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Quote: Originally posted by mully on 27/7/2007

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.....We've now got a Montana 6 which is great but if we had a bigger car we'd love to go back to canvas.  However, we do love our SIG (no drafts or hedgehogs!).  I noticed Merry Terrier said in another thread about CamperPete's Biscaya that Cabanons don't need a SIG since you can tuck the mud flaps under and put the ground sheet on top.  Can you do this throughout the tent, that is under the bedroom pods as well so it's completely sealed all the way round?  Also, do Cabanons come with a groundsheet?  I can't see any mention of groundsheets by retailers.  ......

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Hi! Sorry I've not answered before but I've been away for a fortnight, er, camping!

I only do comfortable camping so loved the way that the SIG on our Montana 6 cut out all those nasty little ankle-biting drafts but I have since tried camping in non-SIG Cabanon tents and for me it is far more comfortable camping in one of those than even the Montana.

Most non-SIG tents have mudflaps of one sort or anothe but mainly these are extra bits of nylon fly which have to be pegged down if you want to keep the weather out. Cabanon tents have really robust plastic mudflaps which drop to the ground and fold themselves into a sort of natural L shape, with the foot of the L inside the tent. So they form an anti-draft barrier with no effort or extra pegging involved. If you then drop a slightly oversized groundsheet on top of that L, you increase the snugness! Its not the 100% seal of the Monty but near enough. If you then combine that with the added comfort of canvas around you instead of nylon then you have a much nicer atmosphere inside the tent I think.

We have just come back from a fortnight in Cornwall during which we had some fabulous but also some appalling weather and no way would I have gone back to the Monty from our Cabanon. Apart from anything else it was great to be in such a quiet tent during some very strong winds and lashing rain. Our previous Outwell Montana and Indiana were out in similar conditions in previous years and were quite robust enough but they were so noisy in comparison. There is something very calm and reassuring about a canvas tent!

I cover the whole of the inside floor of our Cabanon tent with a groundsheet btw and have never pegged down the inners, once we've stretched them out and weighted them down with all our stuff I don't think they're going anywhere very far. I had planned not to put down a groundsheet under the inners this last trip but the ground was so wet that I was glad to be able to. At least we had the choice, with a SIG tent you don't have the same options for varying the conditions. MT

Hi Merrier Terrier,

Many thanks for such a comprehensive answer to my question!  I hope you enjoyed your holiday despite the sometimes bad weather!

So, it looks like it'll be a Cabanon next.  Shame we'll have to wait until we get a new car to transport it in first!

Thanks again!