We are in need of a new tent - am thinking frame tent - please come and advise.

[MegaLegs]

After a cold wet week in Cornwall in a tent with no living space we need to upgrade. ( Also hopefully next year DS4 will be out of his travel cot and in with the other three so need bigger sleeping space.)

Ideally I would love one of these but they are mega bucks (also realise it is a tunnel tent).

Have been looking at this sort of thing

Frame tent campers tell me all.

Well, we don't have a frame tent, but DH would love one! (Sorry, that's not very helpful, is it????) He spend his childhood holidays camping in a huge canvas frame tent, and only the weight and space they take up put him/us off getting one - we don't travel light at the best of times, and we didn't want to have a trailer. On holiday this summer if we saw a frame tent (especially a Cabanon, v. good make) he would sort of drool - all very alarming!
Anyway, still not helpful.
So, consider the weight/bulk/space. I'm not an expert, but do know that lots of people are fiercely loyal to their canvas wonders! There are usually lots on Ebay, btw.

We bught falcon tent this year and IMHO it is as good as a frame tent size wise, but lighter, easier to pack and more flexible. There are 4 of us and dh and I have one main bedroom (we unzip the divider. It is big enough to stand up in, walk around, have a double bed and still about 6' spare room. My 2 dd's have a bedroom each which means a single bed and about 3' of space for thei bags, toys etc. It themn has an indoor main living space with SOG and a secondary living space with a loose groundhseet, we also got the canopy which added another 10' at the front. It is seriously a big tent and great value. We don't feel the need to upgrade again ever

Funny, this thread.

Planning on camping next Saturday (I know, I know dont say it) and we are borrowing a tent. I have a similar question but to do with security.

I have seen all the very smart looking tunnel tents and wonder how secure they are with 2 or more openings/doors etc.

Like the look of the cabanna, but also seen the price and have been surfin ebay also.

Again wondering about space with a tunnel vs frame tent.

Think I would like some living space too which seems to be lacking in the tunnels, non?

btw Crunchie, the falcon looks fantastic!

megalegs, like the look of the cotton one too, oooohhh dilema.

seriously bs the Falcon was the absolute bomb. HONESTLY I LOVED IT!

Now our family love camping and we had a great big tent before BUT it had no porch area, so we trotted off to buy a gazebo and ended up with the tent. It is seriously huge, BUT easy to erect - about 30mins with 2 people. It is better than a tunnel tent in that teh bedrooms are separate (I want to be away from my kids, some like to be next to) It has a main living space with a SIG which keeps the bugs away, BUT The front porch area has a loose groundsheet which is perfect as that was our 'dirty' area. We were in the pouring rain for 5 days and this bit was for wet stuff. It also has loads of storage pockets, proper windows and curtains like a frame tent and you can stand up throughout.

BUT it goes up like a dome tent with an X of poles in the middle and a couple of simple poles each side. Only issue is that the inner goes up first. I suppose Dome tents are better in seriously bad weatther but I would go home!!

Aha, so this is where DW lurks when I'm away! (Am NotALert's DH).

Cotton tents are fantastic, cooler in hot weather, warmer in cold and don't get the build-up of condensation (although the PVC roof of the Cabanon Aruba will gather some condensation). Canvas should last a lifetime (20+ years). But they are pretty heavy, rather bulky and need to be dried whilst pitched to help them retain shape so you need a garden big enough to have it in whilst it dries.

A frame tent can (just) be pitched single handed but 2 is much better. Large tunnel must have 2 people to walk them forwards whilst pitching.

Just looking at the Falcon mentioned below and that weighs in at 50kg to the Cabanon's 56kg so not a huge amount in it weight wise!

Have seen frame tents used as base-camp tents for mountaineering, so they are able to withstand pretty bad weather. If you're expecting a hurricane then there are ways of adding further internal bracing and straps but to be honest I'd rather be in a frame tent in a howler than a family sized tunnel or dome.

The falcon comes in 2 bags, so it doesn't seem so bad, but I know what you mean it is a heavy tent