Centre pole tent-Dome tent

[cols110]

G`day all, we are after a second tent, our main tent is a roof tent and we are very happy with it, but want a 2nd ground tent as well.

Fast and easy to use are the priority.

I have had various dome tents over the years and currently have a Victornox (Swiss Army Knife brand) dome tent which I hate with a passion, they should stick to knives, just the thought of this thing p1sses me off. :twisted:

Now searching the net it seems the centre pole tents look pretty good, easy to set up etc, not badley priced either ( I don`t wont to blow the budget for a 2nd tent), so what are they like. Has anyone got or still has a dome tent and a centre pole tent for a good comparission. My other option is to go out and buy a cheap Coleman done tent and burn the Victornox, which is complicated and slow to set up and has 5+2 strechey pole thingies instead of the usual 2.

The only down side to the centre pole tent seems to be the weight and size of it compared to the dome tent packed up when chucking it back in the car.

I can`t actually view a centre pole jobie here in Dubai as no one sells em, so would get one in OZ when we come home in October.

Any thoughts or advice would be greatly appreciated.

PS, I like the look of the OZ tents as well, but they seem way to big packed up than I want, and about twice the price I want to spend.

[rangieman]

i have a qz touring tent centre pole i think it is great it has a pole around the back out side for a part of the tent that sticks out im very happy with it and easy and quick to put up from memory the cost is only $279.00 dollars
yes they are baulky but if your going away in a defender and there is ony two or three people you should have plenty of room in the car as well as the tent

[cols110]

Thanks mate, very interesting.

In my 110 the size wont be a problem, but we are planning a week trip to Oman in our Disco with the inlaws next Jan, so 4 adults with all our gear camping for a week in the Disco might be a problem, but I hope not. I can always chuck it on the roof rack with our roof tent if need be.

Next project will have to be some polyairs to keep the Discos @rse off the ground. :o

[scrambler]

For mine you can't beat a dome tent with clips on the inner tent. I don't mind the geodesic designs (double the number of poles) after being in a standard dome during a big storm and having the tent almost invert itself with wind pressure - has to be seen to be believed.

Haven't used a centre pole tent since I was a kid but prefer the increased area of central height in a dome and that you don't have a fixed object interfering with where you want to walk.

My pet hate is the little sleeves for the poles on some dome tents. Cheaper, and probably less wear on the fly, but fiddly as all get out. I have DMH that I can single-handedly assemble in about 20 minutes and it's got 6 poles, 3m x 3m plus extended entry that seats 4 around a table quite easily. Needless to say it has clips.

My recommendation? Have a look at the usable space. If you're not going to be in the tent that much (just sleeping) then a pole won't make much difference. Look at the angle of the side walls and how they are kept out - if you're using a camp bed or similar you can lose a lot of floor space from the roof hanging on your bed. Another thing I like about a well-designed dome is that it's self-supporting - you peg it to hold it down but it doesn't collapse if there's no pegs. Means you can use it immediately in rain and don't have the worry of pegs coming loose and allowing the roof to fall on you once the canvas gets wet.

Steve

[rar110]

I've used both.

I much prefer the single pole tent. I haven't tried the one that has the extra u-shape pole to extend the back, but I think it would be good for extra people. They are quick and easy to set up. If no wind about you only need four pegs. No weather cover required. you can stand up in them.

[rangieman]

I've used both.

I much prefer the single pole tent. I haven't tried the one that has the extra u-shape pole to extend the back, but I think it would be good for extra people. They are quick and easy to set up. If no wind about you only need four pegs. No weather cover required. you can stand up in them.

i cant help but agree i only use 4 pegs in mine and i like the fact i can stand up to get dressed and other things:D

[numpty]

Friends of ours have a centre pole tent. You can get an adaptor thingey so that you can do away with the centre pole and have 2 poles on the sides...that way you don't have to sleep one either side of the pole. One thing they have found is that in really soft ground you need really long pegs otherwise the upward force of the pole pulls all the pegs out of the ground.

