Family tents - recommendations

[Paul_B]

Out of curiosity, anyone got any good suggestions for family tents?

My criteria are very easy and especially easy to put up. Sleeping room and separate living or storage area you can sit in (floor is good enough) but must be capable of keeping it dry. Not heavy, low care requirements and not too bulky. For me cotton canvas is out. Also teepee shapes. Thinking tunnel based shapes. Also not too expensive but we'd look at £500 tents if special. Three man for two adults 7 year old plus kit and toys. Car camping use only.

We have vango alpha or beta tunnel tests, larger 4 man Coleman and even larger vango tunnel tents (steel poled 6 man and fibreglass poled 5 man). Nothing works well. Some better for fit but a lot slower for pitching. The 5 man vango was good space but as the fastest full height tent still took two people and took them 40+ minutes to fully pitch. The smaller vango beta type is one man pitch but not full height.

It's compromise but is there really anything better without great expense?

Sorry, not bushcraft.

 

[Woody girl]

I can't give you any particular models but have you thought about those inflatable tents that are sold at go outdoors and other leading camping retailers? I know in the old days they were pretty bad with all sorts of problems but better materials and technology today has made them much better. Might even have a competition to see who can blow up their pole first to get it erected even quicker!. Also no poles to cart around or break and leaks can easily be repaired with patches.

 

[Stew]

Vango airbeam of a model that suits your size.

I've been a convert for some years after being fed up with threading poles.

6 man tent is up and useable in minutes.

 

[birchwood]

Have a look at the Kampa brean tents, a couple of friends have them for canoe base camp tents. Has a good porch design as it has an ‘eyebrow ‘ to keep the rain from drowning the porch with the door open, plenty of room for a table to cook on and space to sit.
They have the size 3 which I was considering but they also make a larger size 4.

 

[Paul_B]

https://www.gooutdoors.co.uk/15899626/vango-icarus-500-deluxe-5-person-tent-15899626
We have this Icarus tent as a good tent for a week's stay away. One bag compared to a similar sized Coleman that came in two similar sized bags as the vango for only 1 less bed space.

https://www.vango.co.uk/gb/tents/898-beta-350xl.html
Is our smaller end for car camping. Generally use this for beginning and end of normal camping season (although some places are only shut when wind gets above 50mph like great Langdales site).

Neither tent is high quality, it just works for a number of years for very little money. £190 for the 5 man vango and £70 possibly 8 years ago now for the beta 350xl vango. Cheap and cheerful but kind of works. Not great for bad weather when pitching because no captured poles so putting pin in every pole end separately.

We also have a better and lighter Hellsport 3 man backpacking tent for cycle touring.

https://www.tamarackoutdoors.co.uk/Mobile/MBSCProduct.asp?PdtID=22992914

The 5 man vango is too big, the 3 man vango and hellsport too small. The hellsport and 3 man vango are so quick to put up and something that easy with a slightly bigger space. We'd like something that allows for a door to be left open for ventilation if needed. Most doorways are on a slope so rain enters even for the few seconds to get inside.

So you know what I have at my disposal (others too but we'll not confuse matters with them, we're gear freaks afterall). Any more good ideas?

 

[Stew]

https://www.vango.co.uk/gb/39-vango-airbeam-tents?id_category=39&n=64#/capacity-4_person_tent

 

[Laurence Milton]

My vote will be for a bell tent: must admit I'm not keen personally on airbeams,/inflatables, but that's me. Also cotton canvas is out in your post too......I don't do polyester; must be a troglodyte!!

 

[Duggie Bravo]

We had an earlier version of the Icarus, called something else though.
The poles cross over the sleeping area, so can be put up by one person fairly quickly.
It has full height in the living space and sleeping area and was big enough to get camp beds in.


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[Broch]

If you want to look at something completely different look at the Oztents. We've had ours about twelve years and it's been from the desert to the Arctic. It goes up in about thirty seconds. The only problem with it is its pack size; it needs to go on a roof rack.

 

[Laurence Milton]

What about the largest of the Slumit range, well thought of, easy to pitch and plastic. Not too expensive either?