Almost decided on tent now, been down to PJ's today. Does anyone have a Cantera 12 and if so are there any bad points with it? Just want to get the right one first time.
You've probably made your decision by now! We've had a Cantera 12 for 2 years now and we think it is great. If you want to ask any questions, feel free. Regarding bad points, the ties are a little fiddly and there are a huge number of guy ropes but we get round that by pegging 4/5 guys together on one peg. I always buy a bag of elastic bands to tie up the guys at the end of the holiday so the children can help as they haven't mastered the knack of tying up guy ropes neatly and so they don't unravel.
Hi lilacsunflower, we have the Aztec Cantera 9. Tent is fantastic, quality of tent terrific. Haven't yet found any bad points feel free to contact us if you got anymore questions. We got ours from IBEX camping on the A1 by the black cat roundabout. You will have a great time camping in the Cantera12, Enjoy and happy camping.
Hi,
I'm not sure if I can admit how long it takes us! We wouldn't take it for a weekend camp if that helps give you an idea. We got ourselves fully functioning in about 2+ hours last summer but that included getting beds in, kitchen set up, toilet tent, gazebo etc and we had good weather which helps. This tent does need a tallish husband to make life easier. The putting up is not too bad but the pegging down and doing the guy ropes seems to be the longest process. Packing up is longer but as our children are getting older we're getting more help. Once the inside is clear of all the rubbish our 5 accumulate during the holiday, the eldest helps with getting the pegs out, next one down helps tie up the guy ropes and elastic bands them up, middle child has swept out by then, numbers 4 and 5 collect and wash the pegs and then eldest girl helps me take out the poles and she and I fold the tent and use middle child as a rolling pin to flatten everything so it can fit in the bag. We haven't got it streamlined yet but we're better than we were the previous year (our aim is to sit and watch our children doing it all!). I think we decided that we wouldn't take the Cantera away for less than a week. We use Khyam McKinleys for short trips with a Khyam shelter (like a gazebo) Hope this helps.
Hi,
Yes it does. The whole inner is in one piece with a sewn in ground sheet. The fly sheet then sits on top. It is very cosy and draught free and we didn't have any condensation problems when it rained. We've had three tents of this size now and its the only one I've been satisfied with. Usually I spot a better one on the campsite but we've had this 2 years and I've not seen anything better + its a good price. I still think it is brilliant even though its a bit of a fiddle with the ties between the inner and fly sheet, the pegging out and the guy ropes. Afterall, you do get a really good size tent with 4 pods (I think they may have added a fifth pod this year but that means one less porch....or I maybe thinking of a different manufacturer)