Wife and I are in the market for a tent that will actually fit all the fam.
Wife and i, plus three kids - 9, 5, and 2. Since weve got fove people, i assume the smallest i want is an 8- or 10-man tent.

Ive looked at Eureka, Coleman, Kelty, Cabelas, among others. Ive looked at some reviews online but there are always so many more reviews about the seller “bad shipping, arrived damaged, great service” that its hard to tell how many of these people had issues with their tents.

Do the outdoorsmen of the Forum have a good recommendation for a family tent? Thanks

Are you looking for a summer tent or an all season? How many trips a year?

What is your price range? How often will you use it? Will you use it in any adverse conditions?

Look at the REI Kingdom series of tents. I wish you had posted this a few weeks ago. REI just updated these tents and sold the old ones for deep discounts. If you're a member they have a coupon for 20% off one item right now.

https://www.rei.com/search?q=kingdom&pagesize=90

Look at the 6 or 8. They are huge. Both have a dividing wall inside so you and the wife could have one room and the kids the other or leave it open.

You can also add a "mud room" which give a lot more room for sun/rain protection just no floor.

These tents are on the expensive side but are extremely well made and will outlast anything Coleman and such make.

FWIW REI offers a 1-year return for any reason.

A friend has the old Kindom 6 and I liked it so much I picked up the Kingdon 4 a few weeks ago when they had the older design discounted.

If you're planning to use it quite a bit, it pays to go with a quality brand. I'm a fan on Nemo. Pricey, but worth it.

Nemo offers their Wagontop tent in either a 6 or 8 man version.

Flying Diamond 8

It’s what I use.

Springbar or Kodiak Canvas.

Your kids are young now however, when the two oldest get closer to being teenagers, it'll be practical to use two tents.

If everyone has to be under one roof: Marmot Limestone 8. Expensive however, spread the costs out over 10-years and it's a worthwhile investment. For family campers, you gotta look at your gear as investments given the amount of time you'll be taking your kids out. Your youngest is 2, you've got at least 15-years of camping in front of you. Spend for quality up front and you won't have to worry about that item for the next decade...tents, coolers, camp furniture, stoves, etc...

I really dont know what to say as far as price, but probably less than $550? I know the General consensus is “you get what you pay for” of course. We havent done much camping in the past since camping with babies isnt fun. Probably 5 or 6 times in the last decade. But now that theyre getting older, we definitely want to do more. Probably 2-4x a year, and probably most through spring - fall, not winter.

Thanks for the recommendations so far.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: PorterN, March 31, 2019 05:14 PM

I don't have one, but I have always wanted a Springbar Vagabond.

quote:

Originally posted by PorterN:
I really dont know what to say as far as price, but probably less than $55? I know the General consensus is “you get what you pay for” of course. We havent done much camping in the past since camping with babies isnt fun. Probably 5 or 6 times in the last decade. But now that theyre getting older, we definitely want to do more. Probably 2-4x a year, and probably most through spring - fall, not winter.

Thanks for the recommendations so far.

Did you mean $550?

I don’t recall the specific model, but I got an 8 person tent from the North Face
Outlet in Berkley. It was a $600 tent for $350. It’s bullet proof for 3 seasons. Nice vestibule. Full length fly which is critical is rainstorms. We survived serious rain in Yellowstone and Yosemite, but always stayed dried. While others were floating and protecting sleeping bags, we were dry.

Do you have access to outdoor outlets? REI has their garage sale.

https://www.coreequipment.com/...s/6-person-dome-tent

I have one of these, Highly reccommend.

I did some research on tents recently and, based on reviews on different sites, am planning on getting a Big Agnes tent (https://www.bigagnes.com/Gear/Tents).

N.B.: I haven’t tried one yey. Im planning on renting one for a weekend and only buying if it lives up to its rave reviews.

I bought a canvass, Springbar Tent, in 1978 and still use it. Amazing tent. A company called Kodiak Canvass now offers a copy of the Springbar for about 1/3 less.

I bought two of them two weeks ago as gifts for two of my sons. They're improved versions of my tent, heavier canvass and floor, two doors, more ventilation, heavier stake loops...One more thing, I saved more money by picking the tent up from Competitive Edge in Salt Lake City. My out the door cost was $440.

Last Thursday night one of my sons took his 2 1/2 year old son camping for the first time in their new tent.

quote:

Originally posted by Wasabibill:
I bought a canvass, Springbar Tent, in 1978 and still use it. Amazing tent. A company called Kodiak Canvass now offers a copy of the Springbar for about 1/3 less.

Springbar tents are made in America. Kodiak does not make that claim, which means they are probably not made here. That would account for the price difference Just an FYI for people who want to buy an American-made product.



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quote:

Originally posted by bcereuss:
Flying Diamond 8

It’s what I use.

I second this, it’s a fantastic tent. We’re a family of 5: kids 8, 4, 2. Plenty of room, good construction, never had an issue with venting or condensation. Big Agnes makes great tents.

Ease of set-up, less loose parts to manage and the same company that has been making shelters for US Forest Service and the US Military for 25-30 years. I've taken my kids canoe camping and car camping in this model It sets up in 60 seconds and is very-well made. It has 76" center height and can easily fit a family of 5. Great warranty too:

https://catoma.com/product/mer...le-speedome-shelter/



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quote:

Originally posted by TigerDore:

quote:

Originally posted by Wasabibill:
I bought a canvass, Springbar Tent, in 1978 and still use it. Amazing tent. A company called Kodiak Canvass now offers a copy of the Springbar for about 1/3 less.

Springbar tents are made in America. Kodiak does not make that claim, which means they are probably not made here. That would account for the price difference Just an FYI for people who want to buy an American-made product.



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Better quality, improved design and lower price...

quote:

Originally posted by Wasabibill:

Better quality, improved design and lower price...

I don't have experience with either brand. I was just pointing out the likely reason for the price difference after checking both sites. For some people, made in the USA is an important consideration.



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Also check out Craigslist. I've bought a few nice tents on CL. You can get a good brand, REI, Big Agnes, etc... for half the price. Make sure to inspect it though.

I have something similar to this:

https://www.amazon.com/Coleman...Family/dp/B07FNZWHV7

Will it withstand a winter storm. I doubt it. It sets up from bag to stakes in 5 minutes by myself. Meaning less frustration and. Yli will need to add a rainfly.