Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

good afternoon.............new guy here need help on BIG tent

Collapse
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

  • good afternoon.............new guy here need help on BIG tent

    hello. i was an avid camper growing up.. then in my teens my parents got a 5th wheel. im 40 now and havent been in a tent since i was about 14.

    im all grown up, and have a wife and 4 kids. my wife has never been camping nor have the kids. they ask EVERY single day when can we go camping. next year we are spending 3 weeks in orlando florida (visiting a famous mouse) and i thought THAT will be a great time to camp!! especially their resort campground is about 70% than staying in the hotels. anyway i REALLY need a good 10-12 person tent. i know i know theres 6 of us. but i like my space and with a special needs son we could use the extra space for a lot of his medical stuff. anyway id like some suggestions on a good tent.

    air mattresses and all that come later........

    coleman? big horn? ozark trail? what is what out there?

    im guessing something with a rain fly, or i guess i could cover the tent with a tarp if need be for extra rain coverage. it doesnt matter if it has "rooms" as long as it has zip down or similar area dividers.

    please help a new camper out!!

    thank you!

  • #2
    Re: good afternoon.............new guy here need help on BIG tent

    I have looked at the Browning Big Horn Tent for the price and warrantee, it is 10 x 15 and I think it would be awesome for around 250.00, don't know much about Ozark however I'd run and run fast, spending another 100.00 or so I think that you could get a better tent. I'm looking at the Marmot 8 person tent for us and two teenage daughters, however it is 500.00 to 600.00, also the Kodiak canvas 10 x 14 is also another one of my considerations and they run about the same as the Marmot tents. I've read that Eureka tents are a good mid range price tent. I've always thought about having a larger tent for all to sleep in and smaller one for supplies. Best wishes on your tent choice I'm also in the same place you are at choosing. For mild weather and large area and good price the Big Horn seems great, has great reviews on Amazon.

    Comment


    • #3
      Re: good afternoon.............new guy here need help on BIG tent

      Usually the Ozark and the Coleman are close in price and the Colemans are a bit better construction- I have three of them and have been pleased. I am a May to September tent camper and they work for me.

      Lots of places have tents marked down now, so some good deals are out there.

      Target has a good price at $199 on the Coleman Hampton 9 person tent (14'x10') with good reviews. Nice straight walls which would likely be ok for Florida weather
      http://www.target.com/MCustomReview?partNum=12034513

      Campsaver has the Eureka Copper Canyon 12 person (14'x12') for $449 for a comparison. Look at dimensions rather than number of people. I guess that extra two feet lets three more people sleep in it It is a nicely made tent, though.
      http://www.campsaver.com/copper-canyon-12-tent

      Ideally, you could have two tents. But some places will not let you have two "dwellings" where some don't care as long as you don't encroach on another site.

      Sometimes I use my little travel trailer for living in, and the four person tent in my avatar as an outbuilding to store fishing gear, medical oxygen bottles, and camp chairs. Most places are fine with it, so it is good to ask. The medical oxygen storage need and the handicap designation on the tow vehicle kind of validates why we are wanting to use the tent along with the trailer once we explain the need. Plus, sometimes it it kind of silly to potentially say no when my 18' travel trailer with an 8' tent set up behind it are parked next to a 45' motor home.

      NO one has ever said no to tent and trailer, btw, but some places are adamant on their website that only one dwelling is allowed. We usually stay at free campsites or mom & pop places that are more laid back, so your mouse ears experience might be more regulated.
      Last edited by actad; 08-23-2016, 04:26 PM.
      - Laura
      Coleman Dome/Instant Cabin Tents, Kamprite IPS, Shasta Oasis 18ft Travel Trailer

      Comment


      • #4
        Re: good afternoon.............new guy here need help on BIG tent

        I think you'd be much happier with two tents, either two 6-man tents or a 4- and 6-man tent. Tents in the size you are describing, to achieve rain and wind integrity, cost thousands of dollars. Smaller tents are less expensive, require less poles/sq. ft. of fabric, are available from more manufacturers, and are much easier to set up. Consider this also: most campsites are arranged to allow several options for setup for tents no larger than 10 X 10. Once you go big, you are relegated to only one siting choice, often not the one you'd prefer. Stick with brands like Big Agnes, Mountain HardWear, Northface, REI, EMS, A16, Sierra Designs and some models sold by Kelty and Eureka and Apex. If you only plan on a trip or two over the next few years, by all means buy big-box junk. If you actually are planning on CAMPING OUT, do yourself a favor and avoid the bottom-feeder brands. You'll spend less for quality in the long run...don't ask me how I know this! :money:
        “People have such a love for the truth that when they happen to love something else, they want it to be the truth; and because they do not wish to be proven wrong, they refuse to be shown their mistake. And so, they end up hating the truth for the sake of the object which they have come to love instead of the truth.”
        ―Augustine of Hippo, Fifth Century A.D.

