Cabanon tents

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DH & I saw a Cabanon tent up at a local showroom and were totally blown away by it but is it really worth the extra £££? Has anyone got one? Are they as lovely as they look?

I'm wondering if the price could be justified by how long it will last...

This is the one that we looked at www.tentes.cabanon.com/index.php/collection/tentes-confort/biscaya-440-comfort-tent-cabanon.html?cat=15 which just so happens to meet our needs perfectly :).

Slubber is the woman you want. She has one :)

I've got one. It cost £75 from Ebay. Its about 15 years old but is in perfect condition and is a sturdy, high quality tent. If I had money to burn I would buy a Cabanon trailer tent but I don't so I'll stick with my Estoril and the relatively expensive Quechua.

Oh that sounds like a proper bargain cheerup! We've found a 2nd hand one but they're asking £750 for it which still seems like a lot considering it's 2nd hand. It's too far away for us to check it out if we're not almost certain to buy it. We did think that the quality they were would last 20 odd years though which I'm certain you wouldn't get out of the cheaper tents around.

It would have been a real bargain if it was a Biscaya but its an old Estoril so still a good price but not a steal! If you're happy with an older tent there are plenty of good second hand Cabanons on Ebay that have easily got 5+ more years life in them for less than £200. Maybe try an old one before committing to a really expensive new one?

We've just bought a biscaya 370 2nd hand. Cost a lot less than new, but still the most expensive tent we own. Not had chance to use it yet because of the weather, but can't wait. They look like the most bomb proof tents we saw on our search for the perfect tent. Ours is the all season polyester and still takes up a lot of car space. The cotton versions are apparently even bigger. Every review we have seen of them is positive, and the quality does seem awesome. Not perhaps as lovely as a de waard or a karsten, but then that's the next level of investment ...

yes, sadly de waard are the dogs b*** when it comes to tents, but have a price to makle you weep. That said they can be picked up relatively cheaply on MarketPlatz, with the help of an international courier and google translate!
That said Cabanon are fine beasts, many of the keycamp/suncamp places use them - canvas is long lasting if well cared for, sturdy and breathable. I have a selection of canvas tents, I have no nostalgia for polyester

We stayed in a Keycamp tent a couple of years ago in the most appalling weather (as provided by the Lake District, so bad even the locals were muttering) and we were really impressed by how the tent held up to it. More waterproof than houses we've had . DH insists we get a tent with metal poles now. We had a rather disastrous windy camping trip in North Cornwall pre-kids with a dome tent that ended up looking more like a 'C' shape than a dome in the wind. Although to be fair at least it didn't break like our friends tent did.

I shall avoid looking at the Even More Expensive tents mentioned for now...

I have had a few Cabanons

I still have the Montpeller and Athena. Rock solid tents that last a lifetime. The older tents are even better quality than the modern ones imo.

Neither have ever been reporoofed and remain water tight. I camp alot in mine as well 3 to 6 weeks in the summer holidays and 2 to 3 weeks between Easter and October.

My Montpellier must be getting on for 15 years old. I bought it secondhand for £200. Its rock solid and dry. Gets warm but not hot in the heat. Its fab and roomy too when its wet and the kids can actually lie out and play in it.

The Athena is similar to the Montpellier and probably 9 years old. This one has the PVC/rubber roof which to date is fine but I do wonder if the pvc/rubber will deteriorate one day - so I do wonder if it will last as long as the Montpellier.

Both tents have stood up to gales and I mean gales. The type of gales that mean you are the only tent still standing in the morning.

The only down size is their weight and size (but thats why they are rock solid). Ideally you would need a trailer. Sadly my car does not have a tow bar atm so this summer I am slumming it on a plastic Vango that just does not feel like a proper tent.

IMO - Cabaonons are well worth the money but I have always bought second hand. A good cabanon well looked after should last 25 to 30 years and even beyind.

i know someone whose brand new nylon one leaked really badly. And I mean really badly, not just the odd drip.

Biscayas are fabulous tents. My mate has one and I would covet it badly if I didn't love my Cabanon pyramid more.

£750 for a 440 is a reasonable price for a canvas tent of that quality. Check with the sellers it's never been packed away wet and the canvas is in good nick and you'll have a tent that will probably last you until you quit camping.

If you've seen one up in a show room you will have already done the walk in test. Start in a nylon tent, then go into an Outwell polycotton, finish in a Cabanon canvas. No contest on the quality stakes, they ooze fabulousness.

Only de waards trump them imo.

Thank you queen and dreaming.

Slubber yes we did that, well skipped the Outwell polycotton actually and the Biscaya was in a totally different league it has to be said. The big difference we noticed, it being a sunny day, was that all the other tents felt really hot inside but the Biscaya felt nice and cool.