Car camping tent

[hikerbrian]

I'm in the market for a new tent for car camping. There are only three requirements, each of equal weight: it must be stormproof, durable, and palatial. I spend enough time packed into my tiny 4-season single wall tent with my favorite smelly friend to be unabashedly giddy when stepping into a mcmansion of a tent that I don't have to carry on my back.

This will be for my wife, myself, and my two young (ages 3 and 5) boys. I suppose a separate room for the kids might be nice, but it isn't necessary. I think sleeping for 6 is the absolute minumum (that's what we have now). Who's got something to recommend?

And yes, I saw the thread from February, but my requirements are a little different.

 

[MadRiver]

I bought the Coleman Weathermaster, which sleeps ten. Although there is enough room for all my gear, I wasn’t happy with the dripping from condensation off of the rain fly. I guess Weathermaster is a relative term.

 

[Quietman]

For car camping, I have looked for a cheap tent that fits my needs spacewise, and then bought a tarp that gives good coverage. Saves $ and never had a leak in many years.

 

[hikingmaineac]

I'd go with an LL Bean tent simply because that if for any reason it doesn't live up to your expectations you can bring it back - with no hassle - at at point - ever.

I know you said a 6-person would be the minimum you'd go with, but like Quietman said - blue-tarping over any tent is a guaranteed way to keep dry... otherwise, I'd stick with a dome tent that has a rainfly that covers all the way to the ground on all sides. The trade-off for this is obviously losing out on ventilation when you'll want it most - during car camping months when the nights don't often dip below 70.

If money is no object and the footprint is big enough, I'd probably go with either The King Pine 6-Person, or if you really want to go huge and can commit to hanging a tarp over your tent (even though all LL Bean tents are "Guaranteed to be waterproof"), you can opt for the larger, more expensive Big Woods 8-Person.

LL Bean seems to have an almost monthly 10% off or better sale in-stores and sometimes online for LL Bean Visa cardholders - so wait for one of those sales if you can. Also, they have annual seasonally-related theme sales - one of which involves either 15% or 20% camping supplies and tents.

Good luck!

 

[Scubahhh]

We have a 6-man Ling Pine tent that we've only used a few times because the footprint is too big, so we got a smaller tent from REI. Let me know if you're interested, and I'll ask my wife if we can sell it.

 

[hikerbrian]

Thanks for the suggestions, we are actually leaning towards a Bean tent. In fact, that's what we're replacing. We've had our Bean tent for ~16 years now, and the only issue is a very slight leak in the very top of the dome, which honestly we could probably fix with some seam sealer. But the footprint is a little small now with our growing family. Since we often car camp for one or two nights at a time and have hikes and such planned during the days, I don't want to have to spend time setting up a tarp. For longer trips, I have done it, and I actually enjoy rigging it, but most of the time I want the spend my time doing other stuff. So I need a full rain fly. The King Pine 6-person is actually currently at the top of my list. The prospect of having an outer room where we can take off wet shoes and clothes before climbing into the main room is pretty appealing. Especially with my lunatic kids who apparently have absolutely no problem sleeping with muddy pine needles and dirt in and out of their sleeping bags. Scubahhh, send me a pm if you want to part with your "Ling Pune tent TNT" [I assume that's "King Pine tent that..."].
Awesome,
Brian

 

[dug]

I agree with a Bean tent, but not for the liberal return policy. That only drives up costs, which costs us all in the long run.

That being said, I don't love their "technical" gear, but for general use, they provide good quality and value. I have a 4-person which I use for car camping, which has two vestibules and fits the three of us (and dog) just fine.

 

[Gremlin]

Whatever you get, I found that a screen tent large enough to accomodate a picnic table added immeasurably to the comfort level with the kids.

 

[peakbagger]

A reminder is if you have a discover card you can use cash back rewards to buy LL Bean gift cards for 20% off. I usually wait for a 10% off sale and use the gift cards.

 

[hikerbrian]

Good to know, thanks.

The REI Kingdom 6 is the other top contender, btw; if anyone has experience with that tent let me know. And we already have a sreenhouse.

 

[Peakbagr]

Durability and ease of set up/take down are key points. Lots of bells and whistles, light weight, state of the art - not necessary for a tent that gets thrown up on a campsite next to your vehicle.
Nice tarp is essential.

 

[Peaks]

with just my wife, we have been using a 4 person dome tent for car camping ever since our Timberline tent blew out in a micoburst. It's a Walmart tent, and has held up and kept us dry for several years (Surprize!). I never expected it to last more than a week, so I bought an LL Bean 4 person (Terragon) dome tent just to have a back-up in place.

