more comfortable. Plus the added bonus is having to carry virtually no camping gear in tne car
Similiar to what the above says, I have a 3 hoop sewn in groundsheet & inner tent and a 4 berth cabanon. The little plastic tent is great as its only 1 medium sized bag as apposed to two large,heavy, bags for the canvas...BUT i can throw the canvas tent up quicker than the plastic tent. All that faffing with the plastic tent trying to slide the poles through the sleaves...grrr...
I assume from the opening post that the tent hasn't been bought yet?
If not, I'd say forget large heavy canvass frame tents, especially for two people as they are time consuming to erect and take down...in good weather let alone bad! A good polycotton tent using inflatable beams seems to be the way to go these days for extended camping trips but the beauty of the air frame concept is that it makes even large tents suitable for weekend breaks.
We have an 8 man Vango Illusion TC tent and have no problems about using it all the time be that a few days or a month away. The two of us can have it up inside of 20 minutes with relative ease.
The alternative (someone has already mentioned it above) would be a teepee type tent or bell tent with single pole.
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Topic: camping with a canvas frame tent
