Tent Camping Experts-I know you are out there!

[bethie]

I am so brand new at camping I squeak! LOL! Actually, I would very much like to try camping and want to purchase my very first tent. I asking for opinions and recommendations on a tent for a family of four. I have ABSOLUTELY no idea what to look for. I don't want to spend a fortune, but I won't cheap out either. I need a good "starter" tent. I know this is the place to come. I am a regular on the site, but not this forum. I would love your two cents.

Thanks so much,

 

[ntsammy5]

There are a lot of good name brand tents out there that won't break the bank - Coleman is good as is Swiss Army - Go to Sams and look at the family tents they have there - a good combination of reasonable quality and good price - try to stay with cabin type since they have more usable room. Sears/K Mart has a good selection too. Don't get fooled into getting a 4 person tent for 4 people either - those usually fit only 2 people - they always over state the capacity! Good luck.

 

[bethie]

Thank you Al.

 

[gelebean]

We are a new tenting family as well. We were in the same boat cause we didn't know how well it would go over so didn't want to spend a ton. Yet wanted our moneys worth if we liked it.

We went with a Coleman from Walmart. I know WALMART! It was only like 80 bucks and we have used it 3 times not and are using it on our trip to the Fort in late Sept. (I just went to walmarts site and couldn't find our exact one but they have quite a few)

We love it. We have been through rain in it and it didn't leak a bit. We didn't even have to seal it.

Hope this helps! Have fun!

(edit: we are also a family of 4. Our tent is about 17x10 I think. It is the perfect size. We can fit 2 queen blow up mattresses in there and still have space.)

 

[Tent Camping Mom]

Hi Bethie
Welcome to this side of the DIS!
I agree with Al, I would go with a cabin and don't count on the "Sleeps 4" numbers.

Walmart has some economy tents by Ozark Trail which are good quality. They are dome tents but if you plan on just sleeping in sleeping bags, no air mattresses or cots, they will work fine for 4 people. We still have one that we have used for years with DS's boy scouts.

If you are looking to stay your driest, I would say go with the Coleman Weathermaster. We had one for years and went through a few storms without getting wet. But the only thing I didn't like about the Coleman was that it was our hottest tent we've ever owned. It didn't have the top ventilation as most tents do. They may be different now because that was about 8 years ago when we purchased it. They still have the polyethylene bathtub floor which is essential in keeping the floor dry.

 

[bethie]

Great information! I am getting excited. Thank you all.

 

[shocker]

I like to use Consumer Reports (I did this when I picked my very first tent) and sort of take their word on ease of pitching, durability, rain/wind resistance, and so on. Unfortunately I pulled their report off their website a few months ago to find they had not tested tents for years and it is unlikely you would find the same models as the ones they tested so long ago. But, it may still give you a bit of insight on which companies are "capable" of making a good tent and some idea of the price ranges for those companies. Also, they usually have articles for all the products they test to give you a buyer's guide and a what-to-look for list of items.

 

[maxiesmom]

I have a Eureka brand tent now that I absolutely love. It has been thru a few bad thunderstorms, and not leaked at all. It was about $80, but worth it. Previously I had an Eddie Bower tent, and that thing leaked horribly! My Coleman tent didn't leak, but I had spiders in it all the time! The last time I used that one I dreamed one night that I had spiders crawling on me, and woke up to about 6 big spiders in my tent!

 

[Pinkee77]

New to camping also......just made our first trip to the Fort this past week.

I bought an Ozark Trail 3-in-1 dome tent from Walmart for $80. You can use it as 3 separate tents, or they can be connected. I liked it at the time because I was thinking it would be great to just use the larger tent for a Boy Scout/Girl Scout trip. Then use all 3 together when the whole family goes.

I set it up in my backyard first. After a heavy rain, went out and checked, there was some water inside. Waited for it to dry out, then sealed the seams. It rained again a day or so later and no water inside the tent.

While at the Fort last week, we experienced a heavy downpour and there was some water inside the tent. Not sure where the water came from (the rainfly maybe?).

I have a 5 year old and a 7 year old, and there was plenty of space just setting up the 2 tents. The center tent holds a queen size air mattress, and I squeezed two twin mattresses in the smaller tent. It worked fine and the kids had a blast. But I think next time, I'll skip the dome tents and get a tent I can stand up in.

