Help picking a new tent

[hotmamac]

Hello fellow campers!
After a rainy weekend of camping and a tent that leaked like the poverbial sieve, we tossed the old tent and are in the market for a bigger and better.
So I thought I would ask you all to see if I could get some honest opinions on what's worked for you. I'm basically looking for a big cabin tent with lots of room inside to move around.
Thanks for your help!
Misty

 

[Miss M.K.J.]

We have a 12x12 canopy that a tent connects to the inside of. So the tent is just under 12x12 and it is square in shape. To give you an idea of what fits we put a queen size double stack and one twin size air beds (with room between them)and also a T.V. on a stand and our 2 black labs sleep in there also. It has never leaked on us. When you aren't using the tent enclosure you can use just the canopy. We bought all of these at Dick's Sporting Goods and I am pretty sure they sell them still. Oh and you can also stand up and walk around in it so no slouching over.

 

[DisCamper]

I'm looking to get this for My Oct. Disney trip. Coleman Elite WeatherMaster™ 6 Screened Tent
Model No. 2000004666

 

[BRDof3]

We bought a 10 X 20' family tent from Cabella's a few years ago, and it is hands-down the best tent I have ever owned. The rain fly will zip all the way to the ground if needed, and if done properly can provide a draft even on the hottest days. A reinforced floor material comes up the bottom of the walls, so you don't wick moisture into the tent during the night, even if you have an air mattress or sleeping bag up against the wall.It's a blessing in the rain. The ends both have door/windows, and the rain fly provides a couple of extra protected feet outside all 3 doors.

It's pricey, like anything else at Cabella's, but you get your money's worth.

 

[jonimce]

I agree with BRDof3 on the Cabella's. I researched for months and decided on their cabin. They have a couple of sizes. If you live near one you can sometimes find them in their bargan cave. If we hadn't bought the TT this year I would have bought the Cabella's tent.

 

[allmydisneydreams]

We were looking for a tent all summer - it had to be BIG and very easy on the budget. We ended up getting the Ozark Trail Xtra Large Vacation Lodge from Wal-Mart. We set it up in the back yard , sealed the seams and left it out in the rain - some water did come in at first, in each of the four corners. I figured out that the little pockets for your keys, etc were the problem - water was coming through the seams and then wicking onto the floor. So I popped off the lid of the deodorant type applicator on my Coleman sealer and used a small paint brush to re-seal the problem areas.

We've camped in it once, for three nights, and I was so thrilled because it rained again and my sealing job worked like a charm We LOVE the tent - it is huge - the footprint is 11x20 - plenty of room for the five of us and lots of stuff, too. 7' tall in the middle, so even my very tall dh can move around comfortably. It has lots of windows and also air vents. We were extremely happy with it and plan to try it out at the Fort in November. And it was only $119.00. Plus the $6.00 I spent on two containers of sealer. Quite a bargain I anticipate that we'll use this tent for years to come. Now I am shopping for a screen room ...

 

[jsmla]

Here's ours:

http://www.trailspace.com/gear/columbia/cougar-flats/#description

We do most of our camping in the South and needed a well-ventilated tent and this really suited our purposes. I did make sure to do an extra good job of sealing the seams around the windows. We find it very easy to set up and comfortable for our purposes.

Jennifer

 

[marymoon]

We were looking for a tent all summer - it had to be BIG and very easy on the budget. We ended up getting the Ozark Trail Xtra Large Vacation Lodge from Wal-Mart. We set it up in the back yard , sealed the seams and left it out in the rain - some water did come in at first, in each of the four corners. I figured out that the little pockets for your keys, etc were the problem - water was coming through the seams and then wicking onto the floor. So I popped off the lid of the deodorant type applicator on my Coleman sealer and used a small paint brush to re-seal the problem areas.

We've camped in it once, for three nights, and I was so thrilled because it rained again and my sealing job worked like a charm We LOVE the tent - it is huge - the footprint is 11x20 - plenty of room for the five of us and lots of stuff, too. 7' tall in the middle, so even my very tall dh can move around comfortably. It has lots of windows and also air vents. We were extremely happy with it and plan to try it out at the Fort in November. And it was only $119.00. Plus the $6.00 I spent on two containers of sealer. Quite a bargain I anticipate that we'll use this tent for years to come. Now I am shopping for a screen room ...

We bought this tent earlier this year and have camped several times with no problems whatsoever. We did seal the seams really well before taking it out which helped preventing leaks. It does not have a bathtub style floor and condensation will get air mattresses wet if up against the tent walls. The floor is fairly thin so we did purchase a heavy duty tarp as an added layer.

We are a family of 4 + 1 Siberian husky and we each have our own twin air mattress (Kodi has a regular doggie bed!) and we have plenty of room inside for all our stuff with extra space to move around in.

We bought the original tent for $119 at our local Walmart and I just purchased a second one online for $88! I have a Girl Scout troop and will use one tent for our troop campouts. It's easy to put up, too - hubby and I can get it done in about 15 minutes.

 

[hotmamac]

Thank you all so much!
I knew I could count on you for good advice
I'm off to Walmart's website to check it out!

 

[Nature Mom]

We are a family of 4 + 1 Siberian husky and we each have our own twin air mattress (Kodi has a regular doggie bed!) and we have plenty of room inside for all our stuff with extra space to move around in.

We bought the original tent for $119 at our local Walmart and I just purchased a second one online for $88! I have a Girl Scout troop and will use one tent for our troop campouts. It's easy to put up, too - hubby and I can get it done in about 15 minutes.

Hi Mary...I too have a GS troop and we had this tent for them, too (until an unfortunate accident--not tied onto my co-leaders car well and down I-85 it went). It was a great tent! I also have 2 Siberian's, Dakota and Jackson, so hi, from one female alpha to the other. (if you're a Husky owner, you know you must be alpha or you will get run over, lol)

To replace the Ozark, I bought the Embark 9 person tent from Target that has a screen room attached. They have it for $130, I think. Some of the reports on this tent were not good, but I wanted an even bigger tent with the screen room for the dogs and went with it anyway. I love this tent! Pish posh on those that gave it a negative review, they must have not sealed it! It has not leaked (although I do admit an additional tarp is always over my tents/screen house) and the screen room is perfect for the dogs, removing shoes and storage. In conjunction with my other screen room and screen dining ez-up, I am pretty happy, dry and able to fit many people (not that I really want to, lol).

I think the most important thing anyone needs to know about any tent is: SEALER!!

 

[ob1quixote]

X2 on the Canopy/Tent kit from Dicks Sporting Goods. Love mine!

 

[deanna85]

We have the Ozark tent mentioned above. It is on sale now are walmart. I like it a lot. The only thing I don't like is the dome shape, but that is a prefrence of mine and not an actual issue with the tent. My sister just purchased the Columbia one mentioned above.. They had it on display at Bass Pro Shop. It is a very nice tent. She has not used it yet, but I love how tall it is. The only thing with that is that it cost around 280, whereas our tent is now on sale for around 90. So there is a bit of a price difference there. Good luck with what you choose!!