Just been looking through the pictures of everyone's tents and came across BERTIE's Norfolk Lake and see you have a canopy on the front !! We would love to move up to a Norfolk but our only concern, with the good old British weather, was the sloping front door with no canopy unlike the Bear or Wolf Lakes. So question is where did you get the canopy, the only idea I had was a Montana 6 sun canopy but they are different sizes and not polycotton as your looks to be ?
So if BERTIE or anyone else can let us in on the secret then I think its a done deal on a Norfolk for us.
Thanks
Gary
------------- Dont dream your life, live your dream, or just go down the pub !!
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We love the design of the Norfolk, especially the latest model with the one large main bedroom pod with its internal zip out divider. The separate room at the front is ideal for us as we have a large dog and also having that extra space away from the main living area for all the kitchen bits, bags etc is great and its also a good looking tent. Shallow I know but its got to look good.
The front door just looks like its at the same angle as the one on our Vango Orchy and when it rains and we open it up everything inside gets wet. We resolved it with the Orchy by adding the large Vango canopy over the front of the tent which works great and if it is raining when we get back to the tent we are not standing outside trying to undo the zips.
I did think about possibly making a small canopy from a single panel of an Outwell polycotton windbreak and then using the 2 door poles to support it but if there is a canopy that fits it then that's even better.
Thanks for the offer though and if I have any other questions about the Norfolk I will take you up on it but I can feel a shopping trip coming on next week !!
Gary
------------- Dont dream your life, live your dream, or just go down the pub !!
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We have a Norfolk Lake and after a very wet break in Cromer last year we did find that the sloping front door is a bit of a pain as when you open it some water inevitably comes in.
After much head scratching and research here and on the Outwell website we settled on the front extension for a Montana 6 as being the most likely to fit the bill.
We tried it out last month on a short break and it is as near a perfect fit as makes no difference. There is a very slight gap at the sides but because of the way the front of the NL comes forward this will not be an issue for rain coming in anwhere. The top of the extension comes far enough back to keep the door area nice and dry. The colour is not a perfect match because it is a different fabric but in the dusk with the light behind it a blind man would be pleased to see it!
One slight word or warning. The plastic clips on the extension are designed to go onto the Montana poles which are thinner than the ones on the NL. This means that clipping them on is slightly perilous and care is needed if you are to avoid a nasty nip. Blasted thing drew blood on 3 occasions on the trial run!
------------- Eagles may soar but weasels don't get sucked into jet engines!
Camping and no rain !!! what part of the UK do you live in ? not only that but there is nothing better than the sound of rain on the tent when your tucked up in bed, or is that just me?
Nic + Tonia, thanks for the Montana info, I had wondered if a sun canopy for the Montana would fit as it is 415 wide and the Norfolk is only just narrower at 400. Thanks for the tip about the clips though if I go that route I will look into changing them for the correct size save be doing the same, which no doubt I would do.
Gary
------------- Dont dream your life, live your dream, or just go down the pub !!
Sorry, not been around for a few days, yes it is the minnesota canopy, it stops the front door getting wet! Great for 1st thing in the morning no damp front door we normally open and roll up the door straight away, it gives good shade to sit under and extends the front area without being enclosed. We have had the front door up throughout showers without the rain coming in.
Highly recommended, have looked at the extensions but don't really want it to go to the floor.
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Thanks for confirming that, think we will take the same path as you as we also would rather have just a sun canopy rather than a down to the ground one. The Norfolk is large enough as it is without adding to its length and I would imagine an enclosed one would also cut out a lot of light too.
Thanks again
Gary
------------- Dont dream your life, live your dream, or just go down the pub !!
We used to have a NL and used the universal side canopy on the front. It is not to big, so deosn't add to much to the tent. Also the side walls allows things like wellies to be left outside without getting wet.
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