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Hi. Went to OBI, a tiny, family run camping shop, yesterday. They have been going forever and have always sold a mixture of canvas and nylon tents. Their particular passion has always been canvas tents though and these days they are going more and more in that direction.

This is because although people come to them to look at nylon tents and get OBI's advice, they then go home and either buy the tent for 63p less off an internet site or return to the shop demanding a price match. So business-wise it no longer makes much sense for them to display and advise on nylon or other mass market tents.

They have now set up a canvas only website alongside their main shop site, and I thought people might like to have the link. Apart from anything else on display, they had the 4 berth Gelert canvas tunnel with ZIG up and it looked lovely. Unsurprisingly though the display the one is all they have left to sell of it as all the others have gone already. I think the price is reduced to about £300. The two berth Gelert canvas dome was very attractive too.

One thing they did say about canvas tents is that cats like them! Apparently they never get cats sneaking into the nylon display tents but they struggle to keep them out of the canvas ones.

Quote: Originally posted by gingerlily on 10/5/2009

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Did you have a look at the Raclet Quicktent Merry? Just wondering what you thought of it.

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Come on then Merry!!!!, Spill the beans....did you, or didn't you?

Helen

Quote: Originally posted by PigletandTigger on 10/5/2009

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.....

Obi looks interesting, we might have to take a trip and have a look...

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Hi Merry.

             To day I have been to Camperlands at Manchester, they are a Cabanon dealer but TT's only, they must have 30 or so tents on display, all Polyester, not even a Polycotton in sight and no Cabanon tents, and as for Canvas, only the TT's and awnings, such a shame, also Winfields near me, over 55 tents on display, again all Polyester, and lastley Castlecroft camping at Radcliffe, again all Polyester tent display, just wish we had a retailer up her that thought the same as OBI, if I am ever in the area I will be sure to call in and have a mooch, that's for sure.

Andy.

Quote: Originally posted by johnwils on 10/5/2009

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Come on then Merry!!!!, Spill the beans....did you, or didn't you?

Helen

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Well, both, sort of!

Made a detour to OBI yesterday and was there ages dithering about the Quick Tent. Its quite a different sort of canvas tent to the usual.

Anyway, I did bring one home with me. Then spent a further 24 hours dithering as to whether I'd done the right thing and am probably going to be taking it back  . The lovely people at OBI have said I can do that. Just means another bridge toll and petrol costs for me. Ho hum.

The Quick tent a great little tent.

Pluses:

• £275 is an amazing price for a brand new canvas tent
• two lovely big picture windows makes it feel very bright and spacious for a small tent
• but a canvas roof stops it feeling like a greenhouse
• bug net behind the front door, integral sun canopy
• very clever, bottomless inner! The clip-in inner has a top and four sides but no floor, so you have the benefit of sleeping in a double skinned environment but the advantage of curtain only-type dividers in that you have a weight-saving and can open the whole tent up into one space
• alloy poles, sig
• would be a talking point on any campsite
• 180 cms wide inner is a decent size for one or two people

OTOH, I don't think would be much quicker to put up than a Pacific, Atlantic or small pyramide. Also, although the inner is such a nifty design the entire front wall of it is made of the same fabric as the window curtains ie from a typically bright, strongly patterned frame curtain design. So when the inner is zipped shut, the effect on the back of the living area is pretty busy. The rest of the inner is normal creamy colour fabric.  I had decided that if I were to keep the tent the inner would have to be remade with plain panels on the front, or I might just pop an existing Cabanon inner  in there as the fixings are identical.

So, its almost definitely maybe going back because its just not that much better for me than my existing similarly-sized Cabanons, but is very well worth considering for anyone else. The price is excellent for the quality of the tent's design and materials.

Sorry, feeling a bit dim (maybe its something to do with the wine I've had) do you mean that the inner sleeping compartment doesn't actually zip shut for sleeping in, that why we like our pyramide instead of one of the other ones (cant remember if its the barbados, guadaloupe or both) I like to shut it off completely for sleeping ( beetles & such )

I know what you mean about the curtains, our old raclet curtains could give you a migraine!!! The canvas was a bit bright too. Thats what I like about the Cabanon Satellite, the colours are so easy on the eye. Will be interesting to see if it goes back. Methinks your're not quite sure yet !!!  It has got some very nice touches though. All canvas....... lovely.

H

Quote: Originally posted by johnwils on 10/5/2009

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...do you mean that the inner sleeping compartment doesn't actually zip shut for sleeping ...

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I'll have another go at explaining!

Some SIG tents separate the living and sleeping areas by zip shut curtains only. This means you can open up the curtains and then use the whole of the space inside the tent for living (or sleeping) if you want. Even with sleeping stuff left in place, the tent seems a lot bigger if the curtains are open and, for transport, you save the weight and bulk of a full, separate inner.

More often, tents have a separate clip-in inner which is like a huge fabric bag with a heavier, plasticky floor. This is cosier as it provides a double skinned area for sleeping but permanently marks off the sleeping and living areas and adds to weight and bulk.

The arrangement in the Quicktent is a mixture of both. It is a clip in inner with four sides and a 'ceiling' , so cosy, double skin etc. But, as it has no floor of its own, if you totally unzip the front it rolls completely aside like curtains and opens the space of the tent up.

Oh dear, I think I might have just made things more confusing than ever.