 

[DayTrip]

Curious about a few things design wise on car camping tents:

1) Some rain flies seem to just cover the roof and some go all the way to ground. What is the benefit or problem with each design? How is condensation inside the tent affected by each? Are there tricks to prevent condensation inside the tent?
2) Footprint or no footprint? I've never used a footprint before but it appears I might be in the minority on that. Doesn't water get trapped in between the footprint and the tent floor? Is the footprint just for preventing sharp objects from damaging the tent or is it also part of a waterproofing system?

I haven't pulled the trigger on a tent purchase yet but the time is coming and I still can't decide on whether or not I want certain features. I've been looking at the Eureka Equinox 6 but I don't know if I like the fly obscuring the windows. I was also looking at the Northwoods tent by LL Bean which has exposed windows but several reviews mention the window netting as being normal screening that doesn't keep no-see-ums out, which is suicide in NH.

Any input on these design features would be appreciated.

 

[Peaks]

Footprint or not?

For me, it depends on where I'm setting up. When setting up on grass, then no footprint. However, if I'm setting up on crushed stone that could puncture the floor, then I'll use heavy plastic as a groundsheet

 

[hikerbrian]

For anyone interested, we ended up purchasing the REI Kingdom 6 as well as the garage. We've used it perhaps 15-20 nights this summer and we're very happy with the purchase. Briefly:
1. Extremely easy to set up. I can do it myself, though it goes faster with another person. 10 min max.
2. Storm proof. Rain fly is well designed and goes all the way to the ground. We had several days of steady rain, no issues. Haven't been out in a hurricane, but I'd be optimistic.
3. Just big enough for our purposes. Queen air mattress fits in one room, kids sleep in the other along with bags and such. The kids will be in their own tent before too long, so we didn't think it necessary to go bigger - which might create additional challenges in areas where the campsite isn't truly huge.
4. Garage is AWESOME. We put a small door mat in there, and if it's pouring rain we can get in the garage and close the door, take off wet stuff and keep the tent completely dry and clean. We store crates, wood, etc in there, and can sit in there in camp chairs and read and sip coffee while it pours rain. The availability of the garage is ultimately what tipped us in favor of the REI tent over the other options from Bean, etc.
5. Construction feels rock solid.
6. LOTS of pockets inside. Very useful for organizing stuff.

We didn't get the footprint. I'm still undecided on their value, and I have seen water get trapped in there (my parents have a tent with a footprint).

Daytrip, double wall tents "breathe" by allowing air to circulate under the fly, carrying any moist air from exhalation away, so it's rare to have a condensation issue in a double wall tent, except in certain weather conditions (no wind, high humidity/fog).

 

[clg898]

For anyone interested, we ended up purchasing the REI Kingdom 6 as well as the garage. We've used it perhaps 15-20 nights this summer and we're very happy with the purchase. Briefly:
1. Extremely easy to set up. I can do it myself, though it goes faster with another person. 10 min max.
2. Storm proof. Rain fly is well designed and goes all the way to the ground. We had several days of steady rain, no issues. Haven't been out in a hurricane, but I'd be optimistic.
3. Just big enough for our purposes. Queen air mattress fits in one room, kids sleep in the other along with bags and such. The kids will be in their own tent before too long, so we didn't think it necessary to go bigger - which might create additional challenges in areas where the campsite isn't truly huge.
4. Garage is AWESOME. We put a small door mat in there, and if it's pouring rain we can get in the garage and close the door, take off wet stuff and keep the tent completely dry and clean. We store crates, wood, etc in there, and can sit in there in camp chairs and read and sip coffee while it pours rain. The availability of the garage is ultimately what tipped us in favor of the REI tent over the other options from Bean, etc.
5. Construction feels rock solid.
6. LOTS of pockets inside. Very useful for organizing stuff.

We didn't get the footprint. I'm still undecided on their value, and I have seen water get trapped in there (my parents have a tent with a footprint).

Daytrip, double wall tents "breathe" by allowing air to circulate under the fly, carrying any moist air from exhalation away, so it's rare to have a condensation issue in a double wall tent, except in certain weather conditions (no wind, high humidity/fog).

I second the recommendation of the REI Kingdome 6 with the gear garage. My experience has been quite similar... tow adults, queen airmattress, two kids (one in a pack-n-play). Plenty of room for all. It's weathered several very heavy rainfalls without a leak. The garage is a magnificent addition for storing stuff and providing a small spot out of the rain and tent to read in camp chairs on a rainy night.

 

[sardog1]

It's good to hear that the engineers at REI have done a better job than their local colleagues in the profession did with the eponymous structure.