I've just had a bit of a bonus and have decided to get a one of the above tents.
There is only the Wife, myself and the dog so it doesn't need to be huge.
I should have bought a good quality canvas or poly-cotton tent first off instead of trying polyester alternatives and ending up here anyway, just not happy with the condensation and lack of vents in the smaller polyester tents
That's the problem when all I've ever been used to is canvas, nothing else really has the feel to it.
I love the idea of the Cabanon pyramid type tents as they are so very quick to pitch.
The only issue would be the weight, I have seen the Nouméa and Guadeloupe in the packed up bags and although not massive they are heavy.
My concern would be trying to put it in the bag and lift it up, if it happened to be wet as it would be even heavier!
The Robens to me is a good compromise, it's a lighter weight (which looks to be mainly in the floor ground sheet, the difference between the Cabanon ground sheet and Robens is quite incredible) but it does have a 65% cotton/35% polyester flysheet, unlike some of the other poly-cotton tents I have seen which are the other way round!
The Robens is a bit bigger, which would make it good for longer stays.
Paying this much for a tent I want to be able to use it for both short and long stays, although it will take longer to pitch than the Cabanon.
I have seen the Vista 300....(2013 model) which doesn't have the guy lines which wrap round the poles or the full mesh door way but it is on offer for £399
Is not having the wrap around guy lines something to be very worried about?
The Nouméa is £543 and the Guadeloupe considerably more at £659.
What would any of you buy if you had the money?
Thanks for any advice or thoughts.
Cheers
Ian
Post last edited on 28/06/2014 19:52:37
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Had a look, only the Eldorado is about right.
Still thinking about what to go for.
I would like the Cabanon, but unsure if the Nouméa is going to be too small for us for anything longer than a weekend, would probably need to rig up my tarp.
The Robens is slightly cheaper and larger, just unsure about this model not having the storm guard system where the guy lines wrap round the poles.
It's a shame the shop doesn't have the Nouméa actually pitched, at least I could then get a feel for the size.
Standing in the much larger same design Cabanon Barbados, I have to say it is a dark tent!
The Robens did feel much brighter and more airy, even though it's smaller size than the Barbados.
There is never a straight forward choice when it comes to tents!
We are two plus a dog6 and we have opted for a 6berth Biscaya 440, lots of room very light inside and quite quick to pitch if your both fit and have put it up a few times already?
------------- Duffs54
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Quote: Originally posted by duffs54 on 29/6/2014
We are two plus a dog6 and we have opted for a 6berth Biscaya 440, lots of room very light inside and quite quick to pitch if your both fit and have put it up a few times already?
WOW!! That is a monster of a tent, 3 bags and an eye watering price!!!
I'm trying to get back to basics so reducing the amount of things I take, also not bothering with EHU as you seem to get a better choice of pitch without it.
So far it's working well, but just want to get back to a canvas tent.
Looking again at the sizes I think the Noumea would be great for a weekend, but may be come a bit cramped for a longer stay.
At this stage I can see me actually going for the Guadeloupe as the size looks to be about spot on, and it's the best compromise for a weekend away or longer stay.
From the reviews I've read, it doesn't actually take that long to put up or pack away.
We have found the Guadeloupe quick and easy to pitch, and the space inside works really well for us. We wanted a tent where we could use the space usually allocated to a bedroom pod during the daytime for larger living area to avoid getting a much larger tent (you are aware that the Guadeloupe doesn't have bedroom pod, just curtains to screen off the bedroom area?).
Cabanon have changed the colours of the Guadeloupe over the years, and whilst the current colour is much darker, you could consider looking for a good second hand tent (as we did) which may be predominantly beige rather than green, and therefore lighter inside.
This thread discusses the speed of setup vs size of tent.
As for weight, we pack poles separately, and the Guadeloupe is lighter than our previous 4 man polycotton.
A further thought - if you wanted side extension (very useful) or sun canopy, check that they are available for all models and in the right colours - I think I read that they are not available for the Nouméa on here somewhere?
------------- Good times and great adventures await...
Yes I was aware that the Nouméa and Guadeloupe doesn't have an inner bedroom pod.
At the moment when we go for a weekend we use the Coleman Instant tourer as it's just so quick to pitch with just 12 pegs!
We have to put up the tarp though so we have somewhere to make a brew and cook, that takes much longer than the tent!
I think what this all boils down to is I've just had enough of condensation in smaller tents.
In our big Royal Atlanta 8 there was never any sign of condensation, but it is a big tent and for the 3 of us with dog it didn't really effect us, plus there is loads of ventilation in that, it's just too big for two of us for a weekend.
Yes I know unpacking and taking everything else is time consuming but the pitching time itself is much longer on the Atlanta.
Looking on the Cabanon web site most of the classic range is showing as out of stock, not checked the extensions or awnings, and you are correct there are no extensions for the Nouméa
The newer Cabanon range is green colour which does make it darker inside, not seen any older models for sale at the minute, but there is no rush, will take my time over it as I have so many tents at the minute!
I've come to the conclusion, to reduce the condensation apart from all the basics about wet stuff etc is that you either have a larger tent for fewer people so that there is much more 'free' air space.
Try and find a small tent but has loads of ventilation on, which can be left open even in rain, which is difficult as more ventilation means more draughts and then colder inside!
Or you go for a canvas flysheet or one of the better quality Poly-Cottons where it's not been treated the same as Polyester and thus rendering the Poly-Cotton useless!
Thanks
Ian
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Which tent did you get in the end? We are looking at the Robens Vista 300 for all of the reasons that you have stated.
Would be interested to know if that is what you ended up with and if you are happy with it..
Thanks
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Topic: Cabanon Nouméa Or Robens Vista 300
