Total Newbie: Want to go out with 3 other friends. What tent should I buy?

[toedtoes]

Re: Total Newbie: Want to go out with 3 other friends. What tent should I buy?

What I DO want is a tent that can fit at leas 8 people comfortably. I DO NOT care about weight.

Do you mean a tent that can fit at least 4 people comfortably? Because an 8-10 person tent is NOT going to fit 8 people and their gear comfortably. Whatever the seller says the tent will fit in people, cut that number in half or you're going to be sardines.

[kwanbis]

Re: Total Newbie: Want to go out with 3 other friends. What tent should I buy?

Do you mean a tent that can fit at least 4 people comfortably? Because an 8-10 person tent is NOT going to fit 8 people and their gear comfortably. Whatever the seller says the tent will fit in people, cut that number in half or you're going to be sardines.

I've heard here that if it says 8 it should be 6 comfortably and 8 like sardines, so, yes, ideally 8 comfortably. I've seen 12 or 16 person tents, in fact I just listed some, but I still don't know if they are worth it. But it can be 8 "like sardines" obviously the bigger the better.

[Mike]

Re: Total Newbie: Want to go out with 3 other friends. What tent should I buy?

Dear OP. why don't you visit a sporting goods store in Columbia and see what they recommend for the conditions you will experience in Columbia? Surely they have sporting goods stores with tents there.

I find that local retailers usually offer gear best suited for local conditions.

[Shortpants]

Re: Total Newbie: Want to go out with 3 other friends. What tent should I buy?

You summed it up very well Shortpants. And....is it really that noticeable? :gasp: lololol

ROFLMAO!! Yup, sometimes it is that noticeable. hehe!

[Shortpants]

Re: Total Newbie: Want to go out with 3 other friends. What tent should I buy?

OK, let me get back to all of you once more, because you really are very nice and keep responding to me. By the way, I'm not frustrated with your responses, I'm frustrated with my lack of knowledge!

I believe on buying the "right" thing as much as I can. With that I mean, buy something that is really good, without unneeded luxuries, but do not buy bellow average products.

After reading a lot of comments, I don't feel the Coleman for $100 dollars is the best I can get for our needs. I'm not saying it is not, I'm saying I don't feel it (yet).

I completely understand that what's "best" for one might be not for others. But what are my other options? I have no access to see or try the tents. I would have to import them to Colombia. I have 0 experience on camping. I have 0 experience with tents.

My best chance is to either: follow amazon reviews recommendations, following your recommendations or a combination of both.

What I DO NOT want is: 1) A tent that gets wet 2) A tent that could easily break 3) A tent that is too difficult to assemble.

What I DO want is a tent that can fit at leas 8 people comfortably. I DO NOT care about weight.

So, with that said. I was wondering, would any of this tents be any good?

Coleman WeatherMaster 10 Person Hinged Door Tent $225 http://www.amazon.com/dp/B001TS8Q94
Coleman WeatherMaster 10 Person w/ Rainfly Cover $233 http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00I558X10
Tahoe Gear Gateway 12 Person Deluxe Cabin Tent $239 http://www.amazon.com/dp/B004THETNE
Tahoe Gear Glacier 14 Person 3-Season w/Rain Fly $249 http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00DGSWHT0
Tahoe Gear Ozark 3-Season 16 Person Large Family $269 http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00CS7HOZM
Coleman Canyon Breeze 10 Person Lrge Family Tent $280 http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0064XF6UQ
Coleman Signature Prairie Breeze 9 Large Family $290 http://www.amazon.com/dp/B004RDQK0K

(all 7 are less than 300) Is there any other choice I should consider?

THANKS AGAIN (ONCE MORE!)

The only one I would consider from this list is the Coleman Canyon Breeze, and even that one is iffy because of the hub pole design. All the others you listed have minimal (at best) rainfly coverage, so if not getting wet is a top priority, those tents aren't going to cut it unless you hang a tarp over the whole tent if it rains.

Are you totally against two smaller tents? I know it's been mentioned a couple of times, but I really think you should look at this option as it allows you many more configurations and flexibility, as well as better structural integrity and rain protection. Really, when camping you only sleep and change clothes in your tent, the rest of the time you are outside, so you may not need as much tent space as you think you would, just room for your bed and gear. If you want rain and/or bug protection, consider an overhead tarp, shade tent or screen house separate from your sleeping tent(s). Once you get up to the 8 person or more tents, they tend to be mostly cabin style tents, which are admittedly not the best design for rain protection, but perfect for lots of space to move around. If you want a larger tent with the best capability for staying dry without an additional overhead tarp, consider these:
EUREKA! Tetragon 8 - 2 Room - 8 Person Tent
This is a full rainfly tent that is 12'x10', and has a room divider to make it two 6'x10' rooms if you wanted to. Eureka also has the Tetragon 10 - 2 Room - 10 Person Tent that measures 14'x12', or two 7'x12' rooms using the room divider. You could *maybe* get away with one tent with either of these options, but for 8-10 man tents under $300, these offer much better rain protection than most.