Numpty's Missus

[cols110]

Thanks all, keep it coming.

There are certainly pro`s and cons of both.

Numpty, I had`nt thought about the pegs pulling out in soft ground due to the centre pole, as we camp in sand most of the time this might be an issue, but I`ve gone away from normal pegs and have 4 pegs of approx 3/8 rod a foot long to keep the sucker down.

[ciapek]

Cols, I guess there are many personal choices and testimonials that each one of us can present to you drawn from personal experiences....
Here is mine, or I should say Ours.

We purchased The Family Tourer from Freedom Camping in Melbourne.

The tent is a spring loaded, Centre Pole Tent, with a "U" shape pole set up at the rear, that provides the tension for the structure.....And about 8 pegs do the base...

Very, Very quick set up, as a matter of fact we are usually set up before the others sort out their Fibreglass poles..........

We have now been using this tent for about 14 Years, and apart from some various Stains on the Canvas, NOTHING has gone wrong with it.....

It's been Rained on(no leaks), snowed on and hailed on. The spring loaded centre will take huge gusts of wind, lean with it, and then self centre....

It's bulky, it's heavy, you would struggle to pack it in anything but a 4wd, and most would have to agree that it's quite price heavy, but it will pay for itself over time.........

Take a look here........
http://www.freedomcamping.com.au/ft.html

Good luck......

[scrambler]

i only use 4 pegs in mine and i like the fact i can stand up to get dressed and other things:D

My dome has >6ft head height over about 3/4 of the floor area - normally have stretchers on 3 sides and full head height anywhere there's free floor. Not a backpacking dome with no height. To get full head height you need to get to about the 3m square floor area - or about the size of a small double bedroom. Mine's now ten years old and still watertight above though the floor could do with a reseal. Would weigh about 25kg. I'm sure durability is lower than the canvas types, but the cost of replacement is also a lot lower.

The inner of a dome needs no pegs to be self-supporting, no tension on the anchoring pegs at all.

But I can see I'm outnumbered here!

Then again perhaps it's horses for courses. Before the Landie I had Subaru's so space and load carrying was more of a issue, and I have kids, tend to stay in one place for a few days at least so 10 minutes versus 30 minutes isn't an issue but someone knocking the centre pole in the night is.

Steve

[rangieman]

Another advantage of the touring tent is it takes all of about 2 minutes to erect once you have it out of the bag unlike a dome tent that are fiddly to erect and a pain in the but to put up :D

[weeds]

i have had both, if space is a problem than go the dome, most are pretty easy to put up

in saying that i have two touring tents, dead easy to put up four pegs and a pole, one has the no centre pole attachment but have never used as the fammily uses single swags, the no centre pole attachment is good for double air mattress's

if i was to buy again i would go the extended version of the touring tent, more room to put bags and your not standing on the bedding getting dressed etc

[numpty]

We have an old Freedom tent. Its big, its bulky, its heavy with the canvas in one bag and the poles in another (too big for a small car)
BUT...it did us for 20 odd years. Recently a heavy wind caused some damage to the tunnel section that goes over the vehicle, it was repaired. The tent leaked after so long and was recently waterproofed...then Numpty took it to Bathurst and some idiot fired a rocket thru the front of it and ripped a big hole in it. :mad: Now wondering which way to go next as its probably not woth the money to fix it.

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/


We took a cheap dome tent on recent trip, not expecting to get rain in particular and just to use in heavily populated areas (like Boulia & Louth Races), when we wouldn't be using just the swag. Not very good quality...zips already failing!!

[cols110]

OK, thank you all for your replies. :D

It looks like the centre pole tent will suit us perfectly for what we will use it for, setting it up in a minimum of time at the end of a days driving, and being able to pack up again in next to no time before kicking off again the next day. 2 nights in one location is the longest we are likely to stay put, but over nighters are the norm.

We don`t normally spend very long in one location, so it does`nt need to be the Taj Mahal of tents.

