Hi All
I so wish the manufacturers or suppliers would allow us all to see if we can pitch before we buy.
I can do my Vango Tigris 400 on my own or with a 10 year old daughter. Only 3 bendy poles!!!
I am looking to upgrade to Outwell for better quality and I am impressed with the Monty 6p or even 5p. But I keep getting stern looks and you won't be able to pitch from the sales guys. I appreciate their honesty and obvious no hard pressure sales tactics.
I am not completely convinced that I couldn't/wouldn't be able and I would so like to have a go before buying just in case. It is a massive outlay for me, but I am prepared to purchase if I can pitch it. I have watched many you tube videos and even had my daughter try and lift the pole bag to test.
I just wished we were able to test pitch!!!
NB I do not have a wide garden and inserting the bendy poles to get the Tigris up is a pain. I figured that it may be easier to dry in the garden with the steel poles.
Although I did look at the Nevada M, (bendy poles) to please the sales guy, I was not at all impressed with the quality of the tent bag, seemed to be rather poor.
Many thanks for reading
Rosemary
------------- Experience is something you don't get until just after you need it.
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We have the Minnesota with the steel poles. If the Montana is the same, the most difficult part is getting the second steel pin into the pole. I don't have the strength to do it and my OH has a struggle. It may be that we are doing it the wrong way but maybe someone else who has the Monty can suggest how difficult this part is.
From watching the you tube clips, if I have got it correctly, if you loosen the tension straps off, the poles should go in reasonably easily and then tighten the straps up.
I do need some extra space so was looking at 6 men. The quality and popularity of the monty 6p impresses me. Then I am able to build my kit up before the model is discontinued, which is where I am with my Vango Tigris. I can not get an extension as now superseded by the dlx version. The customer service at Vango says not available and I have not found any on ebay either. Even carpets are in short supply. I use a dlx footprint and fold the extra under the bedrooms.
I am now looking at the 5p, one less pole, but wonder how long they will be available.
------------- Experience is something you don't get until just after you need it.
Just to take issue with one point, there's very little difference in quality between Outwell and Vango tents, if you're comparing like with like on the different price bands. Outwell have had quite a few issues in the past with quality, same as all the big manufacturers. The more complex tents get the more opportunities for problems and some of the big Outwells are incrediblr complex in design. Just saying...
As to test pitching, why not just ask at your local tent supplier? If they already have one up on display there's a fair chance they'd take it down to let you try pitching it again, if you could do it at a quiet time.
I must say that a Monty 6 would be a hard thing to pitch solo if you're an average sized woman, even with the help of a ten year old. Before I became so wobbly that I had to delegate I fancied myself as being able to pitch quite a lot of tents solo and I was quite happy to pitch my Oregon 800 and 600 alone, or with the help of my DD who is only just 11 now. (The Oregon was the predecessor of the Tigris, same 3/4/5 pole tunnel, depending on berth size.) But I would never have tried to tackle a Monty just with her, the potential for disaster is so high with a big heavy tent like that. It's not whether you can pitch it on a dead calm day on a dead flat campsite when you're feeling full of beans, it's whether you can pitch it safely on a wet windy evening when you're tired from a day of work and/or driving. A big tent can take off in the wind too, I've seen two very big blokes dragged across a site holding onto a tent in the wind and it's really very unsafe to allow kids near tents when pitching in windy conditions. It's not so much can you pitch a tent in ideal conditions, it's whether you can pitch a tent in any conditions.
Have you looked on Ebay for Tigris extensions? I see all sorts of older discontinued (but still new) stock there, including the side extension with door that I know fits my Oregons so should fit the Tigris too.
Quote: Originally posted by Rosemary3 on 07/9/2013
From watching the you tube clips, if I have got it correctly, if you loosen the tension straps off, the poles should go in reasonably easily and then tighten the straps up.
No, it's still a struggle with the tension straps loosened and, I watched the video which confirms we go about pitching in the correct way.
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We always use to buy ours tents from a reliable local shop . One where if your not sure or just want to see your purches up and then how to pack it away there staff will show you or guide you .
With the hugh Internet stores and even small shops offering quite big discounts the temptation to buy your tent unseen is obvious . I for have bought our last 3 tents off the Internet saving around £200 .
But we have the experiance to know what were buying and if it will be fit for purpose .
Ours first and only big family tent we bought from a local shop . After looking at every tent availble on sites at shows . We decided on a Wild country homestead 5 . Our local shop got it out showed us how it all goes and there technic for puting it up . Then how to get it all back in the bags . We may have paid more than if we searched the net but the service and advice was worth the extra .
What I'm saying is if you really know the tent you want ie a friend has one or you had the previos model then save some pennies and shop around but if your new to it and have dowts about size weight Hight . Can I put it up on my own. Will it fit in the car etc then buy your tent from a proper shop and go in the car you intend using to transport it .
I've seen people at our local camping shop trying the tent packs in the boot before buying
Our local go outdoors let a couple test pitch a Kauai reef before they bought it
Which they didn't in the end as it was too heavy for them
We also test pitched our Vermont inside at go outdoors as we bought it in February and the weather didn't look good until August
So if you don't ask you won't get
------------- April Peak District Beech Croft Farm
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I can just about manage my vermont XLP on my own with some help from my 13 yr old daughter but it is hard work lifting the tent - takes some whoompf !!
The second pole and pin are the hardest but going to try Gary's method of disconnecting the pole to get the pole in.
I am not that new to camping, and I so know the buying a new car to fit the gear in scenario. The 3 of us and a zafira. Prob to be replaced by similar or bigger. Well we do take the old folks out occasionally.
My Tigris replaced a beast of a campus Arizona. The one thing I couldnt do on that was the dome, but we used it when the whole family came. The Tigris suits us fine when it is just my daughter and I, but invariably we have her friends coming now and it is just not big enough. Although it is a 2010 model the pole sleeves are really beginning to show signs of wear and I have stitched the bedroom up along by the zip as the material is beginning to fray there. I have always had issues with the zip on the front door, I have not been impresssed with vango really. Every outwell I look at has seemed to be a better quality than the equivelent vango ones, until I look at the tent bags, I do feel a little let down in that area. I will ask in my not so local go outdoors if I can try and pitch my final choice. I wasnt aware they would let me do that. Which has answered my main question thank you. I dont have a local camping shop unfortunately, but do try to do my homework before purchases.
My daughter is an experienced camper too and quite sensible when it comes to pitching, however I would not subject her to parachuting across the campsite. If windy we wait before pitching.
Thankyou all for your advice, I am armed with all the catalogues, and am making frequently hourly journies to my local shop, to check out my choices. Maybe next to locate is the monty 5 or the malibu 5 expansion system. Only wish I had won the lottery and could afford the concorde plus a repair man on hand for any punctures.
------------- Experience is something you don't get until just after you need it.
If you look on you tube for Gary cross method of pitching an outwell Montana 6p I think
He pegs out the 4 corners then erects the middle pole and the the tent virtually stands itself up
The Vermont is only one extra pole than the monty and you get a lot more room and an attached porch for cooking
Buts its what ever your comfortable with
Just to put it out there how about a kampa Filey 6 air or something similar iv heard there are quite a few new models out next year maybe give our good friend Gary cross at cross camping a ring he sold us our airbeam tent and we are really pleased with the tent and service we received from him
------------- April Peak District Beech Croft Farm
May Peak District Duke of York
May Holland Delfse Hout
June Cotton Arms Nantwich
july/aug Cornwall Pentewan Sands
And quite a few local weekenders
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Topic: Practice pitching before purchasing
