Message Forums

We bought our 2009 Arizona L (£139.99) and loved it

If only it had a SIG it would have been our perfect tent

It took some verry big winds in October but is a great tent 

Now Outwell have a new Arizona L 2010 (£149.99) with SIG

We were looking at a 2009 Carolina 3 (£ 179.000) now called the Carolina M (£239.99) in 2010

I think im getting Tent Aqusition Sindrome

Do We get the New Arizona as we have the carpet & accesories

Or do we get the old Carolina 2009

Or do we wait till 2011 to see what Outwell change again?

Any comments

Thanks

hombre de curry

Pickering March 2009

Deers Glade Aug 2009

Creetown Scotland Sept 2009

Greenhill Leisure Park Oct 2009

It is down to personal choice and personal income but there is no way on this earth I would pay £240 for a tent...any tent. I paid £140 for my Carolina 3 and I had to think long and hard before doing so, my previous most expensive tent being £70.

They say that modern synthetic tents last about 16 weeks I believe and that is not very long for the price, especially if you are a regular camper. Not only that but most regular campers either get bored with their tents after awhile, or find something they think is better, or their circumstances change and they need something different. So why pay huge prices for them.

At the end of the day a tent is just a big sheet of material held up by poles and ropes. How they can justify those prices defeats me.

So my answer to your question is if you like the Arizona, have the carpet etc; for it but want a SIG then go for the new Arizona at £150 (and try to get it somewhere cheaper than that with discount). 

Thanks everyone great to be part of a community like this

we will have to see the new range in 2010 to make any more buying commitments we were so happy with the Arizona this year

I dont see how they can say life of a tent is 16 weeks

my 3 man dome is 22 years old I reproofed it this spring before getting over the wife's

objections to camping the Arizona convinced her and she loves it

I have used the old tent twice a year for the last 10 years for festivals and gigs overnight with the band

we just got booked for the Americana 2010 Sat 10 July thats gonna rock

whitch tent to take ?

take the wife or not ?

decisions / desisions

hombre de curry

Quote: Originally posted by hombre de curry on 24/11/2009

---

I dont see how they can say life of a tent is 16 weeks

my 3 man dome is 22 years old.......

I have used the old tent twice a year for the last 10 years......

---

True...and if you didn't use it at all it would probably last forever

Quote: Originally posted by 3madboyz on 23/11/2009

---

Personally I would stick to your original Arizona and use it for weekends and shorter breaks and go for the Carolina for longer breaks...

If you are a couple you will have oodles of room in the Carolina as it has a huge living area with massive amounts of light thanks to the many windows, It seemed to be a pretty sturdy tent as well ( we were offered one very cheaply as it was the show model but we stayed strong and resisted temptation as we have too many tents already LOL)

---

The front door does slope and no doubt rain would come in if opened when it was raining. However, there is a side door which is pretty vertical and can be used in wet weather, providing wind isn't blowing the rain straight on to that side of course.

Another problem with the sloping front door is that it zips from top to bottom on each side, so opening it from inside means crawling on hands and knees to reach the zips in the lower corners, but this is the same with most tents with sloping front doors...easier to open it from outside.

I would imagine most canopies designed for the front doors of tents would fit and also those designed for the side doors of tunnel tents would fit the side door, so there is plenty of scope for extensions.

Quote: Originally posted by floggitt on 25/11/2009

---

Just had an email to say Carolina is back in stock next week with my preferred supplier, any advice please as to weather a raised king size bed fits. It measures ok footprint size for the bed but was thinking how the rear slopes up dont want the bed pushing the side of the inner against the outer. What is the pitch time?

---

I just had a single self-inflating mat when I went camping a couple of weeks ago and positioned it right in the middle of the pod away from the rear which is fairly slopey. I have to say there wasn't a great deal of room and I felt that two single airbeds would probably only just fit. This is just a guess though.

If there is a bit of a gap on the footprint plan between your high kingsize bed and the back then you may be ok. I believe double airbeds are slightly narrower than two singles but without knowing all the measurements it's all just guesswork. Don't forget you need space to stand up and get out the door as well.

As for pitch time, the man on the Yeomans Utube video sets it up (without all the guy ropes and pegs) in just over 6 minutes but he was rushing.

I forgot to check my time but I think I set the tent up including all guy ropes and pegs in a little over an hour, but that was at a very slow pace and in drizzly, blustery weather. I then spent another hour working out where everything was to go inside etc. I hope to get a lot quicker than that when I get used to it.

Hi
There will be a front extension for the Carolina L (vis a vis style) and the Carolina M (same as this years Carolina 3)and it should sell for about £90.00.

I would say the Carolina 3/M is an ideal weekender tent for single person or couple.

A quick way to pitch it is as follows.

1 - lay tent out, make sure adjustable pegging points are slack and peg the four corners.
2 - open the front and side doors. Slide the front metal roof bar through the sleeve then fix one leg into the roof bar and ring and pin at the floor (none adjustable ring and pin side). The fix the leg on the other side and place the adjustable ring and pin in the bottom of the leg pole and lift. As long as the front door is open you will find this very easy.
3 - repeat number 2 for the second metal roof bar and legs. At this point the tent will be standing and you can shut the front door. If it is windy you can guy out some guys when you have the front roof bar and leg section up.
4 - Place the fibre glass pole sections in place and guy and peg the rest of the tent.

Please note this is just the way we do it so if it all goes wrong when you do it dont blame me lol....

Also if anyone is looking for a Carolina 3 tent then there are a few deals around with the tent, carpet and footprint as a package.

Hope this helps.

Gary Cross

Post last edited on 26/11/2009 11:49:00

Noted your way of pitching the tent, Gary. Thanks for that. I will try pegging the corners first next time only I discovered that the two metal poles won't automatically stay upright until the tent is stretched taught at all 4 corners. I got the first pole up and steadied it with guy ropes, then put the second pole up as described, then both fell down ...it's a bit of a balancing act until you have the tent pulled tight at the corners.

I would say it is best to leave the doors open slightly at the bottom when erecting and taking it down. Being a SIG this is necessary to allow air to get in or escape.

I would like the carpet for the Carolina 3 but unfortunately don't like the price £40-£50 in most places. I use a couple of picnic rugs which are almost as good. Not fitted of course but then there are areas of the floor that you can't walk on anyway, due to the shape of the tent, so no need for a carpet there. I position the picnic rugs in the centre area where most of the sitting and walking takes place.

This tent seems to sell all over the place at hugely varying prices...some as packages, some as not...it's difficult to know if you have a bargain or not...perhaps that's the idea. The best prices I have seen were at Yeomans for £139...unfortunately they don't seem to have any left now.