        Comment


        • #5
          Re: good afternoon.............new guy here need help on BIG tent

          I would agree with the 2 tents being better than 1 except that the OP's situation is different than most families. With a special needs son requiring medical supplies, it is likely that the OP and his wife would not be comfortable having him in a separate tent that might be a fair distance away from their own. That leaves two options for using 2 tents:

          1. the 3 other children sleep in one tent and the special needs child sleeps in the tent with the parents - this singles out the one child and removes him from the companionship of the other kids and emphasizes his difference.

          2. the parents split up and each sleeps with 2 kids in a tent - this lessens the singling out, but makes it less enjoyable for the parents, and again, the kids lose out on the companionship of sleeping in a tent together.

          For that reason, I think the OP's choice of one tent is a good one. At least for starting out. The larger tent will limit the campground options to an extent, but in the beginning of their camping experiences, I think that's OK. As they get used to camping, and get comfortable with being out there with a special needs child, then they can look at alternatives that will provide more versatility and enable them to expand on their campground options.
          “One could not be a successful scientist without realizing that, in contrast to the popular conception supported by newspapers and mothers of scientists, a goodly number of scientists are not only narrow-minded and dull, but also just stupid.” - James D. Watson

          Comment


          • #6
            Re: good afternoon.............new guy here need help on BIG tent

            Originally posted by Bryman31 View Post
            hello. i was an avid camper growing up.. then in my teens my parents got a 5th wheel. im 40 now and havent been in a tent since i was about 14.

            im all grown up, and have a wife and 4 kids. my wife has never been camping nor have the kids. they ask EVERY single day when can we go camping. next year we are spending 3 weeks in orlando florida (visiting a famous mouse) and i thought THAT will be a great time to camp!! especially their resort campground is about 70% than staying in the hotels. anyway i REALLY need a good 10-12 person tent. i know i know theres 6 of us. but i like my space and with a special needs son we could use the extra space for a lot of his medical stuff. anyway id like some suggestions on a good tent.

            air mattresses and all that come later........

            coleman? big horn? ozark trail? what is what out there?

            im guessing something with a rain fly, or i guess i could cover the tent with a tarp if need be for extra rain coverage. it doesnt matter if it has "rooms" as long as it has zip down or similar area dividers.

            please help a new camper out!!

            thank you!

            You can read what the others said about weather or not to use multiple tents. I want to advise against your first trip being a 3 week trip to Disneyworld. I think that you would do well to take a short shake down trip just to sort things out. A 3 week trip is a pretty big thing.
            “I would feel more optimistic about a bright future for man if he spent less time proving that he can outwit Nature and more time tasting her sweetness and respecting her seniority.”
            – E. B. White

            Comment


            • #7
              Re: good afternoon.............new guy here need help on BIG tent

              thanks for the input guys...........i actually went to REI yesterday on my lunch break. they had a 4 man tent (kingdom 4 i believe it was called) it was pretty nice actually. after spending time in it i too was opting for 2 tents....one good thing about my son is, he is pretty good about knowing how to use his equipment. PLUS the oldest kid is 9 and she is what we call "the protector" she helps manage his stuff too. so i think 2 tents MIGHT be good........maybe we bump them together door to door kinda? as for the 3 week trip the WHOLE trip will be 3 weeks....4 night on the way there (in hotels) 3-5 nights back (in hotels) so it reduces the tent time to about just over a week and a half or so, so that helps

              Comment


              • #8
                Re: good afternoon.............new guy here need help on BIG tent

                In that case, make sure the campground will allow 2 tents in 1 campsite (some private campgrounds don't allow this and require you to pay and use additional campsites).

