Family Tent Help

[zippy23]

So I havent been camping since i was a kid, now i have a family and we want to camp. We plan on camping in spring, summer and fall. I've researched tents on amazon and on here, seems coleman has a lot of negative reviews. we want an 8 person tent, since we got two kids. I dont need the instant pop up, i dont mind setting it up, since it seems the instant pop up ones may not be as good of quality. Suggestions? I'd prefer the bathtub bottom, and good ventilation, since we'll be camping in missouri middle of summer when its 95 degrees with 95% humidity. Or maybe someone might have better suggestions for me. What do you have, and what do you like? Thanks

 

[RobbyMaQ]

We've used a Coleman Weathermaster 10 for maybe 7+ years now with little issue.
As it's aged, the springs/fasteners inside the poles have started to wear, but can be inserted back into the poles easily enough.

It's big, weighs a lot... but then again, it it's slept us four more than comfortably all of those years. We've never used the 'room dividers', but air mattress on one end for the kids, and the other end for us, left room in the center for rainy weekends. Packs/Gear sit at the foot of each bed. It takes about 20 minutes to setup when you are used to the procedure. We've taken it down in the rain often enough... sucks as much as taking any other tent down in the rain...

They seem a bit pricey nowadays. I don't think we spent over $150 for ours

 

[Tandem160]

We have an old LL Bean family tent that slept "6". I suggest leaving your budget at home and buying a name brand tent. Your on the right track with tub floor and good ventilation. We purchased ours 15 years ago and it's still good today. Look for a tent that has a vestibule. A vestibule allows you to keep dirty shoes and other items outside of the tent, saving the valuable space inside. You will also want a rain-fly, look for one that will cover a lot of the tent and provide good ventilation. Next comes weight, we car camped for a couple of years then started back packing. The lighter the more expensive. We simply divided the weight the best we could. Everybody carried something so it wasn't to bad. I'd look into the Marmot Limestone 6 or 8. They aren't cheap for a reason. The money you save by camping will offset the cost of an expensive tent in no time and you'll have something to show for it. I would avoid the tents that have rooms. They are heavier and have more parts. We use a Marmot 2 and a MSR Elbow room 3 now. It comes down to doing it...getting those kids outside and having fun no matter what you chose. Have fun!

 

[Lee11b]

hey don't forget to check out REI, they can give good advice, and have some unique return policies....such as mailing a hiker the right size boots at the next major trail stop

 

[Bonkers4Bacon]

We were recently given the Coleman Evanston 8. We love it. Has a screened-in porch/vestibule. Has great reviews on Amazon. Plenty of room. I'm almost 6' and I can stand up straight inside. Great tent

 

[KittySlayer]

...camping in spring, summer and fall...
... we want an 8 person tent, since we got two kids...

I would suggest you buy two(2) four person tents. One tent for mom and dad and a second tent for the kids. Get identical tents so as the kids destroy their tent you can mix and match parts and then upgrade the parents tent later. Two tents creates some independence for the kids which is what part of camping is all about. If there is a scary storm you can stuff all four people into one tent but it will be cozy. If you decide to go beyond car camping you also have a small enough tent you can carry it.

Smaller footprints makes choosing ideal sites easier as low spots are the typical problem with water infiltration and two small flat spots are easier to find than one big flat spot. Another moisture issue is condensation inside so be sure you have appropriate ventilation, even when all zipped up for a storm. Finally make sure windows have some coverage for sideways type rain, a good rain fly keeps the rain out but allows ventilation. Another advantage of two smaller tents is they are more windproof. Seam seal the seams on your tent if not done at the factory on higher end tents. All tents are great until the first storm, I have seen many a campsite clear out after an afternoon storm when everyone's Walmart tent with a bathtub floor is just like a bathtub with a few inches of water.

Spring and fall don't matter, adjust this with the sleeping bags and pads you use. Some folks worry about being able to stand up inside but when camping the tent is really for sleeping and riding the storm out, the rest of the time you should be outside the tent enjoying nature. A groundcloth footprint under the tent will help extend its life, just be sure the groundcloth is smaller and is tucked in 6 inches from the edge of the tent so it does not collect water and funnel it underneath. Also see the great advice from Tandem160.

Buy yourself some MSR Groundhog Stakes and ditch the crappy ones that come with any tent you buy. A plastic camping mallet is nice too. You'll thank me later. We have had many years of service from our Eureka Timberline tents. I like the A frame because if a pole breaks I can replace it with a branch in the field which is impossible with some of the wonder poles that are all bendy.

 

[SkinNFluff]

Keep in mind most reviews the internet are going to be bad. The bad review people want to rant, the good review people are happy and just don't think about leaving a review. Most of the new tents out there are made with thin nylon, thin floors, thin fiberglass poles, and plastic zippers. They are made to be light weight, and to take up very little room. When people abuse the tent in some way it will not hold up. (just look at all the people with broken screens on their cell phones who "take very good care of everything".) So don't let online reviews get to you too much.

Now once you decide on what tent you want, my advise is to buy a heavy canvas tarp roughly the same size as the floor. When you set the tent up, lay the tarp down first and set your tent up on the tarp. This will do a couple things to help extend the life of the tent. One it keeps sticks, twigs, and rocks from poking holes through the floor of the tent. The other this is that it provides a moisture barrier between the ground and your tent. When you break your tent down you will save yourself a lot of work brushing off the dirt and debris and drying the moisture up before trying to fit it all back in the little bag. The only down sides to using a canvas tarp is that they may cost more than your tent, they take up more room than your tent and they weigh more than your tent.

