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I have just returned from my first camping trip with my new Montana 12 in Donegal (which was freezing but that's another story).  It is a fantastic tent but I had major difficulties with the ring and pin system on all the poles.  My brother-in-law, who is an experienced camper and is much stronger than me, also had difficulty.  Without his help I wouldn't have got it up at all.  We put all the poles in, stood them upright and then tried to put in the pins.  Then we also tried it with the poles still lying on the ground but it wasn't any easier.  We also adjusted the little tab thingy on each ring and pin as much as possible.  He has suggested putting a tiny piece of strong elastic on each pin on one side to help me get the pins in. 

The second problem was fitting in the thin poles which keep the porch area up into the black things located at either side of the porch.  Well this was completely impossible for me and I definitely won't be able to do this on my own. 

 Any suggestions from all the Montana 12 owners gratefully appreciated. 

Donna

On the monty 4, there are straps you can loosen off on one side of the tent this gives enough space to put the pin in the pole, you can then tighten the strap up agian.

A lot of people are having problems with the porch pole and there are many threads already about this.

I am sure someone eles will be able to help you with this as i did not have a prblem with my tent, wondering if it is specific to the larger montys

On some of the Montys, I hear that the porch pole is too long ( by about 4 inches ), I believe it needs to be replaced by Outwell.  Some people on here are talking about cutting theirs down a little bit.  Mine was tough to get in but was ok.

The ring and pin system is a bit tight.  I had trouble the first time I put the tent up but since then I find it fairly easy to get them in.  I just loosen off all the adjusters and with the poles standing I lift up the bottom and stretch the pin in.  I do it on the non-adjustable side first.  They have been fairly tight on all my previous tents as well so I wasn't surprised.  Make sure that the fabric is completely centred across the top of the poles otherwise one side will be a lot more difficult than the other.

Thanks for the replies.  It wouldn't surprise me if the porch pole was too long.  We did loosen off all the adjusters but it didn't solve the problem.  However I will try and make sure the fabric is completely centred to see if this helps.

Donna

One tip is to always thread the poles from the same side on a tunnel tent and to put the start pin in on the same side too so that you work in the same direction for every pole.

And wear a pair of rubber gloves. Gives you a much better grip on poles and pins.

Hi Donna

Please take a look at this thread which gives details of a known problem on the 2006 Montana which affects the ring & pin system.

Now my problems are solved we found the Montana 12 easy to erect at Easter - less than 45 mins 2 of us from start to finished.