Family camping tent help

[Grayson_Everett]

Hi!!
We are a family of 5 who camps about once a year for 2 weeks every year. (Because we have to...) And are new in the country and need to get supplies from scratch. Help!

We were given a tent last year that leaked like a sive. Not cool. And our air mattress went flat for the last 4 days as well. So last year was not too fun. Now we have a few months till we have to do it all again...

So, what is the best family camping tent with small boys - 4, 6 and 9yrs, a gunho dad -6' 6", tons of clothes - because we need to be ready for all weather conditions, 1 frazzled mother... ? With a queen sized air matress, 2 single air matresses, and a cot. A borrowed gazebo thingy, and no stove yet... Who are camping for a church camp meeting - which requires church clothes on 2 of the 14 days.

We will be camping north of Lansing, MI. Any info and advice would be great.

Thank you!

 

[UTTransplant]

I went tent camping with little kids And we all survived! Look at Eureka, Big Agnes, North Face, and REI brand tents. They aren’t cheap, but they stand up to rain and wind. Give up on the idea of 2 weeks of clothes. We took 5 days worth and hit up laundromats. The kids don’t need air mattresses; buy a closed cell camping pad to insulate the ground, and they will be fine. Note this isn’t the best place to find tent camping info since it is a site for RVers. But many of us tent camped before RVing.

 

[Ex-Calif]

To get good camping gear in America you have to spend pretty serious money. I have smaller budget tents I bought at Walmart but i consider them "disposable" and don't expect them to last more than a couple of seasons. I have also had not great luck with air mattresses longevity.

Sounds like you need a full sized stand up tent that sleeps at least 6-8 people.

Sounds like you are not hiking the tent so weight and portability are not serious concerns. I might go look at army surplus and consider cots instead of air mattresses. If you go that route you are gonna need a pretty big hauling vehicle.

Having said that because you are only seeking 2 weeks a year I might take another chance with a Walmart tent - Ozark Trails are generally not terrible. But again you are not really "camping" - you are trying to create accommodations for 5 for 2 weeks so again I would give up on air mattresses and go for cots. Army surplus is where I would be looking for those.

For cooking I have a 2 burner coleman stove and a "hikable" single burner attachment that screws right on top of the coleman green bottles. 3 burners should be plenty to cook with.

I am definitely biased. I decided after the 2019 season I was getting too old and fat to sleep on the ground so I bought an rv - LOL...

Here's a shot of my "last ever" bike camping trip.

 

[Larry N.]

Pam and Dan gave some good advice. I'd add that instead of air mattresses, you might look at something like a Therm-a-Rest or something similar. While not cheap, they last rather well -- I still have mine from the '80s and it's still great, though it doesn't get as much use these days -- and they are comfortable, more so than a regular air mattress, IMO. Oh yes, and you don't have to blow them up, just unroll them and let them air up by themselves. They come in several sizes, too, and stow compactly.

Basically, when it comes to camping gear, you more or less get what you pay for -- go cheap and it won't last -- so, depending on your budget, get stuff from a store that caters to backpackers and it will still be good once the kids are grown, or buy some new stuff every year or two from Walmart.

Also, for longevity on whatever you buy, be sure that the ground where you put it is mostly free of sharp sticks, sharp stones, etc. that can puncture tent floors, and use a ground sheet under the tent floor.

 

[Mark_K5LXP]

Having camped as a kid and adult for a few decades now, this is my take on it.

Mom and dad, and maybe the youngest kiddo get one tent, the other kids have their own or maybe share a tent. This eliminates having a pile of bodies and junk everywhere in one tent to deal with and mom and dad don't have to look at their mess. I packed the queen size air mattress, bedding (electric blanket...) and other junk for "mom and dad's tent" in storage tubs and when unpacked the storage tubs hold clothes and become nightstands. If the transportation can hold it, that becomes the storage/staging area for clothes and equipment that isn't being used once the camp is set up, otherwise another small tent is deployed as a "shed". These don't have to be spendy/trendy/fancy name brand tents, the ones I used for the better part of three decades came from wally world and sears. Inexpensive egg crate foam mattress pads cut to sleeping bag size makes sleeping on the ground a much more pleasant proposition. A giant tarp suspended over a central picnic table with ropes offers some shelter from sun and rain and becomes a landing zone for activities and meals. After that it comes down to whatever junk you bring along for the mission you're on - hiking, fishing, smore's by the fire, what have you. That's limited only by your imagination and space in the vehicle. The lesson to learn is before you even go anywhere - limiting what you take as much as possible. This isn't a resort, you don't need a ton of clothes and junk along just because you might need it or would like to. Clothes can be worn more than one day and one jacket plus one sweatshirt covers you for most any temperature. Kids figure out quick that if they don't like wearing muddy clothes, they shouldn't get them muddy in the first place.

Mark B.
Albuquerque, NM

 

[Isaac-1]

I agree with the others, tents from Wal-Mart, etc can be functional, just don't expect them to last, be as strong, or as light as the better built stuff. For good mid range, though a bit more pricey tents take a look at Kelty brand tents. Deals can sometimes be found on ebay for discontinued models, over stock, etc.

 

[Scott 3]

I recommend hanging a tarp above the tent if there are trees or other structures are available. A lot of rain covers get saturated and or sit too close to the tent and let the sidewalls get soaked. A tarp over your picnic table can also be nice. Look at Walmart, Target, Dicks Sportingoods, Acamedy, Amazon.