 

[YodaGirl]

We also bought a 3-in-1 dome from Wal-Mart, and we LOVE it. We took it down on DH's first trip and it worked really well. No leaks - even though we ended up pitching it in the rain. Ours, you can use as a one big tent or 3 separate ones. As one big tent, they'd kind of have separate "bedrooms" with the "master bedroom" in the center.

In addition to the tent, you may want to consider a camp shower. It looks like a shower stall, but it's made out of tent material and has a place to hang a water bag (leave it out in the sun for warm water). It also has a place to hang your towel and clothes without them getting wet, as well as netting on the inside to hold shampoo, soap, etc. We got ours from Cabella's for about $100, and it was definitely worth it. I'm a germaphobe, so a community shower house just isn't my thing. Plus, it makes a good place for a port-a-potty - nice for when it's late and you've just gotta go. It's right there. Wal-Mart sells them, too. I'm thinking they were around $50 when I saw them last.

 

[ntsammy5]

In roughly 50 years of camping from wilderness camping to Fort Wilderness camping to military camping (OK that really isn't camping) I used a camp shower once and that was it. I don't like those things - rather take a dip in a stream or lake. Most places outside of backpacking/wilderness camping have comfort stations/showers. If there is water to fill a camp shower there's probably a CS nearby - I think many even have flush toilets now too!

 

[stky6]

Check this site out www.gigatent.com, we have the 12x18 Mt Barren tent, very nice and sturdy tent, survives Lake Erie thunderstorms.

 

[BigCheese_MainSqueez]

Our Ozark tent also leaks we would not buy another one

 

[Pinkee77]

We also bought a 3-in-1 dome from Wal-Mart, and we LOVE it. We took it down on DH's first trip and it worked really well. No leaks - even though we ended up pitching it in the rain. Ours, you can use as a one big tent or 3 separate ones. As one big tent, they'd kind of have separate "bedrooms" with the "master bedroom" in the center.

Yep! That sounds like the same one we have.

Our Ozark tent also leaks we would not buy another one

Just curious....did you put sealer on it? I used Ozark brand of tent sealer and apparently it still leaks. But I have a friend who has had the same tent for a couple years, and their's have never leaked.

 

[YodaGirl]

In roughly 50 years of camping from wilderness camping to Fort Wilderness camping to military camping (OK that really isn't camping) I used a camp shower once and that was it. I don't like those things - rather take a dip in a stream or lake. Most places outside of backpacking/wilderness camping have comfort stations/showers. If there is water to fill a camp shower there's probably a CS nearby - I think many even have flush toilets now too!

Yes, I'm sure they have well-running equipment. However, I'm a germaphobe and it just grosses me out. My husband just rolls his eyes. Even though we were tent camping, we stayed on a preferred site and had water hook-ups (and I'm assuming partial hook-up sites have it, as well - I've only stayed on preferred). When we're camping somewhere w/o hook-ups, we always pack water, anyway, and the shower doesn't take that much.

This is the one that I have...

My Camp Shower

although, I'd love to have this one...

Big Camp Shower

Laugh all you want. I like my own shower and my own toilet .

 

[Tent Camping Mom]

Yep! That sounds like the same one we have.



But I have a friend who has had the same tent for a couple years, and their's have never leaked.

Our's has never leaked either. We've had it for 6 years and did a lot of boy scout camping trips. We seam seal inside and out, and also spray it with a waterproofing fabric protectant like Camp Dry or Scotch Guard. We are doing some primitive camping over Labor Day weekend and we will be taking our Ozark Trails tent because our current family tent is too large.

 

[ntsammy5]

I used a really cheap, junk tent last week and it poured for 4 hours - nary a drop inside. The new fabrics are pretty good. No sealing and no spray. I do that on my backpacking tent though.

 

[Tent Camping Mom]

Another tip to staying dry is make sure nothing touches the walls,
no pillows, blankets, sleeping bags....nothing. Don't even use a finger
to "test" it. It will act as a wick and start a drip.

 

[bethie]

Great advice!! I am going shopping this weekend!!

 

[Tent Camping Mom]

And another tip before you go...

If you don't opt for the Coleman with the polyethylene bathtub floor, you may want to get a tarp for inside the tent. This is just another precaution but isn't always necessary unless there's not good drainage around the tent.

And another tip, which I learned from Carol (she's a tenting expert on these boards), use painter's plastic underneath the tent to protect the tent floor. It's a lifesaver! Then when it's time for packing up, just throw the plastic away (the fort has recycle bins ). This saves a lot of hard labor of trying to get the gritty coquina wiped off.