What tent do you use?

[Ellura]

Fiancee and I are taking up camping. We both camped lots growing up but things have changed a TON. We have a Disney weekend scheduled for Dec and are thinking about taking the tent. The only problem...

What tent do I buy?

There are only two of us but we love our space. Plus, we want something if friends want to join. Also, we want something reasonable until we decide if this is the route we want to go.

Any ideas? I am very interested to see what tents everyone is using.

Thanks a TON!!!

 

[Running_Bell]

We have two of these... here is one on ebay

http://cgi.ebay.com/New-Coleman-9-Man-2-RM-14x10-Family-Cabin-Camping-Tent-/400217339828?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item5d2ecff7b4

They are discontinued I believe... but once in a while you can find one. We bought ours 3 years ago from Target .... liked it so much we bought a 2nd one. Now if family comes camping with us.... we have an extra tent and we have a replacement if anything ever happens to our first. We really love the Coleman products. There are other very good choices.... depending on your size needs. Some friends have other brands that we like....; REI, Outwell, Alps, Swiss Gear, Paha Que.... there are so many and each has their own niche. We like this specific Coleman because we found the square walls added a feeling of roominess... unlike the dome shapes. It has great ventilation and I know from experience it will hold up in heavy rain and moderate wind... we also like the hinge style doors. It's pretty easy to put up... takes hubby and I about 30min.

 

[heidijanesmith]

Here is a post from me, from a different thread. It has a link to the tent that we use and love. I also like the tent from the above poster, two "C" doors would be great.

All the advise above is wonderful! Even thought we have not camped at FW before, we are avid tent campers.

1- Although this has been mentioned above, I can't stress it enough. Buy a double height air mattess. I bought a queen size, double height air mattress. Made all the difference in the world! My kids are just fine with a single size mattress, but I like being off the floor. Here is the one that I bought and well worth every penny! http://www.amazon.com/Intex-Pillow-A...0146108&sr=8-1

2-Bring a dorm fridge, perfect size for all of your food for trip. The fridge kept all of our food cold with easy access, no worries about getting ice. In Feb, you shouldn't have to worry about ice melting like crazy but in the summer, it seems like we are always getting more ice. I keep a couple coolers for drinks, one for adult beverages and one for the kids.

3-Plan on rain, bring extra tarps for covering supplies. A covered shelter, either a canopy with sides or a tent with netting works well. This way you have some where to hang out when it rains.

4-If you can, rent a golf cart from either Disney or an outside company that will drop off/pick up. FW is an amazing property and exploring with a golf cart is fast and easy on the feet. I have heard of people also renting bikes.

5-We bring two tents, one cabin style and one dome. This gives us plenty of space for the adults and kids. My favorite cabin style tent has a "C" door, so you can just open and close it with out zipping all the time. It has also stayed dry during thunderstorms with hail!http://www.basspro.com/Coleman-Vacat...SSSELL_PRODUCT

6-Storage carts and tubs. I do not like using suitcases when camping. I love these storage carts for clothes and personal items (shampoo, soap). We keep a couple in the tent and are good to go. They are not waterproof, so If you leave them outside, cover with a tarp if it rains.

http://www.walmart.com/cp/College-Drawers-Carts/1085393

We also use tubs for waterproof storage; paper plates, tin foil, paper towels and such.

7-I have seen pics of this, but have never tried it yet. FW campsites are cable ready, bring a small TV with a cable. You can lock it up in your car, when gone or at night.

Hope you have a great time!
__________________


2005 AKL
2010 Poly

 

[angelmom27]

I got mine for free. My husband use to work for tire kingdom and when you worked there for so many yrs you would get a gift book to order from. So we got the family tent. It is a coleman and I cant remember off the top if it has 2 or 3 rooms. I know it sleeps like 10 people. We havent used it yet next spring will be our first time.

 

[featherface]

We just bought a Coleman Elite Evanston 8 person dome tent earlier this year. We've only used it once but so far we love it. It has plenty of room for two adults and a couple of kids. Really enough room for 4 adults but no room devider. It's tall enough to stand up in, well vented, has a C door, and the rainfly makes for a covered porch like area.