 

[zippy23]

good stuff, thanks.

 

[dprimm]

Another thing about rei... Members get awards at the end of the year, coupons for items, AND they give money to local outdorors groups.

Would love to know the story about the boots.

 

[pjcalla]

REI is a great company. Do not be afraid to buy their brand. I have a couple fleeces that I bought over 10 years ago, and they still look great.

I do not know your budget, but here is a good looking tent.

REI Kingdom 8 Tent - REI.com

Pretty cool that you can convert half of it to a "bug shelter" which would also greatly improve your ventilation. The optional "garage" looks awesome as well. I would also buy the footprint, which will help protect the floor, as someone else alluded to above with the canvas tarp.

 

[KittySlayer]

REI is a great company. Do not be afraid to buy their brand.

Our current light and fast tent is from REI that we bought a couple of years ago. I am impressed with it and anticipate many years of service. Setup is pretty intuitive and we were able to put it up in the dark by flashlight the first time without instructions before the rain started ten minutes later. While we succeeded with limited cussing I recommend you practice at least once in the back yard first.

Got a solid decade of use from our A-frame Eureka including use by a teenage boy. We liked it so much I gifted it to my kid and we bought another one for our larger car camping tent.

 

[Mark-DuCo]

I have a Coleman canyon breeze and I love it. I can stand up anywhere in the tent, and the light with a switch by the door is a handy little feature. It is fairly easy to set up. I have done it myself, but 2 people can do it very easily. It is a big tent, but it is nice to be able to keep all of our food and everything in the dry if it rains.

 

[Dosproduction]

How bout American made? Any idea what brands are made here. Im thinking of a tent now as well but would prefer it made in good old USofA

 

[terrehautian]

This is the tent I have. It survived a pretty good thunderstorm with minimal leaking (hard to not have it with sideways rain).

Kmart.com

 

[jdmack79]

So I havent been camping since i was a kid, now i have a family and we want to camp. We plan on camping in spring, summer and fall. I've researched tents on amazon and on here, seems coleman has a lot of negative reviews. we want an 8 person tent, since we got two kids. I dont need the instant pop up, i dont mind setting it up, since it seems the instant pop up ones may not be as good of quality. Suggestions? I'd prefer the bathtub bottom, and good ventilation, since we'll be camping in missouri middle of summer when its 95 degrees with 95% humidity. Or maybe someone might have better suggestions for me. What do you have, and what do you like? Thanks

I'm my opinion, one of the best values in a tent today is a Gander Mountain branded tent. When I used to work for GM, they flew me up to Minnesota to learn about some of their new products. Of of the store branded products that they seemed most proud of was their tents. All Gander brand tents are made by Kelty and have a really heavy waterproof coating. I've had a Gander brand tent for a few years now and have abused the heck out of it. The tent's still going strong.

Family Tents | Gander Mountain

 

[tradertator]

I have the same Eureka! tent I bought in high school, and it's still going strong. It's seen a lot of adventures, and survived some really nasty weather. In fact, on one occasion I was at a party with a bunch friends and a real nasty storm rolled in (later we found out there was actually a tornado in the area). Any how, I woke up in the morning dry and comfortable with the rest of the crew packed inside with me, because their cheap Wal-Mart specials were destroyed in the storm. You definitely get what you pay for with a tent and as long as you're not needing an ultra light weight backpacking setup, a couple hundred bucks will buy you something you'll be using a couple decades from now. Also as already posted, REI is great if you need advice.

 

[zippy23]

Should the tarp i get for the footprint be larger than the area of the tent or a bit smaller? If its a bit larger and rains would it collect water around the edges of the tent or underneath? random question i know but thats what ingo is for right? Thanks

 

[PistolBob]

Should the tarp i get for the footprint be larger than the area of the tent or a bit smaller? If its a bit larger and rains would it collect water around the edges of the tent or underneath? random question i know but thats what ingo is for right? Thanks

A bit smaller...if you buy a Eureka tent, Eureka makes a ground cover called a foot print...it's just a shade smaller than the bottom of the tent. If you buy a Coleman with a bathtub bottom in it, you usually don't need a ground cloth as the bathtub floors are allegedly waterproof. Having a ground cover makes the tent last longer and you can make your own out of thick clear roll plastic for a couple bucks.

 

[Bonkers4Bacon]

Should the tarp i get for the footprint be larger than the area of the tent or a bit smaller? If its a bit larger and rains would it collect water around the edges of the tent or underneath? random question i know but thats what ingo is for right? Thanks

I personally get one larger than the footprint then roll up the edges. That way water won't get on top of the tarp between it and the tent, which would cause a wet tent. Less likely for that to happen if the tarp edges are rolled up and tucked under the edge of the tent.

 

[SkinNFluff]

I personally get one larger than the footprint then roll up the edges. That way water won't get on top of the tarp between it and the tent, which would cause a wet tent. Less likely for that to happen in the tarp edges are rolled up and tucked under the edge of the tent.

I agree. Go with a larger tarp and fold it down to the size you need. For example.. My son' tent is a 5x6. The tarp sizes I had the choice of was 4x6 and 5x7. Now note that a tarp is sized prior to folding the edges and sewing it. So a 5x7 tarp measures out around 4'8"x6'8". The 4x6 would be around 3'8"x5'8". Folding the edge up under the tent is simple enough.