I am thinking of getting a snow tent for my car this winter, where should I buy it or should I rent?
Snow tent, recommended or not? Where to buy or rent?
- Thread starter Henry Jones
- Start date
I would not buy one from the big box stores.They have very small tubing as a frame & with a heavy wet snow you could wake up with the tent on your car.I find the best ones are made by tempo.They were one of the first in this & have worked out the kinks.Look in the newspaper for adds on were to buy.The head office is in laval on highway 15.
Tempo tubing is not any stronger than the big box stores as a matter of fact their roof is not as good as some of the others. their after sales service has a dropped in recent years .their is a better place on Labelle Snogone he has been in business for many years
Last time I looked, Tempos were made in China.
A decent local manufacturer is Bellon, provided you deal with one of their more experienced salespeople. If you choose to get a quote from them, ask for their most senior vendor.
He will visit your home and you'll have the advantage of not making a mistake on size. He'll come in with a book listing the various depth sizes you can go for, according to the municipality you live in. Make sure you consider the accessories -- like windows on both sides, a front two-flap "door" that closes in the middle, plastic caps on the feet and indicate to them that you want the extension that covers the distance from the back part of the tent going up to your garage wall to be sown by them before you pick it up, otherwise they'll remit it to you unsown and you'll have to attach it with a rope and it won't hold as well. They charge a small fee for sowing it.
Since they don't charge for a visit to give you a quote (you may want to ask them first), it might even be a good idea to call them just to get to know all of their specs and the model you'd need and then buy somewhere else using their recommendations, should you find a better deal elsewhere for the same or similar quality.
Like 100XTC indicated, thick tubing is important as is the thickness of the plastic tent. Bellon's framing is thick, as is their plastic. Unfortunately, some of their salespeople are equally thick, but since you only have to deal with them once, it's a mild inconvenience.
You'll also have to make sure you have room on the side or in a hidden part of your backyard, to store the framing once you dismantle it. It's a real eyesore if you don't have the place to store it.
I personally never liked plastic garages and would prefer to sign up for a snow removal contract, provided you can park your car inside. If you must go for a plastic garage, then get a good quality one since it will pay for itself over the long term. Just remember that you get what you pay for. You can always find a cheaper model at the big surface stores, but you have to compare apples with apples.
Good luck.
A decent local manufacturer is Bellon, provided you deal with one of their more experienced salespeople. If you choose to get a quote from them, ask for their most senior vendor.
He will visit your home and you'll have the advantage of not making a mistake on size. He'll come in with a book listing the various depth sizes you can go for, according to the municipality you live in. Make sure you consider the accessories -- like windows on both sides, a front two-flap "door" that closes in the middle, plastic caps on the feet and indicate to them that you want the extension that covers the distance from the back part of the tent going up to your garage wall to be sown by them before you pick it up, otherwise they'll remit it to you unsown and you'll have to attach it with a rope and it won't hold as well. They charge a small fee for sowing it.
Since they don't charge for a visit to give you a quote (you may want to ask them first), it might even be a good idea to call them just to get to know all of their specs and the model you'd need and then buy somewhere else using their recommendations, should you find a better deal elsewhere for the same or similar quality.
Like 100XTC indicated, thick tubing is important as is the thickness of the plastic tent. Bellon's framing is thick, as is their plastic. Unfortunately, some of their salespeople are equally thick, but since you only have to deal with them once, it's a mild inconvenience.
You'll also have to make sure you have room on the side or in a hidden part of your backyard, to store the framing once you dismantle it. It's a real eyesore if you don't have the place to store it.
I personally never liked plastic garages and would prefer to sign up for a snow removal contract, provided you can park your car inside. If you must go for a plastic garage, then get a good quality one since it will pay for itself over the long term. Just remember that you get what you pay for. You can always find a cheaper model at the big surface stores, but you have to compare apples with apples.
Good luck.
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yes you are right about Bellon but I learned that the best is still Snogone they also have Canadian made and will come to your house at n/c. they are one of the most reputable onesLast time I looked, Tempos were made in China.
