MySwag.org The Off-road Camper Trailer Forum
General => General Discussion => Topic started by: Axl on March 11, 2017, 05:47:25 AM
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Hi all I'm after some info on tents from those that own and use them. We started off in a camper trailer sold that and brought an Expanda, the caravan is fantastic but it has limitations.
I'm now wanting a tent for quick weekend fishing getaways up the beach. We still have all the gear required to go camping fridge, solar panels, battery, lights, gas fired cooking equipment ect but we don't have and have never owned a tent.
So could those that have owned a tent or still do please offer some advice on what would be the best one on the market these days for two people.
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l believe somebody has a tent in Classified Adds here in MySwag That's a good start .
l used to use a 4.5X3M canvas single pole tent from Aussie disposals' went well on quick set up . :cheers:
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We have one of those instant up 9ft x 9ft tents, Coleman I think. Bulky but quick and easy set up. Canvas and floor tub seem quite durable. Sleeps 3 okay and enough head room to stand up getting changed. Was around $600-$700 at camping show 2015
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Black Wolf are good. They're free-standing, pegs are not necessary if there's little to no wind, and they pack away to a manageable size.
:cheers:
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Oztent RV4, I have the RV5 and should have bought the RV4.
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When I take the grand kids away for long trips I use an Oztent - the 30 second tent - Bloody brilliant , not cheap but very good build quality and very easy to set up .
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7fDh_W6lD2g (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7fDh_W6lD2g)
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OzTents are excellent gear, but the packed length makes them a bit awkward to fit inside a car. No issues if a roof rack is fitted.
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...or a trailer is used....
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Just went through this exact scenario. Wanted something for the odd weekend and we're no van will go. Bought a darche sway. For me I just wanna have my bed roll and all and be done in 2-3mins also gives the flexibility to just use as a mattress in a mates barn or high country hut. Loved the oztent jet tent and centre poles just not this time.
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Bought a darche swag. For me I just wanna have my bed roll and all and be done in 2-3mins
I'm too old/cbf to get in and out of a swag these days, hence why I bought the Oztent. Easier to get dressed too ;D
Anybody want to buy a Burke & Wills swag >:D
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I still have mine, a oztrail tourer 9 +. Not as quick as the oztents but not slow to put up either. Good canvas, packs nice and much cheaper. Had these tents for over 15 years. They are great
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http://www.myswag.org/index.php?topic=51201.msg890514#new (http://www.myswag.org/index.php?topic=51201.msg890514#new)
Just use as much or as little as you need....
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Possibly look at the Coleman Instant Up Gold series, we trialled these before there release into Australia, compact packed size, about 15kg weight, set up and pack up time about 6 mins, circular ventilation system which is adjustable for the seasons and able to withstand 100kph wind, and not ridiculously priced like other brands on the market. We are not affiliated or sponsored by Coleman or any other brand
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We love our Blackwolf Turbo 300. The built in awning is just the right size to set up the kitchen and still enough room for 4 of us to sit under in the rain.
We have the 3 zip on sides to enclose the front room and use them a lot, sometimes only 1 side to stop the wind or sun, sometimes all 3.
We also hook a spreader bar on the center pole and add a tarp out the front for a big living area on longer trips.
They sell heaps of flys from them too. You can buy an extension that does the same as our tarp, they do a touring top now that just covers the tent (no front room) for quick setups. We'll be getting one of these soon.
As said previously they pack up to a manageable size. I even managed to find a way to squeeze it in the back of the JK. ;)
It's about 30 odd kg, but I can load them on and off the roof racks by my self.
We've owned 5 or 6 other tents over the years, the Turbo is our favorite.
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A lot will come down to your budget, then have a look at the size of them once packed in their bag, as some of the quick erect tents are quite large and consideration of where you can store it during travel needs to be taken into account. Our family have done Cape York and The Simpson Desert in a family sized centre pole tent as it was a third the price of other options at the time, worked well for us though we had the extra side pole kit that removes the centre pole leaving one big room inside....we found it quickest when touring / on the move daily, to erect the tent with the centre pole and install the extra side poles then remove centre pole.
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We have a RV4 and a square centre pole.....both have the pros and cons
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How much room do you need? Some of those recommended are probably a bit much for a quick trip up the coast.
What about a fold out awning and a pair of dome swags on a stretchers? The awning will give some rain protection and the swag somewhere bug free to sleep out of the sand.
Its a flexible arrangement that is light, sets up and packs away quickly with 1 person and could be carried with the van.
The worst think I have found about camping on sand is that it gets in everything. It especially likes to get into the sewn in floor of a tent and is a pain to remove effectively.