If you want to consider two smaller tents, Kelty makes great tents with full rainfly coverage, and also feature the vestibules on one or both sides for storing gear, shoes and whatnot, so it is not taking up space in the sleeping area of the tent. Here are two 6-man tent options:
Kelty - Acadia 6 - 6 Person Tent
This one is an 8'x10', but has the front and back vestibules for storage, as well as full rainfly coverage.
Kelty Hula House 6 Person Tent
This one is an 10'6"x10'6", and has only the one front vestibule for storage, and also has full rainfly coverage. The "hula" design with the hoop on the top holds the sides of the tent straighter than traditional dome tents, so can be (and feel) much roomier.

The above tents give you a MUCH better chance to stay dry over the cabin tents and Coleman modified dome tents you listed. Again, seriously consider two smaller tents to house all 8 of your possible campers, it is much easier to find two smaller flat spots to pitch two 10'x10' or smaller tents than it is to find level space to pitch one huge 20'x14' tent on most campsites. Add a separate screen tent or shade tent for your place to hang out instead of inside the tent. If you feel like sleeping, but you have 6 other rowdy guys playing cards, slammin' the whiskey and shootin' the bull in the tent while you are trying to snooze, you are going to be miserable. Plus you will need a dry spot outside the tent to do your cooking, eating, etc.

If you do choose to go with a larger, 10 to 16 person single tent, I'd say to get a tarp big enough to cover the whole thing and not depend on the supplied rainfly to keep you dry in anything more than light rain.

[michelliot]

Re: Total Newbie: Want to go out with 3 other friends. What tent should I buy?

kwanbis

I don't think you need any further information then what shortpants just wrote above. I'll second her choice of manufacturers and models selected. Go for it and enjoy your excursion. Don't forget the earplugs.

elliot

[Shortpants]

Re: Total Newbie: Want to go out with 3 other friends. What tent should I buy?

kwanbis

I don't think you need any further information then what shortpants just wrote above. I'll second her choice of manufacturers and models selected. Go for it and enjoy your excursion. Don't forget the earplugs.

elliot

Just nitpicking, but I fixed the above for you. :winktongue:

[hwc1954]

Re: Total Newbie: Want to go out with 3 other friends. What tent should I buy?

One of the problems with threads like this: The honest answer is that it is not possible to buy a quality 8 to 16 person tent that will be 100% dry and withstand any significant rain for $300. The best you can hope for is to be dry in a drizzle or light shower with little or no blowing rain as you might get in a thunderstorm. The problem is that tents this large require very substantial and costly pole structures (and even then, huge tents present real challenges in the wind).

If I were outfitting a camping trip for buddies and wanted to be 100% protected in rain and wind, I would go with two 4 to 6 person tents from a quality manufacturer and then some kind of tarp/screen room for socializing. I know it sounds appealing to hang out inside a huge tent, but -- honestly -- hanging out in a tent isn't that great. Tents are for sleeping. You want to be outdoors. The exception to this would be cold weather camping -- like when it's below 40 degrees. But, if you are thinking about cold weather camping, you REALLY want more weather protection than you'll get from a $300 10-man tent...

[michelliot]

Re: Total Newbie: Want to go out with 3 other friends. What tent should I buy?

Sorry Shortpants,

I fixed my stereotypical error immediately.

What's the current generations say? My Bad!

Speak soon......el

[Shortpants]

Re: Total Newbie: Want to go out with 3 other friends. What tent should I buy?

hehe! No worries at all! Totally understandable, the wives in most families are not usually the ones behind researching/planning/executing camping adventures.

[michelliot]

Re: Total Newbie: Want to go out with 3 other friends. What tent should I buy?

Now I see your family scenario as part of your signature. I'm assuming 6 kids and 2 grandkids. That's a full house. Bless you! We just have a couple since we didn't want to be outnumbered.

Shortpants, in my family, I'd be sporting a pair of Speedos regarding the clout in my family.

More power to ya.....elliot

[toedtoes]

Re: Total Newbie: Want to go out with 3 other friends. What tent should I buy?

Michelliot - I believe it's 2 kids: Littlepants who is 6 years old and Tinypants who is 2 years old. Shortpants is Mom and Longpants is Dad.

[michelliot]

Re: Total Newbie: Want to go out with 3 other friends. What tent should I buy?

Ok, now we're on the same page.

Enjoy

[Shortpants]

Re: Total Newbie: Want to go out with 3 other friends. What tent should I buy?

You got it toedtoes! Holy Mother of God... 6 kids? The two I have run me ragged! LOL! But then again, I had my first DD when I was 37 and second DD when I was 41. Chasing a 6 yo and 2 yo at 43 doesn't make look forward to the teen years... I'll be almost 60 when they get out of HS. WTH was I thinking?!?!

:lol:

[michelliot]

Re: Total Newbie: Want to go out with 3 other friends. What tent should I buy?

We are on facing pages anyways. My wife was 39 and 41 when our guys were born. Only their pants are longer than my wife's now. Little guy (my camping buddy) is off to college next week. Going to miss our camping excursions amongst other things. Won't be easy. Cherish the times together. As you've been told I'm sure, it DOES go very quickly.