KAI- Observer Tent

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STARGATE OBSERVER TENT

We are very pleased to announce that our Stargate Tent has been chosen by Astronomy Magazine as one of the 2010 Star Products!

IN STOCK! at our Toronto Location.
IN STOCK! at our Niagara Falls, New York Location. We will ship direct to our American customers from this location!
IN STOCK! at our UK distributor. Altair Astro will ship direct to our European customers from their UK location!

We have been making our popular Observer Tents for many years now. Most people love them but there have been some criticisms and suggestions made over the years. We have listened.
Our new STARGATE OBSERVER TENT is a true expedition quality tent that is head and shoulders above all previous versions of our tents. We have contracted a company who manufactures tents for some of the best known names in the high end tent business. They have an excellent reputation for making very high end, quality survival tents and we had them build the Stargate Tent to the same high standards.
Colours of the tent will be as shown in these images.

STARGATE SET-UP

Adobe PDF Format Set-up Instructions.pdf 1.016 MB

SPECIFICATIONS

Weight: 40 lbs, 18 kg (approximate)
Size (metric); 455 x 273/318 x 173/200/197cm (L x W x H = inner tent)
Size (imperial); 15' x 9'/10.4' x 5.7'/6.6'/6.5' (L x W x H = inner tent)
Observing Slot size (metric); 188 cm wide x 198 cm long
Observing Slot size (imperial); 6'2" wide x 6'6" long
* Key materials;

Flysheet; Polyester oxford 150D +2,000mm pigment coated + UVP,FR
Ground; Nylon oxford 210D +2000mm PU FR
Inner tent roof; Nylon taffeta 70D 190T PU FR and Polyester taffeta 75D 190T PU FR
Mesh; Polyester 68D Tricot

Poles; 16mm diameter,aluminum #6061 T8 w/alu. shock-cord pole w/alu. 7001 T6 insert
Zipper; YKK #5/#8 polyester R/C zipper,
Stakes; Aluminum #7075 7 inch long pin stakes (29 pcs)
Webbing; Polypropylene
Guy-rope; Polypropylene
Carry bag; Polyester oxford 450mm PU FR

* with welding seam tapes on inner tent/flysheet. * with set-up instruction sheet. * with webbing handle style zippered carry bag.

NEW FEATURE LIBRARY

Click on the images to enlarge

This image shows the ends of 4 sets of poles included with the new tent. You can see that one has a gold coloured end piece. We have done this to make it easy to distinguish from the other poles as it is shorter than the rest. It is the pole that goes into the end of the tent that contains the observing room. The other poles are now all the same length so they do not need colour coding.

This image shows the 4 sets of poles (all of which are shock-corded) all put together and laid down beside each other. As these poles have a wider diameter (16mm) and thicker wall that our previous aluminum poles, it is necessarry to give them a slight bend. They are lightweight but very strong and breakdown into a tidy and small package.

This image displays the built in colour coding that is sewn right into the tent, so that you, the owner, will know at a glance where the pole with the gold ends goes without any guesswork. Here, a corresponding gold coloured cordura peg loop indicates where the gold ended pole attaches.

This shows the same gold tab a little more clearly.

Here you can see the same colour coding on the pole sleeve for the gold ended pole. This flash of colour not only makes it easy to identify the correct sleeve to insert the pole but makes it very easy to orient the tent properly. As the gold coloured tabs are all on the observatory end of the tent, the tent can be quickly aligned to north and south.

This image shows the new, larger door. There are two doors, one at either end of the tent. Both doors have zip in bug netting. There is another entrance built into the vestibule in the rain fly. See images lower down. The vestibule entrance can be elevated to provide shade during the day. Seem more images of this below.

This image shows the loops that are attached to all the zippers on this tent. Although not shown in this image, these loops have green flourescent, glow in the dark fabric woven into them to make them easier to see in the dark . When the image is enlarged, the quality of the bug netting is readily apparent.

This image shows the type of tie-back for the doors when they are rolled back. The same tie back is used for the room divider that separates the observing room from the sleeping quarters/computer room and on the roll up window shade in the vestibule.

This close up shows one of the several loops that are sewn around the ceiling of the tent. These are made of a high quality cordura and are very handy for hanging things from, such as lights.

Here, we are showing a reinforced stress point. Extra fabric is sewn into every stress point around the floor where a tent peg goes into a tent peg loop. As well, in the enlarged image, you can see the welded seams that are built into these seams. All the floor seams are welded like this for superb waterproofing.

