tent camping what kind of tent should we get?

[nohope118]

So we have 4 adults total going in January to camp at the campgrounds of disney world. I have read mixed reviews, some say pop up tents are okay(which we have) others say you need more durable tents due to high chances of rain/wind. Any advice would be great! And if someone could direct me to a specific tent/camping site that would be awesome.

 

[rangebob]

I've never used one of the EasyUp tents before. I've seen them at Ft. Wilderness before and never seen any problems with them. I'm in scouts also and have been camping before with some heavy winds and never saw a problem with them.

I always use plastic under the tent to save the bottom of the tent. The gravel that they use they keep wet so it likes to cling to the bottom of the tent and I've even had some minor water on the bottom of the tent when it was directly on the rock (coquina shell) pad.

 

[jbrostek]

A 10x10 EZUp or copy with sides would be good for that time of the year beyond the tents. When the sides are up its very easy to keep warm and give you extra area outside of the tent. If anything I would probably use 2 10x10 canopies, one over the tent that and keep rain off, the second with surrounds to create and area for wind block that even a small heater could keep warmer then ambient.

 

[chartle]

So we have 4 adults total going in January to camp at the campgrounds of disney world. I have read mixed reviews, some say pop up tents are okay(which we have) others say you need more durable tents due to high chances of rain/wind. Any advice would be great! And if someone could direct me to a specific tent/camping site that would be awesome.

What exactly are you calling a pop up tent?

 

[Sheepdog23]

I think the first question you should ask yourself is how often do you plan on using your tent and will you be sleeping on air mattresses or does a camping mat work for you? If you plan on camping quite often, in many different types of conditions, or if you want an easy to travel with tent, I would highly recommend spending a little more and buying a tent by an outdoor company like marmot, big agnes, sierra designs etc. I definitely agree with a previous poster that you should put something under your tent. We camped for years at the fort when i was younger and rain does gather in the shell mix and form lakes, plus it also does stick to the bottom. I would also recommend that you make sure that your tent is standing higher than surrounding areas and dig drainage moats if it rains and you find it gathers. We had to do this for my sister one year and she felt like she was living in a castle. Otherwise it is just fine. We used a large eureka tent which in our family was called the hilton, because it was great. I have bought a more expensive tent for my family by sierra designs, which has a full fly and weighs very little despite its size, which makes it easy to fly with. The full fly allows for shoe storage and other things under the fly by the door as well as being able to open and close the tent with the doors covered as well as open windows which are covered, which is great for rain and heavy winds. I think it also keeps us warmer at night, but the mesh top of our tent under the fly allows for awesome ventilation, a plus when it is humid.

these two are like the one my family has used for 25+ years and has survived a few severe storms in disney (once with tornadoes!)
http://store.eurekatent.com/products/501874/Copper_Canyon_6
http://store.eurekatent.com/titan-tent

this one is ours and comes in several different sizes. I love it!!!!! we went camping and it poured for several days. We were dry as a bone and very well ventilated in the tent despite small rivers going under our tent. definitely by the footprint.
http://sierradesigns.com/product/yahi-annex-6-2

good luck in the tent jungle!

 

[graueMaus]

I think the first question you should ask yourself is how often do you plan on using your tent and will you be sleeping on air mattresses or does a camping mat work for you? If you plan on camping quite often, in many different types of conditions, or if you want an easy to travel with tent, I would highly recommend spending a little more and buying a tent by an outdoor company like marmot, big agnes, sierra designs etc. I definitely agree with a previous poster that you should put something under your tent. We camped for years at the fort when i was younger and rain does gather in the shell mix and form lakes, plus it also does stick to the bottom. I would also recommend that you make sure that your tent is standing higher than surrounding areas and dig drainage moats if it rains and you find it gathers. We had to do this for my sister one year and she felt like she was living in a castle. Otherwise it is just fine. We used a large eureka tent which in our family was called the hilton, because it was great. I have bought a more expensive tent for my family by sierra designs, which has a full fly and weighs very little despite its size, which makes it easy to fly with. The full fly allows for shoe storage and other things under the fly by the door as well as being able to open and close the tent with the doors covered as well as open windows which are covered, which is great for rain and heavy winds. I think it also keeps us warmer at night, but the mesh top of our tent under the fly allows for awesome ventilation, a plus when it is humid.

