dirty Bakers
Conservative
Last edited:
Tent search
- Thread starter BIGdaddy
- Start date
I highly recommend the Sierra Designs Wuhu annex 6+2. I have the 4+2 and its amazing. We have myself, wife and 3 year old (and bullmastiff). We sleep in the 4 side. We keep the gear in the other and during inclement weather we keep our table in chairs in and its plenty of room.
http://www.sunnysports.com/prod/SDSTWH6A.html?ci_src=14110944&ci_sku=SDSTWH6A
I can also recommend the LL Bean Big woods dome.
http://www.llbean.com/llb/shop/63697?feat=506832-GN3
http://www.sunnysports.com/prod/SDSTWH6A.html?ci_src=14110944&ci_sku=SDSTWH6A
I can also recommend the LL Bean Big woods dome.
http://www.llbean.com/llb/shop/63697?feat=506832-GN3
Hoosier 45
Adventurer
We have an XWT Cabela's outfitter tent in the 12' x 12'. It is really very well made, kind of like "military over built" if you know what I mean. We are a family of 5 and my wife and I sleep on cots, the kids in bags and there is still a lot of room to play games etc. We payed around $600 for it about 5 or 6 years ago but the prices have gone up.
Last year we traveled with a French family that I let use it and the had 6 in the group (mom, dad, 18 yr. old and three other), It kept them dry and toasty in the San Juans.
They say it wiil stand wind of 75 MPH, no sure about that but we slept through a rip roarer on Cape Hatteras/ Outer Banks of NC two years ago.
I guess you really could think of it as a cabin that you can move.
We also have one of the spring bar screen tents and they are very well made as well. We se that one up on Cape Lookout last July in brutal (30 mph) wind. It was a bear getting up but stood well once erected. I kept waiting for it to rip but it didn't.
Good luck
Last year we traveled with a French family that I let use it and the had 6 in the group (mom, dad, 18 yr. old and three other), It kept them dry and toasty in the San Juans.
They say it wiil stand wind of 75 MPH, no sure about that but we slept through a rip roarer on Cape Hatteras/ Outer Banks of NC two years ago.
I guess you really could think of it as a cabin that you can move.
We also have one of the spring bar screen tents and they are very well made as well. We se that one up on Cape Lookout last July in brutal (30 mph) wind. It was a bear getting up but stood well once erected. I kept waiting for it to rip but it didn't.
Good luck
BIGdaddy
Expedition Leader
I very much appreciate this anecdote, because one of my major gripes with camping right now is that we have 3 small kids that one of us has to "tend" to just like you and your wife.
Really cuts down on the fun factor if your gear is very labor intensive. BUT we are making changes to self-inflating camp pads, and gear stowage solutions that stay packed till we go camping, and are easily accessible once out there.
I'll have have to check out the turbo tent, and all those links, fella's. Thanks!!!
How was the pack size and weight? I saw some of the videos on YouTube. The packed size was very big and it was not "that easy" to packup. It was easy to unpack but not to packup.We had a tent from costco for the first three years. That tent only lasted three years and was a pain to set up alone while amamda tended to the kidos. We purchased a black pine turbo tent at the end of the summer and it has been great. Takes five minutes to set up. We opted for the four man tent. Since our children are under the age of five we all (five of us) pretty well. It cost just under $500.
RockyMtnFamily
Explorer
I have this same tent and would not trust back country travel to any lesser of a tent. I originally went with a $169 geodesic dome tent that was on sale on line. I thought that my original tent was a great deal UNTIL it got blown away and was nearly launched off the edge of a 1000 foot cliff deep in the back country of Canyonlands NP. It was at that point I tucked tail and headed the 65 miles back to paved roads. The long drive gave me plenty of time to reflect on what a great deal was and how much I had spent to get to that great campsite.
Kevin
nwoods
Expedition Leader
Yes I do, and yes I think it does meet most of your requirements. The two main sleeves are lined and we don't have much problem with snagging or anything.
Go to REI and play with all of them. They will let you set them up right in the store. Its the best to way to really get a feel for whatever you are looking for. The only downside is that they only carry "modern" tent designs, and not stuff like the Springbars and the like.
Christophe Noel
Expedition Leader
Big Agnes - Big House 6 with the additional vestibule.
I'm a big fan of this tent, and I'm super picky. This tent is truly a six person tent. At over 6', I can not only stand in it, I can walk around in it. What I love most about this tent is the fact it pitches in probably less than 5 minutes, and one person can do it without much trouble at all. It has a full front door, and a full rear door. That makes loading and unloading it really quick. The additional vestibule is MASSIVE. On one rainy trip in Rocky Mt Nat Park, my wife and I moved our two Pico chairs, table, stove, cooler and other gear into the vestibule to cook dinner. It could easily sleep another pair of people. The peak in the vestibule is probably around 4'6", so not some scrunched down thing. By the way, this tent does use sleeves, but only in two short sections. Pretty smart. How they were able to design a three-pole tent with this amount of structure is really slick.
It's easy to vent. Easy to pitch. Really very well thought out. My only complaint isn't really a fair one. It's not as durable as some of my other tents, but then again, it's a screaming value. I'm unfairly comparing the durability against my Moss, Nemo, Bilbler and MT Hardwear tents.
