Ok TZ minds, we have all sorts of experts on here, people ask for the strangest advice and receive it so I thought I would have a go.
So here it is...
I am currently helping a friend set up a Safari business in Southern Africa - the Zambezi Valley to be precise. I am helping source kit they can't get whilst they prepare the site and access road.
They need Tents... Lots of Tents (5/6) for use whilst the cabins are built, they will be for the owners, friends, the odd paying customer who does not mind a rough safari and the workforce to sleep in initially but may be put in to service as 'overflow' as and when required once the camp is up and running. i.e. when I pitch up with a slab of beer (once travel is allowed again)
The perfect tent would be the MOD issue Bell Style Tent, however sending 'military' equipment to Zimbabwe is obviously a big NO! I don't fancy being dragged in the Hauge for breaking sanctions - civilian tents are a must.
So does anyone have a experience/ recommendations for good quality tents that are 100% waterproof (the wet season is wetter than an otter pocket) but breathable (it averages 30 C year round) for 6 persons. They also need to be long lasting and if possible elephant proof - ok not elephant proof but sturdy enough to keep a Hyena out of the your bags if they are kept inside. (yes this can be a problem, baboons are also b@st@rds).
Lastly they need to be a dark colour (lots are lurid colours when searching on line) but not dark blue as this attracts the Tsetse Fly. Tsetse = sleeping sickness, Dark Green is good.
I thank you all in advance.
An interesting query, which prompted me to do a little search:
What about something like this: https://www.worldofcamping.co.uk/rob...a1&fo_s=gplauk
Or - is it something truly-industrial that you are needing?
This looks the biz: https://www.millets.co.uk/15988428/q...B&gclsrc=aw.ds
Thank you
The second one is the sort of tent needed (maybe a little taller thinking about it)
An inflatable tent is a cool idea but I am not sure of longevity, plus if a jumbo wants to scratch its backside on the tent (as is their want) I think it might fall over.
I was a camper for 25 plus years and without doubt the best tents we had were by outwell. The poly cotton models are incredibly hard wearing-sturdy and waterproof
The wolf lake 7 is a huge tent and will easily sleep 8
Last edited by Franky Four Fingers; 18th February 2021 at 19:22.
Never bought one of these but thought they looked the business
Fire Retardant and good colour but I think you will might need higher sides for make easy living
https://lifeundercanvas.co.uk/produc...as/bell-tents/
Outwell are not what they used to be.
If price is not an issue, search Cabanon tents.
Any dark green tent will be considered military if it fits the agenda of whoever looks into it.
'Against stupidity, the gods themselves struggle in vain' - Schiller.
Thanks for the advice so far, it gives me something to google tonight, if any one else has a suggestion feel free to post, it’s not like we are going out to the pub any time soon.
Re the green tents looking military, I agree but that will not be an issue, the NSN and broad arrow stamps would though.
Thanks all
In that case look on other countries’ surpluses... the pheon won’t be there.
'Against stupidity, the gods themselves struggle in vain' - Schiller.
NSN will likely be thoughOriginally Posted by Saint-Just
French shouldn’t be if it’s over 10/15 years I believe.
'Against stupidity, the gods themselves struggle in vain' - Schiller.
Trying to find one in the UK may be difficult e.g. anchor don’t even have UK tents at the moment.
Plus any issued tent may contravene the current embargo’s in place.
It’s easier and safer to buy a good quality civilian tent, it won’t be cheaper though.
It will also not be 10/15 years old. I would like good quality, good looking tents for any client first impressions
In that case, Cabanon fits the bill. Bear in mind that no tent is African wildlife proof
'Against stupidity, the gods themselves struggle in vain' - Schiller.
Oooo I know that!
I found a Python in my tent once - could have been worse.
Another lad I know woke up with a monitor lizard on his chest, he panicked, it panicked and it dug it claws in
He was running around camp with it stuck in to his skin.
A 10kg lizard with the hump clinging on for dear life.
When we got it and him free we did laugh a bit.
For good value try Richard III Camping Supplies. I've heard that now is the discount of their winter tents.
