Recommendations For A Larger Campground Tent

[DayTrip]

To my amazement, my wife has conceded to going camping again (campground camping not backpacking) now that her best friend and husband have been going so much of late. I only day hike and haven't bought a tent in more than 10 years so I'm totally out of the loop on preferred brands, features, ease of set up, etc. Can anyone recommend a decent tent brand or style to very comfortably fit two people and all their stuff, particularly with very good height (probably walk in height really) and ease of set up in the dark (with flashlights or headlights) under the impatient scrutiny of a "cranky supervisor" anxious to relax? My wife is an absolute grand master campfire cook, cocktail mixer and entertainer but not such a good sport with tent set up and sleeping on the ground and crawling out of a tent on her hands and knees (my "current" tent is a 4 season North Face tent that is very low to the ground and quite a challenge to limbo out under the vestibule in the morning). An affordable and comfortable tent that sets up and breaks down quickly would facilitate a lot more outdoor adventures for us (me!) so I'm highly motivated to find such a tent. Suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

 

[bignslow]

We have a Eureka Sunrise 9, it is a "5" person tent, but in reality it will sleep 4 comfortably. It is also big enough for a queen sized air mattress (maybe only full size, I can't really remember) with plenty of room on the sides for bags. The design is nice because it has eaves that keep rain off the tent walls, while allowing large windows for cross ventilation. We have used this tent year round (obviously it is cold in the winter), and it has served us incredibly well (I would guess that we have well over 50 nights in it as we have been using it since ~2003). I would purchase another eureka tent in a heartbeat.

http://www.amazon.com/Eureka-Sunrise-Tent-sleeps-4-5/dp/B000EQCWO2

^ This price is a little absurd, but I may be biased because I was able to pick mine up at the Eureka factory outlet as a "B" model (repaired return) for only $30!

We also have a Eureka Tetragon 16x10 (http://www.amazon.com/Eureka-Tetragon-1610-Tent-sleeps/dp/B000EQ8WZU/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top) The design is a little more prone to wetness (exposed walls on the two outer "wings"), but if you're under the main dome, it is still pretty bombproof.

Eureka does have a big sale every spring (not as much recently due to them getting repeatedly hit by flooding) where you can find some amazing deals.

 

[Chip]

It sounds like this tent is for "car camping", not backpacking ? I've had good luck in that department with the $75 Walmart or Kmart Family Domes.
They are heavy, but make up for that with sturdy construction, vestibule, plenty of room, etc.
Spend the rest on (real) inflatable mattresses and a separate small tent for a porto-potti.
Maybe a folding camp kitchen and some lights. We have a separate screened kitchen tent also.
This set up served us well for years on Lake George.

 

[marnof]

I bought a new Coleman Montana 8 for car camping on the Kanc with my family. An eight person tent may seem like overkill for three people, but you can throw a queen mattress on each side and stand up in its 6'2" center. It has a semi-rigid, zippered "door," decent ventilation and vestibule. I didn't get to try it in rainy conditions, but the fly looks very adequate. Overall, it was a great base camp for hikes and it got great reviews from the COO.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B001TSCF96

 

[Mike P.]

I ended up with a large three room where you can stand up also. (Cabela's 16' X 8 or 10) It's as big as a pop-up & allows my teenage daughter privacy. Not the easiest to set-up but that is partly due to my son and I doing the majority of camping with the scouts on our own. I'm a snorer so I've been in a one person tent while he's in a two or three man tent.

Depending on what has in mind for after light's out, another option to inflatables would be cots. Sleeping off the ground, is very nice. The inflatable has some height but your still lower than most cots. It's hard to poke a hole in a cot & they don't even leak.