Need help finding a tent - Family of 5

[nwoods]

Backcountry.com has a nice comparison site:
http://www.backcountry.com/store/dc/...05&no_mobile=1

[Honu]

Hey all, we are considering a new tent since we sold the tent trailer last January out of financial necessity.

I have been looking at lots of videos and the Coleman Instant Tent series keeps coming up not only for its ease of use, but for the thick material and durability. Anyone have any experience with one of these?

We need suggestions on a tent for the whole family and the dog (hence the thicker floor interest).

We are selling the trailer and started our search for a tent And found that everyone recomending a kodiak or spring bar was correct for us at least

Family of 4 and a dog we want it to have enough height to stand up in and enough room to get the kids dressed easy in the morning
Our trailer is a top quality African canvas and I love canvas for its ability to stay cooler when hot and stay warmer when cool and block light allowing us to sleep in if we want
We looked at nylon tents to save weight and size bought a nice marmot decided we want canvas ended up with a kodiak canvas and love it !
We had a coleman instant up screen room but returned it did not like the quality ?

Depending on budget of course I would give a serious look at the kodiaks or spring bars !

We are not worried about the floor in our kodiak but are laying down cotton canvas to give a bit more durable and a bit softer and warm on the toes in the morning

[Arctic Cat]

I going to suggest 2 tents, they are both military surplus tent and both can be obtained for about $400 to $600 (used) They are both 4 season tents and they are heater stove capable, but on the heavy side. I personally own one of each. For cold weather they can be equip with tent liners.
I usually set this tent all by myself

Command Post Tent System (SICUP)

This tent is heavy and can be set by two persons in about 20 minutes, I usually set myself in about 45 minutes to an hour. I use this one when I want to stay in comfort and for longer stays 4 days or more.

Peak Height 7'
Diameter 11'x11'
Weight ( including poles) 482 lbs
Floor Area 121 sq. ft
stove pipe vent 1
Doors 1

4 Men Crew Tent

This one can be set up by one person in 5 minutes
Peak Height 5'
Diameter 10'x10'
Weight ( including poles) 65 lbs
Floor Area 120 sq. ft
stove pipe vent 1
Doors 2

[SilverBullet]

Okay, so things have changed a bit. With the help of Martyn (AT, and a huge thank you) if the Wildnernest fits, I am going to borrow it as a sales trial run in Moab for Crawl 4 Christ.

There is no mattress in it, so I need Thermarest or pad recommendations and the size I am looking for (since I don't have it yet).

[nwoods]

No idea what size the Wildernest is, but I really like the REI 2.5 camp pad. It comes in different lengths, I use the XL, and its almost long enough for my 6'-7". REI products come with lifetime warranty. My daughter used it to play trampoline and somehow crushed the air valve. REI replaced it no questions asked.

[Scott C]

I have had great luck with Eureka tents.

[BretEdge]

We use the REI Kingdom 6. Looks like they also make a Kingdom 8. I freakin' love our tent. Funny thing is, when my wife brought it home I was a bit perturbed as I didn't think we needed such a large tent. It's just the two of us, our 3 year old son and 2 pugs.

Now that we've used it for a couple years, I can't imagine car camping without it. We lived in it for two weeks in Glacier NP, 2 more weeks in Arizona and 2 more weeks in the Tetons, with a bunch of weeklong or shorter trips in between. It's spacious, easy to set up, extremely strong - even in whipping winds and torrential rain - and doesn't cost an arm and a leg. We opted for an extra large add-on vestibule that's big enough to store bikes and other gear you don't want to get wet. I don't know if the floor is extra thick but we've not had any issues with it. We do use the ground sheet designed for the tent. On our last trip we also put down 1/4 thick closed cell foam pads which makes it pretty luxurious to walk around barefoot. It's never been snow loaded so I don't know how it would handle such a situation.

With 5 people and a dog, the Kingdom 6 would probably be a bit tight. I think you'd have plenty of room in a Kingdom 8, though.

[RU55ELL]

Brian, is there any reason you wouldn't go for two smaller tents? I find it much more convenient. Yeah, you set up two tents, but it's much easier to set up small tents than a big huge tent. Also, you aren't disturbing the kids when they are asleep and you turn in later.

[SilverBullet]

We considered that, but we are leaning toward the "suv tent" idea so we can utilize the back of the truck and be still together.

[LACamper]

I have a Eureka A-frame that I used hard for almost 10 years. Its a bit heavy for backpacking but divided up between three people it wasn't too bad. For car camping its perfect. Lots of floor space and very durable.

Recently I caved in to my wife and bought a popup camper... I'll keep the Eureka for the rare trips she doesn't go on.