Leaving aside childhood holidays my wife and I first started camping around 2008, quickly going from small tents to an Outwell Montana 6P in 2012. It seemed a popular choice - a cliche purchase even given how many campsites seemed half full of them wherever we went! The reasons for their popularity were many though and so I am not surprised they sold so many, and similarly not surprised to find so many glowing reviews for them on this site both at the time and since.
Following a several-year hiatus from camping we've got a 6yr old daughter now and have recently got back into it having done three trips away this year. Our daughter loves it and we've really caught the bug again. Only saw one other Monty on a site though but I guess those that continued to use them year-on-year have now worn them out and nothing lasts forever! Ours still looks like new though and as we still love it there's no pressure to replace (the recent addition of a roof protector might well be mitigating any waterproofing issues that might've emerged for all we know!) but of course even when not on the market you can't help look around to what other options there are!
There weren't any obvious commonplace models though, indeed it seemed there was just one of every model and size out there, and nothing jumped out that piqued our interest. We visited a camp shop at the weekend (Attwools in Gloucestershire - a great shop with a massive array of tents) and we were quite surprised how underwhelmed we were with what's on offer.
Sure, there is only so much innovation possible when it comes to tent design and it was nice to see things like silent-opening doors and.... well, aside from air tents becoming mainstream, nothing else has seemingly changed. Nothing apart from cost of course but we didn't dwell too much on that as it could just be down to inflation and us looking at non-discounted current-year models (we paid £350 for the Montana 6P though and the current figures were nowhere near this I must say!).
Perhaps despite the massive range on display we just didn't see 'the one' for us and as a result everything else fell short in some way. It was even the colours though that all seemed so dark and cold looking (that reminds me - more blackout inners have also appeared!) and everything felt so 'utilitarian' for want of a better way of putting it. Perhaps being displayed under cover might not have helped?
Does this experience chime with anyone else? We felt quite deflated to be honest as whilst we're not looking to replace our tent just yet it's always nice to build the next 'dream' purchase - just as we did with the Montana all those years ago. The experience has instead made us mindful that we'd best make sure we take particularly good care of the Montana to make sure it lasts us as it is far from obvious what we'd replace it with.
I looked on the review pages here to see what other people have since flocked to. There are 226 reviews for the Montana 6P and what felt like less than that for all other tents combined! What's happened?! Where's all the excitement gone? Camping is clearly still very popular - our sites were all full - but has the significance of the choice of tent just, well, gone? If so, howcome?
Post last edited on 04/09/2023 14:01:52
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Your post is directly above a thread called The Karsten Klub which has literally thousands of posts (other Karsten threads are available if you search).
We loved our Cabanon Pyramide.
So I think “the one” is out there - and it might be what you have now.
Maybe it's more about what you want from a tent and then see if there is anythig out there to match - a bit like buying a house. Do you want black out inners, an integral canopy, a fold down flat front doorstep... metal poles v fibreglass or air...polycotton, canvas or fully synthetic. Then ttheres' the shape of the tent, and windows or doors and mozzie nets.
Then go window shopping to displays and see what it's like to be in one.
Failing that, look out for vintage cottage frame tents.
Design one yourself and either make it our submit to a manufacturer!
Wishing you good times with your famly.
------------- Camping - emotional resilience in action, a triumph of hope over adversity and antidote to virtual reality.
Yes, I think it is indeed very much a case of seeing which tent ticks all the boxes - or as many as possible at least as a certain amount of compromise might be inevitable. We weren't really box ticking though, it was more that we just generally felt rather uninspired. Nothing turned our heads or tempted us in any way and whilst we weren't openly shopping for a new tent I think we were both not ruling that possibility out!
It's a shame they didn't have the Montana 6PE on display as that would've made a good direct comparison to our 6P. Whilst we wouldn't be a fan of this year's navy colour scheme (we do like their 'dark leaf' colour of other models though; shame there isn't the option of both) it does look like they've addressed some of the obvious issues with the 6P such as the uncovered sloping front door. One for us to keep an eye on for future iterations (if 10+ years on they are still selling what is essentially the same tent it is obviously working for them so presumably they'll continue with it). Perhaps in a few years the timing would suit us better as we'd be then more justified in replacing what we've got.