The only thing that concerns me is the size of em when packed up, so I suppose all I can do is wait till I hit the sunny shores of OZ and go and suss that out for myself. If they are a bit to big and bulky, I`m going to do my home work a bit better and buy another dome tent that might`nt be the greatest tent, but is easy and quick to set up after a long days driving.

[Bush65]

I have a small family size dome tent that I used before getting a roof top tent.

I find it a pain to erect/take down on my own, because the poles feed through sleeves that bunch-up and resist feeding the poles through.

Because of their shape, they are doubly worse to fold-up into a neat small package - I can't get mine back into the bag with the fly.

[cols110]

Glad to see I`m not the only one to get frustrated with dome tents. :D

The roof tent is pure luxury, but it does come at a cost to weight, high C of G and initial outlay, etc, but it certainly is the best nights sleep you can have whislt camping.

[scrambler]

I have a small family size dome tent that I used before getting a roof top tent.

I find it a pain to erect/take down on my own, because the poles feed through sleeves that bunch-up and resist feeding the poles through.

Because of their shape, they are doubly worse to fold-up into a neat small package - I can't get mine back into the bag with the fly.

Sleeves are the problem, Bush65. Clips are the go - on mine (about 7ft in centre and 3m square) I unfold about 1/4 of the pole, place on the corner attachment and then clip 1/2 way up, walk around tent unfolding pole and then attach diagonal corner, clip 1/2 way up. Repeat with second pole - if there's an assistant they hold the first pole, if not you either hold it yourself or peg out first, which holds it up. By the time you have the second pole 1/2 clipped the tent holds itself up, you then clip the centre ones. Piece of cake. Mine then has another 2 poles for the main tent but same principle, then fly over and pole for the awning (these have sleeves on mine but some do clips for this as well). I can do the whole thing myself in around 15 minutes.

I recently bought a Taj Mahal to suit 1-2 weeks with 2 adults and 4 kids - it has sleeves and with 2 people is still a real pain and takes forever. Only about 50% larger than the one with clips and the same number of poles, but 300% the trouble.

But I haven't got a solution for how to compact the fly back down. If anyone does, let me know :(

Steve

PS Maybe a camp-setup race some time? There'd need to be some sort of points system though, cos the fastest setup would be a bivvy bag but who would camp in one for a week?

[waynep]

We have used both a dome tent and the centre pole type and definitely prefer the centre pole touring tent for stress free camping.

Touring tents - for quick set up just bang in four pegs, in with the centre pole and you're done. 5 min max. If it's raining it goes up without the inside getting wet ( not that we get much rain these days !)

Most esseintial thing with centre poles - get one that has good quality canvas - Freedom Camping or Southern Cross are probably the most favoured. They both use either Aussie or NZ made canvas - no Chinese stuff. Personally I like the Freedom.

We only have a small one and it fits quite easily in the back of the Disco.

[cols110]

We have used both a dome tent and the centre pole type and definitely prefer the centre pole touring tent for stress free camping.

Touring tents - for quick set up just bang in four pegs, in with the centre pole and you're done. 5 min max. If it's raining it goes up without the inside getting wet ( not that we get much rain these days !)

Most esseintial thing with centre poles - get one that has good quality canvas - Freedom Camping or Southern Cross are probably the most favoured. They both use either Aussie or NZ made canvas - no Chinese stuff. Personally I like the Freedom.

We only have a small one and it fits quite easily in the back of the Disco.


Thanks mate, will check em out.

[VladTepes]

OK the benefits of my experience. We have both types. When we first started Land Roving we went away on the first club trip with our newly acquired dome tent. What a debacle ! There was swearing a plenty and nealry a permament separation ! And this is after having put it up in the back yard so we thought we knew what we were doing. I hated it.

Then we took it to Fraser Island - suits us very well for an extended stay but WAY too much drama for an overnighter,

We bought a tourer tent as well, and as we had a nice big queen self inflating mattress we got the 'perimeter pole kit' (does away with the centre pole. Now ours isn't ideal coz with this hopless perimiter thing in place the roof doesn't tension correctly and when it rains the roof leaks. This was especially annoying asn we had our 5 y.o. nephew in the tent as his spiderman sleeping bag got me and he ended up in with me. Very bloody cozy.

