^^^^^^ I agree, as much as I love our Big Agnes it would be hard to spend $650 on one. Like I said, we got ours 45% off so it was $330 or something like that. For $650 I would research canvas tents as well and figure out which tent fits my camping style best. Never had a canvas tent so can't give any input on that.
New to "car" camping. What family tent for family of 4?
- Thread starter zimm17
- Start date
fredgoodsell
Adventurer
Which Big Agnes model do you have?
Fredgoodsell:
We have the King Creek 6. Here is a link to it on REI's website. I went back in my account and looked and I actually only paid $235 for it. It was 50% off. Keep and eye on their outlet site, they have some crazy good deals sometimes.
http://m.rei.com/product/850398/big-agnes-king-creek-6-tent-2012-closeout
We have the King Creek 6. Here is a link to it on REI's website. I went back in my account and looked and I actually only paid $235 for it. It was 50% off. Keep and eye on their outlet site, they have some crazy good deals sometimes.
http://m.rei.com/product/850398/big-agnes-king-creek-6-tent-2012-closeout
fredgoodsell
Adventurer
Thank you sir!
I have the REI Kingdom 6. I love this tent. we are a family of four and it is perfect for us. It provides a divider if you need it that separates it in half. there are loops on top to hang light things like a small led lantern or a few par of socks. Pockets on the divider for organizing as well on the front and rear sides. a front vestibule to keep your shoes outside but out of the elements. I have to say the best part of the tent was the optional garage you can purchase. I is basically a n addition so you can place your bikes or gear and keep them safe and out of site. We use it for a few different things though. Even though we have a shower tent we tend to have our toilet in there at night so we don't have to really go outside. the garage has no floor so we place a tarp on the floor. Also when we did camping in Arizona during Thanksgiving in 2013 we had a propane heater to warm it up in the morning while getting dressed. We had done some simple cooking as well as one morning it was raining cats and dogs and we had a stove and food already in the garage. Now you cant stand up in it but you can sit on the floor without issue. Here are a few pics. The pic in my back yard is without the garage attached. Now not tent is going to be perfect you will need to decide what you are willing to compromise. I would say this is more of a two season tent but while in Arizona I added a tarp between the tent and the rain fly "as you can see in the first pic" and I have to say it did keep the heat in. Now the tent comes with a backpack style oversize bag for easy transport and packing. even though the ground floor came separate I am able to stick it into the bag.
Mad Matt
Adventurer
I second the REI Kingdom 6. We got ours used at a REI garage sale event for $200, so I am not sure I would be as stoked on it if I had to pay full price. We lived out of it (my wife and I plus 4 kids under 6!) for 6-8 nights last year with great success. We love the fact that it is full height and you can divide it into two rooms. We have ridden out some pretty good wind, but you have to stake the crap out of this thing otherwise the slightest side wind could ruin your night.
Scored a wicked awesome campsite by Matt Ewalt, on Flickr
Scored a wicked awesome campsite by Matt Ewalt, on Flickr
nwoods
Expedition Leader
Kingdom: Pros: Tall, good headroom, nice vestibule option, lots of intelligent features on the interior. Lifetime warranty. Cons: Not great in wind or heavy weather
Base Camp: Roomy, lots of intelligent features on the interior. Lifetime warranty, good vestibule for gear, very stout all weather tent. Cons: Can't stand up in it, can't quite cook in the vestibule. Has vents down low that can let in silt in very high winds (as reported by some, I've never had that problem, and I've been in serious wind).
Kodiak Canvas: Pro's: Roomy, can stand up, warmer in winter, durable. Cons: Expensive, requires TONS of room in your rig, heavy. Takes a long time to dry out.
My family uses a Base Camp 6 (for the 4 us and dog) and a Base Camp 4 when its fewer of us
or both:
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StreetsofCompton
Adventurer
Great pics nwoods! Thanks for sharing
Nanabijou
Observer
Great photos nwoods! Makes me greatly miss summer camping....
I own 7 tents - apparently one for every occasion.
