Tents

[Axl]

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.

[speewa158]

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 .                 

[b1]

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

[GeoffA]

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.

[D4D]

Oztent RV4, I have the RV5 and should have bought the RV4.

[duggie]

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

[GeoffA]

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.

[GeoffA]

...or a trailer is used....

[achjimmy]

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.

[D4D]

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

Anybody want to buy a Burke & Wills swag

[Zooks4life]

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

[GeoffA]

http://www.myswag.org/index.php?topic=51201.msg890514#new

Just use as much or as little as you need....

[TonyF8]

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

[Pete79]

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.

[Rumpig]

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.

[weeds]

We have a RV4 and a square centre pole.....both have the pros and cons


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[Hoyks]

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.

[achjimmy]

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

Anybody want to buy a Burke & Wills swag

Now you offer a swag for sale? 

[Axl]

Thanks for the info, after having a look around the net I'm thinking I will go with a Black Wolf Turbo 300 plus.

[cheif carlos]

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

[Pete79]

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.

[baldy1]

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.

[rotare]

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.     

[Alan Loy]

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  6  pegs then the poles.  Quite quick.

Something smaller? then a single pole tent is the go 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.

[chisel]

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.