Can our tent be too big?

[megsoro]

Were looking to purchase a new tent just for Disney. We want a larger tent then our backpacking set up. What size should we stay away from?

We're looking at cabin style tents in the 8-12 person range. We need to fit a queen air mattress and would like an e-port for electrical access. Anything else is optional. Any suggestions?

 

[JanL]

Get a piece of graph paper or pull one up online and save it as your master copy. Measure your beds and other gear for inside the tent. Compare that to the measurements on the box or on-line info of each tent you are interested in. Shade in on the graph page where you wish to put your beds, etc.

The outer shape of the tent can make a difference. Once we bought a strange shaped tent and even tho the square footage should have worked, we could never get our 3 cots and tables we used night stands and fan elevation to configure properly without overlapping or blocking the door.

 

[TheRustyScupper]

. . . What size should we stay away from? . . .

When it comes to camping gear, we believe,
. . . there is no such thin as being too big
. . . there is no such thin as being too comfortable
. . . there is no such thin as being too waterproofed
. . . there is no such thin as being too pretty
. . . there is no such thin as being too air conditioned
. . . there is no such thin as being too large for extra batteries for the remote

 

[ImDMous]

We have a huge tent! People make fun of us, we don't care. There's just two of us, but I wanted one that I didn't have to crawl out of on my hands and knees and shimmy my pants on laying down because it's too short. We have a porch that we can put a chair in to put our shoes on and enough room for our air mattress, all out stuff and plenty of walking around room. It's surprising easy to set up for a tent that large. People are very envious of our hinged door.

Go for the gusto!

We got it for a great price at Costco.

http://www.coleman.com/product/weathermastertrade-screened-6-tent-with-hinged-door/2000001597?contextCategory=CabinTents#.Uo-c1MSkpAA

 

[bama_ed]

I suppose it's POSSIBLE to get a tent that's too big but I doubt it.

First of all, what type of campsite are you thinking of getting at the Fort? In order of cost low-to-high, there are:

Partial/Tent - two loops here with the biggest sand pads for tents. of the two loops, 2000 pads are bigger than 1500 pads
Full - smaller pads than the Tent/Partials
Preferred - same size as Full sites but in a corner of the Fort near the beach
Premium - no sand pad at all. tent at your own risk

I'd say a 14 foot square tent or smaller will fit on nearly all sites with pads (you might have to move a picnic table on a few). Most can go bigger but I recommend adding a note to your reservation with the size of the tent so you should get a site that fits you.

On this board over the last year or two, people have discussed the various versions of the Coleman Instatent or the Eureka Copper Canyon. You might use the Search function to research these. But any tent can be made pretty serviceable.

Good luck and happy tenting at the Fort.

Bama Ed

 

[megsoro]

Thanks for the suggestion on the copper canyon! That's exactly what we're looking for and we can use it on canoe trips too! Is there a place with listed site dimensions?

 

[bama_ed]

Thanks for the suggestion on the copper canyon! That's exactly what we're looking for and we can use it on canoe trips too! Is there a place with listed site dimensions?

The site dimensions all vary slightly (some greatly). People sometimes say, "oh site XYZ had a big tent pad" but you never know if you can get site XYZ even if you request it because someone might have arrived several days prior, gotten site XYZ, and not left yet.

So again I recommend putting the size of the tent on the ressie if one dimension is bigger than 14 feet so the Fort will ensure you get a big enough site. That's one less thing to worry about on vacation.



Bama Ed