So make sure you get a decent perimiter pole kit / good quality tourer tent. Check it in the shop to make sure it's up to the job. If you get a good one you'll be very happy with it I think.

[seqfisho]

I have been through the full range of tents, up to the giant circus type of 30+ years ago and the best I found despite their weight and packed up size is definately the center pole design, but it must be good quality as there seems to be a mass of chinese copies in the stores now.

I have had a freedom extended tourer for the last 6 years and it is still like new and after surviving a mini cyclone a few years back(110km/h winds and 100mm of rain in 2 hours) at Elliot Heads without a drop of water inside despite being surrounded by 4 inches of water up the walls of the tent and the entire camping ground flattened I couldn't recommend them highly enough.
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2006/12/162.jpg

We have never bothered with the side pole kit as we can fit a double mattress in the rear and single stretchers either side, it takes about 10 mins to erect with the awning pictured and about the same to pack up, folds down to approx 1 metre square and about 6 inches high and weighs about 10kg, so no issues on the roof rack or back of a wagon. It's the yellow bag on the roof rack.

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2006/09/191.jpg

Southern Cross would be the only other brand I would consider if I was looking now but as we will be going down the CT path soon I may sell ours off as it probably wont get much use.

[VladTepes]

Let me know when coz I might buy it !

[Coastie]

We have a Southern Cross 12'x9' centre pole type tent (~$900) and a Coleman 7 person (~$250) (4 fibreglass poles). The SC is quicker to set up but is much heavier as stated above ~20 kg vs 12kg. The Coleman packs into a bag similar to a large suit bag slightly smaller than the SC 60cmx60cmx20cm. The Coleman only takes 15-20 minutes tops to be set up and the poles are colour coded and it is done by my boys most of the time now. The beauty of the southern cross is the durability, the canvas will last a lifetime (almost) it can be done with 4 pegs for a quick setup or with about 10 if you need weather proofing.
http://www.southerncrosscanvas.com.au/pics/t4.jpg

I have found that in extreme weather all my tents can leak a little bit but that is the fun of camping. I don't know the terrain you are camping in but the use of sand pegs is a pain with the Coleman due to the small peg rings. SC has very large rings which make sand camping much easier. Although on Fraser Is I only use the sand pegs on four corners. The little wire pegs on the Coleman are pretty much useless in sand.

Hope this helps
Pete

[p38arover]

I received the latest Boots Great Outdoors catalogue yesterday. Dunno where their centre pole tests are made but the prices seem OK. See http://www.greatoutdoors.com.au/files/boots_spring_14-16.pdf

Most of the centre pole tents I see now have the top frame sewn in which makes them bulky. My Canadian 30+ year old centre pole tent has a removable top frame so the tent rolls up into someting a bit mor compact.

Ron

[VladTepes]

and god help ypu if the two halves of the sewn in top frame seperate.

Trust me, I know.

[TuffRR]

Could not recommend the Southern Cross tents enough.

It really depends on the type of camping you do though and how much space you have. They pack up large and are heavy but suit an extended stay. Are also reasonably quick to set up. If you want a large tent I would recommend this over a dome any day

[cookiesa]

Most of the tour companies through central Australia use the centre pole version.

Very quick to put up and pack down (how would you like to be seting up an overnight camp for 30 odd passengers!) plenty of height for privacy and comfortable. (If not they wouldn't last long, they rely on overseas vistors most of whom consider a cabin park "camping")

Have always loved this style of tent but our last purchase (compromise with wife as it is what she wanted) Is a dome. Probably takes 10 or so minutes to put up but I hate the thing. Most of our camping is overnight and the putting up and packing down are a pain. It has a combination of clips and sleeves and would agree with what was written elsewhere the clips make it a lot quicker and easier. I was impressed with the ability of the tent to stand up to strong gail winds. Also didn't get damged and hasn't leaked so far!

