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Hi. Piglet was asking on the other board how we got on during our fortnight away  in Cornwall. So here's the answer tentwise.

This was the first time we'd camped as a family under actual canvas apart from a weekend at Easter, I've been away longer than that and more often in Cabanon tent(s) separately. We took the Cabanon Pyramide 6 with the add-on front canopy plus the Cabanon kitchen tent. No we haven't won the lottery, both tents were Ebay buys! And both were great.

The kitchen tent is very bulky when it is is packed down compared to the Outhouse we used last year and to be honest does not do a very different job. But it goes up very quickly, feels and is absolutely solid and reliable when its up, does not get so hot during the day and looks like a proper job next to a canvas main tent!

The Pyramide 6 was great. Even the campsite owner was amazed at how quickly it went up! We had a couple of odd days and nights when the campsite was lashed by the sort of rain that Noah would have refused to go out in and driving, stormy winds but the Cabanon just stood there calmly and quietly and ignored it all. This was brilliant for me as even in completely trustworthy nylon tents I tend to lie awake during noisy storms wondering if the rustling and heaving fly and poles are going to see it through. The P6 stayed dry as a bone inside and pretty well draft free too. Also, when returning to the tent late afternoon on the very hot sunny days we also had the P6 did not feel like a fiery furnace inside. I highly recommend this tent for couples or small families. Small both as in number of people and in height as the dropping off in height from the central point might I guess become an issue for a family of basketball players over the course of a long stay but wasn't an issue at all for shorter people like us.

Adding on the front canopy  was the work of minutes ( much easier than the similarish Outwell side canopy I've put up in the past) and once in place was a big advantage in all conditions. It protected the front of the tent and the doorway from the rain and gave a great sitting out area in the evenings. It probably also contributed to keeping the tent cooler on hot days by keeping the sun off the actual tent too.

The other thing I like about this setup is that it is quite modular, you can choose how many bits of it to take with you on a trip depending on how long you are going to be away for.  The P6 on its own is brilliant for even the quickest of trips away but by adding on the canopy and/or the kitchen tent you get a very comfortable long stay arrangement. What really annoys me about this setup is that we have only just found it after ten years and this year, or maybe next year, may well be the the last year of family camping for us!

Oh, yes, Khyams. I was impressed by a large QE Khyam (vis a vis bedrooms, front and back porches) near us on the campsite. It stayed standing through one bad storm despite the fact that the owners had barely pegged down any guys at all and it was constantly dancing about like jelly on a plate even in calm conditions. Remarkable, and very very lucky!

Anyone else back from their hols and got a tent report to contribute?MT

good for you Merry, glad the curtains stayed drawn

Go Khyam too!

i would have to give the thumbs up for Khyam excelsior xxl, just got back from a 7 day camping trip in devon, very warm mainly with two nights of rain and one whole day of rain, tent was brilliant !, no water in the tent no leaks and i had the additional annex so there was plenty of space for me and the family (four of us) on the one wet day we had !.., not only this but the ridgi dome exterior poles stand firm in the wind, not like other tents i have prevoiusly owned..

and to top my holiday off i get home ti find my parents are buying a new caravan and given me there old one !..

anyone looking to get a tent go buy a khyam or outwell (my friends had this tent (both 8 berth tents)

Dubby.

Quote: Originally posted by Victor Khyam on 12/8/2007

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good for you Merry, glad the curtains stayed drawn ....

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Quote: Originally posted by rexgrant on 12/8/2007

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....How would you say Your P6 without the ZIG compares to the Barbados,...But there is no way I could convince Val to change from our Andorra as you say the Cabanon Kitchen tent is first class got our on eBay as well, and as the Andorra as a back door I join the two tents with a tarp, so we will not get wet in transit between the two,....