                I agree with James to do a shakedown trip - even if it's in your backyard for a weekend. Get the hang up setting up and taking down the tent, how to lay out gear and bags to make the most of the tent space, as well as finding tasks that each family member can perform and letting them get comfortable with those tasks. Waiting until you get to mouseland for all that is potential disaster (do you really want to tell the kids they have to wait to go until you can figure out the darn stove....
                “One could not be a successful scientist without realizing that, in contrast to the popular conception supported by newspapers and mothers of scientists, a goodly number of scientists are not only narrow-minded and dull, but also just stupid.” - James D. Watson

                Comment


                • #9
                  Re: good afternoon.............new guy here need help on BIG tent

                  I'm late as usual, but I have heard good things about Eureka tents. Can't recommend Coleman based on personal experience.
                  2018: Any way the wind blows; doesn't really matter to me....Too Meee....

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    Re: good afternoon.............new guy here need help on BIG tent

                    i 100% agree on the prep camping. i figured 2 or 3 weekend yard camping trips will totally be to our benefit.

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      Re: good afternoon.............new guy here need help on BIG tent

                      Here's my 2 cents for what it's worth. Been camping for 2-3 weeks every summer for the past 10 odd years with now 3 kiddos. Altogether 5 of us sleep in a 10*12 Eureka Copper Canyon tent rated for 10 people. Our sleeping arrangements are a queen sized air mattress on a stand; a bunk bed cot setup and twin sized air mattress. We have a nice amt of space between each of us and certainly enough space for our gear. We also utilise a 12*12 screen house which is a multi use space: kitchen, bad weather L/R and can accommodate extra guests if needed. It's big enough to fit the picnic table but I rarely bother setting the tent up around it possibly because I'm lazy, LOL.
                      I do back the 2 tents up to each other (both have 2 doors and 1 has a decent sized awning) so that when the weather is bad we don't have to dodge the rain drops.

                      Eureka no longer makes my tent size; the nearest size that might fit your needs is the CC 12 which is 12*14. I've had no problems putting it up (takes about 15-20 minutes) and find it quite weather sturdy in an area susceptible to strong winds.

                      I see you checked out the REI Kingdom line and that's a well made tent as well.
                      2017:

                      July 3 to July 16- annual kiddo trip
                      Aug 2 to Aug 14- adult trip to recover from kiddos' outing. Bring on the Campari!



                      Comment


                      • #12
                        Re: good afternoon.............new guy here need help on BIG tent

                        We just got back from our first trip, and used the Browning Big Horn. It easily fit a queen mattress for my wife and I on one side, and my brother-in-law and Doberman on the other with room to spare. It is a really great tent and I definitely recommend it.

                        SW
                        "Life's battles don't always go to the stronger or faster man, but sooner or later the man who wins is the one who thinks he can."

                        http://www.stillnesswilderness.com






                        Comment


                        • #13
                          Re: good afternoon.............new guy here need help on BIG tent

                          We have an Ozark Trail 14x10 instant tent. I've been camping for years and years and this is the easiest tent that I've ever set up. We have a 4 person family and this tent is the perfect size. Ozark Trail does sell a 20x10 version of this tent which may suit your family size better. As far as putting the tent up it can be done in less than one minute with 2 people. One person can do it in about 2 minutes. The tent comes with the poles already attached. You literally take the tent out of the bag, lay it out, unfold the four corners, pull the corners up and snap the poles, pull the center poles and snap, and put the rain fly on (if you want) and you're done! (see video below).

                          Watch this video if you don't believe me: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=79lk-RAgRxU

                          As far as rain NO tent will ever be a house but if you do all you can before the rain you'll be better off.

                          1. Always camp with a thick tarp underneath, rain or shine.
                          2. Always seal the seams before camping.
                          3. If you know rain could happen bring an extra tarp for the top to divert down pours. The rain fly on most tents will stop light rain but not down pours.
                          4. Teach your kids how to SLOWLY unzip doors/windows. This is where tents always fail/rip.

                          CONS:

                          My biggest complaint is that the zippers aren't hardy enough (but tent makers are booking on that so you have to buy new tents). Our tent has two doors and one zipper has started to rip. My wife plans to sew the zipper.

                          PROS:

                          After putting up tents with poles that required assembly for years (and hating it), I will never not buy a tent that isn't instant up like this again. The one feature I wish this tent had was the hinged door that Coleman offers. Our friends have a Coleman with this feature and just having the ability to open the door like a house screen door is awesome. But losing the ability to setup the tent in a minute isn't worth it for me.

                          Comment

                          Working...
                          X