Here, we are showing the tent without the rainfly attached. It looks small right? Do not be fooled by this image! This tent is 10' wide, 15' long and 6'6" high at the center height. Add the rainfly, which has a 6' vestibule at the end and the tent is 21' long!

This close up shot shows the new built in guy line ties that are built into the STARGATE OBSERVER TENT. There are 20 of these for superb stabilization in high winds. Kendrick supplies guy lines for 10 only though. Also seen here is a plastic quick release clip. There are 4 of these (on the middle two poles) to which one can attach cordura cinch straps (owner supplied) for those of you who want even more wind stability that our standard guy lines provide.

Here we show the same shot but in a wider field of view so that you can see that there are indeed two anchor guy line connections along the side of the tent. Again, you can see the quick release clip that is available to use with quick release cordura straps of the owners making. At this time, Kendrick does not offer the cordura straps so you will have to make them yourself if you are interested.

This image shows one of the 4 corner cinch straps that can be used to tighten up the rain fly after it has been put over the tent. This keeps the rainfly nice and taught. You can also see the extra fabric sewn along the edge of the rainfly for added durability.

We now have a very easy to use and secure rain fly clip to connect the rainfly to the connecting rings around the base of the tent. You no longer need an additional set of tent pegs to secure the fly. And when you want to roll back the fly to expose the Observing slot, you simply unclip the fly, and then re-clip when you done. Nothing could be easier.

As in the older versions of our tents, the rainfly has to be rolled back and then tied back to allow for opening of the observing slot. With the STARGATE we have replaced these with 5 cordura straps with quick release connectors and heavier guage cordura straps. This is a much nicer and tidier look.

We now have an extension to the rain-fly that creates a vestibule at the end of the tent opposite the observing slot. It extends out about 6' or 2 meters (measured from the ground) and creates a very nice space to sit in to keep out of the sun during the day or to store extra equipment. The zippered door can be elevated to make a very nice shaded area. The vestibule had no floor though so anthing sensitive to moisture will need to be set on a ground sheet.

This image shows the vestibule with the end raised and in use. As you can see here, it comfortably accomodates two people. PLEASE NOTE: The telescoping poles used to hold the vestibule up are not included with the tent and must be purchased separately. Owners will have to purchase these seperately from a camping supply store. Typically, 48" to 96" telescoping poles work perfectly.

This is our tent with the rainfly completely installed and the vestibule flap raised, as seen from the side.

This image shows our new Stargate tent being field tested at a recent Canadian star party. The user loved it!

This image shows another view of the tent with the Observing slot open. I am standing inside it wiht my arms outstretched and I cannot touch the ends.

This displays the tent from the side. The tent is considerably bigger than it was in previous incarnations. It is 1 foot (25 cm) wider and, with the vestibule, 6 feet (1.5 meters) longer. The observing room is also 6" higher at its lowest end, making it 6' high. A 6' tall person can comfortably walk from end of the tent to the other without bending over. The higher dimensions also mean larger telescopes can be accomodated inside the tent.

IN CLOSING

We feel this tent meets and/or exceeds the expectations of our customers for a new Observer tent. We have really gone the extra mile with this product. It's robustness, build quality, ease of use and set-up will make it a pleasure to use and own for many years.

Item
No. Description Price
CAN Click to add
item to cart

Kendrick "Observer" Astronomy Tent

TESTIMONIALS

"I received the tent in time for the star party. I have to say the the quality of the tent is really impressive. I have owned numerous tents, including some high-end ones, and this matches or beats them all. The waterproofing is quite thick, the seams so well waterproofed that folding the tent is challenging because it acts like a balloon. The rain fly gives coverage to the ground, and has lots of guy rope points to keep it off of the tent fabric. Thanks very much for an excellent product!!!"
-Sam in Pennsylvania

Privacy Statement: All information submitted to Kendrick Astro Instruments will be treated with the utmost confidentiality and privacy. We do not share any information with any outside parties whatsoever.

Phone: 416 762 7946 Fax: 416 762 2765

This image shows the ends of 4 sets of poles included with the new tent. You can see that one has a gold coloured end piece. We have done this to make it easy to distinguish from the other poles as it is shorter than the rest. It is the pole that goes into the end of the tent that contains the observing room. The other poles are now all the same length so they do not need colour coding.

This image shows the 4 sets of poles (all of which are shock-corded) all put together and laid down beside each other. As these poles have a wider diameter (16mm) and thicker wall that our previous aluminum poles, it is necessarry to give them a slight bend. They are lightweight but very strong and breakdown into a tidy and small package.

This image displays the built in colour coding that is sewn right into the tent, so that you, the owner, will know at a glance where the pole with the gold ends goes without any guesswork. Here, a corresponding gold coloured cordura peg loop indicates where the gold ended pole attaches.

