Hi everyone, I'm new to the forums here and am looking for some advice. We are a large family possibly considering switching to tent camping (instead of a popup). There are 7 of us--my husband and I and our 5 boys, ranging in age from 13 down to 1. We just got home from a 9-day camping trip and I just don't love our current setup. We have a popup with 2 queens and a slide out dinette. We tried camping with ALL of us in there back in May and it was horrible--so cramped!! So last week we also brought along a large dome tent for the older kids to sleep in and to use as a "clothes changing" tent for the boys. It was better, but it's a cheap tent and it leaked really bad the very first night. The zipper is all messed up and several of the poles are held together with duct tape Granted it's about 10 yrs old but we've really only used it a couple times.
SO...we are looking at either "upgrading" to a bunkhouse style RV or doing BIG tents. I realized after looking at many RV's in our price range (around $5000 or less), we could outfit ourselves very nicely with very high quality tents and gear. I've been having trouble finding tents that suit our needs, however. Here's our criteria...
1. VERY durable. For this reason I tend to lean toward a canvas tent. We have 5 very active boys. We need zippers that don't snag or rip out.
2. VERY generous sleeping/living quarters. Vertical walls would be best. Enough room to comfortably sleep 7 plus set up all our gear and clothes for 1-2 week trips.
3. Waterproof, sturdy in wind.
4. Ease of setup--30 minutes or less for myself and 2 older kids would be ideal. Weight is not so critical--we don't plan on using it for backpacking and my boys are strong
5. Room to set up a camp kitchen/pantry either inside the tent or at least in a sheltered area (awning, screen area, etc). Would prefer to not have to set up another separate free-standing screen room.
6. Suitable for at least 3 seasons, maybe 4. My oldest son loves hunting and I could see him using the tent with his cousins and my husband for hunting trips.
6. Bonus (mostly just for me)--aesthetics! I really just love the "retro" look of classic canvas. Nylon dome tents look like spaceships to me, not tents
Am I asking for too much out of a tent? Here are the options I am considering...
-my ideal (I think) would be the Kodiak Grand Cabin with wall enclosure. Is that too much tent? It's not available now, do they typically restock quickly?
-another option--Kodiak 12x9 cabin tent with wall enclosure and a second tent of some kind for older kids to sleep in
-Possibly the Springbar Colossus...but it still just doesn't seem big enough and at that price getting a 2nd tent isn't so much of an option.
-what about tents made overseas? Looks like there are a lot of good Australian tents but they don't seem to be available here.
-one non-canvas tent that intrigued me is the Tahoe Gear Glacier 14 person tent. Thoughts? I have never camped in a nylon tent that didn't leak. Makes me nervous.
I would *really* love to see pics of camp setups for large families, so if that's you please share! It's hard for me to envision how everything should fit. As I said, I *think* I want canvas, but maybe I am missing something? I took a long walk thru our whole campground (300+ sites) and didn't see a single canvas tent. Reading reviews it seems that people who have them love them so...why don't more people go that route?
Also as a side note...how long does it take you to pack it all up? It always seems to be a very long, tedious process for us to actually get out the door. Maybe I just need better organizational skills...
Thanks in advance, I know I have thrown a whole lot of questions out there. We would really appreciate any advice!
SO...we are looking at either "upgrading" to a bunkhouse style RV or doing BIG tents. I realized after looking at many RV's in our price range (around $5000 or less), we could outfit ourselves very nicely with very high quality tents and gear. I've been having trouble finding tents that suit our needs, however. Here's our criteria...
1. VERY durable. For this reason I tend to lean toward a canvas tent. We have 5 very active boys. We need zippers that don't snag or rip out.
2. VERY generous sleeping/living quarters. Vertical walls would be best. Enough room to comfortably sleep 7 plus set up all our gear and clothes for 1-2 week trips.
3. Waterproof, sturdy in wind.
4. Ease of setup--30 minutes or less for myself and 2 older kids would be ideal. Weight is not so critical--we don't plan on using it for backpacking and my boys are strong
5. Room to set up a camp kitchen/pantry either inside the tent or at least in a sheltered area (awning, screen area, etc). Would prefer to not have to set up another separate free-standing screen room.
6. Suitable for at least 3 seasons, maybe 4. My oldest son loves hunting and I could see him using the tent with his cousins and my husband for hunting trips.
6. Bonus (mostly just for me)--aesthetics! I really just love the "retro" look of classic canvas. Nylon dome tents look like spaceships to me, not tents
Am I asking for too much out of a tent? Here are the options I am considering...
-my ideal (I think) would be the Kodiak Grand Cabin with wall enclosure. Is that too much tent? It's not available now, do they typically restock quickly?
-another option--Kodiak 12x9 cabin tent with wall enclosure and a second tent of some kind for older kids to sleep in
-Possibly the Springbar Colossus...but it still just doesn't seem big enough and at that price getting a 2nd tent isn't so much of an option.
-what about tents made overseas? Looks like there are a lot of good Australian tents but they don't seem to be available here.
-one non-canvas tent that intrigued me is the Tahoe Gear Glacier 14 person tent. Thoughts? I have never camped in a nylon tent that didn't leak. Makes me nervous.
I would *really* love to see pics of camp setups for large families, so if that's you please share! It's hard for me to envision how everything should fit. As I said, I *think* I want canvas, but maybe I am missing something? I took a long walk thru our whole campground (300+ sites) and didn't see a single canvas tent. Reading reviews it seems that people who have them love them so...why don't more people go that route?
Also as a side note...how long does it take you to pack it all up? It always seems to be a very long, tedious process for us to actually get out the door. Maybe I just need better organizational skills...
Thanks in advance, I know I have thrown a whole lot of questions out there. We would really appreciate any advice!
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