A decent local manufacturer is Bellon, provided you deal with one of their more experienced salespeople. If you choose to get a quote from them, ask for their most senior vendor.
He will visit your home and you'll have the advantage of not making a mistake on size. He'll come in with a book listing the various depth sizes you can go for, according to the municipality you live in. Make sure you consider the accessories -- like windows on both sides, a front two-flap "door" that closes in the middle, plastic caps on the feet and indicate to them that you want the extension that covers the distance from the back part of the tent going up to your garage wall to be sown by them before you pick it up, otherwise they'll remit it to you unsown and you'll have to attach it with a rope and it won't hold as well. They charge a small fee for sowing it.
Since they don't charge for a visit to give you a quote (you may want to ask them first), it might even be a good idea to call them just to get to know all of their specs and the model you'd need and then buy somewhere else using their recommendations, should you find a better deal elsewhere for the same or similar quality.
Like 100XTC indicated, thick tubing is important as is the thickness of the plastic tent. Bellon's framing is thick, as is their plastic. Unfortunately, some of their salespeople are equally thick, but since you only have to deal with them once, it's a mild inconvenience.
You'll also have to make sure you have room on the side or in a hidden part of your backyard, to store the framing once you dismantle it. It's a real eyesore if you don't have the place to store it.
I personally never liked plastic garages and would prefer to sign up for a snow removal contract, provided you can park your car inside. If you must go for a plastic garage, then get a good quality one since it will pay for itself over the long term. Just remember that you get what you pay for. You can always find a cheaper model at the big surface stores, but you have to compare apples with apples.
Good luck.
I think the thread-starter is getting great advice here. I never dealt with Snogone before but based on your comments, I'd definitely call them for a quote.
Plus, whatever product you buy, you still have to maintain it. Pushing the snow off the roof from the inside, is a chore you have to perform regularly, in order to prevent build-up and prolong the life of the material. Another good accessory would be to buy a couple of heavy rectangular cement weights with a hole inside, so that you can slide them in the front part of the frame to stabilize it. Or you can install anchors into the ground that you can use every year.
so i guess their forte is not the leanto models i know a lot of people happy with Snogone. If you drive through Laval you will see a lot of Snogone
I have had a tent from Canadian Tire for several years now, it cost me $250. I was wondering about renting a tent. I was told that it cost about the price of the tent each year becuase of the labour to put it up and take it down. Can anyone verify?
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I would say that is accurate. The cost of leasing one, which usually includes a company putting it up, taking it down and storing it, is close to the cost of buying a low-level model.
When I owned my own home I had once bought an inexpensive one from one of the big box stores (reno-depot?) and way where I lived there was a lot of wind tunnelling down the driveway and the cover was destroyed in one winter.
Remember to look at quality as well as price and if you plan on setting it up when there is a lot of wind renting is a good option. If you set it up under "normal circumstances" it is preferable to buy... if you have the place to store it and are able to set it up and take it town.
Remember to use a wide broom when sliding the snow off the top from inside... anything else might poke through.
Ronnie,
Naughtylady
Remember to look at quality as well as price and if you plan on setting it up when there is a lot of wind renting is a good option. If you set it up under "normal circumstances" it is preferable to buy... if you have the place to store it and are able to set it up and take it town.
Remember to use a wide broom when sliding the snow off the top from inside... anything else might poke through.
Ronnie,
Naughtylady
The secret to keeping the tent in good shape.
As I have previously posted, I have a lower price tent from CDN Tire. The secret to keeping it in good shap is to tie it down good so it does not flop around in the wind. If heavy winds are expected, close it up with the fabric doors. The ones I have seen that colapsed are from wind and not snow load. To get rid of the snow on the roof I just give a few light pushes inside with a broom. They are making high pitched roofed tents now so the snow will slide off by itself.
As I have previously posted, I have a lower price tent from CDN Tire. The secret to keeping it in good shap is to tie it down good so it does not flop around in the wind. If heavy winds are expected, close it up with the fabric doors. The ones I have seen that colapsed are from wind and not snow load. To get rid of the snow on the roof I just give a few light pushes inside with a broom. They are making high pitched roofed tents now so the snow will slide off by itself.
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