pitching a tent

[Rivguy]

As a former Wood Badge Scoutmaster I have had many years of camping under my belt in all kinds of weather and altitudes. I like minimalist camping but not everyone does and this influences the type of tent you select. I agree that Eureka makes a fine tent and I certainly have had my share of them. I have had a Coleman tent or two and find the better ones to be fine tents as well. I currently have a three man North Face dome with a vestibule that can be erected in just a few minutes and find that it is my favorite tent for three season camping, which is all I do now. My suggestion is to keep things as simple as possible so you don't get bogged down with gear that you don't need. I have a "cabin" tent that my son uses from time to time with his daughters. It has a built in divider to give privacy when needed. While it is large, it is not complicated to erect and fairly compact to pack. Tent flys or cooking flys are a great idea as well, they are fairly inexpensive and invaluable in bad weather. Whatever you choose, make sure that you do a dry run in your back yard or somewhere so that you aren't erecting the tent for the first time in the field. It might be fun to do the dry run in an overnight with your son in the yard so that you both get the experience of it close enough to home where you can recover from any oversights that are inevitable with first time campers. Keep it simple and have fun...you just might be embarking on a lifetime of great experiences for you and your family. Good luck.

Regards,

Doug

 

[MASSDRIVER]

I was just checking this one out a couple of days ago.

http://www.rei.com/product/810168/rei-kingdom-8-tent-2012

I'm not much of a car camper though, and generally go without a tent while hunting to cut weight down.
But I just thought it might be nice to have one of these for lake parties and such. It was made well, and they let me pitch it there in the store. Real easy, fairly affordable.
Brent

 

[mongoose]

One thing that I do when shopping for a tent or shelter is to get the size specs and subtract 4" each way on floor space and mask the dimensions out in the corner of a room and then see what can fit in the space.

 

[bvance554]

Another vote for Eureka tents. I've owned several tents over the years, and since buying a Eureka (I now have 2) I'll never buy another.

 

[JaggerDragger]

I have got one of these for camping with my family, a great simple design; two aluminum poles with two decent vestibules:

http://www.mec.ca/AST/ShopMEC/Hikin...ts/4Person/PRD~5027-696/mec-camper-4-tent.jsp

Mind you I also do some back country canoeing and backpacking so weight and durability is a bit of an issue for me. I usually laugh at those circus tents I see people bringing to the car camp sites, I mean you came to spend time in the outdoors how much room do you really need inside your tent? Yes inclement weather does happen but it is not the end of the world to wait it out in a smaller tent. Anyways I usually pick nice weather to go and camp.

Remember if you are car camping you can usually use your car for storage and most other stuff can just sit outside.

 

[Yuritau]

I agree on getting the biggest practically feasible. No one ever complains that "this darn tent has too much room!".

I've heard that complaint, and made it myself once or twice, but ONLY in relation to winter camping, heh. In real cold-weather camping, a smaller tent stays noticeably warmer than a large tent. Mid-January at 5800 ft elevation in a Canadian snowstorm in a tent, no one minds getting cozy together; rest of the year, a little extra space is appreciated.

My 2c on tent selection:
For the big family tent, go Coleman or something in that range. All you need it to do is keep the rain and the bugs out (good luck on the second part with kids, heh). Shouldn't need to spend more than about $100-300.

For a small 2-man tent, that's where you should hit one of the more pricey brands, depending on your needs. These tents need to do more for you than just keep rain and critters out: they need to be lightweight for backpacking, they need to be quick and easy to set up in case you need to set up in the rain, they typically have more durable construction such that you don't need a groundsheet (though still a good idea). You should also decide ahead of time if you want a 3-season tent or a 4-season tent. If you cannot ever imagine yourself sleeping in a tent, in the snow, go 3-season to save a bit of $. If that's a thing you might do, you'll appreciate the 4-season options.

 

[Groat]

I have got one of these for camping with my family, a great simple design; two aluminum poles with two decent vestibules:

The resemblance that your four person tent has to my two person tent is striking. They must be made in the same factory or at the very least have the same designer. It's got the same two pole design, a similar two door design and the vents on the sides are exactly the same.

 

[ricardo9505]

add 50% to the size of the tent.
2 ppl is a 3 person tent or 4 in my opinion.
3 people, 5.
4-6 to 7
for me and my ex and toddler, a 6 person tent is what we use and it's great for extra stuff (lamp, radio, and when it rains, everything else, lol)
the bigger it is, tho, the more of a pain in the *** to put up.

 

[Yuritau]

Another thing to consider, in terms of the family tent, which I just remembered from back when I was a kid camping with the family: the only help you will have in setting up your tent is your SO (who may or may not have varying degrees of willingness to help in this fashion), and the kids, who will have just now suddenly developed SEVERE ADHD upon being released from the vehicle.

