Gone and done it now - Tentipi in the garden

[myotis]

Well, it's taken many years of indecision and a disappointing time with a lower cost kata, but I have bitten the bullet and our new Tentipi Safir 9 cp has been pitched in the garden since the weekend

And after even more indecision an Eldfell Pro stove is on its way as well. The stove was a really difficult decision as there were some attractive alternatives, but in the end the Eldfell seemed the safest option, even though I would have liked something a bit lighter.

Timing couldn't have been worse however, as I am up to my neck with marking exams, and can't see us getting away until our main holiday in July.

Pitching it was fun, as it was torrential rain/hail stones and a force 6/7 wind (judging by the way the trees were swaying). Wet hands slid on the pole so I couldn't lift the soaked through canvas, At one stage I gave up and the tent lying on the ground quickly resembled a paddling pool.

And the very soft soil on our lawn meant that pegs just pulled great sods of turf out rather than holding the tent in place. A problem I have had before with other tents, on one occasion my Hilleberg was seen flying past our living room window, needing a rapid response to stop it vanishing for ever.

I will add to the existing reviews on the Tentipi, once I have had a chance to use it properly.

Graham

[Boris]

Congratulations on your new tentipi. We also have a Safir 9 cp and its fab. If your pegs are pulling out have a look at Delta pegs as they work well. More info here on this site. Also you may find the centre pole can sink into soft ground so I tale a small square of plastic (it's the remnants of an old nylon chopping board I hacked up) to spread the load.

Brilliant tents and they should last a lifetime.

[myotis]

Congratulations on your new tentipi. We also have a Safir 9 cp and its fab. If your pegs are pulling out have a look at Delta pegs as they work well. More info here on this site. Also you may find the centre pole can sink into soft ground so I tale a small square of plastic (it's the remnants of an old nylon chopping board I hacked up) to spread the load.

Brilliant tents and they should last a lifetime.

Thanks Boris, sinking central poles I am well aware of and I have used a "posh" solution of a motorbike stand puck for several tents in the past.

Motrax Mud Bud Sidestand Puck from Demon Bikes - motorcycle performance parts and accessories

But I am going to create a replacement for the bit of cloth you get to align the pegs with a metal/plastic plate, so I can leave it in place and set the pole on top of it. The cloth was useless when I set up at the weekend as the wind kept folding it over and spinning it round the peg, so a) you couldn't see where to align the cord, and b) by the time you had one peg in, the cloth square had shifted into a different position.

I'm not convinced by the delta pegs as the pegs weren't being pulled out , but slicing through the soil because its so soft. I suspect the Deltas would do the same. I've often looked at the Delta's but with the exception of this garden, I have never really had a problem with pegs pulling out.

And yes, I am planning on the tent lasting a lifetime.

I can't remember from your posts, but do you have a stove as well.

Graham

[Boris]

I can't remember from your posts, but do you have a stove as well.

Graham

Not me... That will be our resident "everything including the kitchen sink" camper, DaveS

[myotis]

Not me... That will be our resident "everything including the kitchen sink" camper, DaveS

Thanks, I knew that DaveS had one, but didn't think I had seen you mention having one.

Graham

[myotis]

Well, so much for that,

One of the plastic buckles on the main guy webbing has snapped in two, and you can see stress marks in the same place on one of the other buckles.

Plus the webbing for one of the guy ties has frayed downwards to the slot that the guy ties onto.

I also have a couple of inexplicable leaks, that have me puzzled, strangely that wasn't bothering that much as usually you can track these down, but the sheared buckle and frayed webbing bothers me.

Even getting them replaced, how safe can I feel that they won't snap again.

Graham

[DaveS]

Well, so much for that,

One of the plastic buckles on the main guy webbing has snapped in two, and you can see stress marks in the same place on one of the other buckles.

Plus the webbing for one of the guy ties has frayed downwards to the slot that the guy ties onto.

I also have a couple of inexplicable leaks, that have me puzzled, strangely that wasn't bothering that much as usually you can track these down, but the sheared buckle and frayed webbing bothers me.

Even getting them replaced, how safe can I feel that they won't snap again.

Graham

Mines been in some ferocoious winds with no problems and no snapped buckles. and I don't have any frayed webbing either. mines been battered for hours on end with wind and rain and only then did it leak, which is to be expected as its a breathable fabric. But it was pretty extreme circumstances.
Have contacted the retailer as they are normally very good at advice and the after sales service has been good for me.

[myotis]

Mines been in some ferocoious winds with no problems and no snapped buckles. and I don't have any frayed webbing either. mines been battered for hours on end with wind and rain and only then did it leak, which is to be expected as its a breathable fabric. But it was pretty extreme circumstances.
Have contacted the retailer as they are normally very good at advice and the after sales service has been good for me.

Good to know you have had no problems, as I am feeling a bit disappointed at the moment.

I emailed the retailer, but only after it happened which was late afternoon yesterday. I will chase them up by phone if needs be.

As I said the leak isn't bothering me that much, and this last week in the garden has had periods of torrential rain and strong winds.

The fraying could be a one off, the buckles are a bigger worry, as it could be they have changed supplier/design from when your tentipi was built, so even if they replace the broken one and the one showing signs of stress, how safe are the others. If they get lots of problems presumably they will change the design/material, but it still leaves me with the current batch.

How do your buckles work, mine release by pushing a bar at the bottom of the buckle, which I am finding really difficult to use.

Graham

[DaveS]

We were told of a specific way to tighten and undo the buckles, which was to grab hold of the tent material pull towards you, which takes the pressure off of the buckle and then to tighten or release it by pressing the button.
The only problem I had with the buckles was that the gradually worked loose over a number of hours in high winds, so I had to go outside a few times to tighten them up. We've not had a problem with any of the breaking or even showing the slightest signs of wear.

[myotis]

We were told of a specific way to tighten and undo the buckles, which was to grab hold of the tent material pull towards you, which takes the pressure off of the buckle and then to tighten or release it by pressing the button.
The only problem I had with the buckles was that the gradually worked loose over a number of hours in high winds, so I had to go outside a few times to tighten them up. We've not had a problem with any of the breaking or even showing the slightest signs of wear.

Ah good, sounds like the same buckle so just my bad luck. I was actually doing what you say to loosen the buckles, but it's been very variable weather and I was tightening them up during the heavy rain (saturated canvas) and strong winds, then slackening them when the wind dropped off and the sun came out. In those conditions the canvas became really taught and difficult to ease the tension.

Graham