I will be getting a touring style if we don't go down the camper trailer path.

[Captain_Rightfoot]

We bought a cheap chinese Primus COI canvas tourer tent. It's the family type that has the extension on the back. It seems to be OK. It's never rained significantly on us (light sprinkle on the GCLRO trip to Fraser last year only).

It seems to be ok, and the size is good. However you can tell it's a bit cheap :o . If we do get to go on our big adventure this year we'll be buying a freedom Northern Tourer. It's a bit smaller which is a good thing. Finding enough flat ground for the extended one in the desert was difficult at times. Also less poles = quicker and that's the big priority for me :) I'm afraid I just don't trust the Primus to be our accomodation for two months :o

[MT]

Hi,

We have had a few tents over the years. After a while we got really sick of dome tents 'laying down' every time the wind got up. And it did not take much wind to flatten out the poles. From Kings Canyon to Coral Bay, we got really sick of lying on the sleeping mat with the roof of the tent billowing to within a few inches of your nose. It also freaks the kiddies out a little.

We did not like how cumbersome the canvas cabin tents were.

When we were living in Southern Africa we noticed that many tour operators used a bow tent rather than a centre pole. These have the strength of ripstop canvas, but the space of a dome. They do not 'lie down' in the wind as the poles are steel not fibreglass. They use clips rather than sleeves, goes up in less that 15 minutes in the dark with wind and rain. We have had one for about 5 years now and think it is the ducks guts. Picture follows:

[1103.9TDI]

When the family grows enough, I'll be grabing one of these:
OZTENT RV-4
The Oztent RV-4 is an evolutionary change on the RV-3 model. It maintains the same pack size as the RV-3 but has an innovative pullout floor section at the back to give you more space. Bigger tent same pack size!! This model, together with the RV-3, are currently our best two selling models.

Made from high quality waterproof Rip-Stop Poly-cotton Canvas and a heavy duty heat sealed PVC floor. All OZTENTS are guaranteed waterproof and are covered by a full 2 year warranty. All NEW Oztent models now come with side windows and zippered power inlet.

Standard inclusions: Aluminium awning poles x 2, heavy duty pegs and a waterproof carry bag.

[seqfisho]

Let me know when coz I might buy it !

Check the markets section old son;)

[VladTepes]

Too expensive. Give it to a mate for free. ;)

[Captain_Rightfoot]

When the family grows enough, I'll be grabing one of these:
OZTENT RV-4
The Oztent RV-4 is an evolutionary change on the RV-3 model. It maintains the same pack size as the RV-3 but has an innovative pullout floor section at the back to give you more space. Bigger tent same pack size!! This model, together with the RV-3, are currently our best two selling models.

Made from high quality waterproof Rip-Stop Poly-cotton Canvas and a heavy duty heat sealed PVC floor. All OZTENTS are guaranteed waterproof and are covered by a full 2 year warranty. All NEW Oztent models now come with side windows and zippered power inlet.

Standard inclusions: Aluminium awning poles x 2, heavy duty pegs and a waterproof carry bag.
So, does anyone have an oztent? Experiences?

[VladTepes]

Went ot Anaconda the other day and bought (lay by) one of these:

http://www.blackwolf.com.au/turbo

Bloody awesome and yes we tried it and yes its as easy as it looks.

[incisor]

which one, there are a pile of different ones on there :P

[Captain_Rightfoot]

Went ot Anaconda the other day and bought (lay by) one of these:

http://www.blackwolf.com.au/turbo

Bloody awesome and yes we tried it and yes its as easy as it looks.

How long did it take to put the fly on? How long to pack the thing up? And which one :p

I don't quite understand why their canvas tent still needs a fly ??

[MacMan]

We went on an LROCV trip a few weeks back and someone had an OZTENT. It looked beautifully made. It was small in terms of sleeping space but went up and down in about 2 mins.

The other beaut thing is the packed size. It's more of a roll than a flat square like touring tents and would be easier to stash inside a Disco with limited space.

