That makes sense and now you have told me, I remember that is exactly the way Mark told us to do it. I have just been on the phone to Mark to arrange delivery of our footprint and carpet, they will be here on Tuesday, all I need now is some good weather and a weekend off work so we can try the new tent out
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When did you order yours Elphaba? I asked Mark if we could have the carpet and footprint as part of the replacement exchange for our Nebraska XXL, I think that was in February. It was last week that the exchange was finalised and I got the receipt for the carpet and footprint.
I am not sure when mine was ordered. I don`t know if it was ordered when they agreed to give me the Vermont XL capet and footprint in exchange for the ones from the Nebraska XXL, or whether they were ordered when we actually handed ours over which was last week.
After having the Nebraska XL we found the Vermont XL an absolute joy to pitch, the Nebraska has to be the hardest tent we have ever erected, it was a lovely leaky tent but it was also a tent you would have to think twice about if the wind was blowing.
Beezers I like the 2,3,2 layout too and it may be a better layout when the kids get older but this one is ok for now, on second thought I might shoot of an eamil to mark asking if he would be willing to sell a 2008 bedroom inner for when the kids get older.
------------- Its not the size of the tent...its how you pitch it..
When you unzip the side bedroom to fit the kids room, it does not come away from the middle room. They are sewn together at the bottom. You just fold it up and tuck it away at the bottom. (Look at the video on the Outwell site carefully when she does just this).
You can unzip both the sidewall of middle room and kids bedroom but there is a big gap through to the flysheet. Sort of defeats the point of an inner tent.
Andy
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OK, After much searching on the web last night i found the yeomans outdoors video on how to put up the tent and how to strike similar tents in the outwell range.
However after not really finding any useful guide to how to strike an Outwell Vermont XL so it fits back in the bag, we decided to go and try for ourselves.
These are the instructions we came up with.
1. Take out and tie up the surrounding guy Ropes Except the one on the 4 corners.
2. Make sure the front door and the inner door are open including the doors to the bedrooms. we left a side door open but this may not make much difference.
3. Take out poles 2 & 4 including the roof poles.
4. Drop the front half of the tent towards the middle of the tent and tie up the guy ropes.
5. loosen the remaining poles by taking them off the pins at the bottom.
6. remove the remaining pegs and lower the back section of the tent towards the middle of the tent.
The tent should now be flat and deflating by it's self.
7. remove the remaining poles & tie up remaining guy ropes.
Ready to start the folding process
8. fold the front of the tent into the middle so the sewn in ground sheet is at the front edge.
9. make sure the back edge is straight.
With 2 people
10. stand one on each side of the tent and fold the front and back into the middle of the tent so you are folding the upper to upper and the sewn in ground sheet is now showing on the top.
11. now move round so you are front and back, then fold the edges into the middle again.
this is the main trick
12. still in this elevation fold the tent into 1/3rds, this is the right size to fit into the Vermont XL bag.
13. now make sure you have all your pegs and place the peg bag on the end you are to start rolling from, we rolled from back to front.
14. place the back at the opposite end ready to accept the rolled tent.
15. now roll the tent making sure all air is removed as you roll.
16. when you get to the end the tent should pop straight into the bag with room to spare.
note, after each folding step you need to ensure you get as much air from the tent as you can.
This way of folding the Outwell Vermont XL will ensure minimal dirt to transfer onto the white upper of the tent, as it's protected inside the sewn in ground sheet.
Hope this helps someone else, as i would have loved to have had this knowledge before erecting my new tent.