Wild Country Safari Tent
Submitted: Saturday, Jul 13, 2002 at 00:00
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MarkC
Has anyone used a Wild Country Safari Tent? It is a canvas centre pole tent. The local camping store has them for $400. It is 9ftx9ft and looks good. Any info?
Reply By: Member - Tony - Sunday, Jul 14, 2002 at 00:00
Sunday, Jul 14, 2002 at 00:00
G'day MarkC,
We've got a Wild Country (WC) cabin tent (15x12), but the materials/quality should be about the same. Used about 8 times so far, NSW Sth Coast to SA
Flinders Ranges. Very
well made, very durable. 120mm PVC 'skirt' on walls, gave extra weather protection. Went through a thorough downpour and high winds at
Batemans Bay last year (over 120mm overnight!). Canvas and floor stood up to everything, but one of the adjustable internal poles collapsed under the weight of water on the fly. I'd suggest you wouldn't have same problem with a centre-pole setup. Received excellent back-up service from retailer Kangaroo Tent City (KTC) in Penrith when we had a problem with a zipper.
I'd highly recommend them (disclaime: I'm not associated in any way with WC or KTC, just a very satisfied customer!)
Good luck and happy camping, Tony
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Follow Up By: Drew - Wednesday, Jul 17, 2002 at 00:00
Wednesday, Jul 17, 2002 at 00:00
Definitely agree with having a look at the
Southern Cross unit. It is a beauty. I have used ours in some very poor conditions with no drama. Quick to erect, although quite heavy to lift. Bought it from Peter Hands at Express
Tools in
Wollongong...very happy
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Reply By: Fred - Monday, Jul 15, 2002 at 00:00
Monday, Jul 15, 2002 at 00:00
Mark I'm not sure if it's the same tent that is sold by a large tent retailer, now an outdoor store. If it is, and by the fairly cheap price I think it is, I suggest you look at some of the Australian made products. I liked the one I saw (which I think is the same) until I saw the Freedom,
Southern Cross and similar products. They use at least 10oz Canvas and are a far better tent. They cost around the $700 - $800 mark but are
well worth the money. Anyhow I suggest you look at them before you decide. They are also a tried and proven product (bus and tour companies all use them) so you won't have the problems that the reply before me had which is just caused by poor design(pole collapsing because of an accumulation of water). That's about the last thing you need on a wet night!!
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Follow Up By: Member - Tony - Monday, Jul 15, 2002 at 00:00
Monday, Jul 15, 2002 at 00:00
Fred, No, the pole didn't collapse because of poor design, but my lack of care in tensioning/tying the fly over the top (too hasty in high wind conditions). Water gathered in the fly, instead of draining away off the tent roof. Completely my fault, not the tent's. I've since obtained a Diploma in Tarpology and won't make the same mistake again! However, I agree you do get what you pay for. I agree the
Southern Cross is excellent (that's probably the tourer I'll get), but at the time I needed the biggest for the money I could spend, and the WC fitted the bill. BTW, it DEFINITELY was the LAST thing I needed that night!! Cheers, Tony
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Follow Up By: Fred - Thursday, Jul 18, 2002 at 00:00
Thursday, Jul 18, 2002 at 00:00
I like your diploma title Tony! Still think the tent is at fault even though you take the blame! I've met a few Tarpologists in my travels - some who had to cover their tents at the first
sign of rain - never could see the sense in having a tent that only protected you if it didn't rain too hard!! You'll appreciate a better quality tent if you get one - they are a bit heavier to lift as mentioned but not a problem to put into or on top of a vehicle.
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