The Cabelas and REI tents are nice. They're really just re-badged Eureka tents.
I'm a big fan of this tent, and I'm super picky. This tent is truly a six person tent. At over 6', I can not only stand in it, I can walk around in it. What I love most about this tent is the fact it pitches in probably less than 5 minutes, and one person can do it without much trouble at all. It has a full front door, and a full rear door. That makes loading and unloading it really quick. The additional vestibule is MASSIVE. On one rainy trip in Rocky Mt Nat Park, my wife and I moved our two Pico chairs, table, stove, cooler and other gear into the vestibule to cook dinner. It could easily sleep another pair of people. The peak in the vestibule is probably around 4'6", so not some scrunched down thing. By the way, this tent does use sleeves, but only in two short sections. Pretty smart. How they were able to design a three-pole tent with this amount of structure is really slick.
It's easy to vent. Easy to pitch. Really very well thought out. My only complaint isn't really a fair one. It's not as durable as some of my other tents, but then again, it's a screaming value. I'm unfairly comparing the durability against my Moss, Nemo, Bilbler and MT Hardwear tents.
The Cabelas and REI tents are nice. They're really just re-badged Eureka tents.
BIGdaddy
Expedition Leader
meh, not at all worried about looks. Anything that is freestanding, keeps my bride warm and dry during a rainstorm, and doesn't take 3 years to setup is gettin' a thumbs up from me.
SD07NISMO
Observer
I have the REI Base Camp 6 and my wife and I really like it. The sleeves are continuous all the way across (no gaps) and the assembled poles are constant diameter (male/female joints) so it's virtually impossible for them to snag. The tent is very roomy, full standing headroom with both front and rear vestibules. One thing to note is that a large percentage of the wall panels is mesh above the "bathtub" floor, so you pretty much always have to use the rainfly; this is actually a good thing though because it vents really well and there really is no way to get any condensation on the inside. Finally, the tent is VERY sturdy and has a lot of guyline attachment points on the outside, so it holds up well in the wind. Don't forget to get the footprint also if you go this route.
dirty Bakers
Conservative
I purchased it from camping comfortably on line. I think they were out of cali. We had to wait a while for the batch to arrive. Good luck with getting organized, we are working continuously to get the experience fun. We have discovered that less is best.
dirty Bakers
Conservative
[QUOTE How was the pack size and weight? I saw some of the videos on YouTube. The packed size was very big and it was not "that easy" to packup. It was easy to unpack but not to packup.[/QUOTE]
It is huge when packed. Shoving it in the bag it the same as any other tent.
It is huge when packed. Shoving it in the bag it the same as any other tent.
gaap master
SE Expedition Society
The ALPS Mountaineering Taurus 5 Outfitter might fit your specs. I have one and like it a lot. It's 8x10, has clips (no sleeves), heavy duty zippers and floor. List price is $390, but if you're involved with scouting you can probably get it cheaper through their Scout Direct program. I bought my tent from them through that program, and at that time the scout discount was 45% off of list price. That was early last year, and I'm not sure what level of discounts they run now.
http://www.alpsmountaineering.com/tents/outfitter-tents/taurus-5-outfitter
http://www.scoutdirect.com/index.htm
http://www.alpsmountaineering.com/tents/outfitter-tents/taurus-5-outfitter
http://www.scoutdirect.com/index.htm
Mashurst
Adventurer
I like these guys http://store.eurekatent.com/category/365433/Timberline®_Series
They are cheap, hold up to high wind (I like to camp on the beach), keep you dry in a down poor, and are easy to set up and take down. They also have a number of options including two different styles of vestibules / porches. My first one was given to me with quite a bit of visible wear but in fine working order. I camped hundreds of nights in it over the course of the 10 years I had it. I recently handed it off to my BIL and got a new smaller one for the family. They aren't fancy but they work. That said if you want one big enough to stand up and have a barn dance in, this may not be for you.
They are cheap, hold up to high wind (I like to camp on the beach), keep you dry in a down poor, and are easy to set up and take down. They also have a number of options including two different styles of vestibules / porches. My first one was given to me with quite a bit of visible wear but in fine working order. I camped hundreds of nights in it over the course of the 10 years I had it. I recently handed it off to my BIL and got a new smaller one for the family. They aren't fancy but they work. That said if you want one big enough to stand up and have a barn dance in, this may not be for you.
xpdishn
Adventurer
Still going to be tent camping when we use the jeep. need something with these specs
5-6person (we are 2 adults and 3 little guys)
clips only - no sleeves. sleeves suck.
high-quality poles
vestibule/porch possibly?
3-4 season build quality
heavy duty floor
Considering an rv5, but jeez I'd love to pay less than $900 for a tent.
Maybe in the $400-500 range?
I like Rei's stuff, but I didn't find a clip-only tent that wasn't small.
BigDaddy, don't know if you have bought anything yet, but I was perusing the Hammacher Schlemmer catalog and found this:
http://www.hammacher.com/Product/78194?promo=eCatalog
Sure looks big enough for the fam and is up in a minute. Freestanding and comes with a rain fly. Lifetime guarantee.