Young Family of 6 needs a new tent

[mum2simon]

We are avid campers, most often camping for a week at a time, many times a season...we start in May and finish in Sept. We live in the northeast. Our last tent was a Ozark Trail (aka Walmart brand) family cabin, 10x20 feet...tall in the middle for my husband and lots of space for our four young children and all their gear (none of who are quite old enough to really help in set up - 7, 5, 3, 0).

We loved the tent, but we dragged it it move it last season and got it caught on some branches and now it has some holes. Would love to replace it with something of the same size-ish and easy to set up (since I'm often setting up camp by myself with the kids) and hopefully durable.

Any thoughts?? I read through tons of posts, love the kodiak grand cabin, not sure I can talk my hubby into a tent that costs as much as a used pop-up that he wants, or that I can handle the weight of that by myself.

[James.]

Re: Young Family of 6 needs a new tent

I'm a big believer in buying stuff that suits your own needs and situation and obviously what you can afford. That being said there is nothing wrong with Walmart tents. When I was looking for a tent that my wife would find acceptable the only one that fit the bill was this one:
http://www.walmart.com/ip/34109034?w...roduct+Reviews

It seems that they have changed the design since we bought ours. It is now an instant tent which is cool. Ours wasn't bad but still takes about 20 minutes to set up. Obviously the new ones would be much faster. The room dividers can't be removed but the doors are large. I wish it had some hanging hooks but overall I like it. What I like most is that I can stand up everywhere inside and I am 6'3"

[frank6160]

Re: Young Family of 6 needs a new tent

Check this. I have used one for 7 years. Not a high end/dollar tent but has served us well. You should seal the seams well. I'm sure some here will bash it but my experience with it has been good.

http://www.amazon.com/Coleman-17-Foo...ed+canyon+tent

[05Kingquad700]

Re: Young Family of 6 needs a new tent

Frank,
I returned to camping in that tent. It is pretty big. Never did have a problem fitting into any tent pad. Had plenty of room for a family of 4 and a large dog. Don't remember any water leaks. My only complaint was in high winds it would flatten out. Or pancake. A week in Moab with atv riding during the day and a pan caking tent at night sent me elsewhere. Now, maybe I didn't have it guyed out properly, but have you have issues in high winds.

[NYCgrrl]

Re: Young Family of 6 needs a new tent

Hi and welcome, mom2simon.
So what I'm hearing is you want a tent in the 8-10 person category that's easy enough for one person to put up. You previously had one of these Ozark Trails models:

http://www.walmart.com/ip/Ozark-Trai...ingMethod=p13n

or

http://www.walmart.com/ip/Ozark-Trai...tlyViewedItems

or

http://www.walmart.com/ip/Ozark-Trai...t-Red/34109020

Which model looks most like what you already had and what features do you like best? 2 doors vs one? Cabin vs dome shape? Were there any things you didn't like about the tent?

[CMPR1966]

Re: Young Family of 6 needs a new tent

We did O.K. in the Red Canyon for some trips with 4 of us. It was easy to set up and has some good features. Ultimately I felt like it was not as roomy inside for it's footprint. I (6'3") could only really stand up in the middle. I spent most of my time in the tent "dancing" around my family bent over. I did have it leak one trip in a heavy storm where the fly dumps water onto the lower part of the tent. I later moved to a cabin style tent.

[michelliot]

Re: Young Family of 6 needs a new tent

Boy NYCgrrl, some of those are HUGE!

Do you need building permits when you set one of those structures up?

I thought my 11x11 Sunrise was large. Those are like attached two-families in Queens.

Mum2simon,
Enjoy the quest,
elliot

[NYCgrrl]

Re: Young Family of 6 needs a new tent

Boy NYCgrrl, some of those are HUGE!

Do you need building permits when you set one of those structures up?

I thought my 11x11 Sunrise was large. Those are like attached two-families in Queens.

Mum2simon,
Enjoy the quest,
elliot

They are large but are the only ones that fit the dimensions mom2simon listed. When I last camped at Watch Hill I had to borrow a smaller tent since my Copper Canyon was deemed too big for the sites, at somewhere around 11'x10':o.

[frank6160]

Re: Young Family of 6 needs a new tent

I've had it "flex" pretty bad a couple of times and in a couple of severe thunderstorms I thought once or twice it was about to come down but we are talking some pretty bad summertime storms. It made it throughthem and is still going .... I have several other tents and depending on how many of us are going what time of year dictates which tent I take.

[sunnymw]

Re: Young Family of 6 needs a new tent

Have you considered 2 smaller tents? My 7yo and 5yo sleep in their own tent (a 2 person tent), which gives us enough leeway to have a smaller tent (6 person) for the rest of us. Some of the tent pads around here are only 10x10 so having something that would fit anywhere we went was essential.

[gr8brew]

Re: Young Family of 6 needs a new tent

Hey you were in my back yard, Watch Hill...

They are large but are the only ones that fit the dimensions mom2simon listed. When I last camped at Watch Hill I had to borrow a smaller tent since my Copper Canyon was deemed too big for the sites, at somewhere around 11'x10':o.

[gr8brew]

Re: Young Family of 6 needs a new tent

Have you considered 2 smaller tents? My 7yo and 5yo sleep in their own tent (a 2 person tent), which gives us enough leeway to have a smaller tent (6 person) for the rest of us. Some of the tent pads around here are only 10x10 so having something that would fit anywhere we went was essential.

That is a good Idea

[NYCgrrl]

Re: Young Family of 6 needs a new tent

Hey you were in my back yard, Watch Hill...

Verryyyyyyyy nice backyard you've there!:cool:.

[wiiawiwb]

Re: Young Family of 6 needs a new tent

Two tents is the way to go. As the family grows in number, or size, you can sell off the two-man and get a three-man tent. You could also get a second two-man tent and have your own camping compound. Kids love that. It provides far more options to you than an all-or-nothing approach.

Moreover, I'm sure the kids will want their own "space" and having their own tent allows them the experience to learn how to set it up, take it down, keep it clean and maintain it. All good lessons. If you have one tent, they will get much less experience in tenting and have far less skin in the game.

The tents you choose must factor in the climate of the area you will be principally tenting in. For example, in a hot and arid climate you'd want plenty of ventilation while rain protection would play second fiddle. If, however, you're in the Pacific Northwest, New York, Maine, and the like, you want something that will battle the elements and keep you dry.

For rain protection, I am a believer in the Cabela Alaskan Guide series tents. They are absolutely bombproof and you can rest assured you will stay dry under any condition. You could get a Alaskan Guide 8 for your main tent. For a smaller tent, I'd look at the Eureka Timberline series. It's a classic that has stood the test of time.

These suggestions change completely in an environment where rain is not an issue.

[James.]

Re: Young Family of 6 needs a new tent

Have you considered 2 smaller tents? My 7yo and 5yo sleep in their own tent (a 2 person tent), which gives us enough leeway to have a smaller tent (6 person) for the rest of us. Some of the tent pads around here are only 10x10 so having something that would fit anywhere we went was essential.

This is not a bad idea. Gives some privacy to everyone.