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Hi Rex. Having camped in our P6 I would not swap it for a Barbados.The reasons being that:

•  with an oversized full-footprint groundsheet dropped onto the P6's mudflaps it is every bit as cosy inside as even I could desire but you have the option to vary the setup by having a g/sheet just in the living area only or none at all
• for the first time ever I made a hole in a looselay g/sheet this year, which was irritating but I would have been far more bothered if it had been in a SIG
• as a small person I would rather handle a canvas fly plus canopy plus ground sheet separately rather than wrestle with them all together in one great big unit. Plus probably still have to transport and put down an additional g/sheet to keep the SIG clean!
• Like my Noumea, the Barbados' integral canopy is supported by two separate poles which stand in a central position inside the porch they create. The poles for the add-on canopy for the P6 are at the very front of the canopy and join together to make a central arch which supports the leading front edges of the canopy (does that make sense?). This is significant if you have a small dog on a tie-out lead who is always keen to warp himself around any guys or poles handily near to the door of the tent! The entrance to the P6 with the canopy on is very clear of guys and poles, which matters to us because of the dog but maybe not to others. The P6 canopy may also be more stable because of the difference in the poling?

The P6 and your Andorra are very different tents, and the Andorra's advantages do indeed include a second door! Also a 'cooking wall' so indoors-type cooking without adding on a canopy or kitchen tent is easier. MT

Quote: Originally posted by PigletandTigger on 13/8/2007

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..... Glad you had a good time, I was hoping you'd hate the kitchen tent! I guess the reality is that for a kitchen the advantages of canvas aren't as great when compared to the pack size etc?

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A canvas kitchen tent is a lovely thing to have (particularly when its an Ebay bargain!) but it does not make as much difference to a camping trip in this country as a canvas tent, I think.

 If you like the look of canvas, then it will look very smart. It feels nice to stand inside and ours is more practical to use than a nylon one because a signficant part of the back wall is that wipe down heavy duty plastic stuff which Cabanon use for the kitchen areas in their frame tents. Easy to assemble, reassuringly strong, top quality feel and will last for donkeys'. Possibly more noticeable advantages for a trip to hot places if you run a fridge inside it or store food there as it should stay cooler than a nylon tent?

But there is no getting away from the fact that it is x times bigger than my nylon Outhouse was when it is packed down. Thinking about it though, these days my son packs and unpacks our car for camping trips and he is pretty quick to complain about anything he considers unneccessary or too big  - the kitchen tent got those comments when the car was being packed to go to Cornwall but not on the way back ie after it had been tried and tested! MT

PS Have to say the Cabanon bag for the kitchen tent is annoying - its one bag split into two for poles and canvas and the canvas side is therefore an awkward long, narrow shape for getting the fly in!

Quote: Originally posted by Merry Terrier on 13/8/2007

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Quote: Originally posted by PigletandTigger on 13/8/2007

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..... Glad you had a good time, I was hoping you'd hate the kitchen tent! I guess the reality is that for a kitchen the advantages of canvas aren't as great when compared to the pack size etc?

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A canvas kitchen tent is a lovely thing to have (particularly when its an Ebay bargain!) but it does not make as much difference to a camping trip in this country as a canvas tent, I think.

If you like the look of canvas, then it will look very smart. It feels nice to stand inside and ours is more practical to use than a nylon one because a signficant part of the back wall is that wipe down heavy duty plastic stuff which Cabanon use for the kitchen areas in their frame tents. Easy to assemble, reassuringly strong, top quality feel and will last for donkeys'. Possibly more noticeable advantages for a trip to hot places if you run a fridge inside it or store food there as it should stay cooler than a nylon tent?

But there is no getting away from the fact that it is x times bigger than my nylon Outhouse was when it is packed down. Thinking about it though, these days my son packs and unpacks our car for camping trips and he is pretty quick to complain about anything he considers unneccessary or too big - the kitchen tent got those comments when the car was being packed to go to Cornwall but not on the way back ie after it had been tried and tested! MT

PS Have to say the Cabanon bag for the kitchen tent is annoying - its one bag split into two for poles and canvas and the canvas side is therefore an awkward long, narrow shape for getting the fly in!

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