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The CAFFIN tents come!


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Home Forums Gear Forums Gear (General) The CAFFIN tents come!

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Viewing 25 posts - 1 through 25 (of 212 total)
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  • #1290807
    Roger Caffin
    BPL Member

    @rcaffin

    Locale: Wollemi & Kosciusko NPs, Europe

    Hi all

    Over the years many of you have asked whether (or when) my tents will become available. I tried making them myself for sale but it was too slow and the price was too high. Sigh.

    Well, AFTER my Survey and Tutorial on Tunnel Tents was published I was contacted by a large manufacturer of outdoors gear. Based on the Tutorial, they expressed an interest in producing my tents under licence. So, we negotiated, and I have signed an agreement. I repeat, their interest was triggered by the publication of the Tutorial.

    Two key items in the agreement are that I will be working with the actual company doing the sewing, and the designs to be produced are subject to my approval. Some readers worried that the design might be degraded if it went into production by someone else: that is not going to happen. My design approval is needed.

    Yes, this means we are aiming at the high end of the light-weight market, NOT at the low end where all those pop-ups reign. So the price is not going to be low, but the company thinks it will be affordable.

    4008 Blue tent opposite Mont Blanc
    The first version is expected to be the single-skin 2-man 3-pole summer tent. It will look very similar to the (6-year old) blue one you have seen in my photos, just slightly improved with the benefit of all those years of testing. Weight target: under 1.2 kg, depending on fabrics

    5621S2 Red tent Snowy River, When Things Go Wrong
    If this sells well, we will then move on to the double-skin 2-man 4-pole winter tent, that you will also have seen in some of my photos. Weight target, around 1.5 kg, again depending on fabrics.

    The company is Easton Mountain Products, and the tents will be using their carbon fibre poles. Expected (hoped?) delivery is spring/summer 2014. Their comment: "Also we're very excited at the prospect!" Yeah, I'm pretty chuffed too.

    Cheers

    #1885021
    Barry Cuthbert
    BPL Member

    @nzbazza

    Locale: New Zealand

    That is super cool! I'll be in the queue for one.

    #1885022
    BlackHatGuy
    Spectator

    @sleeping

    Locale: The Cascades

    Roger,

    Very, very cool. Congratulations and much success!

    #1885024
    drowning in spam
    Member

    @leaftye

    Locale: SoCal

    2.6 pounds. I might have to get one.

    Congrats Roger!

    #1885025
    Eugene Smith
    BPL Member

    @eugeneius

    Locale: Nuevo Mexico

    I have no foreseeable need for such a tent in the near future, especially living here in NM with our favorable weather, but a big congratulations goes out to you Mr. Caffin on your new endeavor.

    #1885026
    Jeremy Osburn
    Member

    @earn_my_turns

    Locale: New England

    For the winter one!!! Might take a few years of piggy bank filling but the excitement is high.

    #1885039
    Devin Montgomery
    BPL Member

    @dsmontgomery

    Locale: one snowball away from big trouble

    This is so epicly awesome, Roger. All the drooling we have done over these tents in BPL articles will not have been in vain. Any chance we'll get a BPL article on licensing a design or the production process?

    #1885040
    David Ure
    Member

    @familyguy

    OI! Oi! Oi!

    Can't wait – I'll definitely buy one for the winter.

    #1885044
    John West
    Spectator

    @skyzo

    Locale: Borah Gear

    Sweet! Count me in for the winter one.

    #1885045
    James holden
    BPL Member

    @bearbreeder-2

    it aint "cottage" … so it aint BPL coool ;)

    good for you !

    #1885049
    Mike Klinefelter
    Spectator

    @mjkline

    Locale: Southern California

    2014, as in 2 years from now?

    #1885051
    Stephan Doyle
    Member

    @stephancal

    Easton is really stepping up their game lately. Good on them, and a fantastic opportunity for you Roger to share your expertise with the world!

    #1885052
    Nick Truax
    BPL Member

    @nicktruax

    Locale: SW Montana

    That is awesome, Roger! Congrats are in order – can't wait to see em.

    #1885054
    Ken Thompson
    BPL Member

    @here

    Locale: Right there

    I can hardly wait for a certain somebody's response to this news.