Don't just do something, sit there. - TNH
Found this mob: https://www.karmacanvas.co.uk/produc...ry/bell-tents/
This style looks interesting.
https://www.karmacanvas.co.uk/produc...t-double-door/
Ha ha ha
That fits the bill
Thank you
The mossy net windows are a big bonus, a deeper google needed I think
Have heard good things about snowpeak. Japanese brand but they are a bit pricey.
Sent from my VOG-L29 using Tapatalk
I’d suggest looking at one of these two and see if anything fits the bill
https://www.bctshop.co.uk/
https://www.blacksofgreenock.co.uk/
I think with all possible purchases - buying ahead of time, examining and possibly adding/beefing up/modifying - is prudent.
That may amount to additional proofing in a tank, adding heavy duty stitching on tabs/ties, adding eyelets etc
Don't discount a tent that you have to add mossy netting to - that is a relatively easy mod.
Sounds like an old style scouts patrol tent would fit the bill
I realise that you probably don't want to go there but can you clarify which regulation prohibits the export of military kit? Are we talking UK/EU/US Embargo, OFAC, BIS licence requirement or something else? I also realise you, no doubt, know more about the local context than I do (I'm a bit more Middle East-focused).
In the Sotadic Zone, apparently.
I don't think it was the 'export' - more the importation to countries who might be 'sensitive'. I wouldn't take a chance that they get confiscated on entry.
Its a UK / EU embargo in place, I am not supporting the government but the land being used is government owned in a designated safari area.
https://www.gov.uk/government/collec...ns-on-zimbabwe
https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/...rt/5/chapter/3
There is also the issue of import as Blackal says, in Zim (like many countries - usually where a dictator is afraid of being overthrown) the use, wearing and in some cases possession of military kit, clothing and equipment is against the law. Its easer all to avoid the issue in the first place (I don't even wear a NSN marked watch when there)
'A nasty colonial Brit' importing 'military' kit will not go down well.
Thanks all for the suggestions, it will give me something to research this weekend
Last edited by Sinnlover; 19th February 2021 at 10:27.
Tentipi, not cheap but quality is fantastic, easy to erect, many different sizes and can be used with a stove if nights are cold.
Sent from my HRY-LX1T using Tapatalk
I've just spent five minutes trying to work out what a mossy net is. I was envisaging going foraging in sphagnum bogs.
its like a mozzy net but diffrent
Having spent a while doing safaris on both ends of the scale (poor student spending a year in Zimbabwe in 1988 on a shoestring - to one of the best fly-in safaris in Namibia, and a more recent Masai Mara one in 2019) I am sure that the local safari businesses in places like Kenya and RSA have the market sewn up. There are considerable fabrication and sewing skills on offer there. Perhaps even in Zim, albeit without the right materials.
Almost all I have seen use a massive waterproof flysheet with another underneath, to give separation of noise (when it rains) and rain (when it rains) and heat (the rest of the time when it doesn't rain)
Most of them are set up like glamping tents over here, a raised wood platform, with a metal frame, even if they sometimes mimic a bell tent style.
A quick google for glamping tent suppliers finds outstandingtent.co.uk, exclusivetents.com and safaritents.net - all of whom seem to do roughly what is required.
Love the Zambezi valley, does our friend need test drivers?
Dave
Out of curiosity why not just buy from SA? If you get something that will survive the Transvaal it will last where you’re going to put them.
Sent from my iPhone using TZ-UK mobile app
If this thread wasn't made for Jimp, I don't know what is. But he's probably too busy in SC to answer!
We have looked as buying straight from SA but we are not having much luck, hence trying to source here.
They are only a temporary solution, as stone walled, thatched chalets will be built over the next few months (all open bar the iron bars to keep the animals out) so the posh camping tents you often see are a bit fancy, as I say this is mainly for the guys building the camp and the odd overflow.
We might end up buying material and getting them made there, having looked at shipping costs (at mates rates) - shipping 1 tent will cost as much as buying a tent in the first place. Sending 1x 48kg tent = £960 not including taxes.
Dave, I am trying to negotiate the driver job for myself!!!!!
Actually the plan is to do all safaris on foot, no vehicles other than to get you in to the area where the animals might be. Minimal impact on the environment.