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I started camping in the same era as you did and remember well the Montana 6 being well represented on campsites. I went for Vango's offering, the Columbia 600. Both these tents had steel poles and were cavernous. I remember looking at Go Outdoors rival, it was the Corado 6 and thought it was a good sized well priced tent. So i just looked on their website again and there are some similarly shaped steel poled tents, which put me in mind of the above, on there. Just my musings about bygone days.
Wow, the Columbia 600 and Montana 6 are *very* alike aren't they? (Edit: And the Corado 6 for that matter, and in fact I just saw a photo of one with what looks like a Montana extension attached to the front!). Have you still got your Columbia?
On the subject of poled tents I did wonder if our next one would be pole or air. Need to do further research as it must be a often-discussed topic. I must say I was struck how big/heavy some of the air tent bags were - it's like they contained a hot air balloon or bouncy castle!
My last two tents before I switched unit to a PVC were cotton canvas Dutch pyramid tents.
I loved the smell of cotton canvas and their ease of putting up.
I chose pyramids as they were supposed to offer better wind resistance when pitched with their slopping side to the wind.
They were also quieter in the wind, cosier as they had ZIP/SIP and less draughty compared with modern nylon/polyester tents.
Not quite sure if they were more comfortable in the heat though.
DK
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The Columbia was Vango's answer to the Montana. I do still have it and it's still got some life in it yet. When I posted in 2010 2011 there was another fan of the tent. Sadly Vango, like many other companies decided to 'improve' their range.
Outwell went on to make a polycotton version of the Montana, called the Montana Lake. That would have been around 2011-12. Often crop up used on eBay, the Outwell Lakes range was really robust.
This is like a trip down memory lane. Jim1977 you put me in mind of a tent I aspired to, the Bear Lake 6. I remember one scorching day it was just unbearable to go into the polyester Columbia. I was talking to a Bear Lake owner and mentioned this and they said go inside; the polycotton Bear Lake was so much cooler, and made a lovely rustling sound when the breeze caught it. That was when the cotton to polyester mix was 80% cotton 20% polyester. It seems now it is exactly reversed so I couldn't say how this affects the comfort or just the plain feel of having a weighty canvas.
Quote: Originally posted by Trip Hazard on 12/9/2023
This is like a trip down memory lane. Jim1977 you put me in mind of a tent I aspired to, the Bear Lake 6. I remember one scorching day it was just unbearable to go into the polyester Columbia. I was talking to a Bear Lake owner and mentioned this and they said go inside; the polycotton Bear Lake was so much cooler, and made a lovely rustling sound when the breeze caught it. That was when the cotton to polyester mix was 80% cotton 20% polyester. It seems now it is exactly reversed so I couldn't say how this affects the comfort or just the plain feel of having a weighty canvas.
We had a Bear Lake 6, a 2010 model. Go Outdoors used to do offers on them so the price was good. It was so well made compared to anything we’d seen. The groundsheet was really thick too, and the polycotton felt nice to be in.
As you say, the mix is reversed now, not to mention most tents must be 80% window plastic apart from the roof 😀
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Todays tents are definitely uninspiring compared to the previously mentioned Outwell Classic range. The cotton/polyester ratio was actually 65% & 35%, now reversed with polyester the majority material. Welded windows compared to opening ones now. I have looked long and hard for an air beam tent to replace my Trout Lake 4 but can find nothing that equals its features.
The “Lakes” tents, at least when we got ours, were 80% cotton, 20% polyester. The next range down were the “River” tents (Yukon River etc). These were brown polycotton, but the mix was 65% cotton. Over the years Outwell reduced the mix. The ZIG in later years was also not as thick a material. 2012 and earlier were the best ones and the ones to seek out used.
Only thing I can think of new that would be higher quality than a Trout Lake 4 and about the same size would be a Karsten 260 pod with comfort awning and front wall.
Have you thought about going to the NEC in February - show
There will be loads to look at and compare, this is the main show to feature tents and should provide some food for thought, or leave you more confused than ever.
I love the outdoor tent display at SK Camping just off the M25 at Godstone. Proper camping shop, much better range than GoOutdoors for example. Loads and loads of tents! They have probably taken it down for this year, but if you are in the SE have a look next Spring. It is handily en route for lots of S coast destinations for me, close to some great NT properties and Godstone Farm which is a lovely visit for kids. good day out!
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: Uninspired by modern tents... is it us?!
via mobile 05/9/2023 at 9:52am
