Tent recommendations please

[MomtoCandJ]

Hey y'all I'm looking for tent recommendations :)

We have a camper that slides into the back of dh's truck but that thing is the biggest PITA to get ready (jacking it up, positioning the truck just right, lowering it back down, getting strapped down properly.....) and there's no toilet/bathroom besides the fact dh's truck has half the gas mileage as my car.... anyways....

We would like a tent that fits 4 comfortably (though we are all small people as in dh is the tallest as 5'4), easy set up and take down, can handle a good rain storm, reasonably priced and fit into the trunk of my 2013 Fusion :)

Oh and recommendations for decent sleeping bags

[Carol in Cal.]

My rec for car camping is:

If you want to sleep 4 people, get at least a 6 person tent, and preferably an 8 person or more one.

 

Get a dome tent; they are the easiest to put up and there are really big ones now.

 

Get one that you can stand up in.  It is such a drag to have to crouch all the time when you're in your tent, especially if it's rainy and you spend more time in it than you figured on.  Also, if you have a tall one you can hang a battery powered Coleman lantern at the apex of it and light up the whole place.  So you want one with a loop for that in a apex.

 

Go to Costco and get whatever big tent they have that fits these parameters, you can't go wrong if you do this.  Costco picks good, reliable stuff to provide, and has the best deals on it.

[hellen]

Go to REI. They'll let you set up any tent you want in the store so you can see what the tent is like and how easy it is to set up and take down.

 

We have the REI Kingdom 6. I like it better for 4 people than 5. I don't think you could really put 6 people in there. My 12 year old son and I can easily set it up and take it down. The bag is big enough that it is easy to put away. Our previous tent from Costco was super hard to put away. It was such a struggle getting the tent rolled tight enough to fit in the bag.

[bettyandbob]

Not giving a brand. I'd go with a 6 man tent. Especially if you camp in seasons besides summer. We had an 8 man. Obviously, that had lots of room, but it never got warm after closing entrance in the evening/overnight.

[HomeAgain]

I'm bad with brands, but when we upgraded ours we bought an 8 or 10 man, two room tent for the four of us. It has been great for seven years now, and we've use it in even the worst rainstorm. At that point the extra space was great because we put the cots in one room and the chairs/ extra gear in the other to wait out the rain. Every summer I take it out and spray it with waterproofing to make sure it stays that way, but it's easy enough for me to set up and take down by myself, which was another of our requirements.

[Momto6inIN]

We got a Eureka Copper Canyon and have never regretted it. They have several sizes to choose from, but I think all of them have the straight sides so you can stand up in them. Very sturdy. Pretty quick to put together, my husband and sons can get it done in a few minutes. Not at all lightweight, if backpacking is important to you, but I guess if you're replacing a truck camper then that might be fine with you. We love ours!

 

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[6packofun]

We've never spent more than $250 on a tent for our family of 8 so we are NOT picky (had a Coleman 10-man for 7 years), but the most important factors for us were *sealing* the tent (there are tutorial videos if you need them) and then getting a "bathtub" bottom OR being sure to get the tarp/footprint underneath just right! 

[Suzanne in ABQ]

Our first Eureka! (from Campmor.com) lasted over 20 years.  It still functions (27 years now), but when we wanted a larger tent, we got another Eureka! (also from Campmor), and we love it.  It's easy to put up, the zippers work well, the straps and seams are well sewn.  

 

I echo getting a six man tent.  That will give you room around the edges for gear, plus your feet and heads won't be rubbing on the tent walls, causing leaks.

 

Also, get one with a rain flap that goes down almost to the ground, maybe a foot above ground level.  This will prevent rain from blowing into the windows, but will still allow ventilation.  

 

I can't compare to other brands, except Coleman.  The only Coleman we ever had a short, umbrella-like rain flap that was practically useless.  I would pick Eureka! over Coleman any day of the week.