Well I keep changing my mind about this subject. The more I read up on it the more I change my mind.
I had finaly decided on a Soulpad Tipi, but then I realised that if I bought the same 5 mtr Dia bell tent, it gave a lot more room for the same foot print. I had forgotton that the bell tents have side walls, so the usable space is far greater. The middle of the roof is lower, but the roof slopes at a shallower angle, so the standing head room towards the middle area of the tent is about the same. (if that makes sence) With a tipi the outer edges are not really usable but with the bell tent you can go up to the sides at nearly two feet, so tables bags etc are out of the way, also the door can be left open during most rain without it entering the tent, not so with a tipi. (other than Outwell) I was designing plastic drop down doors etc but I really think the Bell is the way to go. (So I am)
------------- Canvas tent, paraffin light, petrol stove. Heaven
I'd rather be kayaking.
Spent up, not pent up, just had my new tent up.
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Hi again
For family camping the new Outwell LakeTeepee
Would be a good bet a few good deals on them but no review as yet. the porch lends itself to the use of a tarp for cooking and sitting out under the 3m X 4m polycotton would do the job Tatonka Tarp and two adjustable poles I would recommend these POLES PL03 order over the telephone and expect to wait at least 5 days they are not speedy but their products are second to none. and don't forget the DGA for your guys.
Rex.
------------- "Be the person your dog thinks you are" (BM)
We have a tentipi and 2 belltents. The Tentipi is more expensive and more robust than the bell tents - but is smaller and darker. The belltents came from the BellTent Company (on Ebay). Good quality and excellent service. We love our belltents but use the Tentipi when we need a smaller tent. It packs up small enough to carry in a large (ok, very large) backpack. The Belltent Company also make a tipi tent similar to the tentipi but cheaper. If you want something for extreme conditions the tentipi is your baby. Recommended and used by Ray Mears they are made for Scandinavian conditions. However for that hippy festival feel a bell tent will do. Its a good idea to put it up and soak the canvas before you take it out for the first time. This is to allow the seams to shrink slightly and will make it more waterproof. As with all canvas tents you will need to reproof it - and never, never put it away wet. if you do make sure you get it out as soon as poss and get it dried as they will mildew easily.
The gist of it is that the mechanics of waterproofing with canvas are that the fibres swell up when wet, closing up any small gaps - presumably this is how it worked before any re-proofing products were popular? Someone on the above thread mentions that canvas should only need waterproofing when it's really old and the fabric has worn thin. When I bought my canvas tent, the manufacturer told me it would only need re-proofing if it had got mildewy, presumably because the mildew 'eats' some of the cotton fibres and therefore the fabric is left too thin, so it doesn't swell up enough to keep water out. At least that's the theory, but I don't have the experience to go with it!
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Quote: Originally posted by alvis1955 on 18/3/2009
We have a tentipi and 2 belltents.
Ooooh.... can you tell me how many people you use that set-up for? My 5 children and I (and husband occasionally, though he's not into camping) are fine sleeping in my 4m bell tent, but it's a bit difficult in the daytime if it rains and we need to be indoors, and frankly sometimes I would prefer to have 4 boys all wresting in another space to the one I'm trying to read in. I just, reluctantly, got a Khyam Rigi-Pod off eBay and as far as modern tents go it's very nice, but it's not like the real thing - just seems so flimsy and cold after canvas, and so much harder to put up than a bell tent. So I was thinking that maybe what I actually need is just another bell tent, and have one as a living room and one as a bedroom... but then thought that sounded hard to justify. So if you have got that set-up and it works for you, please tell me more so I can talk myself into it :-)
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Topic: bell tents. so many questions