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I'm too old/cbf to get in and out of a swag these days, hence why I bought the Oztent. Easier to get dressed too ;D
Anybody want to buy a Burke & Wills swag >:D
Now you offer a swag for sale?
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Thanks for the info, after having a look around the net I'm thinking I will go with a Black Wolf Turbo 300 plus.
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Had a southern cross tent many years ago.
Four pegs and one pole
Worked well and I think still used by tour groups if not mistaken
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Thanks for the info, after having a look around the net I'm thinking I will go with a Black Wolf Turbo 300 plus.
We had a 240 plus, but didn't like the 'plus' bit and swapped it for the 300.
We fit 2 adults and 2 kids and all of our gear inside the 300 and still have room to stand up and get changed.
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We bought 2 Oztent RV5s, awning connector,4 x side walls and flies. About $3300 from Snowys.
This is our version of a camper trailer. Everything is loaded on/in our trailer we use for camping.
Cannot say enough about how awesome they are.
Kids in one tent, us in the other. Massive living area between. Footprint of this setup is 10 x 6m, could squeeze a bit tighter.
It takes about half an hour to set it all up like that.
Being versatile, can position them separately if it's a tight camp site.
Can set up both for a quick overnighter in 2 mins if required, but we base camp, so whole lot goes up. Time is not really that much of an issue.
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Friends of ours ended up with one of the instant tents like the Coleman style (can't remember what brand), but half way through a week away camping on a windy day and a gust of wind blew the tent over and broke some of the plastic fittings of the frame mechanism. Took a trip to a local town and no-one stocked them - order in only job. They ended up patching the frame up with gaffer tape and some bits of wood to keep it upright. On pulling down the tent at the end of the stay something had bent and it wouldn't fold away properly either. Don't reckon the tent ever got used after that.
They're a great concept for a tent, however just make sure you have spares at hand if venturing too far away from the store you brought it from.
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We had a Freedom family tourer (just sold) that was great for us & the 2 kids. Solid canvas tent you can't kill with an axe. http://freedomcamping.com.au/ft.html (http://freedomcamping.com.au/ft.html) 6 pegs then the poles. Quite quick.
Something smaller? then a single pole tent is the go http://freedomcamping.com.au/nt.html (http://freedomcamping.com.au/nt.html) 4 pegs and 1 pole
As you will find, putting up one of these tents is the quickest part of set up or pack down. It's the rest of the gear that takes ages.
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Just be sure the tent is tall enough to stand up in - if that's important to you.
There are plenty of the instant-up style tents around. Blackwolf, oztent, coleman, oztrail, spinifex (anaconda). If only using it occasionally I'd go for one of the cheaper options (coleman, oztrail, spinifex). Should be $200 to $300-ish.
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One thing that surprised me is that the Blackwolf Turbo Lite 300 and the Freedom Northan tourer are the same weight
The Oztrail Tourer 9 is a cheap version of this classic shape single pole tent $300 https://www.snowys.com.au/tourer-9-tent (https://www.snowys.com.au/tourer-9-tent)
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Got a Black Wolf Turbo 240 plus lite, which is a bit small given the kids are in big inflatable beds that they can't roll out of, and the wife insists on a queen sized inflatable....
Next time around, I'd get a 300+, or when the kids are older 2 oztent RV's for non camper friendly trips...
Also looking at a swag for myself for weekends I'm free
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We've got a JetTent. With front awning. Goes up very very fast. Different packed shape to a Oztent means it can go in the car rather than needing a roof rack.
Did what it was bought for very well, but don't really need it now. So for sale if anyone is in the market.
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The tent we had (in between camper trailers) was a single pole touring tent style one. Well we did first buy a couple of compact hiking tents ....but the number of pegs you had to bang in!!! I think it was like 16 per tent (tent then fly). Hence we went to a touring tent.
Anyway the single pole touring tent was great, quick and easy to set up. I think it possibly packs up lighter and less bulky compared to OzTent and BlackWolf Turbo as well.
If we were to go back to tenting (particularly as a secondary option), since the kids already have a swag each we would probably be inclined to go for one of those fancy double swags which is essentially like a tent. The thinking here is that at least most of the bedding etc can just be rolled up as one, rather than having to pack away sleeping bags, mattresses and the like. If we did opt for a tent I'd go for single pole style again I think.
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Have a look at the Diamantina out rigger tourer, 9x9 ft, 3 minute set up time with 2 pole set up inside to give you a true floor space. cheers ron.
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Next time around, I'd get a 300+, or when the kids are older 2 oztent RV's for non camper friendly trips...
