Family Tent Recommendations

[sbcman]

Hello folks, we're looking for a tent to hold a family of five. Any recommendations? Thanks!

 

[snorko]

What kind of camping will you be doing? It may be advisable to go with one larger tent for adults and gear and 1 or 2 smaller tents for the kids, depending on ages. Heck, one of my favorite tents I have is a big +/-6x10ish canvas monstrosity, red canvas Girl Scout logo, I got from the Anchor Industries outlet store in Evansville.

 

[Mark-DuCo]

When I take the family camping at a campground, we use a Coleman Canyon Breeze, they are a bit pricey, but it is nice to have a center room for gear or family room if it rains, with two bedrooms off to the side. I got mine for $100 from a guy that works at gander mountain. Someone bought it, opened the box and returned it never even taking it out of the box.

 

[snapping turtle]

Had a old Colman canvas tent growing up. Was heavy and had a weird smell. It got passed down to me and we used it deer hunting for years in deer camp. Lost it in a flash flood in West Virginia a few years ago. I believe that tent would have been nearly 50 years old today. They don't make them like that anymore.

That at said tent smith makes some nice canvas tents like carnival tents and reproductions if you are into that. Google them.

 

[Slawburger]

Coleman 14x10 Foot 8 Person Instant Tent:Amazon:Sports & Outdoors

I think they are cheaper at WalMart and Target.

Heavy and bulky, strictly for car camping in places where you can drive to your campsite. They go up quickly and easily, the straight walls provide a lot of usable space for the footprint, plenty of room to stand, holds up well. Great for family camping.

It really depends on what type of camping you plan to do. I have different tents for specific uses. If you plan to hike the family into Red River Gorge then my recommendation would be different.

 

[PistolBob]

What's your budget range? How old are the kids?

Avoid canvas tents at all cost. If it rains they weigh millions of pounds and without adequate ventilation they will mildew and they will rot. For camping around here you need your basic nylon tent. If you don't mind buying a new one every three or four times you go camping, then a cheapie from Gander, Target, Walmart will be just fine. The bigger the thing is the more help you will need to set it up. I highly advise you and the better half setup and take down the tent in your yard at least two times before the big camping trip. Also consider the fact you may end up pitching it in the dark or the rain...so it's good if you both know how it goes together. If it was me, I'd get a medium tent for me, the wife, and the family gear...and get another tent for the kids to sleep in. It's faster to put up two smaller tents than one gigantic tent...but if the kids are little tykes then you may want to put everyone in the same tent.

If you have some decent tent budget ($400-$500) I would suggest you look at Eureka brand tents. My scout troop is using Eureka tents that are going on 20 years old. We love them. We have to replace the zippers about every 4-5 years because the boys are too dense to understand the simple fact they must be UNZIPPED for the doors to work. Eureka tents don't leak, they go together quickly, and they last for a long long time. Moss is another very good durable brand.

What kind of camping are you wanting to do? State parks? National forest? Wilderness?

Have fun!

 

[sbcman]

Lots of good info here folks and I appreciate it. We're mainly planning to do some state park camping and I suspect we'll be fair weather campers, at least until the kids get older. I'll be looking into all the suggestions- thanks again!

 

[Cameramonkey]

I'll second Eureka. I have a 2 person tent thats nearly 20 years old, and has been used alot. I wont hesitate to spend the extra $$ again. buying a cheap tent every couple years costs WAY more than a good Eureka.

 

[KittySlayer]

Eureka

Buy two tents. One for adults and one for kids, you'll thank me later. Get identical tents and then as parts break in the future you can canibalize from one to the other. A ground cloth will extend the life of the tent by protecting the floor and a mat (think welcome mat) just outside the door. Make (and enforce) a rule of absolutly NO food/drink inside and NO shoes worn inside, especially with kids. State park wildlife will sniff out the smallest crumb of food and chew through a tent to get it and shoes (on kids) destroy a tent floor.

Remember when shopping to ignore the ratings for number of people as the picture shows on the box, they are stacked inside like cordwood. We have a three person tent that barely has room for my petite wife and skinny me, often times I sleep outside in my bivy bag under the stars.

I would suggest you look at Eureka brand tents. My scout troop is using Eureka tents that are going on 20 years old. We love them.

Got a solid decade out of our Eureka Timberline (A-frame) tent and it would have lasted another decade but I loned it to my brother in law who pitched it too close to a fire.

 

[heavyhitter1k]

Buy two tents. One for adults and one for kids, you'll thank me later. Get identical tents and then as parts break in the future you can canibalize from one to the other. A ground cloth will extend the life of the tent by protecting the floor and a mat (think welcome mat) just outside the door. Make (and enforce) a rule of absolutly NO food/drink inside and NO shoes worn inside, especially with kids. State park wildlife will sniff out the smallest crumb of food and chew through a tent to get it and shoes (on kids) destroy a tent floor.

Remember when shopping to ignore the ratings for number of people as the picture shows on the box, they are stacked inside like cordwood. We have a three person tent that barely has room for my petite wife and skinny me, often times I sleep outside in my bivy bag under the stars.



Got a solid decade out of our Eureka Timberline (A-frame) tent and it would have lasted another decade but I loned it to my brother in law who pitched it too close to a fire.