[VladTepes]

http://www.blackwolf.com.au/turbo/turbo-300/

Why not have a fly ? Helps in inclement weather, also keeps the direct sun off the roof - keeps tent cooler, same with rain directs much away before hitting the main tent.

In most cases though you wouldn;t even need to bother with the fly ? Fitting it ? Just throw it over the top peg it at each corner. And depending on whether there's a howling gale you can use the guy ropes or not, as you please.

When I get it off lay buy (looks like this won't happen til AFTER Easter, damn it) I'll do a full review covering such things.

The optional deluxe fly, fly walls, mesh screens etc etc are bloody good too especially is you were syaing anywhere for a while. Naturally they'd take longer to erect and more storage space. They're also bloody expensive. The standard 300 tent has plenty of room, and along with a tarp to cover outdoor gear (stove etc etc) should me more than enough for a comfortable camp.

For the basic tent, I paid $1000 less the 20% discount beiung offered at the recent 4wd club night so $800.

Its WAY better than the Oztent IMHO - as you can see sleeping area is huge, and it folds down to a size just a bit bigger than our olld dome tent and a similar shape. Easy to store. Not flat like the centre pole tents and not LONG like the Oztents which really need a roof rack (at least the ones I've seen do).

[Captain_Rightfoot]

http://www.blackwolf.com.au/turbo/turbo-300/

Why not have a fly ? Helps in inclement weather, also keeps the direct sun off the roof - keeps tent cooler, same with rain directs much away before hitting the main tent.

In most cases though you wouldn;t even need to bother with the fly ? Fitting it ? Just throw it over the top peg it at each corner. And depending on whether there's a howling gale you can use the guy ropes or not, as you please.

When I get it off lay buy (looks like this won't happen til AFTER Easter, damn it) I'll do a full review covering such things.

The optional deluxe fly, fly walls, mesh screens etc etc are bloody good too especially is you were syaing anywhere for a while. Naturally they'd take longer to erect and more storage space. They're also bloody expensive. The standard 300 tent has plenty of room, and along with a tarp to cover outdoor gear (stove etc etc) should me more than enough for a comfortable camp.

For the basic tent, I paid $1000 less the 20% discount beiung offered at the recent 4wd club night so $800.

Its WAY better than the Oztent IMHO - as you can see sleeping area is huge, and it folds down to a size just a bit bigger than our olld dome tent and a similar shape. Easy to store. Not flat like the centre pole tents and not LONG like the Oztents which really need a roof rack (at least the ones I've seen do).
No worries. I'll try and look at one somewhere.

I asked about the fly because I spoke to them yesterday and some grumpy sales guy when asked "do you need to use the fly?" said categorically "yes". He also said it was 5 minutes to put up and about 15 minutes to pull it all down and pack away. The 15 minute pack up sounds a bit long to me but that is what he said.

Ideally I'd love a try before you buy :)

[cols110]

http://usera.imagecave.com/cols110/DSC_8132.JPG

OK, I thought it was time for an update on this thread about how we fared on the tent front.

I ended up getting a Tanami Tourer from Rays outdoors, it cost around $650. I was tempted to get a Southern Cross or similar, but could`nt see a great deal of difference for the additional money over the Tanami, the other bonus with the Tanami was that it came with the dual poles as standard, un-like some of the cheaper ones where you have to pay extra.

It is a dream to set up, I have 4 big pegs which I drive into the corners and thats it, I don`t use the front two awning poles, as I have an awning on my 110. Inside it is huge, it really does beat the s**t out of a similar sized dome tent for space and being user friendly, the only down side it the weight and bulk, but this is no real concern as it sits perfectly on the floor in the back of our disco, and my 110 has no problems accomadating it either.

So value for money, have a look at the Tanami Tourers at Rays outdoors.

[Bushie]

Over the years we've pretty much done the rounds of tents from heavy canvas

http://i109.photobucket.com/albums/n74/numpty_01/Desert%20Trip%201989/52a4cbb1.jpg

(Freedom tent - mines attached to the Rangie ~1989 but exactly the same as Numptys)

Then to lightweight dome tents, which are probably the most waterproof of the lot, synthetic material, but in reality they are fairly fragile especially in the zipper department.

