Tents

[KK]

Whats a good tent to look at for camping with the family? Would like it to be leak free, and hold 4 people comfortably.

 

[LTC8K6]

I don't know where they sell leak free tents...

 

[JulesMaximus]

REI is expensive but they do have fairly decent quality tents. I'd start there and at least do some research.

 

[BoomerD]

"Leak-free" and tents don't go together in the same sentence...ALL tents are prone to some leakage.

Costco had a couple of decent quality tents the other day when I was there. NOT top-of-the-line tents...but good enough for taking the family "car camping" for a few days to a week.

They have a couple of camping tents on their website:
http://www.costco.com/Common/Search....rch&lang=en-US

NOT the same ones that were in the store, but probably pretty similar.

 

[WHAMPOM]

Dome tent with a separate canopy, add a plastic tarp big enough to cover for wet weather and keep rain off the tent wall. A canvas tarp under the tent will help keep the floor whole and will be quiter than a plastic one.

 

[Leros]

"Leak-free" and tents don't go together in the same sentence...ALL tents are prone to some leakage.

Costco had a couple of decent quality tents the other day when I was there. NOT top-of-the-line tents...but good enough for taking the family "car camping" for a few days to a week.

They have a couple of camping tents on their website:
http://www.costco.com/Common/Search....rch&lang=en-US

NOT the same ones that were in the store, but probably pretty similar.

I suggest the ladybug tent. You'll be the hippest family at the campgrounds.

 

[waffleironhead]

budget?

the marmot halo6 or halo4 are good options for serious camping, but at 499 and 399 might be more than you want to spend. They are seam taped to keep the rain out and provide enough ventilation to reduce the dew collection on the inside of the tent.

When looking at tents, be aware the sizing that most companies do, for instance eureka tents commonly size their 4 person tents based on 4 people sleeping across(side to side crammed against each other), when in reality they would on sleep 2 people lengthwise (door end to end).

 

[Texashiker]

Whats a good tent to look at for camping with the family? Would like it to be leak free, and hold 4 people comfortably.

Coleman

If you go to amazon and read through some of the reviews, coleman tents get good reviews on average, and their not "that" expensive.

 

[DrPizza]

Most important question: Where are you going camping?? If you're going to pull up to a campsite & walk less than 1/4 mile from your car, vs. backpacking 20 miles into the wilderness before setting up camp, you're talking about a large difference in the quality of tent & how much you're going to pay. For camping near the car, even the Coleman tents are decent enough. In fact, if you're camping near the car, most of the larger family sized tents on the market will do just fine.

Tips: get a tarp to put under the tent. Do not extend that tarp beyond the edges of the tent; in fact, keep it back away from the edges. Otherwise it'll collect rainwater and pool it under your tent. Get a 2nd tarp more than large enough to cover the tent, and some rope. In the event of a severe downpour, before the storm gets there, cover the tent with that tarp & tie it down to something. Also, as far as choosing tents, you'll find the ones with the most headroom to be most comfortable. You might consider one of those larger 3 room tents. For you & the wife, get one of those queen sized inflatable beds that come with the stand for the bed. She'll love it & you'll get to go camping more often.

 

[PieIsAwesome]

Just use your car, that's what I would do. :thumbsup:

 

[MagnusTheBrewer]

Coleman

If you go to amazon and read through some of the reviews, coleman tents get good reviews on average, and their not "that" expensive.

Coleman tents are crap. They used to be the standard, now they're worthless. They leak, tear and, zippers fail.

No one has asked so, OP, what kind of camping do you do?

 

[KK]

The camping will be at a camp ground, vehicle would be close so weight isn't an issue. Been looking at coleman, eureka, field & stream(Dicks Sporting goods), and kelty brands. that marmot is allittle out of the range I need. One that caught the eye was the eureka copper canyon. seemed like it had plenty of space.

 

[MagnusTheBrewer]

Since weight isn't an issue, I recommend anything from Panther Primitives. They are hands down the best out there for durability, space and, style. My wife and I camp a lot. We have progressed through quite a few tents over the years and Panther is by far the best.

 

[EMPshockwave82]

http://www.amazon.com/Coleman-Sundome-Tent-10-Feet/dp/B0009PUQG4

This is what I have (in an older model). 10' x 10' designed for "five" people. Remember whatever it says as far as a recommendation for number of people able to sleep in the tent you can basically subtract one for gear. This one holds 4 people and their gear fairly comfortably but a 5th person would be ridiculous.


It's not too heavy and one person can set it up if they know what they are doing. We took this camping in the boundary waters for 4 days and had no issues. Rained 3 out of the 4 days and nothing in the tent (we were using the cover).