Make sure you're the only one in the group with proper running shoes
'Against stupidity, the gods themselves struggle in vain' - Schiller.
Another vote for the TentipiTentipi, not cheap but quality is fantastic, easy to erect, many different sizes and can be used with a stove if nights are cold.
Sent from my HRY-LX1T using Tapatalk
I’ve had one for 10 years. Lived full time in it in 2014 for 22weeks homeless. Safir CP9
Brilliant kit.
Sent from my iPhone using TZ-UK mobile app
CP Safir 7 owner here, and I would disagree.
I would happily say they are the best tent on the market. Quality is superb, and I weathered a proper storm with my family in it that devastated every other tent of the group.
But I would not have considered them suitable for a Safari, where guests expect the ultimate glamping experience. Standing room in the tentipi is a circle around the central pole, a bit like a bedroom in the loft. Yurts and bell tents provide a much better habitability than a tipi for the same diameter.
'Against stupidity, the gods themselves struggle in vain' - Schiller.
Having bought an inflatable tent last year, I agree on the longevity concerns. However a great aspect of them is that they can flex a huge amount and then spring back. I expect a Heffalump could sit on it and it would stand up again as they left.
They aren't light though, and inflation isn't the effortless breeze that it looks in the adverts (unless you have a 12V tyre pump and adapter where you plug in and put the kettle on as the tent puts itself up)
I suspect completely unsuited to the task in hand though.
Reminds me of a night at Cape Wrath when, against all advice, I pitched my little Phoenix Phortress twin A-frame on an exposed grassy outcrop at the top of the cliffs overlooking the sea.
Earplugs in, head down, and woke refreshed to find virtually everyone else on the site huddled in the toilet block clutching the remains of their broken tents.
Superb.
Just ask Paul (paw3001) about his experience with inflatable tents.
Someone who lies about the little things will lie about the big things too.
Thanks for all the advice Gentlemen
I have emailed a few of them on to my mate.
I will see what he prefers and take it from there
I have a feeling sourcing material and getting them made by some there might be the best way to approach this.
I will post a few pictures when they are up.
You need cotton, or poly cotton at least.
Nylon flysheets have a lifespan of around eight to twelve weeks in the British summer. Expect less in a climate where they actually get to see the sun.
I have a travel business and we operate a fair few safaris, and also have a camping business in the UK, so I have spent many, many hours looking in to tents!
Apologies for the obvious response, but is there a reason you've ruled out classic safari tents already? Cost? There are many operators with truck loads of these currently doing nothing who might happily sell a few (5/6 isn't a lot), which they typically use for mobile tented safari - by which I mean a very large truck to carry kit for 2 guests - raised decking, bungalow style tent, multiple rooms, flysheet, etc. Then these could become a great tented option for guests once a lodge is built.
I don't think anything else will be nearly as wildlife resistant as something designed for purpose. I have 25 bell tents here in the UK (well, I did, but they were all stolen a couple of weeks ago, that's another story), and I wouldn't trust the zips to keep much out, and there's a good chance that bugs would eat the groundsheet, as happened to us on one trip in Tanzania many years ago. A single skin, like many canvas tents are, probably wouldn't cut it during wet season either, unless you build a canopy over the top, makuti roof for example, or tin for a less aesthetically pleasing option.
So I'd try a few local operators who might have some kit reasonably locally and see if they'd sell something designed for the climate/ challenges/ guest expectations. Best of luck!
Mine is a 9 but only two of us. A palace. With excellent ventilation, ground vents and top vent.
Rugs on the floors and people seated on bean bags not standing would be great.
Sent from my iPhone using TZ-UK mobile app
Do you have a stove for it? I haven’t tried it yet with one (October in the Lake District a few years ago was a bit nippy).
'Against stupidity, the gods themselves struggle in vain' - Schiller.
Yeah got a stove too. Never used it yet in all the time had the tent.
Sent from my iPhone using TZ-UK mobile app
hummm... Should you wish to part with it later on, may I ask that you post it here, please? If the timing is right I could be interested
'Against stupidity, the gods themselves struggle in vain' - Schiller.
Posting Permissions
Reply With Quote