My most recent purchase (this past summer) is a 4 person Nemo Wagontop tent for car camping. I just visited the Nemo site and there are now 6 and 8 person versions. While I acknowledge that this might not be the best tent for everyone, here are some reasons why I really like it. First of all - it's a single-walled tent - so extremely water resistant. No need to spend the extra time and effort towards fitting a rain fly (or potentially losing it at some point). I would never buy another double-walled tent again. I know that's a pretty bold statement, partly because I've witnessed a lot of enmity directed towards single-walled tents online in favour of the double-walled variety. Most concerns center around a lack of ventilation with single-walled tents. With that said - the Wagontop has excellent ventilation. I've experienced no early morning condensation issues. I also find with double-walled tents that an assortment of interesting insects accumulate (get trapped) between the rainfly and the tent mesh and buzz incessantly throughout the night when trying to sleep. Not so with my single-walled tents. Some of those buzzing trapped critters have also eaten through my tent mesh on a number of occasions - which was an open invitation for swarms of mosquitoes and black-flies. Once again - this doesn't happen with my single-walled tents. The Wagontop also has near vertical walls - which is fantastic for conserving space. And I need the space for my two extra wide Camptime Roll-A-Cots. When I camp with friends - they won't come unless I bring the Roll-A-Cots. It's great that the cots lie 15" above the floor and any uneven ground - ensuring that we sleep comfortably every night. I even carry a Roll-A-Cot on my motorcycle when touring. I just won't compromise anymore. A great night's sleep is incredibly valuable to me. I also like that you can walk inside the Wagontop without having to bend over as well. The tent is also quite easy to set up - though it is much easier if you have lots of space. And there is plenty of room between the cots to walk around in. I've weathered some pretty intense and enduring rainstorms in it and the tent has been excellent. Any drawbacks? I'm still trying to find some. I still prefer the pole design of my Marmot Halo 4 (orange tent seen in the second photo). But it's one of the double-walled tents with the drawbacks.
Mike
I own 7 tents - apparently one for every occasion.
My most recent purchase (this past summer) is a 4 person Nemo Wagontop tent for car camping. I just visited the Nemo site and there are now 6 and 8 person versions. While I acknowledge that this might not be the best tent for everyone, here are some reasons why I really like it. First of all - it's a single-walled tent - so extremely water resistant. No need to spend the extra time and effort towards fitting a rain fly (or potentially losing it at some point). I would never buy another double-walled tent again. I know that's a pretty bold statement, partly because I've witnessed a lot of enmity directed towards single-walled tents online in favour of the double-walled variety. Most concerns center around a lack of ventilation with single-walled tents. With that said - the Wagontop has excellent ventilation. I've experienced no early morning condensation issues. I also find with double-walled tents that an assortment of interesting insects accumulate (get trapped) between the rainfly and the tent mesh and buzz incessantly throughout the night when trying to sleep. Not so with my single-walled tents. Some of those buzzing trapped critters have also eaten through my tent mesh on a number of occasions - which was an open invitation for swarms of mosquitoes and black-flies. Once again - this doesn't happen with my single-walled tents. The Wagontop also has near vertical walls - which is fantastic for conserving space. And I need the space for my two extra wide Camptime Roll-A-Cots. When I camp with friends - they won't come unless I bring the Roll-A-Cots. It's great that the cots lie 15" above the floor and any uneven ground - ensuring that we sleep comfortably every night. I even carry a Roll-A-Cot on my motorcycle when touring. I just won't compromise anymore. A great night's sleep is incredibly valuable to me. I also like that you can walk inside the Wagontop without having to bend over as well. The tent is also quite easy to set up - though it is much easier if you have lots of space. And there is plenty of room between the cots to walk around in. I've weathered some pretty intense and enduring rainstorms in it and the tent has been excellent. Any drawbacks? I'm still trying to find some. I still prefer the pole design of my Marmot Halo 4 (orange tent seen in the second photo). But it's one of the double-walled tents with the drawbacks.
Mike