Tent question

[Pamela H in Texas]

Because y'all know about just about everything....

 

When a tent says it is  big enough for 5 people, does it mean 5 people?  Or does it mean like three.  Same with 10.  or whatever.

 

We are going camping with a group of adoptive families.  We tried to get a screened shelter but because there are only 8, we got bumped so someone NEEDING a screened shelter could have one.  

 

So now we have a tent site.  Is there such thing as a tent big enough for all of us?  Or how many tents do we need.  It's hubby and me, the kids in my signature, and hopefully the 11yo we are hoping to adopt (see the post about age and kids) will be here by then.  So 9 of us if everyone gets to go.  Well, I might get a babysitter for Wyatt.  I haven't decided (if anyone has an opinion about THAT, please share). 

 

Thanks!

 

 

 

Edited February 17, 2016 by Pamela H in Texas

[Carrie12345]

A fun way (imo, lol) to tell would be to use painter's tape to mark out the dimensions on the floor and have a great big slumber party.  :D   That's how we settled on our couch dimensions!

 

I believe my dds' tent is a 3-man.  One is the size of a smallish grown woman, the other is smaller.  They feel the 3-man has just enough space for the two of them.

[Acorn]

Most tents assume mummy bag sleeping bags and sleeping touching shoulder to shoulder. I'd look at the floor dimensions and measure it out in your living room and then see who fits in that footprint.

[yucabird]

My experience is that tent size considers that people will sleep in "mummy"-style sleeping bags.  Our 5-person Wenzel tent is perfect for our three (smallish) campers in non-mummy bags.  I love it because it is so very easy to put together (two rods).    

 

 

 

 

[Sherry in OH]

A five-person tent assumes the people are sleeping in mummy bags and are bringing next to nothing else into the tent.  Four of the people will be sleeping shoulder to shoulder and probably head-feet-head-feet.  The fifth person will be sleeping perpendicular to the others.  They must crawl to get in and out of the tent.

 

To be comfortable, you want a tent designed for more people than you plan to sleep.  A six- person tent is large enough for two adults and two children to sleep on a pair of air mattresses.  The air mattresses will be side-by-side and touching. There will be a small amount of room at the foot of the mattresses to store clothing.  Most adults would still need to crawl (or at least crouch) to get in and out of the tent.

 

An eight-person tent allows for an aisle between two queen-sized air mattresses.  It is much more comfortable for the adults since they can stand inside the tent.  There is space not only for bags of clothing, but also enough room to change clothing.  After a few trips in a six-person tent, the eight-person tent feels palatial for four people.

 

Large tents are more difficult to set up than smaller tents.  For eleven people, I'd opt for two eight-person tents, or one eight person and a couple of pup-tents for the older children.

[cmarthur]

We have a 16x10 tent that is rated for 10 people. I really don't think you could fit 10 in it with your gear. If you only sleep in it and keep everything in the car, then 8 may fit. With 11, you may want two tents. We like to play games in it at night so a little extra room is helpful. Air mattresses take up extra room too if you are planning on those.

[ILiveInFlipFlops]

A five-person tent assumes the people are sleeping in mummy bags and are bringing next to nothing else into the tent.  Four of the people will be sleeping shoulder to shoulder and probably head-feet-head-feet.  The fifth person will be sleeping perpendicular to the others.  They must crawl to get in and out of the tent.

 

To be comfortable, you want a tent designed for more people than you plan to sleep.  A six- person tent is large enough for two adults and two children to sleep on a pair of air mattresses.  The air mattresses will be side-by-side and touching. There will be a small amount of room at the foot of the mattresses to store clothing.  Most adults would still need to crawl (or at least crouch) to get in and out of the tent.

 

An eight-person tent allows for an aisle between two queen-sized air mattresses.  It is much more comfortable for the adults since they can stand inside the tent.  There is space not only for bags of clothing, but also enough room to change clothing.  After a few trips in a six-person tent, the eight-person tent feels palatial for four people.

 

Large tents are more difficult to set up than smaller tents.  For eleven people, I'd opt for two eight-person tents, or one eight person and a couple of pup-tents for the older children.

Based on our own experience, I agree with this. 

[Pamela H in Texas]

Anxiety is already hitting....

 

[wendyroo]

We have a 10 person tent and find that is just about right for 2 adults, 3-4 children and all our gear.  It is also nice to have that space if it rains heavily and the kids need to spend blocks of time in the tent during the day.

 

As for Wyatt, camping with toddlers certainly adds a certain je ne sais quoi to a trip.  We camp several times a summer and have gone with babies, toddlers, preschoolers and all combinations therein.  It takes extra planning and extra patience and extra clothing and soap, but we normally have a good time.  

