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G'day all,

I'm after some opinions on fabrics for tents. It comes down to the two options of Canvas or the Ripstop Polyester (RP).

My thoughts are that the RP is lighter than the canvas; easier to dry out and is most likely what I've had on all of my tents etc.

The Canvas is durable and heavier but it might hold up better in an extreme weather events. It would also be less prone to damage but it's also much more expensive than the RP material by quite a bit.

I'm looking at buying a new tent that I want to last for some time to come - I just want to make sure I'm going the right way. There is a bit of a deadline on this one to make it in time for the next trip away - but if it means waiting longer to make the right decision and save the required coin I'll just have to be happy with that.

Regards

Bennie

Depends on what sort of tent are you looking for & what you want out of it - e.g.: - 2 or 3 Man ? or is it a replacement to the roof top one ?

I'd go with a lighter one - less weight to lug around ...

Cheers, Bantum ...

Pretty much a replacement for the rooftop one. We're looking into a larger tent for Mrs El_Freddo to enjoy a bit more space in, and one she can stand up in.

The weight thing is a consideration; but I don't think it will anywhere near the 50kg of the roof top camper.

Cheers

Bennie

I forgot to mention that another concern with the canvas (please tell me if I'm wrong here) is that in winter it may freeze and make packing it up near impossible until it's defrosted.

Am I correct in saying this? It's not something I want on a winter's trip that could slow everyone down/lengthen our departure time.

Cheers

Bennie

As always it all comes down to dollars.
some suggestions.
quality
http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Oztent-RV5-T ... 4d17807a42

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Blackwolf-Tu ... 4d1a7fa874

cheap

http://www.anaconda.com.au/Product/Camp ... -Dome-Tent

or maybe build yourself a little offroad camper.

p.s I have a tent you can loan if you need it.

I've always liked the Oztent's 30 second tent like Richard mentioned above... I can't justify it at the moment, but I reckon I would go down that track when the kids come. Every time I see someone erecting one in a campground around the place, I'm always amazed by their ease of operation and quality.

Regardless of your preferred design, I think canvas provide better protection from the elements, being it rain, wind or snow. It's also breathable, and I particularly don't like the condensation you get inside poly tents.

I've got a Southern Cross tent, been made in Bayswater for many years.
Simple, well made and very durable.
4 pegs, one pole, done.(few more pegs for windy/wet weather)
"Market leading 5 year manufactures warranty."

Warm in winter and the temperature from people inside stop it freezing.
Cool in summer.
The bigest problem is they do not fold up small, perfect for carrying on roof racks.
http://www.southerncrosscanvas.com.au/tents/

They have been around for long time, if you can get a used early model, like ours, with the extra heavy 12oz canvas, looked after, it should out live you:)
Used ones often on gumtree and fbay.

Sheer Luxury
and L series compatible

http://www.gumtree.com.au/s-ad/marion/c ... 1056011717

Damn that trailer is nice.

Tough choice Bennie. If you go a trailer set up the canvas weight is less of an issue. Will probably accommodate the growing family better too.

tambox wrote:I've got a Southern Cross tent, been made in Bayswater for many years.
Simple, well made and very durable.
4 pegs, one pole, done.(few more pegs for windy/wet weather)
"Market leading 5 year manufactures warranty."

Warm in winter and the temperature from people inside stop it freezing.
Cool in summer.
The bigest problem is they do not fold up small, perfect for carrying on roof racks.
http://www.southerncrosscanvas.com.au/tents/

They have been around for long time, if you can get a used early model, like ours, with the extra heavy 12oz canvas, looked after, it should out live you:)
Used ones often on gumtree and fbay.

What he said. Buy a good quality canvas touring tent and you will not regret it. You cant beat sleeping in canvas. They breathe so much better than poly tents.

If you are after a bit of space buy the extended models that have the additional hoop at the back. When im on my own i quite often just dont bother with these extra poles, but with the family the extra room is a bonus.

Best bit is these fold up into a ~1m square about 6" thick that fit nicely in the back of a suby. mines under a false floor so I can get it out without unpacking anything.

The other advantage is that you can put them up / take them down in the rain without the inside getting completely soaked like other styles would.

Forgot to mention that it also depends on where your going - for example up North ( during the dry season ) most of the time you don't really need a tent, just some netting to stop biting insects & a light cover for morning due / sun shade. Similar for central Australia, although you might need a decent swag to keep warm at night.

So the further south you go ( where it does get cold & wet ) - yep a good tent would be a bonus ...

P.S. - I like the small Trailer idea, but would only consider it if you had no room left in your car for passengers ...

Cheers, Bantum ...

Well, it's been sometime since I started this thread - apologies for the delay in replying! Long story!

This is what we settled on:










Without the fly:


It takes a bit longer to setup with the full blown fly setup but I'm really happy with it. It's a ripstop canvas Blackwolf Turbo 240 plus. The bag is big which is a downer but I can manage with that on the roof - it's lighter than a roof top tent but larger in floor area

It went well on the trip too. I've learnt that I need two tarps - one for the ground sheet and one to cover the stuff on the roof - I took one and used it for both - this hindered our packup time in the morning which I found frustrating.

Also shop around! We saved a considerable amount of money by shopping around - I'm talking hundreds!!

Cheers

Bennie

Very nice tent. I love my Oztent 30sec one but they are very exxy but from the amount of times I've used it and the battering it gets, I'm sure it will last me a long time. I'd definitely recommend the ground sheet for what ever ground you're on. I brought a cheap shade cloth sheets (complete with eyelets) from one of those camping shows and works great, as when we pack up, we just lift up afterwards and shake off. Love to use the KISS principal