Excellent advice.

--However if you are couples or a mixed party (2 guys, 2 gals; family with teen girl/boy mix) I would suggest getting two tents of quality (the brands listed above are especially recommended);
-- Remember the 2 person tent is for two people sleeping taking up the entire floor of the tent, if you want room for 2 and gear start with a 4 person
--I can vouch for Marmot (spec. Limestone 6) as an excellent brand,especially in heavy/torrential wind and rain.
-- Another recommendation is get a tent you can stand up in (my wife's requirement), it makes quite a difference in dressing and comfort
--remember you get what you pay for, the difference in cost is typically not the size but in the ability to set up the tent quickly and with fewer people (really important in a downpour), and quality of poles, rainfly,zippers, ventilation, and interior storage.
-- If the tent does not come with ground sheet buy one (preferably from the tent manufacturer). This will not only protect the tent, but allow you to store the wet, dirty ground sheet in a plastic bag separate from the tent when packing up. ( I always have at least 2 13 gallon garbage bags when camping, one for wet rainfly and one for the groundsheet: just make sure to take out and air out as soon as you get home)

Also cots are a sure fired way of getting a good nights sleep with no chance of deflating.
There is always more as scouts say, but that should give you some things to think about.

 

[riverbend]

I have a Cougar Flats II from Columbia (circa 2009 maybe?) and I love the heck out of that tent, although I think they've discontinued that specific model. It sleeps 8 (realistically, more like 5-6 adults + their gear comfortably), has a 10' x 15' footprint with a 7' center height. I'm 6' and hubs is 6'4" and let me just say that it's such a gift to be able to stand up straight in a tent. Falling over while changing clothes in a crouched position, no more! The frame is made up of steel and fiberglass poles so it's been able to withstand some pretty nasty weather without a problem.

Just like some of the pp's have said, you're definitely going to want some kind of ground cloth between you and that crushed up seashell junk on the site pad. That stuff sticks to everything when it's raining!

 

[DPickering]

Ty for all the useful info here.

My wife won a 'wellness' credit of $500 at her work's Xmas party. We can use it for anything health and recreation related so decided camping gear would be great. Our 4 year old very much wants to camp. Headed to WDW in a week for a stay at AoA but plan to pop over to the Fort to scout it out for a future visit. Have been trying to figure out what tent to get and all this helps much.

 

[iheartglaciers]

If you have an REI near you, I would recommend buying from them. They have a great return policy in case you use the tent and don't like it, or have any problems with it.

 

[ilovedisneymm]

I prefer the cabin style tents. They look adorable and you can stand up in them. Hubby is 6ft 6in and has no problem walking around in ours.

 

[graueMaus]

If you have an REI near you, I would recommend buying from them. They have a great return policy in case you use the tent and don't like it, or have any problems with it.

You can also rent tents from them if you want to try before your buy

 

[graueMaus]

I prefer the cabin style tents. They look adorable and you can stand up in them. Hubby is 6ft 6in and has no problem walking around in ours.

However they may (emphasis on the may) collapse in a heavy rain (and rain and wind in FLorida is heavy if not torrential). Case in point: We had experienced campers in out cub scout pack that had one(Coleman) and it caved in on them due to the weight of water pooling on the top of the tent. The tent was destroyed beyond belief and they headed to a hotel (quite a distance away from the campsite).

Look at the shape of 4 season tents designed to survive snow storms, I don't think you will find one that is cabin style.

I tend to buy for the worst conditions as I would rather pay the price now than at the campsite (and the wrath of my family).