 

[JulesMaximus]

The camping will be at a camp ground, vehicle would be close so weight isn't an issue. Been looking at coleman, eureka, field & stream(Dicks Sporting goods), and kelty brands. that marmot is allittle out of the range I need. One that caught the eye was the eureka copper canyon. seemed like it had plenty of space.

If you're only going to do this once or twice then any of those tents should be okay. If you plan on camping for days or many many times in various weather then I would steer clear of all the department store brand tents and go for a Marmot or something made to last.

I have a Coleman I've used a few times but after only three uses I was inserting one of the poles and it caught on the sleeve and tore a big gaping hole in it. Some duct tape helped but it kind of made me leery of the quality of the rest of the tent. I still have it but I've since purchased a better tent from REI which I've used once so far and it is a much better quality tent. It is small though since I bought it for backpacking so I've been looking for a larger family tent for car camping.

 

[Bignate603]

The camping will be at a camp ground, vehicle would be close so weight isn't an issue. Been looking at coleman, eureka, field & stream(Dicks Sporting goods), and kelty brands. that marmot is allittle out of the range I need. One that caught the eye was the eureka copper canyon. seemed like it had plenty of space.

That copper canyon would probably be ok.
Decent ratings on campmor and it's pretty cheap

 

[DrPizza]

Go big. Be the envy of the campground.
http://www.actionafrica.com/fisheagle.html

(Of course, you're probably going to need a u-haul to get the tent to the campsite. But, everyone else there will say "holy shit!")

 

[xanis]

Go big. Be the envy of the campground.
http://www.actionafrica.com/fisheagle.html

(Of course, you're probably going to need a u-haul to get the tent to the campsite. But, everyone else there will say "holy shit!")

Might as well just stay in a hotel at that point...

 

[KillerCharlie]

budget?

the marmot halo6 or halo4 are good options for serious camping, but at 499 and 399 might be more than you want to spend. They are seam taped to keep the rain out and provide enough ventilation to reduce the dew collection on the inside of the tent.

When looking at tents, be aware the sizing that most companies do, for instance eureka tents commonly size their 4 person tents based on 4 people sleeping across(side to side crammed against each other), when in reality they would on sleep 2 people lengthwise (door end to end).

You absolutely do not need something made by marmot if you're just car camping - total waste of money. I have a marmot tent for backpacking where I depend a lot more on my gear. Get something cheaper. I live in the pacific northwest, rain capital of the US, and use a big 6 person Kelty tent for car camping. I really recommend Kelty for car camping. They're relatively cheap (my tent was $150 not on sale) but good enough to be found at stores like REI.

Do be aware of the size issue though. A 6 person tent is probably pushing it for a family of 4.

 

[her209]

Big enough for ya?

 

[JulesMaximus]

You absolutely do not need something made by marmot if you're just car camping - total waste of money. I have a marmot tent for backpacking where I depend a lot more on my gear. Get something cheaper. I live in the pacific northwest, rain capital of the US, and use a big 6 person Kelty tent for car camping. I really recommend Kelty for car camping. They're relatively cheap (my tent was $150 not on sale) but good enough to be found at stores like REI.

Do be aware of the size issue though. A 6 person tent is probably pushing it for a family of 4.

My friend has a Kelty 4 man tent he bought at REI for $150 and he likes it. Seems a bit easier to get in and out of than my Coleman and it has a taller height to it. I might upgrade at some point because I want something with easier ingress/egress and maybe a touch larger.

I bought the Coleman Hoodoo 3 for camping trips with my son's Cub Scout troop and we've used it maybe half a dozen times. We did one cold camp where it was just my son and I and we used my backpacking tent which is smaller and better suited to cold weather and we were pretty comfortable in it.

 

[Dr. Detroit]

For 4 people and gear your gonna need a 6 person tent. Domes are the easiest to set up but you do lose headroom.

Check out Costco like others have mentioned for great prices. Amazon also has a great selection!

http://www.amazon.com/b/ref=amb_link...f_rd_i=3400371

 

[olds]

For 4 people and gear your gonna need a 6 person tent. ...

At least.

 

[MagnusTheBrewer]

Throughout years of camping all over the country, I find the greatest threat from weather in regards to tents is not rain, sun or temperature but, wind. During our last camping trip a couple weeks ago, gusts up to 50 mph destroyed many light weight tents from two man pimples to 6 man cabin tents. All of the destroyed tents were properly staked. None of the canvas tents were lost.

The single most important factor to me in a tents utility is the ability to stand upright inside. Other folks have other priorities.

 

[mizzou]

anything with a full fly and tarp like bottom will do just fine


otherwise just bring 2 extra tarps with you and some tenting cords/stakes so you can make your own fly and dry base

another thing is that no matter what, if you are in a SERIOUS downpour, you are not going to stay dry anyway. the humidity itself will soak everything in your tent over a slow period of time