The Armour Archive

I can get an 8W x 9L x 7H Civil War Wedge tent from FC Sutler for $270 or the exact same thing from Panther for $370. Is there a good reason to go with Panther over FC Sutler? I have heard lots of good things about panther obviously, but I dont want to spend the money unnecessarily.

Thanks!

Do they both come with the same things? IE, ropes, poles, stakes, dogbones? If so, what kind of ropes? What kind of stakes? What kind of poles.. Are they both the same weight fabric? Sunforger/non sunforger? Etc?

I'm really partial to my Panther.

I have the FC Sutlery Wedge and it rocks like Slayer, or like Slayer would rock if they were playing in a small wedge tent. I made my own poles and ropes pegs I use spikes and fender washers.

It's a good, solid tent and has NEVER leaked, I reccomend getting the second door too.

They are both sunforger 10.38 oz. Neither come with stakes or poles (i can make those myself). Both have 12" Sod Cloth.

uwhguy wrote:They are both sunforger 10.38 oz. Neither come with stakes or poles (i can make those myself). Both have 12" Sod Cloth.

I'm not familiar with the tent style.. do they have removable walls? If so, how are they held up?

They are wedge tents with a single door at one end. They have no "walls", and no ropes.

This was a longer post than I meant. Short version is if it's $100 or less difference absolutely go with the Panther. Longer version below.

I have a FC Sutler Roman wall tent (but was looking at a wedge and asked them 1000 questions) and my knight has a Panter wedge.

The fabric is more see through on the FC Sutler style (even people who have said they have the same thickness of fabric seem to have a heartier cloth by feel), if you want sod flaps you need to make sure the FC sod flaps is on the door as well (was a separate upgrade when I was looking at them), I'd strongly suggest getting a second door (again, with sod flaps) if you want a better comparison of the FC Sutler vs. Panther, Panther's doors have two rows of closures (thick cord ties) where FC Sutler has alternating (one inside, one further out) on the door that is made of flat canvas and less convenient to close.

I went with FC Sutler and would do it again the same way, however I'd offer the suggestion that you may want to get the ridge pole extension from Panther either way (I already had one). Additionally, getting a ground tarp from Panther is the way I'd go if you don't want to have an actual tarp inside your tent.

On a side note, I have known people that have used Panther Pavillions that have lasted 10 years if not treated as well and I've heard of many using them for 10+ if you treat them well. I've never heard of anyone who's had a FC Sutler for more than about 5 but that may have simply been an availability issue...

My personal advice is that if it all comes down to being the same, if it's $100 or less I'd go with a Panther. For my Roman Wall (I realize different from yours) it was going to be, I think, about $300 more for a Panther and $100 less for a midwest (which in my opinion is not as good a tent) so I went with FC Sutler.

Don't buy their setup kit, it's just 2x4 cut with stamp marks on it, not the high quality stuff you'd get from Panther.

And one last point, I know someone who ordered from FC and got the wrong tent. Wouldn't have been a big deal had they not needed to use it that weekend...so make sure you order it with enough time to set it up and possibly ship back before you need it for an event. I'm sure similar things could happen with other makers but I've never heard about it happening with Panther.

We are going on 7 years with our FC Sutler Roman wall tent with two doors and sod flaps all around. I made all the lumber pieces and ropes to go with it. We bought the ground cloth from FC Sutler. Also the stakes.

We have had zero problems with the tent. Weathers Pennsic storms well. Only during the absolute hardest rains do we get any ultra-fine spray inside. I have had that with a Panther Regent I had too.

We did have the stake loops at the bottoms of the walls replaced in 2009-2010. There were simple cotton and the dirt/water made them rot. I had the same problem on the above listed Regent.

We use a heavy duty blue poly-tarp under the ground cloth. Also, my wife came up with the idea to sandwich the sod flaps between a strip of poly tarp and the ground cloth... poly-tarp strip, sod flap, full tarp and floor cloth. no water inside tent and keeps the sod flaps from getting mucky and rotting.

Ok, thanks for the feedback guys! This is what I wanted to hear. I should have a new period tent for Pennsic

Really? I had one with the second door, and if I got another I would get a solid back.

The second door was a pain in the rear.

Cisco wrote:And one last point, I know someone who ordered from FC and got the wrong tent. Wouldn't have been a big deal had they not needed to use it that weekend...so make sure you order it with enough time to set it up and possibly ship back before you need it for an event. I'm sure similar things could happen with other makers but I've never heard about it happening with Panther.

Several members of my household have Panther tents. We all really like them. We have had a few very minor issues with them however.

My tent is a 15x21 Marquee. I purchased the setup package etc. When I got it, everything was there but the setup instructions that were sent with it were for a Norman wedge tent. This wasn't a problem for me as I don't need tree-ware to set up a tent anyways, but we did get a good laugh out of it.

One of our members got a 12'x12' Marquee with 7' walls (with the full setup package again). His center pole was cut for 6' walls. Again, no major problem.. a couple minutes with a table saw and a new 2x4 fixed it right up, but the first couple times we set it up we were trying to figure out what was wrong with the droopy roof.

Other then that, our Panther's have all been awesome. However, if (when) I buy another one, it will be with the lighter canvas. I got the heavy canvas on mine and after carrying and setting up my knight's tent (same size, lighter canvas) I really think that was a mistake.

Vladimir wrote:Really? I had one with the second door, and if I got another I would get a solid back.

The second door was a pain in the rear.

so to speak.

Why was it a pain?

I have a FC Wedge tent with two doors and I have had it for over 12 years. No rips, no tears and in decent shape. My friend has a panther for about the same amount of time, he has one door and his is in the same shape.

In my opinion, both perform well, panther is heavier than an FC but to me that means it is just a weight issue, no durability or anything else. Price wise, panther without options was more than FC with all the options a while back. I haven't looked for a new tent since then. I think I gave $150 for my FC tent 12+ years ago and I more than got my moneys worth.

Just a note. But, 8x9x7 wedge tent is really small.
Are you looking for more period perfect or the most bang for your buck?

Wedge tents are great for certain things and as long as you understand HOW to pack in them and what their limitations are (especially with smaller ones) they are a good SCA tent. But, you do need to understand the limitations of a wedge before you buy.

Also, you WANT 2 doors. Unless you camp in only cooler climates, you will want both doors to allow for air flow. Not to mention is makes positioning the tent easier as there is 2 front doors.

I would agree with wanting 2 doors in cool climate but who sits in there tent all day? All and all with enough time you can make your own tent's for little under 70 bucks. Tents in the worst condition can last you a really long time if you take care of it. 10 years to 5 years on a tents life isnt the damage of the weather but more of its owner. All tents are made the same wood, canvas, stakes. Save your money and go with the cheaper one. Besides if you need a new one that 100 bucks is already 1/3 of the cost towards your new one.

The reasons I want a wedge of that size are

Portability: I can fit that tent, plus stakes, groundcloth, and poles in the trunk of my little Kia.
Ease of Setup: I have set up similar sized wedge tents by myself, in the dark, in about 7 minutes.
Canvas: Looks better than modern tents; much cooler.