 

[Matt_C]

What the others have missed were our two best sources when we were acquiring such things. A lot of which we still have.
Next for us was church rummage sales. (That is where we got our stove and two lanterns.)
Salvation Army stores can be good too.
We gave up on plastic air mattresses years ago. Only buy the rubber impregnated fabric.
As long as you have wire (internet access), start with Craig's list local to you. We have worked that for yard/garage sales. The only problem there is that you cannot predict what will be available.

Last of luck

Matt

 

[steveblonde]

Bass pro shop is your new best friend

 

[Tom55555]

Hi!!
We are a family of 5 who camps about once a year for 2 weeks every year. (Because we have to...) And are new in the country and need to get supplies from scratch. Help!

We were given a tent last year that leaked like a sive. Not cool. And our air mattress went flat for the last 4 days as well. So last year was not too fun. Now we have a few months till we have to do it all again...

So, what is the best family camping tent with small boys - 4, 6 and 9yrs, a gunho dad -6' 6", tons of clothes - because we need to be ready for all weather conditions, 1 frazzled mother... ? With a queen sized air matress, 2 single air matresses, and a cot. A borrowed gazebo thingy, and no stove yet... Who are camping for a church camp meeting - which requires church clothes on 2 of the 14 days.

We will be camping north of Lansing, MI. Any info and advice would be great.

Thank you!

I hear weird stuff about the boy scouts but back in the day, my Dad was an assistant scout master and both of my older brothers were in the same troop.

Back then, we would go 50 miles into Canada by canoe. You could drink the lake water, no filter, nothing.

You ate fish everyday, you pooped in a hole you dug, you learned how to start a fire after it rained all night and how to set up your tent so your sleeping bag didn't get wet.

Back in those days tents were canvas, if you touched them when raining they would leak. We used air bags and knew how to fix them. Even when you're a kid, sleeping on rocks isn't fun.

Once you get an RV, you're spoiled rotten. LOL

 

[Tom55555]

I hear weird stuff about the boy scouts but back in the day, my Dad was an assistant scout master and both of my older brothers were in the same troop.

Back then, we would go 50 miles into Canada by canoe. You could drink the lake water, no filter, nothing.

You ate fish everyday, you pooped in a hole you dug, you learned how to start a fire after it rained all night and how to set up your tent so your sleeping bag didn't get wet.

Back in those days tents were canvas, if you touched them when raining they would leak. We used air bags and knew how to fix them. Even when you're a kid, sleeping on rocks isn't fun.

Once you get an RV, you're spoiled rotten. LOL

 

[Isaac-1]

Ah, canvas tents, something I don't miss

 

[Oldgator73]

Get a two person tent for the 6 & 9 year old. Go to Harbor Freight and get a moving blanket big enough for the tent and use a couple of sleeping bags. For mom, dad and 4 year old get an EZ Up and the tent that clips to it. You will have a 10x10 tent that you might even be able to stand up in. Two cots for the adults and a sleeping bag for the little one. I’ve attached a photo of our EZ Up with the tent attachment.

 

[Larry N.]

Neat setup, Gator, but I don't think it'll stand strong winds, which could be a factor in much of the western U.S.

 

[Ex-Calif]

@Tom - You can still do that camping in America if you go looking for it. We didn't have beds. We "excavated" sleeping pits and filled them with collected leaves before setting up the tent. But canvas tents sucked - LOL...

@Gator & Larry - We used that type of "tent" as the field kitchen when setting up at the dirt bike camp. Also used to hang out in and change clothes. Rightly not so "wind proof" but you can add stays at the corners that can help.

 

[JayArr]

I second the recommendation of buying used on Craigslist. You have to be picky, don't buy junk but like Ex-Calif we were tenters up to our mid 40s before we decided it wasn't for us anymore. I sold all our tenting gear on Craigslist at a bargain. Stoves, lanterns, tent, sleeping bags a full kitchen, pop up tents, tarps, ropes etc. All orgainzed in totes. If you can find an older couple that is moving from tenting to an RV of some sort you could get quality gear at a bargain price.

 

[Tiercel]

I did not read the entire topic but I have one word on cots, especially the canvas folding cots. It the weather is the least bit cool at night you will freeze with the air circulating under you. You must have a mattress, closed-cell foam, or such under your body.

You also always have the option to use two smaller tents which gives you or the boys flexibility if you ever want to go camping with just a few of you. You will be able to choose between two smaller tents. It also might give you a little privacy and teach the boys some independence. They can even have fun with some trial runs in the backyard.

 

[John From Detroit]

Two things that might help... Scotch guard the fabric, twice.
Then if it still has the odd pin-hole.. NORMALLy you never touch wet canvas but ..
there is a product (Seal all) you form a ball of it and touch that ball to the point of what used to be the leak 0.001 second before the seal all sealed it. EVEN WHILE IT IS LEAKING. Works

Seal all is, near as I can tell, 1950's DUCO (The glue they hippies sniffed to get high in the 60s)

Also works on leaking GAS tanks.. that's some impressive sealant.

 

[Scott 3]

I kept our family size tent and small tent since we got into RVing. My adult daughters have used them on some of our camping trips. The other camping gear like Coleman stoves are used often when we are camping and all of it is good for emergency backup at home. If I cook outside of the TT I like to set the stove/s up away from the TT. Our first TT had a slide out stove and I didn't like the splatter getting on the side of the TT. Some food like bacon I prefer to cook outdoors.

 

[Great Horned Owl]

Almost any family tent that includes a "rain fly" will keep you dry.

Try one the "self inflating" sleeping pads. They consist of two layers of foam, with an air mattress between them. I've seen the valve on one go bad, but the only other difficulty, is that they're harder to deflate than to inflate. The foam also provides good thermal insulation beneath you.

They are available in a large variety on thicknesses, lengths, and widths. This one is typical: Typical Self Inflating Pad.

Joel