2 adults, 2 kids, 2 dogs. which tent?

[jcrew6311]

I am currently looking at Costco as they have 2 options I am considering. There is their coleman 10 person tent for $189 and the black pine sports 6 person canvas tent for like $500. One of wifes biggest camping complaints is lack of comfortable space in the tent. I love the quality of the black pine, but we have had a coleman 6 person tent and even it was fairly cramped for us w 2 dogs. The 10 person sounds nice because of the space, but i also know the quality is a little low on the coleman. I want to go through costco in case anything happens to them, so I am wondering which one people would suggest.

[JoeN]

Re: 2 adults, 2 kids, 2 dogs. which tent?

How often do you camp? Is it often enough to justify the higher priced tent? Do you sleep on the ground or on cots? How old are the kids and how big are the dogs? Other than being too small did your 6 person Coleman tent hold up OK for you?

I would agree that a 6 person tent is probably too small for your family so based on that one fact only I would say get the 10 person tent. I am not familiar with the Black Pine tent so I don't know what quality the $500 is buying you. You seem set on Costco so you have narrowed your choices but I would suggest you check out some of the online stores to see what they have to offer. Someone may be selling a better quality tent for $500 or less and most of the places will stand behind their products, however, if you have a problem then you have the hassle of paying freight to send it in for repair or replacement and then waiting for the return.

[MacGyver]

Re: 2 adults, 2 kids, 2 dogs. which tent?

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Never post after working a full day on two hours sleep

[tplife]

Re: 2 adults, 2 kids, 2 dogs. which tent?

Jcrew, I'd go with the Coleman and Costco's Nobody's-easer-return-policy after you discover this is not what I need in a tent, and there's too much fabric for the pole number, and squeezing this behemoth into a campsite leaves you few options. In the meantime use your new knowledge and head over to Ebay for a couple of 4-man new-with-tags tents at auction. By the time you score big discounts on high-quality gear, your 10-man Coleman will be ready to go back into the box and more free samples at Costco.

[NYCgrrl]

Re: 2 adults, 2 kids, 2 dogs. which tent?

I am currently looking at Costco as they have 2 options I am considering. There is their coleman 10 person tent for $189 and the black pine sports 6 person canvas tent for like $500. One of wifes biggest camping complaints is lack of comfortable space in the tent. I love the quality of the black pine, but we have had a coleman 6 person tent and even it was fairly cramped for us w 2 dogs. The 10 person sounds nice because of the space, but i also know the quality is a little low on the coleman. I want to go through costco in case anything happens to them, so I am wondering which one people would suggest.

Got a link to the specs for the 2 tents you are considering?

w/o the specs all I can say is the larger tent gives more living space per person/canine.

This year I'll camp again with 3 children, ranging in age from 6 to 16 y/o and 2 adults in a tent rated for........12 (?) .
I can't see more than the 5 of us fitting in that tent with comfort.

[tplife]

Re: 2 adults, 2 kids, 2 dogs. which tent?

Most campsites we encounter, State Forest, USFS, and County Parks have spaces that only have one site option for tents larger than 10 X 10, and those tents don't hold up for us. We buy Sierra Designs brand tents off Ebay, but other quality brands like Big Agnes, Mountain HardWear, NorthFace, Marmot, A16, and some of the Eureka! lineup would do quite well. We've been down the road of 10 X 14 tents and fortunately it was purchased at Costco and quickly returned.

[actad]

Re: 2 adults, 2 kids, 2 dogs. which tent?

I have Coleman Instant Cabin Tents. I like my four person 8'x7' for just me as it fits my cot, a chair, and a side table with room for me to turn around and get dressed. I can cool or heat it easily. I am short enough that the five foot height is perfect.

Rather than get one big tent, I purchased the six person 10'x10' for camping with two tents when my daughter and her two kids come along. We put the beds in the big one and make the second one a living room. I go to bed much later than everyone else, and I can hang out in the little tent and read, write, draw, or surf until I am ready to turn in. That way, I don't keep everyone else up.

Both set up in just a couple of minutes. I reseal with seam sealer each spring.

[a65hoosier]

Re: 2 adults, 2 kids, 2 dogs. which tent?

I guess I throw my thoughts in as well....

If you're happy with the performance of your current 6P Coleman, then I'd go with the larger Coleman. It's a tent that will give you "x" amount of service which seems to vary widely among users. It's the value choice. If it needs replacement in 2 years, you're only out $190 and you can move on and get something different. But if you're considering a $500 Black Pine (which I know nothing about beyond their website description)........then my advice changes a bit....especially if you plan on camping regularly with your family in the future.

You are really limiting your choices by only shopping at Costco due to a worry about needing an easy return if the tent doesn't perform.

With a budget range of $189 (for the Coleman) to $500 (for the Black Pine)...you appear to have nearly a whole world of tent choices available to you made by manufacturers that offer long term or better, lifetime warranties.

Companies like Big Agnes, Marmot, REI (a year-no questions asked, longer for defects), Cabelas, and Kodiak and Springbar (canvas tents) offer outstanding warranties. Certainly covering and exceeding the 1 year you'll get at Costco and if it's a mfgr defect, a picture of the part is all it takes to get a replacement part sent to you. No shipping charge. And all of the preceding companies also make outstanding 8+ person high quality tents. The kind where you don't have to really worry about even using a 1 year return policy because the tent just performs and functions as promised.

With some judicious internet surfing, joining an online retailers "club", signing up for their emails, and/or hitting a good sale, saving up to 20-25% off msrp on top quality tents is fairly easy to do on a regular basis. Searching for clearance models on the online sites will also net you even larger discounts. You can stay within that Costco $$$ range and get a great, comfortable tent and the reliability/warranty assurance you need.

[toedtoes]

Re: 2 adults, 2 kids, 2 dogs. which tent?

I guess I throw my thoughts in as well....

If you're happy with the performance of your current 6P Coleman, then I'd go with the larger Coleman. It's a tent that will give you "x" amount of service which seems to vary widely among users. It's the value choice. If it needs replacement in 2 years, you're only out $190 and you can move on and get something different. But if you're considering a $500 Black Pine (which I know nothing about beyond their website description)........then my advice changes a bit....especially if you plan on camping regularly with your family in the future.

You are really limiting your choices by only shopping at Costco due to a worry about needing an easy return if the tent doesn't perform.

With a budget range of $189 (for the Coleman) to $500 (for the Black Pine)...you appear to have nearly a whole world of tent choices available to you made by manufacturers that offer long term or better, lifetime warranties.

Companies like Big Agnes, Marmot, REI (a year-no questions asked, longer for defects), Cabelas, and Kodiak and Springbar (canvas tents) offer outstanding warranties. Certainly covering and exceeding the 1 year you'll get at Costco and if it's a mfgr defect, a picture of the part is all it takes to get a replacement part sent to you. No shipping charge. And all of the preceding companies also make outstanding 8+ person high quality tents. The kind where you don't have to really worry about even using a 1 year return policy because the tent just performs and functions as promised.

With some judicious internet surfing, joining an online retailers "club", signing up for their emails, and/or hitting a good sale, saving up to 20-25% off msrp on top quality tents is fairly easy to do on a regular basis. Searching for clearance models on the online sites will also net you even larger discounts. You can stay within that Costco $$$ range and get a great, comfortable tent and the reliability/warranty assurance you need.

I think you make a lot of good points. With such a wide range on budget, there's really no reason not to widen your search beyond Costco. If you really want to stay with Costco, then I'd go with the cheaper tent - that way if the larger size doesn't work, you can return it and consider doing two tents instead of one.