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2007/04/468.jpg

We even tried the ezi-up style which work on a similar principle to the toilet/shower tents with a figure 8 of spring steel as the frame, absolutely hopeless though in any sort of wind.

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2007/04/469.jpg

Finally we've gone back to the canvas with a SouthernCross Ultimate trekker, not cheap but I don't expect to be buying another tent.


Martyn

[Captain_Rightfoot]

I had a look at the oztents on the weekend. Even the RV-5 which is their biggest is only 2.6x2.6. What they don't say is the frame doesn't go out to the edges of the tent, so you have to peg the tent out to get the full size, and then you have a aluminium beam lying on the floor about 50cm in from the edge of the tent?? WTF??

It looks like the Freedom Northern Tourer (2.6x3.2) for us.

[VladTepes]

I had a look at the oztents on the weekend. Even the RV-5 which is their biggest is only 2.6x2.6. What they don't say is the frame doesn't go out to the edges of the tent, so you have to peg the tent out to get the full size, and then you have a aluminium beam lying on the floor about 50cm in from the edge of the tent?? WTF??

It looks like the Freedom Northern Tourer (2.6x3.2) for us.

This is one reason we went the way we did.

[RoverOne]

Best dome around if you can still get one, made in South Africa by Serengetti Tents.

Bows are spring steel & rip stop canvas tentage, they are almost bullet proof. I have two a large 2.5x2.5x2.06h mtre & a smaller 1.8x1.8x1.5 mtre. Smaller dome easy one man erect, larger better with two. They are expensive, but you'll be able to get buried in them when the time comes.

Centre pole 9'x9' Southern Cross another great tent, tough & well made, the other centre poles are just play tents.

[Disco_owner]

Cols

I bought an outrigger tent made by diamantina ( , full canvas with no centre poles , just 2 Poles Down sides , has lots of pockets for storage inside.

my mate and I haggled Kangaroo tent city and we bought 2 of them for $340 each 9 x 9 .

3 times less than the Price of Southern Cross

Excellent touring tent.

http://www.diamantina.net.au/welcome/page15.php

Size approx 2.75m X2.75m with large awning
•Sleeps up to 4 adults
•100% treated Poly/cotton canvas material for total weather protection and UV resistance
•14X14 PE heavy duty floor
•Quick set up frame with no need for a centre pole, providing more usable space
•Reinforced steel D ring peg points
•Extra 20cm increased roof height for greater internal space
•Extra wide front door with insect screen
•Extra large windows for added cross flow ventilation
•New internal storage pockets
•Power cord inlet with clips
•Comes complete with pegs, ropes and carry bag


there are 2 outriggers , 9 ' x 9 '
and 12 ' x 9 '

[Chenz]

Just bought a Wild Country Tanami centre pole canvas tent. You can also use it with two side poles if you don't want the centre pole interfereing with after hours activities.

Got sick and tired of the dome tent blowing in when there is a storm and strong winds.

http://img508.imageshack.us/img508/3308/tanamitentqj8.th.jpg (http://img508.imageshack.us/my.php?image=tanamitentqj8.jpg)

[Nathan]

We've got a Freedom brand Tourer tent, square with the center pole. Had it for over 10 years, done lots of camping - never once let us down. I'd recommend them to anyone without hesitation.