I scored a 300 not the lite but normal one off ebay years ago... great but way too big for me and 1 kid, great tents!!
Also looking at a swag for myself for weekends I'm free
I like the idea of a tent for getting changed in morning when its pissin rain etc.. that's where the swag falls down. even with awning ya gets pissed all over... but swags rock in good weather like few weeks ago up HC, left the flap open and crashed watchin the stars...
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We have an Oztent RV-3, and the in laws picked up a second hand Blackwolf Turbo tent (don't recall which one).
Both are good tents. I had to help the in laws set up the Blackwolf tent (it was their first time camping in years, first time using the tent) - with zero familiarity it was really easy to set up, went up quick, and more car-friendly size when packed up than the Oztent.
That said I love our Oztent and wouldn't trade it for the world. We had a basic swag made (essentially just a bed roll - leave it made up with all camp bedding) so our whole tent/bed set up is usually done in under 5 minutes, maybe a little more if we have to peg down the whole tent when its windy, but we usually don't use pegs for a quick overnighter when the weather is still/no rain/etc.
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Either Freedom or Southern Cross touring tent. Single pole or extended type, easy to put up and made of proper canvas. Check the resale of both, can't go wrong.
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Possibly look at the Coleman Instant Up Gold series, we trialled these before there release into Australia, compact packed size, about 15kg weight, set up and pack up time about 6 mins, circular ventilation system which is adjustable for the seasons and able to withstand 100kph wind, and not ridiculously priced like other brands on the market. We are not affiliated or sponsored by Coleman or any other brand
I,ve got the 4 person gold. Absolute love it. Stretcher, air mattress and tent. 15 mins for all and I,m ready to jump in bed. Keep it in camper trailer for when I only do 1 night stops and couldnt be stuffed putting up the camper canvas. Cheap and bloody ripper tent. No where near as bulky or heavy as the oztrail ones either.
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Just forked out $700 for the Blackwolf turbo twin air.............will see how it goes. I pulled out my old three room tent this morning and its covered in mildew and disintigrating from age.
Be interesting to put it up for the first time. I like the idea of no poles...yep I was very sceptical about a blow up tent but it seemed to have reasonable reviews......I also like the idea of the fly staying connected so pull it out roll it out and blow up the "posts".
We will use this when we are camped in one spot for longer as opposed to the small two mans we use when cruising around.
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We bought the blackwolf turbo 300 for 2 adults and 2 kids and love it. Great for 2-3 nights when you couldn't be bothered or can't get to a spot with the van/trailer. We also got all the sides to enclose it in certain conditions, which we have used. Pete's setup with the tarp off the awning would be good to see.
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Another vote for the stand up Oztrail Tourer 9 or the Plus version if you want a bit more storage space. Canvas beats nylon any day and they're quick to setup as you only peg out the base but add the guy ropes if you suspect a blow. Pays to keep an eye on the secondhand market as many buy tents and hardly use them a lot like Jayco annexes ;D
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We bought the blackwolf turbo 300 for 2 adults and 2 kids and love it. Great for 2-3 nights when you couldn't be bothered or can't get to a spot with the van/trailer. We also got all the sides to enclose it in certain conditions, which we have used. Pete's setup with the tarp off the awning would be good to see.
Ask and you shall receive.... ;D
(http://i844.photobucket.com/albums/ab10/Pete_79/Camping/IMG_7800_zpsoijhdo7f.jpg)
(http://i844.photobucket.com/albums/ab10/Pete_79/Camping/IMG_2733_zps0mpvdp3u.jpg)
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We have an RV5 and matching tag along tent.
The RV5 is great but we have found the tag along only okay. In hindsight we should have bought two RV5 tents.
Only downsides are they really need to travel on the roof, and for me st 6'3 I cannot stand up straight inside.
Best option is a Drifta canvas travel bag to keep the tent in, much more roomy and built a lot tougher than the crappy bag it comes in.
We are away for the week in the DOT right now, I have bought along the RV5 tent as the extra space is nice and it straps to the side of my camper for travelling.
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Best option is a Drifta canvas travel bag to keep the tent in, much more roomy and built a lot tougher than the crappy bag it comes in.
Definitely second this recommendation! We bought one and no regrets. It also fits more than just the tent in it (at least in our case) so a lot of the extras we've bought stay in there, too.
We did buy a bunch of extras for our RV-3 - fly (which stays attached to the tent), front and side panels (which we rarely use unless setting up in one place for a few days or more, definitely don't take it touring), and awning connector (use it to connect the tent up to the side awning which is useful when its raining and we're not going anywhere in a hurry!).