 

Wendy

[Arcadia]

My hubby jokes that the estimation is for average size people sleeping sideways like packed sardines.

 

Two large ones will be much better. Almost half of a tent might get used for camping stuff like spare clothes, dirty laundry and dry rations.

[Miss Tick]

Try to borrow another tent. You are usually allowed two tents on a site. The tents are sized like sardine tins. We used to use a two-man (dh and ds) and a four-man (me and 2 dds), but last summer we got an 8-man for car camping and everyone was happier. It is sometimes possible to rent tents from outdoor shops, but really, ask around for a loaner!

 

Keep most of your stuff in the car overnight. On the way to bed collect the next day's clothes for everyone. Have a lantern and/or flashlights for everyone.

Edited February 16, 2016 by SusanC

[Samm]

 

To be comfortable, you want a tent designed for more people than you plan to sleep.

... Unless it's really cold.  If it's cold, it's easier to keep a small volume of interior tent air warm (via your collective body heat) than the outside.

 

Even if the floor space is big enough for you, take a look at a pic of the tent. If it has a lot of sideways walls, this reduces the amount of useful space inside.  You can't stand up in a space defined by the ground and a sharp angle.  You can't even store a lot of stuff there.

 

You're right to think hard about the right tent.  My criteria are:  full rain fly, followed by ease of set-up and take-down (which means multiple smaller tents in place of one big one).  I don't care too much about floorspace design because I don't spend a lot of time walking around the inside of a tent when we go camping.  That said, it'll probably rain non-stop the next time we go camping.

[prairiewindmomma]

You need two tents, if not three.  Most of my friends with 7+ kids use three tents. 

[skimomma]

My opinion is that the only way to get the number of people into a tent at the rated number is to melt them down and pour them in.....with no gear.

 

You will need multiple tents.  I would go with smaller tents because they are much less expensive, will be more durable, and will afford the most flexibility in the future.  If you are anywhere near an REI store, check into renting tents.  Even if you think you might want to camp again in the future, this will give you  chance to check out a tent or two to see what works best for your family.  If they are cost effective enough, you could even rent more than you need so you can try out different configurations.

 

 

[abba12]

definitely multiple tents. We have an 8 person tent and it's perfect for us and three kids.

 

The 8 people are three slim bags side-by-side, then one across their feet at the bottom, and then the same a second time (it's a two 'room' tent)

 

The person rating is definitely an absolute maximum, meant for conserving space/weight for adventurers, not a recommendation for a family. And you definitely wont get any stuff in the tent if you use that number as a guide.

[Guest]

We have a 10 person tent and find that is just about right for 2 adults, 3-4 children and all our gear. It is also nice to have that space if it rains heavily and the kids need to spend blocks of time in the tent during the day.

 

Wendy

We have a ten-person, two room tent and that is the smallest I would consider for me, the boy and the dog. My personal space bubble doesn't disappear in the great outdoors :)

[Seeking Squirrels]

I agree with the others, that's how many people can technically fit lying side by side. We have an 8 man tent for 2 adults and 2 children. We could make do with less, but I honestly wouldn't want to. We put two queen size air mattresses on either side with bags on the ends since the mattresses aren't shoved all the way over and the space opposite the door between the mattresses. Then there's enough space between them for us to stand and dress and access bags.

 

Without air mattresses I could see putting 5 people in it, 6 tops. You'd have to go easy on luggage. With mattresses I don't think you could quite fit a third in there and definitely wouldn't have floor space left if you did. Maybe you could sleep three to a mattress, though.

 

For 11 people, I think I'd prefer an 8 man for the parents and 3 youngest kids, and then two 6 man tents for the oldest ones bunking with the kids in the middle, 3 to each.

[Starr]

Is there some sort of rec room if weather is bad? Are you eating at your campsite? Will you need much more than the basics?

[bettyandbob]

For car camping, I usually look at tents as fitting one less person than they are rated for. I have a four person tent, but only 3 of comfortably camp in it in summer. 

 

If you are camping when it will not be warm at night (I usually camp at the beach in summer), you want as many people as you can handle in smaller tents. More people in a small space helps it stay warm. 

 

Most places allow two tents on a site. 

 

[Tsuga]

My hubby jokes that the estimation is for average size people sleeping sideways like packed sardines.

 

Two large ones will be much better. Almost half of a tent might get used for camping stuff like spare clothes, dirty laundry and dry rations.

 

That was going to be my serious non-joking answer, LOL.

 

Tents are like crackers. Double the serving size if you want to be realistic.

[Woodhaven]

We have a 15 person tent for the 6 of us.  That gives us room for our back packs inside the tent.  NEVER go by the number of people they say will fit in a tent.  We are on our 3rd tent. 

