Just back from a week in Wales. We had to pitch in what was basically a monsoon. Got soaked to the skin pitching. Forgot that I had taken the guys off last time I used it and had to make some new ones in a hurry in the gale that was blowing (a couple of tents on the site were basically destroyed).
Up and pegged out, not a drop of water inside and apart from a bit of flapping and rattling, it stood up to some crazy wind and stayed solid (forecast said gusts of 40mph, I don't know how near that we got, but suffice it to say that it was flippin windy!).
The only bit that didn't go to plan, apart from the guys, was one snapped rubber, which only took a couple of minutes to replace.
What makes this tale of tent valour surprising is the fact that the tent in question was made in 1995 (we think) and came to me free via Freecycle a few years back.
It may have ugly curtains, but please give three cheers for my stursy and faithful Cabanon Monaco!
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Lovely. Glad you enjoyed your trip. As for Cabanon....We love ours, old fashioned..yes, heavy...yes, curtains I agree ours are dodgy too, but I'd rather be in my Cabanon in bad weather than anything else. Ours have stood up to some horrendous storms, especially our Andorra & tt. Hope you have many more happy camping trips. 3 cheers to your Cabanon.
Reminds me of the type of tent we used to go camping in when I was a kid in the early 80's. They are absolutely bombproof and I remember battening down for some horrendous storms that would pulverise new tents of today. Real character building stuff!
------------- May 2015 - Arrow Bank 4 nights
July 2015 - Manorafon 4 nights
August 2015 - Piccadilly Caravan park 3 nights
August 2015 - Wheal Rodney 11 nights
I don't have a camping "history", having only started 3 years ago tomorrow (), and in all honesty, I don't think I'd particularly enjoy "faffing" around with a frame tent (This is a sheer guess, as I've never touched one, or seen one being put up "live"... the diagrams put me off!! ) ... bit I have to say, once they are up, I think they look bloody fantastic. And of course, I'm fast becoming a big fan of "proper" canvas. I wouldn't have said this a few years ago, but now, I'd say the more garish the curtains, the better!
I for one love it, Splatters! Hope you get much enjoyment from it. Congratulations.
I've always preferred to put up a spring liked frame tent. Throw the canvas over and peg out much more than threading poles through sleeves. However,inflatables (of which I have no experience....yet 😉) may be a different matter. But whatever it is canvas is the best!!!!! For us anyway.
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Well canvas can look like a bit of a faff, but my tent has all its springs intact, so all the poles in each group are linked.
Here's me with my tent frame in progress:
There are basically three main groups of linked poles for the roof section. After they are snapped together, you are left with the three main structural prices of the tent. One set makes the ridge and there's a set for both the right and left sides, with poles that link in to the ridge pole.
Once you have built the roof structure by snapping them together (six pole junctions in total), there are six identical leg poles. Each leg pole has two sections (again sprung together). In the pic, the legs are on but the tent is on its knees, as it were and is ready for the canvas to be pulled over it.
Once the canvas is on, it takes two people to lift it and snap the leg sections together. You do it one side at a time, so all three legs on the right followed by all three on the left.
Then the pegs go in all around the edge and guys go out.
Inners go in quite like a modern tent and there are a couple of extra poles for the kitchen bit that just snap onto the main frame, pop a groundsheet down if you want / need to and you're all done.
Here's a very rough & ready diagram of the poles that are linked together with springs and so come out of the bag together. Apologies for the poor quality, I've just done it on a free app on a tablet.
One of the issues with frame tents is that the springs sometimes snap and you end up with ploads of pole sections, usually labeled very badly with tape (half of which has probably fallen off!)
In conclusion - yes they are VERY heavy and yes they are bulky (but less bulky than my pretty huge polycotton 6 man + porch obelink Familia 6).
There's no SIG or ZIG and it's a bit more draughty.
It takes longer to dry than polyester or polycotton.
They are a bit of a faff to put up (mainly due to the weight)
BUT - it's cooler than polyester in the sun and Mine is 20 years old and survived genuinely stupidly strong winds and rain without batting an eyelid (and it's never seen any waterproofer). It was howling and I fell asleep just fine, knowing we would be OK.
I really rather like it and am hugely glad I didn't sell it when we got the Familia.
I'm also a fan of frame tents and see their design sneakily creeping back in with more 'modern' tents.
I loooooveeeee our Cabanon with a passion - partly nostalgia for the Marechal we camped in as a child, partly because it is so liveable in, feels sturdy, and colourful. Yes, you can get a draft but that's manageable. To my mind, they're 'simpler' to pitch than tents with all that pole threading and far fewer guys.
And the smell of canvas cannot be matched.
Long live the frame tent and all who camp in her, dodgy curtains and all.
Clever pic of pitching
My childhood tent had lost the springs, so Dad painted the ends of matching poles with enamel paint, which was also used to make a Twister game on some industrial tarp used for groundsheets. Happy days.
It looks a lovely tent and well done Monaco!!!!!!!!
------------- Camping - emotional resilience in action, a triumph of hope over adversity and antidote to virtual reality.
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Boo Hoo, I'm just considering selling our Andorra, it's not been used for about 4 years, and now our daughter has grown up and this year will probably be our last year tent camping we will have no need for it. We have a week booked in Scotland mid August and though our other tent gives us more room, it's not the same as camping with the Cabanon.
We almost put our cabanon up for sale last year because we got a poly cotton tent to replace a knackered polyester tent.
We bought the polycotton on the basis that we could get rid of the cabanon and only have one main tent. Couldn't bring myself to do it.
It will be a sad day when the kids get older and the cabanon just isn't practical any more, but we do have a 4 man relum frame tent which is tremendous but only gets used occasionally.
Ah your tent brought back happy memories of doing a runner as soon as we arrived at site to avoid the parental arguments that usually started during the tent putting up phase.
As for the draughts, we put down a heavy ground sheet that goes slightly up the sides (a pond liner is used for the Andorra) so it more or less seals all the gaps up. 😊
A day of all things motorhome and campervan. The show is held both in the main indoor arena and across the grounds. Catering, hot drinks and food options are available. Easy access to the site and free parking included. Win one of five pairs of day tickets
Topic: In praise of my tent
), and in all honesty, I don't think I'd particularly enjoy "faffing" around with a frame tent (This is a sheer guess, as I've never touched one, or seen one being put up "live"... the diagrams put me off!! 
) ... bit I have to say, once they are up, I think they look bloody fantastic. And of course, I'm fast becoming a big fan of "proper" canvas. I wouldn't have said this a few years ago, but now, I'd say the more garish the curtains, the better!