This shows the same gold tab a little more clearly.

Here you can see the same colour coding on the pole sleeve for the gold ended pole. This flash of colour not only makes it easy to identify the correct sleeve to insert the pole but makes it very easy to orient the tent properly. As the gold coloured tabs are all on the observatory end of the tent, the tent can be quickly aligned to north and south.

This image shows the new, larger door. There are two doors, one at either end of the tent. Both doors have zip in bug netting. There is another entrance built into the vestibule in the rain fly. See images lower down. The vestibule entrance can be elevated to provide shade during the day. Seem more images of this below.

This image shows the loops that are attached to all the zippers on this tent. Although not shown in this image, these loops have green flourescent, glow in the dark fabric woven into them to make them easier to see in the dark . When the image is enlarged, the quality of the bug netting is readily apparent.

This image shows the type of tie-back for the doors when they are rolled back. The same tie back is used for the room divider that separates the observing room from the sleeping quarters/computer room and on the roll up window shade in the vestibule.

This close up shows one of the several loops that are sewn around the ceiling of the tent. These are made of a high quality cordura and are very handy for hanging things from, such as lights.

Here, we are showing a reinforced stress point. Extra fabric is sewn into every stress point around the floor where a tent peg goes into a tent peg loop. As well, in the enlarged image, you can see the welded seams that are built into these seams. All the floor seams are welded like this for superb waterproofing.

Here, we are showing the tent without the rainfly attached. It looks small right? Do not be fooled by this image! This tent is 10' wide, 15' long and 6'6" high at the center height. Add the rainfly, which has a 6' vestibule at the end and the tent is 21' long!

This close up shot shows the new built in guy line ties that are built into the STARGATE OBSERVER TENT. There are 20 of these for superb stabilization in high winds. Kendrick supplies guy lines for 10 only though. Also seen here is a plastic quick release clip. There are 4 of these (on the middle two poles) to which one can attach cordura cinch straps (owner supplied) for those of you who want even more wind stability that our standard guy lines provide.

Here we show the same shot but in a wider field of view so that you can see that there are indeed two anchor guy line connections along the side of the tent. Again, you can see the quick release clip that is available to use with quick release cordura straps of the owners making. At this time, Kendrick does not offer the cordura straps so you will have to make them yourself if you are interested.

This image shows one of the 4 corner cinch straps that can be used to tighten up the rain fly after it has been put over the tent. This keeps the rainfly nice and taught. You can also see the extra fabric sewn along the edge of the rainfly for added durability.

We now have a very easy to use and secure rain fly clip to connect the rainfly to the connecting rings around the base of the tent. You no longer need an additional set of tent pegs to secure the fly. And when you want to roll back the fly to expose the Observing slot, you simply unclip the fly, and then re-clip when you done. Nothing could be easier.

As in the older versions of our tents, the rainfly has to be rolled back and then tied back to allow for opening of the observing slot. With the STARGATE we have replaced these with 5 cordura straps with quick release connectors and heavier guage cordura straps. This is a much nicer and tidier look.

We now have an extension to the rain-fly that creates a vestibule at the end of the tent opposite the observing slot. It extends out about 6' or 2 meters (measured from the ground) and creates a very nice space to sit in to keep out of the sun during the day or to store extra equipment. The zippered door can be elevated to make a very nice shaded area. The vestibule had no floor though so anthing sensitive to moisture will need to be set on a ground sheet.

This image shows the vestibule with the end raised and in use. As you can see here, it comfortably accomodates two people. PLEASE NOTE: The telescoping poles used to hold the vestibule up are not included with the tent and must be purchased separately. Owners will have to purchase these seperately from a camping supply store. Typically, 48" to 96" telescoping poles work perfectly.

This is our tent with the rainfly completely installed and the vestibule flap raised, as seen from the side.

This image shows our new Stargate tent being field tested at a recent Canadian star party. The user loved it!

This image shows another view of the tent with the Observing slot open. I am standing inside it wiht my arms outstretched and I cannot touch the ends.

This displays the tent from the side. The tent is considerably bigger than it was in previous incarnations. It is 1 foot (25 cm) wider and, with the vestibule, 6 feet (1.5 meters) longer. The observing room is also 6" higher at its lowest end, making it 6' high. A 6' tall person can comfortably walk from end of the tent to the other without bending over. The higher dimensions also mean larger telescopes can be accomodated inside the tent.

Item No.	Description	Price CAN	Click to add item to cart
Kendrick "Observer" Astronomy Tent