Medieval Pavilions

[Ian]

So... I'm thinking about... just thinking mind you, about toying with the idea of possibly getting a pavilion.... 

I know nothing about them.  It seems Panther Pavilions are a reputable company to go through, and I think several of you own one from them?  Can someone give me a pavilion primer?  I've browsed their site and they have several different styles and then each has like 8 options for materials and things like that.  What should I be looking for?

The one that caught my eye was the French Double-Belled Wedge which can be seen here with a bonus canopy thingy....


What do you guys own and what do you recommend as far as coverings?  Canvas, sunforger (I have no idea what that is)... etc?  Also, when these things are fully dismantled, how much room do they take up in vehicle?

[Sir Wolf]

i have a panther Geteld. i haven't had it out in years. but when i used it i loved it. super strong seems, great material. great customer service. i got to pick it up since i had a delivery near their store.

[Thorsteinn]

What time period & place are you looking for? How much stuff are you looking to cover? Whats your price range?

[Ian]

What time period & place are you looking for? How much stuff are you looking to cover? Whats your price range?

Hundred Years War, England, specifically second half of the 14th Century.  I'll consider things for around $1,000 or less (not necessarily a hard limit, but not spending 2 grand on a tent...)  Big enough for 2 people and a dog to sleep.

The photo I linked is around $600 for the tent itself and another $300 or so for the canopy... I'm assuming that includes the poles but I don't know for certain.  Price varies depending on material used.

[Sir Wolf]

i made my own poles. are you thinking of the ground skirting or ground cloth? i did not get either as the skirting isn't something i think is really period. but to each his own, it does help with rain and ground water, and wind too comign around the edges, I just packed straw on teh inside edge as well as diggin a trench around the outside edge when i thought it was going to rain. i've always liked the double bell wedge. classic look. i think you'll be happy with it.

[Sir Gerard de Rodes]

We have a standard sized Bergundian style tent from a company called Past Tents.

Photo`s of the outside and inside can be found in our photobucket album here;

http://s230.photobucket.com/albums/ee200/JOBO_028/Whittington%20Castle%202012/?action=view&current=DSCF6171.jpg

G.

[Ian]

We have a standard sized Bergundian style tent from a company called Past Tents.

Photo`s of the outside and inside can be found in our photobucket album here;

http://s230.photobucket.com/albums/ee200/JOBO_028/Whittington%20Castle%202012/?action=view&current=DSCF6171.jpg

G.

A most impressive set up Sir Gerard!  Beautiful!

[Sir Patrick]

Wow!

[SirNathanQ]

Nice encampment! 

[Sir James A]

As with most of Sir Gerard's posts, I must say I'm a bit envious.

I have a Panther Regent on order, so I can't say anything from personal experience, but I can say that I ordered from them based on other people's personal experiences. They said my order will be 6-7 weeks to complete, so the "time clock is ticking" for DoK.

Somewhere in the full catalog is a description of the different materials. I went with the cheaper non-flame retardant one since I'm not a smoker and nobody will be smoking in my tent, and I won't have any live fires in it, either. It also mentions the flame retardancy fades over time, and with the "couple times a year" use the tent will probably see, it was extra cost I couldn't justify.

[Lord Dane]

Very impressive setup, Sir Gerard. Hoping to make mine as impressive in look. Soon enough.

[Sir Edward]

I have a 12'x15' Marquee rectangular.

They do offer a lot of options on these. Sunforger is just a marketing name for some of the UV protecting canvas treatments they use. It's worth getting them with fire retardant and UV resistant treatments, so they hold up for a very long time. But something to keep in mind also is that some people use their tents heavily, leaving them up for several months each year. Having one for events only, I would suspect that even the cheaper canvas options would hold up well. I'm not sure which mine had, but I think it was one of Sungforger + flame retardant options (probably the $1200 one). We got ours used, so we got a pretty good deal on it.

The price you see on the price sheets for the various canvases is just for the canvas. The pole/rope-package is a separate price on that line.

They also give you a choice of trim/dags, height, and whether the walls will have slant to them. Slant isn't a big deal, though it gives you a little extra storage space around the edges that you won't be tripping over as much.

I recommend going with the 7' height on these, but 6' is just fine. The extra foot keeps you from having to duck through the openings.

In terms of packing them up in a car, the hardest part is the poles. Since I have a 6' bed inn my truck, and the poles are 7', I have to pack them diagonally. It has 14 vertical poles for the sides, and the center poles (two upright and a cross-beam) each are two-section poles, so those pieces are shorter. The canvas is bulky, but folds up and can be stuffed anywhere.

You can see some photos of my tent and my truck packing at the following links, but I don't think I took any good shots of just the tent in the truck bed by itself:

http://ed.toton.org/cgi-bin/gallery.pl?g=2006.pennsic

http://ed.toton.org/cgi-bin/gallery.pl?g=2008.pennsic

This shot shows the tent packed with a bunch of other stuff behind it:



Laid out:



Assembled:

[Sir Gerard de Rodes]

Thanks for your comments, although there is still alot I want to do with the tent, when are these things ever finished 

I do like the marquee type like Sir Eds as they have alot more useable wall hanging space. When I hang things, such as drapes, against the wall in my Bergundian I have to secure the base so they follow the slope of the sides of the tent. 

I would suggest Sir Ian, if you can stretch the budget, get something bigger than the wedge tent shown, as I`m sure you would soon grow out of it 
Thick, fire retardent and water proofed canvas is the way to go.
I would also go for split poles for easy transport.

Past Tents do some really nice wedge/campaign tents and pavillions in allsorts of sizes. Check out thier website for inspiration;
http://www.pasttents.com/

There are also a few European companies doing similar tents for a lower budget.

G.

[Ian]

Thank you all for the information.  Sir Ed, thanks for all the photos of the tent packed and assembled etc.  How long does it take you to set up a tent like that?  Is it even realistically possible for me to get my hands on a tent prior to early October for Days of Knights?  Are these things that are 'stocked' or are they all made to order? Oh, and do you have a floor for your tent?

[Sir Edward]

I'm not sure if they stock them, but I think they stock at least some, since they set up a booth at pennsic and you can buy nearly everything there (just not sure about the canvas parts). I'd contact them and ask.

With two people, it takes us a good 20-30 minutes, maybe. I'm guessing. I've never timed it. With 4 people it's a lot easier, and can be done in under 20 I think. At most events you can usually grab a few people to help hold poles straight while you put it up.

For a "floor", what we do is put down a plastic tarp, and cover it with rugs. We have a set of 4 rugs that just about perfectly cover the area inside.