Help with Tent Suggestions

I'm looking at doing some camping with either my 6 yr old daughter or GF, and have begun looking at tents. The tent will be used from spring to early fall, and used in a campground type facility; it will not be backpacked in. I'd like to keep this tent on the budget side since at the most it'll be used 3x per used at the most. I figure a person tent would be a good size to use so that it will provide enough space for 2 people and any gear I may bring. The one feature that I find to be a necessity is for it to be waterproof. The 2 tents that have been recommended to me are both Colemans - Sundome 4 and Evanston 6.

What do you all recommend?

David

 

Bump... still looking for suggestions.

David

 

I have started to camp for the first time since I was a kid. My ex wouldn't, my new wife loves it, but it has to be a campground with a bathhouse.... Anyways, we have two Ozark tents and we have been happy with both. We sprayed silicon weather proof on them and haven't had a problem yet but haven't been in a big rainstorm either.

I would suggest getting a 6 man tent though. The 4 man is a bit small for two adults with gear and air mattress. I tried to sleep without mattress and was miserable.

 

If you're looking for a cheapo Coleman or Ozark trail mentioned above. They aren't pretty but get the job done. If you're going higher end I've had success with Big Agnes and Black diamond.

 

I'd take a look at Eureka! they make quality tents that won't break the bank. Two requirements for me are a full fly and double vestibule and doors. Full fly to keep the weather out and double vestibules so everyone can leave there boots outside without getting them wet and you can exit/enter the tent without climbing over people.

 

Yup. Any of those. The biggest thing is to just get out there and enjoy it! With affordable tents, there's not much that can't be fixed with a tarp or pads

 

Eureka would be a good option, affordable but still good quality. Stay away from the cheapo tents, they won't last and will eventually leak.

 

Camping, especially with family, is one of the things I enjoy most but it won't take much to sour everyone on the experience if your gear, the weather and/or your campsite isn't up to par. Before we started dating, my wife had camped once......... and hated it. It rained, the tent leaked and was too small for everyone to sit in comfortably and they had no way to cook other than the campsite charcoal grill. Fortunately for me, it turned out she really does like 'prepared' camping and we've spent a lot of time in some awesome places over the last forty five years.

If you, the GF or your daughter haven't camped before, consider renting a cabin at a commercial campground for your first trip. Many KOA's offer both basic (four walls, a roof and bunks) and deluxe (think motel room) versions. Pick a good weather weekend in an interesting place and your investment will be minimal but everyone can get a feel for the experience.

If the cabin goes well, I'd suggest renting the minimums (tent, bag and mattress) from REI or a similar outfitter. This will help with decisions on the types of gear you want. One choice to be made is whether you want a cabin style tent with room to stand, sit and move about comfortably or a smaller dome style. We never cook and seldom 'lounge around' in our tents so smaller is better for us. If weather or bugs are a problem, we set up a separate screen room that's used for everything other than sleeping. Even before I got old (70), the ground got hard and a good mattress made a huge difference in how much I enjoyed camping. These are not cheap. Decent sleeping bags will be another worthwhile expense even if you camp only a few times each year.

As to specifics - Good advice above on the full fly and double vestibule. I'd also suggest aluminum poles. We have two Eurekas - a Pinnacle Pass 3XT (no longer available) for backpacking and an Assault 4 for car camping. Both are several years old and have held up well. Most any tent will do if the weather is good. Lower end models will likely have problems with wind and rain. In full disclosure, we've had a small camper for the last fifteen years but still get in a couple of tent trips each summer.

Check craigslist. Lots of folks think they'd like camping and invest in some pretty good gear only to find its not for them.

 

I second the craigslist suggestion. As someone said above, don't believe the "2 man" size specification. A 4- or better yet, 6-man size makes more sense for your purposes.

 

Definitely get a tent that has a full rain fly that completely covers the inner tent all the way to the ground and has vestibules. The cheaper tents with just the little rain cap on top will make for a very miserable and wet experience if you get stuck in a storm. Being able to hangout inside nice and dry makes a huge difference. Another option I’ve done in the past when tent camping for more than a night is to use a big tarp and tie it off between trees/trucks/poles/etc and have another layer of rain protection above the tent. It also can help keep the tent cooler in hot sunny areas.

 

So I got this coleman tent for when my brother and I do fishing trips to the Sierras together and it works great for 2 people and a third could sleep comfortably as well. We experienced a lot of wind the last time and the tent stayed right where it should. The zippers are great and the sitting area is fantastic to throw your boots and a couple chairs away from the bugs. I sprayed some water repellant on the tent which was really easy to do to give the tent an extra layer of protection. Overall, the tent is great quality, great price, and has not let me down. Also, it comes with a light that hangs from the top of the tent that has a switch at the floor of the tent and is really handy when it gets dark out. https://www.coleman.com/elite-weath...=CL28oM6Ly-ECFYqvZQod7W4MMA&gclsrc=ds&start=8

 

Always had nice expensive tents that shaved weight and high end components. But since I mostly camp near the truck these days with two dogs and a girlfriend, we recently purchased a 4 person Coleman with Blackout Technology. Highly recommend. The floor is burly and the black out treatment is great in the morning is you don't have any shade. Best $60 bucks I've spent and you don't have to worry about it getting trashed either. Save the nice ones when no dogs are present and weight is a priority.

 

UPDATE: I wound up picking up the Coleman Sundome 4 person tent for $50 off Amazon. Based upon the bunch of reviews I read about it, it should be just fine for 2 people and gear. I picked up the Coleman seam sealer as well as their Coleman water repellant. I figured that after applying both, there should be absolutely zero reason why water would get into this thing. I also picked up a 9' x 7' tarp to place underneath the tent and 10 heavy duty stakes since the ones typically supplied are pretty weak when used in areas where rocky soil is present. Can't wait to go use this thing.

David

 

Awesome post some pics of your 1st trip with it