 

[Greenepona]

We will be getting this one for our trip in the fall:
http://www.amazon.com/Coleman-WeatherMaster-Screened-6-Tent/dp/B001TS6WWC/ref=wl_it_dp_o?ie=UTF8&coliid=I2K9WQGCZYF6B0&colid=33D8BKBHI9RP2

I'm very excited... our previous tent was a 1970's Hillyard made of Uber heavy canvas... this one will be loads better I believe

 

[mkoerner]

We buy coleman tents, either from WalMart or Target. The latest one is an 8 person 14x10 Coleman that cost about $140. There were 4 of us with air mattresses and our personal stuff and we had loads of room. We used it during a wicked storm last month and no leaks or problems whatsoever. Just remember to fasten your tent and rainguard well to the ground.

 

[poohbear22]

I wouldn't cheap out on a tent. We bought the Columbia Cougar Flats II Family Cabin Dome Tent by Columbia off of Amazon. It stands up to wind and storms really well. It is really amazing. We are a family of 4 and have plenty of room to continue growing or to just store stuff inside the tent.

 

[Greenepona]

We have two of these... here is one on ebay

http://cgi.ebay.com/New-Coleman-9-Man-2-RM-14x10-Family-Cabin-Camping-Tent-/400217339828?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item5d2ecff7b4

These are on sale at target this week for $159... I want one really bad.

Do you have any pictures of the electrical port it supposedly has? Is that the u shaped opening on the one side? Or is that the dog door?

 

[Running_Bell]

Wow... they've been discontinued in our Target area. Maybe they've been brought back? That is a great deal.... we have really loved this tent.

The electric port is a small opening in the front left side if outside of tent looking in. It is small, but works perfectly. The u-shape is only on one side....we use it for ventilation... it's perfect to put a small fan in front of. I guess it could be used as doggie door... but it would have to be a small doggie

I'll have to see if I have photos of the inside that may show the cord opening....

 

[hotmamac]

We recently bought a Northwest Territory Front Porch tent from Kmart and we LOVE it!

http://www.kmart.com/shc/s/p_10151_10104_089W030388690001P?prdNo=1&blockNo=1&blockType=G1

It's huge and has the attached front porch. We were camping 2 weeks ago and had two straight days of rain and inside stayed dry as a bone (and we hadn't had a chance to seal the seams yet).

 

[WeCampDisney]

I have had several over the years. My newest is a Coleman Max 9x13, walmart $160.Its the best tent I have ever had and its not expensive. Easy set up, straight up walls, great water proofing features, sturdy in high wind.

 

[dreamer03]

We are a family of five and we have the Cabelas Cabin Tent. It sleeps 10. Reviews have said it witheld 30 mph gail force winds, and it isa a three season tent. There is no rainfly to worry about. We have had it about 4 years and love it. We paid under three hundred for it as well.It is very room and we can all stand up with out an issue. Good luch with your pursuit.

 

[Running_Bell]

I just wanted to give an update on our tent, actually sing it's praises... The Coleman Hampton 10X14 cabin style.....

We just returned from Niagara Falls where we camped at Four Mile Creek State Park right on Lake Ontario.... one very early morning we had the strongest storm we have ever camped in thus far.... very strong gusts and heavy rains..... the tent handled it like a champ. We saw the clouds rolling in that night and had only staked the tent at that point so we made sure to tie it down (we usually don't do unless there is a call for winds). We had no water come in or wind damage.

 

[weaverlfc]

I have had several over the years. My newest is a Coleman Max 9x13, walmart $160.Its the best tent I have ever had and its not expensive. Easy set up, straight up walls, great water proofing features, sturdy in high wind.

Im also looking at buying this tent. Can i ask roughly what the dimensions of the tent is when it it dismantled and in it's original tent bag ?

 

[Ellura]

Thanks to everyone for the advice. There are so many choices. We were surprised with a gift of a new tent. We got a Field and Stream 10x13 estate dome. We will give this a try and hope it works.

This is an amazing forums and I look forward to chatting with everyone.

 

[WeCampDisney]

welcome to the board. The best way to enjoy that new tent is to set it up at Fort Wilderness!

 

[2goofycampers]

Thanks to everyone for the advice. There are so many choices. We were surprised with a gift of a new tent. We got a Field and Stream 10x13 estate dome. We will give this a try and hope it works.

This is an amazing forums and I look forward to chatting with everyone.

A gift you can really use !

Pull up a chair, sit a spell, y'all come back now. (Welcome)