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Not perfect but utilitarian – We have has ours for three years purchased to suit some outback and 4x4 travel involving quick set up /packup stops. So far it has survived the Cape (3 weeks) and the Simpson ( 3 weeks ) plus an assortment of short runs of 2 -3 day overnighters. Roof issue sorted by the optional 2 side pole and arched roof bow set up . Handled light showers… Read more
well keeping us dry on the Cape and warm in the desert. Bow frame great for hanging battery light / fan as needed. We carry a lightweight tarp style cover that is quick to cover up tent if rain imminent. Good pegs are essential , type dependent on ground type for grip! Side pockets handy for glasses torch etc. Packup simple and only other change we made and suggest is a more sturdy bag to pack into.
Terrible – Perfectly fine in nice weather. Leaks at roof in wet and humid weather. Forget this tent in the wind the pole does not support the roof. Resulting in it colopasing while your inside. In windy conditions you will be spending the entire night either with the tent colopased or standing there trying to hold the pole. Even purchasing a better generic pole from camping store did not work. Show details
- +4
Excellent tent, fast to set up and DOES NOT LEAK IF you season the tent properly – The Tourer 9 model I have was purchased in early 2021, the product code is CTT-09-F, the country of manufacture Bangladesh. The quality of construction and the materials used appears to be very good to excellent. The zips however are a little problematic at times, they can be easy to open/close from the inside but a little hard from the outside.… Read more
The zips are the no-name variety but they appear to be quite decent and do not allow water to pass through. The tent pegs and centre pole are all of good quality and the centre pole now has a lever lock. The lock appears to work well enough but when seasoning the extra weight of the water was a bit too much for the lever lock to handle and it slipped a little. Solution, a small hose clamp.
There are quite a few reports that claim this tent leaks.. Perhaps that applies to older models or tents that have not been properly seasoned. My tent leaked badly around the top section on the first seasoning cycle, leaked less on the second and not at all after the third. I seasoned it by hosing it down for few mins outside AND the inside. I used the fine mist setting to saturate all areas on the inside, with attention to the roof section and all seams. Quite a few old towels were needed to dry the floor down afterwards, but the effort is worth it. Once you perform 3 seasoning cycles (wet it down, let it dry completley inside and out) your tent will be 99.9% waterproof. However if you encounter some ungodly torrential downpour for hours on end then expect a few spots here and there.
The price is excellent and the ease of set up hard to beat.. 4 pegs and the centre pole and your done. Add extra pegs and guys ropes if you expect some heavy weather. I'm very happy with this tent, even though it has some small design shortcomings, but I'm willing to live with them. The shortcomings are the rather pointless awning flap (uses 2 poles & guy ropes - supplied) which is not worth the effort erecting due to its odd shape allowing water to enter from the sides. The lack of a bucket floor is a bit disappointing and the internal pocket locations are a bit odd, and the not so great centre pole clamp. The carrying bag is nylon and I think the tent will outlast it. It would have been a nice touch if it was canvas and it's a pity Oztrail don't offer an optional canvas version. But other than those rather minor gripes this tent is close to perfect for my needs. NB: I had the tent up recently when a monumental storm hit. Hail, huge winds and hours of torrential rain. No leaks (just a couple of spots) zero damage and the tent only had the 4 pegs installed and the centre pole.. amazing.
An expensive purchase – i used this tent quite alot. I followed the instructions on how to condition the Material but still it leaked after heavy downpour and storm. After cleaning and drying it out i used it again and it leaked after another downpour. This time i had to wait until the rain stopped to dry it out but noticed something was a little smelly. My camp… Read more
matteress had gotten wet and mould appeared under the matteress and around the joints on the floor of the tent. I took both back to where i purchased them at BCF and they were happy to replace them under warranty however after a short time again out camping the same thing happened to the tent. It leaked and leaked so i threw it away after conditioning this one too.
Great tent quick set up – Have owned this tent for 7 years great tent in all conditions, from beach camping to high country winter camping. Rain, wind snow and sun shine. room for 2 people to camp for weeks at a time.
Fantastic Tent – We have owned many tents from dome tents to 2 room canvas tents. This is by far the best for a 3 day weekend for a family of four. It doesn't leak. It survives wild wind and storms. It sets up in less than 10 minutes. You can stand up inside it. We have owned ours for well over 8 years and its as good as new. The only thing to be aware of is… Read more
its size when packed down. Its not the smallest or the lightest but its certainly durable and sturdy..
Pole broke on second use – Great tent. Have not used in the rain yet, but on only the second use, the wing nut on the pole snapped. Same happened on our other, more expensive tent, but, as it has a hole throught the roof, we just use a extendable tent pole. This one hasn't. It has a rubber stopper top and bottom, so we will have to buy a replacement pole.
Spacious and simple design Tent – I bought this tent from BCF for $300. I have taken it out only once with no issues. It is very easy to set up and I find it very spacious as I am used to the small dome (crawl in) type of tents so this one is a nice change. I have heard some stories that the canvas leaks and that it should be 'watered' a couple of times before heading out which… Read more
i did. There is also some kind of inexpensive fluid that can be sprayed over the canvas to further facilitate the water resistant properties.
I have still not had it in any major rainstorms so i cannot verify its water resisting abilities but so far, the tent is a-OK.
I am giving it 4/5 stars purely because of the lack of use in the rain.
Don't Buy - Leaks Like a Sieve – I erected this tent and conditioned it in accordance with the instructions. After the second hosing I left the tent standing and noticed that when you touched the inside of the canvass my hand was wet. No other leaks. The tent dried out but before I was able to take the tent down it started to rain so I left the tent up. After 2 days the floor… Read more
was covered with water from leaks around the roof and the inside of the canvass was damp. I contacted Oztrail who said what did I expect as the tent had been up two days in the rain - doh - not to leak. I asked if they sold flys and they said it was not needed.
Also how do you close the awning fly when you are inside the tent as there are attachments for the zips.
This tent needs a fly.
Do not buy this tent if you need a waterproof tent.
Fantastic – We have had ours for a couple of about six years, we are really happy with it. It is So easy to erect, it can even be erected by one person. We have never ever been wet or cold and we have been through some terrible storms. Will definitely get another when this needs to be replaced. Easy to erect, warm, dry. Where can I get a replacement carry bag?
Good little tent – I have had this tent for many years now and used it all around Australia. Its never leaked once even when using it during heavy rains that caused devastating floods in NSW a few years ago. The canvas is very thick far thicker then any of my other dad's canvas tents. It stands up to strong winds with no issues. One thing with the centre pole i… Read more · 1
found it slipped a lot with the weight of the heavy canvas and roof frame so i drilled a hole straight thru and put a bolt in it - never slipped again.
Very quick to put up especially if not windy roll it out, unzip the front/fly, put the bolt in centre pole walk it in and push it upright and bam your done.
Due to the heavy thick canvas and window design in extremely hot weather and high humidity (in Noosa for example) condensation can build at the top of the tent.
A little trick is you can peg out the side window awnings say 5 inches up to allow more air which is very cool way to keep the tent aerated but still have privacy.
Keep that front awning down when its raining if you don't water will pool on your roof.
I also stuff a sock in the power inlet to stop ants and things like that getting into the tent.
This is a fantastic little tent if you:
1. Condition it properly by watering it down
2. Learn all the little tricks to use it properly e.g. see above
Happy with this little tent and taking it down to Tassie soon again can't wait best $350 i ever spent! Thick canvas, easy and quick to erect, great windows for privacy, breathability Centre pole clamp doesn't hold weight easily fixed, front awning needs to be taken down when raining not a huge big deal
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