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We had a tent without SIG and froze with the rain and wind in May.

Now have a huge tent with SIG that has a special carpet on top - it's luxury and no shoes allowed lol and so warm too.

Quote: Originally posted by Liddenham on 08/3/2008

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What does anyone reckon the the new Khyam (2008) SIGs? They are not polyethylene, as with many other manufacturers, but polyester, like the tent. I can understand this is to facilitate easy folding, since it needs to be quite light and flexible to be folded with the tent, especially as the frame stays affixed.

However, we have a dog, and I suspect her claws would potentially damage this fabric more than a polyethylene one, making a carpet obligatory for protection. Then, I reckon it is likely to get more stinky than a polyethylene one (I'm thinking wet dog here, plus spillages etc) and potentially harder to clean. What do others think?

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hi liddenham,

i have quoted your full post as i agree with all of it!

we have subjected our khyam classic XL to a lot of wind and will probably have to replace it sooner rather than later (plus we damaged our annexe with a flying brolly  ) 

 I wouldn't mind too much, replacing the annexe if i could look forward to getting a new tent to go with it. A full SIG is really out of the question for us and besides i don't want one.

What is the point of a polyester sig ??  Will you have to step over it to get into the tent ?? I have enough trouble with the trippy over webbing!

I haven't seen another tent i like as much as ours and i hate to think i couldn't replace it.

I know designs move on and you can't be guaranteed to be able to buy your favourite model forever but this is just silly!

 

 

Sonja.p - I agree that it is a real pain when makers change designs! Have all the Khyams gone SIG now?

I have changed my own mind about SIGs at various times through the years.

Started with a frame tent 25 years ago, then got a little dome tent when they first became available. Had a big family sized dome tent with SIG that was inner-first pitching and realised the disadvantages to that the first time we had to break camp in the rain and ended up with an indoor pool!

So we have mainly had outer-first, non-SIG tents. Our two most used tents are our Vango Quest 600 for long breaks and Vaude Opera for short breaks. Both are non SIG tunnel tents with alloy poles, good ventilation and they can withstand some heavy weather.

But then we decided on a tour of N Ireland for our main 2008 hol - the Quest is too big and takes a while to go up, the Opera is a bit cramped for all the kit of a longer hol. So I decided to try an Orchy 600.

We got the separate footprint GS with it and it turned out to be the right choice for the circumstances. The tent goes up really fast as it is all in one (ideal for touring) the full SIG kept out rain and mud that was sending other campers home, and the separate GS kept it all clean.

Next year, we are thinkinig about heading to the continent, and that sets me thinking about cotton canvas frame tents for warmer climes.....

So I don't think there is a definitive answer about SIG versus non-SIG tents for us. It really does depend on the needs of a particular situation.

Or maybe I just think that because it gives me an excuse to keep buying tents with different configurations??

Quote: Originally posted by foggers on 17/8/2008

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Or maybe I just think that because it gives me an excuse to keep buying tents with different configurations??

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if i was still working and lived in a bigger house i could see me doing exactly that.. and really i don't like camping, i just sleep in a tent because it is the only way i can wake up where i want to be!

this forum is my vicarious shopping experience   You don't get damp, cybercamping

However, in real life i have nowhere to dry a tent with a sig. I can just about manage to fold up a footprint groundsheet so wielding one attached to a tent would be too daunting. Also, i like to let a nice breeze blow through the tent to air it.  I hate damp!

I think you are either the sort of person who takes their shoes off as soon as you step indoors or you're not. I'm not :(

Hi

We went camping for the first time a few weeks ago in a Alpine 8 with a non SIG and to say it was disastrous would be an understatement!

The wind although light sucked all the warmth out of the tent and when it rained the mud flooded in!

We ended up packing up and booking into a hotel for the last night to dry off!

Since then we have sold the tent and purchased a Sunncamp Vairo 600+

Not been camping since but looking forward to going later this year!!

i think that my preference for the Dorset slopes does have its advantages. Any rain that comes in just trickles straight out again!

We don't have EHU or any such mod cons so i don't expect the tent to be particularly warm inside.  If i get cold i just snuggle up under my mega tog down duvet  .

I imagine trying to heat a draughty tent would be counterproductive.  It reminds me of huddling round the boiler in the nissan huts at school.

For me the secret of happy camping is plenty of warm clothes and plenty of ventilation to stop the damp. I hate damp.

Camping is all about getting away from stuffyness and being in the great outdoors

Quote: Originally posted by fuzionmx on 25/8/2008

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Hi

We went camping for the first time a few weeks ago in a Alpine 8 with a non SIG and to say it was disastrous would be an understatement!

The wind although light sucked all the warmth out of the tent and when it rained the mud flooded in!

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would always go for a sig now

cosy, comfy and good for keeping the heat in, so i am tempted to camp in colder and colder weather

love being snuggled down at night with the heater on

Quote: Originally posted by Andy Pandy 666 on 21/3/2006

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   Hi, Stig 72...

   Have a look at the other thread "S.I.G.s, and disadvantages"... There's nothing to be worried about, I've used a 'normal' seperate groundsheet for years and have never had a mouse, or any other wildlife, in my tent,nor have I ever been flooded either... Don't worry, just enjoy your camping... Andy

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We have both types, SIG & Seperate. Both have pros & cons. Our family tent has seperate ground sheet but with SIG bedrooms. I couldn't get the thing out of the boot of the car if it was all in one bag (Poles, pegs & 2 groundsheets in 1 bag, outer n bedrooms in another) However our weekend without the kids tent is much smaller for simple camping and its great having SIG and no drafts. It is personal choice but ours changes. Ventilation in our Sunncamp Evolution 600DL is fantastic and that is an SIG

We have a 1 man, a 6 man and a 12 man tent and use the smallest & simplest we can get away with!!!!!!!!!

I have a Gellert Monsoon 4 - which I bought on impulse as a stand-by tent - and I always take it with us - but have never actually used it ( I was impressed by the canvas bag it came it - and just "had" to buy it - ) LOL

However - I'v set it up in the garden - and I find it very "odd" not having a SIG - I used a builders sheet to pitch on - so the bedrrom pods didnt come into contact with the ground - but I do feel very uneasy about using it in anything other than the warmest of conditions - seeing daylight at the base of the flysheet,,,,  kinda puts me off.

Just a thought - but a very good tent never the less.