 

[CB1]

I have a Kodiak canvas tent and absolutely love it. MIne is th ecabin model with a wall enclosure for the patio/awning. Yes, it is a bit of a pain to put up but once it's up we call it the cabin in the woods. If you want less of a hassle putting it up then they make a flex bow line that's easier and one person can put it up. Is it more than we need? You bet! But I figurted if I was going to get my SO into camping I had to add a bit of "luxury". She really enjoys all the activity's but she she wouldn't enjoy it as much if we were cramped into a small tent at night.

 

[Neognosis]

I do the opposite of what everyone else does, apparently. After spending one long and sleepless night in a high wind storm in a six person tent with just one other person, I paired all my gear down and now when there are just two of us, we are in a two person backpacking tent. Less to worry about, less fear that it won't stand up in a storm. I pack light though, and keep my gear organized and in good working order, even for car camping trips.

I'm using a Big Agnes two person tent, even if we are car camping, and it's just me or me and one other person. But again, i don't being the kitchen sink with me, even when I car camp, and big tents and queen size air mattresses and cots and all that stuff are not my style and just seem to make the campsite a huge mess, IMO. And I treat the tent as a sleeping area, not a place for storage or hanging out and stuff. All that is done outside. So there's that as well.

 

[tinashubby]

Wife and I have a four person tent for the two of us and a small well behaved dog. Wife's number one concern in a tent purchase was the ability to stand up in it. Neither of us ever stand up in it. For us a two person tent would have been a better purchase.

 

[JaggerDragger]

I do the opposite of what everyone else does, apparently. After spending one long and sleepless night in a high wind storm in a six person tent with just one other person, I paired all my gear down and now when there are just two of us, we are in a two person backpacking tent. Less to worry about, less fear that it won't stand up in a storm. I pack light though, and keep my gear organized and in good working order, even for car camping trips.

I'm using a Big Agnes two person tent, even if we are car camping, and it's just me or me and one other person. But again, i don't being the kitchen sink with me, even when I car camp, and big tents and queen size air mattresses and cots and all that stuff are not my style and just seem to make the campsite a huge mess, IMO. And I treat the tent as a sleeping area, not a place for storage or hanging out and stuff. All that is done outside. So there's that as well.

X2; Camping is all about going without and enjoying the simple pleasures especially when you return to the real world. You wouldn't believe how good a nice warm shower feels after a week or two...

Groat: the two pole tent design is one of the most common freestanding types. My kelty vortex 2 man tent is the same design, I bought the vortex back in the 90's when it was cutting edge to get a sub 5lb 2 man tent, it seems that since then the patent has lapsed or something because almost every smart tent manufacturer now copies it including eureka/MEC/REI Etc. I bought the MEC version because it is just like my Kelty vortex some things are better on the MEC version, some things are worse, the best thing was the price of the MEC tent though...

 

[rushchairman]

X2; Camping is all about going without and enjoying the simple pleasures especially when you return to the real world. You wouldn't believe how good a nice warm shower feels after a week or two....

i wholeheartedly agree, which is why i'm pursuing an additional 2 person tent for solo excursions. but with a toddler and a wife who is decidedly non-campy, my instinct was to go for a larger tent for base camping. of course all of this is certainly adding up - $$$!!

 

[Pete_T]

 

[Groat]

My kelty vortex 2 man tent is the same design, I bought the vortex back in the 90's when it was cutting edge to get a sub 5lb 2 man tent, it seems that since then the patent has lapsed or something because almost every smart tent manufacturer now copies it including eureka/MEC/REI Etc.

It's interesting to know that even in the relatively low-tech world of tents that things move along so quickly. Now you can get 2-man tents that way about 2.5 pounds. The Big Agnes Fly Creek UL2 fits into that category, though from what I've seen you give up some stability, longevity and comfort to get that low.

 

[JaggerDragger]

Yes Big Agnes has really stepped it up with more mesh and the more common uses of Silicone impregnated fabrics in tents. You do sacrifice durability though in the ultra lightweight category.

If the OP wanted a bigger than 4 person tent I would recommend this: Big Agnes Big House 6


I saw this tent on display last spring and it was impressive the only thing that turns me off is the cost and the added cost of the separate vestibule. For me a vestibule is a must.

 

[JaggerDragger]

The big house with vestibule:

 

[JaggerDragger]

If you want a big tent my buddy uses one of these on back country fly in ski tours:

Mountain Hardwear space station

 

[Haggises]

I got a Coleman Hampton 9 person tent for my family of 4. Slight PITA to put up and down but still doable by one person.
Even has an internal dividing sheet - kids one side, adults the other.
Plus we can invite guests