    #1885055
    NW Hiker
    Spectator

    @king2005ify

    While I found your "reviews" to be completely biased, and to me almost seemed to be selling your product, I do wish you success and look forward to the tent line.

    #1885062
    P. P.
    Member

    @toesnorth

    Locale: PNW

    Looks good! I will want to try it myself rather than rely on reviews. ;-)

    #1885064
    Miguel Arboleda
    BPL Member

    @butuki

    Locale: Kanto Plain, Japan

    I have been keenly interested and ever hopeful of being able to one day get one of your tents since 2002, when I first read your website and all the information you put in there (and when I also had an exchange with you about making one myself). Ten years! Finally they'll be here! Definitely put me on the waiting list!

    #1885066
    Michael Duke
    Member

    @mpd1690

    Congratulations! It's good to see some excellent quality tents reaching into the mainstream market.

    #1885068
    Tad Englund
    BPL Member

    @bestbuilder

    Locale: Pacific Northwest

    Man, I leave the computer for a few minutes and look what happens.
    Congratulations Roger- I have been trying to figure out how to get my hands on one for years. I didn't want to make the several versions you did to get where they are now.
    I just hope the price isn't in the stratosphere.
    Put me on the wait list.

    #1885069
    Bradley Danyluk
    BPL Member

    @dasbin

    Spectacular, Roger!

    Thank you so much for persuing this. The community can only benefit. Could be a game-changer to all manufacturers interested in persuing lightweight designs, and I hope this brings you reward.

    I'll probably end up buying both eventually, or maybe just the winter one, depending on pricing.

    Couple questions:

    1) Do you have any concerns over using carbon fiber instead of aluminum for the poles? I understand the stresses of your pole design will be far more suitable to carbon fibre than poles which undergo a bend – however, it seems to me that the apex sections are still not exactly delivering a linear load straight down the poles. Add in strong crosswinds and it gets even more complicated.

    2) I'm curious how it's possible to only have a 300g difference between a single-skin 3-pole summer design and a double-skin 4-pole design. I would have expected far more.

    PS: Please consider looking into the physics of condensation-reduction benefits of aluminized fabrics. Like I've mentioned… that's my dream tent :)

    #1885070
    Jeffs Eleven
    BPL Member

    @woodenwizard

    Locale: NePo

    People: You can't wait for the winter tent, you gotta buy the summer weight one so we can get TO the winter tent! So everybody buy a summer weight tent- they'll all end up set up once in the back yard, 'not liked', and gear swapped like everything else anyway.

    Sierra Designs is about to have a $1500 tent, so even $1000 for "The Caffin Coffin" [;)] doesn't seem so bad.

    AND HE SAID AT THE BEGINNING OF THE ARTICLE IT CONTAINS A LOT OF OPINION!!!

    Way to go Rog!!

    #1885074
    Miguel Arboleda
    BPL Member

    @butuki

    Locale: Kanto Plain, Japan

    Barry, the tents haven't even been made yet. Isn't it standard when starting up a new venture to give one design a first shot to see what customer response will be like, and then build up from there? Not sure what you're getting at. At least the tents will now be available! That's more than we've had a chance at ever since Roger first started talking about the tents. (I've always been rather frustrated with the reviews comparing tents in which one of Roger's tents was used, declared the best of the lot, and then the readers never having access to one). I say it's time to rejoice! The criticisms of the tents can come after they go into production and we all get to try them out, no?

    #1885077
    Jeffs Eleven
    BPL Member

    @woodenwizard

    Locale: NePo

    Miguel

    I AM excited about the tents!! very much so

    "The Caffin Coffin" came from the thread after the article, somebody was calling him Roger Coffin

    And the 'Buy the summer one first" was from my understanding, they are gonna make the summer weight one first and if it sells, move on the the more expensive winter weight model.

    I bet these things will be amazing

    #1885078
    James Marco
    BPL Member

    @jamesdmarco

    Locale: Finger Lakes

    Congradulations, Roger! Well done.

    #1885079
    Eric Blumensaadt
    BPL Member

    @danepacker

    Locale: Mojave Desert

    Congratulations Roger.

    It must give you a feeling of gratification to see your designs recognized by a high end manufacturer AND be asked to work with them.

    Can't wait to see the summer tent.

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