I hate when I pitch a tent to close to a fire

 

[Slawburger]

Other general thoughts:

PistolBob is right about the canvas. They are nice for winter camping or primitive deer camps but weigh a ton when wet and smell bad when they start gathering mildew from being folded wet. All tents should be setup to dry after a wet campout but that is a chore with a heavy canvas tent. Since you are likely to be a three season camper until the kids get older I wouldn't consider canvas right now

KittySlayer is right about the capacity. The difference between "sleeps x people" and how many people and their gear can comfortably fit in a tent when it starts raining is similar to the difference between "gross pay" and "net pay". Unless you want to sleep in an alternating head to feet arrangement with all your gear outside, buy a bigger tent than the number of people that will be using it.

"Waterproof" seems to be a relative term among tent manufacturers. I setup all new tents a few days in advance and spray them with tent waterproofer (especially the seams). Let it stand for a day or two to dry and air out. Being cold and wet will suck all the fun out of a camping trip.

The one medium tent and one small tent idea is good depending on the age of your children, whether they need to be in the tent with you and how much privacy you want for kids and adults. I have a family tent, medium tent (which is used most often now) and a small backpacking tent. The first few years the family tent was the thing to have.

The pop-up canopies are relatively cheap now and make a great gathering place, cooking area and shady spot.

Your first year or two of camping is about being together as a family, getting everyone acclimated and making camping fun. Be comfortable. Later you can explore remote camping with light gear and a minimal footprint after everyone is hooked on camping.

 

[Indy_Guy_77]

Something else:

If the tent you choose has an optional "vestibule" - get it. Unless, of course, you can rig something up with a tarp and some line, that is.

And if you're car/truck camping, also think about one of those pop-up portable canopies. Put that sucker up right outside the door of your tent - have a "patio" and some shade. Just be sure that it's anchored well...

-J-

 

[Kokomo1]

If you like to make one, a "Blue Whale" is a nice design. We took the design in the video and created a larger one with a grid pattern. The grid allows it to use smaller PVC pieces which fit in a car trunk and make it a bit more sturdy. You can adjust the size also as needed. We have three full sized cots, cooking area, eating area, and communications area in our tent. We use it in the summer without the ends for more of a shade. Easy to put up and take down and very versatile

.

 

[Greenedog]

That's pretty cool Kokomo1!

I picked up the Coleman 6-Man Instant Tent at wally world last week. It was marked down from $149 to $124. No way it would fit 6 people, but it might be a good choice to go along with a smaller popup for the kids.

 

[sbcman]

I appreciate all the info! A buddy gave me an old Sears tent to try out. It's got a canvas floor, aluminum rods and some type of thick heavy material for the walls and ceiling. It's really heavy though and time consuming to put up. I think it would be great for several day camping trips but we're going to look into the suggestions ya'll have listed for overnighters.

Thanks again!

 

[PistolBob]

I appreciate all the info! A buddy gave me an old Sears tent to try out. It's got a canvas floor, aluminum rods and some type of thick heavy material for the walls and ceiling. It's really heavy though and time consuming to put up. I think it would be great for several day camping trips but we're going to look into the suggestions ya'll have listed for overnighters.

Thanks again!

For fun and giggles, and good "dry run" you might set it up in the backyard and have a campout with the kids one Saturday night. Include cooking a meal or two outside. You'll be amazed at how much stuff you will find out you don't need. That way if you forget something you're still at home and not 60 miles away.

My kids loved making hobo meals (foil packs). Just slice up some veggies (taters, onions, carrots) and put them in a foil pack with about 4oz of burger. Seal it up real good and just lay it right on the coals, about 10 mins each side. Season with salt and pepper and a squirt of BBQ sauce and you have a meal fit for a king...plus the kids get to make their own.

 

[sbcman]

For fun and giggles, and good "dry run" you might set it up in the backyard and have a campout with the kids one Saturday night. Include cooking a meal or two outside. You'll be amazed at how much stuff you will find out you don't need. That way if you forget something you're still at home and not 60 miles away.

My kids loved making hobo meals (foil packs). Just slice up some veggies (taters, onions, carrots) and put them in a foil pack with about 4oz of burger. Seal it up real good and just lay it right on the coals, about 10 mins each side. Season with salt and pepper and a squirt of BBQ sauce and you have a meal fit for a king...plus the kids get to make their own.

Great suggestions! We had planned to do a run out back just to see what we would need. Those hobo meals are a cool idea, we'll definitely give them a try- thanks!

 

[PistolBob]

Great video on making "Hobo Meals"

HOBO DINNER - YouTube

 

[Slawburger]

Don't forget the Banana Boats for dessert.

Campfire Banana Boats Recipe : Ree Drummond : Food Network

 

[sbcman]

We pulled the trigger last week on an Ozark Trail 10 man instant tent. After trying to rig up an old sears (heavy, canvass tent) a buddy gave us we decided for a night or two we needed something lighter and easier to set-up. We also figured that we can upgrade to a better tent later if it seems like something we will stick with. We normally buy an annual state park pass and boat launch pass and decided that we would pick those up at Lincoln and try a night of camping at Lincoln State park.

Everything went great! We had the campground to ourselves and we took along some Hobo meals and Banana boats LOL. The kids had a blast and it was good for us all to just hang out together.

I really do appreciate all the advise given on this thread. Some things we learned was:

The kids were OK on the ground, the wife and I purchased inflatable beds the next day

Primitive camping is fine with us, we didn't need electric or water at the campsite. (Which, for those interested, Lincoln will no longer have "primitive" sights starting last Friday. It's now 2 bucks more for the same area but they've built a new shower/bath house on the sight.)

Taking a Heater Buddy was a good idea

Although we purchased a 10x10 netted canopy and a foldable table, these weren't needed at that sight and in this weather.

State Park firewood is just terrible. We'll be bringing our own next time.

Thanks again folks!