Nathan

[Captain_Rightfoot]

The only issue we found with our centre pole tent was that if you don't have the right peg and can't securely anchor them into the ground you don't have a tent! Even with sand pegs in very soft river sand we had some issues :o

[vnx205]

I borrowed an el cheapo Kmart 2.7m square centrepole tent for 2 week trip with wife and 2 kids and was so impressed I bought a better quality version from Great Outdoors.
That was in 1983 and it is still going strong. I had to have the vertical zip on the door replaced last year because the slide had worn out.
Our longest trip with the kids was about 40 nights.
We had almost 100 consecutive nights without the kids in 1999.
One thing I liked was how quick and easy it was to erect; a fairly important consideration when you have to put it up and pull it down almost every day for 3 months.
When my son was only about 8 or 10, he could erect the tent by himself in the time it took me to unpack the table and chairs and the sleeping gear and set up the gas stove.
Only problem was as he lifted the centrepole, the weight of the walls became too much for him to lift and I had to raise it the last 200mm or so.
We have almost always stayed just one night in each spot and for that situation, I can't imagine a better arrangement than one of the many similar tents available

[vnx205]

One thing I have noticed about the centrepole tents I have seen is that the really heavy quality ones like those used by tour groups seem to have small a roof area and sloping sides. Mine and quite a few of the slightly lighter ones have a larger roof and more vertical sides, which gives you a greater area inside where it is possible to stand up straight.
The ones with the fixed in frame around the roof are so quick to erect, especially when tour groups put them in a row. After the first tent, each additional one needs to just put in two more pegs and lift the centrepole.
I suppose having a fixed frame around the roof limits the roof area. Otherwise it would be too big when folded up.
Fitting the roof frame takes a little longer but makes for more standing room inside.

[Tote]

Thought I'd update this thread with our purchase. An Oztrail tourer10 plus. Its huge inside and fits OK in the back of the disco. $500.00 at my local camping store. We looked at the southern cross tents as well as some of the others and came to the conclusion that we couldn't justify double the price or more for an australian made tent.
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/

Regards,
Tote

[Bushie]

Thought I'd update this thread with our purchase. An Oztrail tourer10 plus. Its huge inside and fits OK in the back of the disco. $500.00 at my local camping store. We looked at the southern cross tents as well as some of the others and came to the conclusion that we couldn't justify double the price or more for an australian made tent.
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y127/toteau/IMG_1564.jpg
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y127/toteau/IMG_1562.jpg

Regards,
Tote


That wouldn't happen to be taken a Bonnie Vale by any chance?


Martyn

[Tote]

Nope, Merry Beach Between Bateman's bay and Ulladulla
Regards,
Tote

[landyfromanuthaland]

Just for a larf, last year xmas time we ventured down to Bermagui for our break, we bought a 900 dollar top of the range dual room tent, a real ball tearer, fly and all, the first night a big gale came across over the lake and colapsed the end of the tent we were fumbling around trying to get out the damn thing which we did, the ridge pole had bent at its mounting and snapped off, down it came, some gaffa tape repaired the tent, u dont always get quality if u spend big bux, give me an army marquis tent any day. To make matters worse the inlaws turned up, we packed a second tent I found in the shed for them, turned out it was a kiddies dome tent, if u farted in it u would blow it away, it was late aand they had no other tent so they had to sleep in it, was so funny in the morn seeing bobs legs hanging out the tent flap, the poor old ma in law has never let me live that one down.

[martin r]

Couldn't justify of just didn't have the funds for a well made Australian tent ? You only get what you pay for in this world. I am sure your $500 tent will serve you well - to a point, however don't be disappointed if it doesn't have the durability and longevity of the good old Aussie made.

[Tote]

Couldn't justify of just didn't have the funds for a well made Australian tent ? You only get what you pay for in this world. I am sure your $500 tent will serve you well - to a point, however don't be disappointed if it doesn't have the durability and longevity of the good old Aussie made.
In my circumstances I couldn't justify it. A Southern Cross Ultimate Trekker which is the equivalent to the Oztrail pictured is $1550.00, a bit over 3 times the price of the Oztrail. I'm sure the Southern cross is a better product than the Oztrail but at that rate I would have to wear out 3 Oztrail tents before I was in front.
If the Southern cross tent was $800.00 Vs $500 I would have given it serious consideration but there is just not a big enough difference to justify the extra price for weekend touring and a couple of bigger trips a year. If my employer was paying me to live in the tent for weeks at a time maybe I could justify spending his money to buy the Southern Cross.
Regards,
Tote