 

You could plan on keeping ALL of your stuff, except for your sleeping bags in the car, but that can be inconvenient.  You would still need a larger tent than they say!

 

We always put coolers and food in the car over night.

[Lady Marmalade]

We have a 12 person tent for 4 of us and we're very comfortable.  Two queen sized air beds, suitcases/totes and laundry baskets, plus room to move around.  BUT, we camp for a week at a time, so we have a lot of clothing/towels/etc. with us.  

 

No matter what else you do, never, ever, take food of any kind into your sleeping tent.  When the kids were toddlers we didn't even let them have little snacks in the tent.  One year we left some bread, packaged cookies and boxes of crackers in a tent while we went off exploring for the day.  When we came home, squirrels were IN our tent eating our dry goods.  They literally chewed holes in the side of the tent to get to our well-sealed food items.   :ohmy:

 

No food in the sleeping tent ever.  We keep all food stored in our van, in totes with lids that get re-lidded after every use.  One year a pregnant mouse built a nest under my van.  I found droppings in a package of gummy worms... 

[goldberry]

I was once in a four person tent with four people.  We all had to roll over together.

[Alessandra]

The tent numbers only work when people are packed like sardines and leave their gear outside the tent. I would get multiple tents.

Very large tents are difficult to put up

It can be hard to find a smooth, level space that will accommodate a large footprint tent

Smaller tent will be more versatile later if fewer people are camping

Also, when kids are teens, you may want to separate boys and girls, especially if they bring friends along

 

If it were me, I would put oldest boy and next oldest boy in a 2 or three person tent, oldest girl and next oldest girl in a three person tent (girls have more stuff than boys, lol). Then I would get a bigger tent for the rest of you (4, right?) in a tent about 8 or 10 ft square.

 

FYI, REI has tents that you can rent.

Edited February 17, 2016 by Alessandra

[Lizzie in Ma]

We had a 10 person tent for 4 people, a dog and gear.  It fit 2 queen size air mattresses, one for kids and one for dh and I on either end, gear at the base of the mattresses and the dog bed and room for changing and such in the middle. 

I am thinking your younger kids might fit 3 to a mattress? 

[Ravin]

To fit more people and some gear, if a tent is tall enough to stand up in, they sell camp cot "bunk beds" at Outdoor World (not something I'd invest in unless planning to camp somewhat frequently). For a crew your size, i would probably want at least 2 tents, each with 2 more people space than the actual residents of the tent, so there's room to stow gear in there even while people are sleeping. For more than overnight, I would probably go with 3 tents, each with at least 1 person more space than designated on the tent, and put boys in one, girls in the other, and you and your DH in the third.

[Pamela H in Texas]

Thanks y'all.  I really appreciate the help as we are clueless.  We went to one of the Yogi Bear camps but they have cabins...like large tiny homes.  It was perfect (so perfect, I thought we should buy a tiny home!  LOL).  I don't think I've been camping in a tent since I was a girl scout back in 1980something (and even then, we had that one night and slept in bunks otherwise).  

 

BTW, my math skills are seriously lacking.  We'll have 9 people if we take the baby.  Baby, 4 middle kids, 2 adult kids, and 2 adults.  

[ktgrok]

Adults plus baby in one 4 person tent, Adult kid plus 2 middle kids in another 4 person tent, and another adult kid plus 2 middle kids in another 4 person tent. 

 

 

[wendyroo]

Adults plus baby in one 4 person tent, Adult kid plus 2 middle kids in another 4 person tent, and another adult kid plus 2 middle kids in another 4 person tent. 

 

The only reason I would not do this (if you are buying as opposed to renting) is it limits your options in the future if you go without the adult children and the middle kids aren't ready to be in a tent on their own yet.

 

How about Mom, Wyatt, Kimberly, Victoria and 11 year old in an 8 person tent and Dad, Johnathan, Jeremiah and Tony in a 6 person tent.  Six and eight person tents are still fairly easy to put up, and they would offer a lot of flexibility, like it some day Dad was going to take some of the middles he could take one of the tents to fit everyone.

 

Wendy

[ktgrok]

The only reason I would not do this (if you are buying as opposed to renting) is it limits your options in the future if you go without the adult children and the middle kids aren't ready to be in a tent on their own yet.

 

How about Mom, Wyatt, Kimberly, Victoria and 11 year old in an 8 person tent and Dad, Johnathan, Jeremiah and Tony in a 6 person tent.  Six and eight person tents are still fairly easy to put up, and they would offer a lot of flexibility, like it some day Dad was going to take some of the middles he could take one of the tents to fit everyone.

 

Wendy

 

Good point. Two bigger tents with mom and dad split up works.