[Closed] Family sized tents

The Kampa Croyde 6 seems to come up a lot when reading about big family tents. Anyone got an opinion?

Just borrowed a Kampa this weekend (Watergate 8?) - the zips were poor on the bedrooms, kept unsticking and it was nearly new.

We'd bought a Montana 7P .. only opened the box and there were only poles inside
Cue panicked Facebooking to borrow something for the weekend....

Interesting thread is interesting, Bimbler, I've emailed you, I've never owned a tent, now that I'm running a couple of nippers I should probably consider one...

now that I'm running a couple of nippers I should probably consider one...

Decisions decisions.

I'm quite tempted just to eBay something half decent for a few hundred quid, use it for a few weekends away, just to de-risk the whole process! (.... or if someone hasn't already taken Bimbler up on his offer.) Then if we ever get to the point of wanting a week or two away then get something like the Bear Lake.

Do quite like the flat fronted ones with a large porch area. Maybe I should just get the Oasis 6. But then I could get something like the Outwell Denver 6 for about the same price 😕

Seriously do the Ebay thing and if you don't like it then you lose very little (if any) money. I think it is utterly bonkers for anyone new to camping to buy all the kit new.

I've done a lot of camping (hence wanting decent stuff) but not with the family (hence concern about initial enthusiasm not lasting.) That's probably the root of the dilemma 🙂

Not being funny, but have you seen the size of some of these?

We were looking recently and checked out the Outwell Montana after the good reviews on here, but it's absolutely massive, and with the front extension (needed IIRC because the front slopes meaning if raining, you get wet if you open the door!) it's big enough to park my car in!

There's only three of us, so we plumped for a Vango Padstow 500 - not very fashionable, but serviceable, with a decent enough porch if it's mashing it down. On the day we went to look, it had been raining and it was the only one with the door left open which was dry inside.

I'm sure the Outwells are great, but some of these are humungous - obv great if needed, but worth seeking one out to see if you do need all that space!

I'm sure the Outwells are great, but some of these are humungous - obv great if needed, but worth seeking one out to see if you do need all that space!

Been and had a look at a load and these do seem to be the sort of size we want.

Quite a few of my friends do a lot of camping with their kids and some have 4/5 man tent, they're all looking to up-size. They make a convincing argument for big tents!

So we camped a lot with and have done with our kids from the age of 0 upwards in both the UK and France

We used a Vango Icarus 600 with a Front awning (in fact we used 2 because we wore the first one out)

Great tent and very versatile in that not too massive for a weekend away and quick to put up / down.

Adding the awning for longer stays made it very liveable.

Time again though I'd buy a better quality Outwell and Airbeam over poles. I'd stick to the modular nature of the medium size tent + front awning though

If your just trying it, then a Vango Icarus 600 is a great budget starter tent.

Big tents are great, especially if you have kids. Mine are 7,5 and 2 - a big tent means we can play games easily inside the tent, plenty of room for all the gubbins they like to bring with them, room to change without having to be a contortionist etc etc 🙂

If your just trying it, then a Vango Icarus 600 is a great budget starter tent.

Do they still do these? I did look at Vango's, and the Langley 600 looked like it'd fit the bill, but the reviews weren't great. Tempting though for 340 quid as a budget starter.

MrBlobby, not sure where you are but I am selling my [url= http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/outwell-nevada-m-tent-extension-and-camping-gear ]camping gear, all in great condition. [/url]
If you want to get a cheap set up this will cover everything but the sleeping bags for a lot less than you were going to spend.

Same thing

http://www.millets.co.uk/equipment/157014-vango-iris-600-v-tent.html/451736/

http://www.millets.co.uk/tents-camping/006193-vango-iris-600-awning.html

Tiger6791 - Member

Same thing

http://www.millets.co.uk/equipment/157014-vango-iris-600-v-tent.html/451736/

http://www.millets.co.uk/tents-camping/006193-vango-iris-600-awning.html

The only thing to watch out for with those Vango ones is the small spec differences. I was struggling to see the difference between the one we bought and another, seemingly identical tent (pictures exactly the same and indeed swapped on some suppliers' sites) - turns out one had a sewn-in groundsheet, the other attached to toggles under the flysheet, so in heavy rain you might end up with water coming through the floor of your tent!

craigxxl, looks a good deal but I'm down south.

Ah, was just going to say you could borrow my Icarus 500 & awning if you wanted to try it - but you are in the South.

We have the Montana - highly recommend it. Essentially it's so good we're not worried about poor weather - it's big and solid. We do also have a weekend tent for the 1 or 2 night trips away, because I can't be bothered to put it up and down in a weekend.

We have a North Face Trailhead 6. Sleeps 6 adults with no space to spare. They don't seem to do them any more. Like this:

https://www.rei.com/product/732598/the-north-face-trailhead-6-tent

We've camped with our two (just turned 2 and 4). Plenty of space for sleeping and short stretches inside, but we did find ourselves wondering if one of those behemoths mentioned above might be in our future. A couple of nights somewhere that serves fry ups (recommend the http://www.thepigplace.co.uk/ near Banbury BTW) is one thing, but a week away with regular cooking and possibly bad weather could be hard without a bit of extra space. And a wine cellar.

We have an outwell Nevada M with extension for sale if interested. Itd be pick-up from lincs.....

I have the Nevada MP, which is basically the same tent only with more windows. It's a great, great piece of kit.

most camping will probably be weekends away.

How old are the kids, are they of an age to be left alone in their own tent? Two small tents would be less trauma to pitch than one dirty great big one.

Montana here. Not used it since we bought the caravan. It's a brand new one. Old one developed a leak & Outwell were straight on the case. Keep saying we will go camping but the last time I did a trial pack of the car (& our car is a Galaxy...), I gave up. Caravan was a lot less hassle.

Montana is a fab tent, so practical for a family.

How old are the kids, are they of an age to be left alone in their own tent? Two small tents would be less trauma to pitch than one dirty great big one.

4 and 2, so probably not!

Not used it since we bought the caravan.

Not sure I could do it. Trailer tent maybe.

Does seem to be a bit of a toss up now between the Outwell Denver 6 and the HiGear Oasis 6. I really like the look of the Oasis. Big, steel framed, good size porch, can get an extension porch too, pack size isn't too huge (would easily go in our top box). Both about the same price.

We have a Royal Atlanta 8 for the four of us, (same as other makes as many tents are) whilst massive, & even enormous with the awning, it has been nothing but a disappointment. The poles are crap & split, it leaks (I may of been asking to much as I was in northern France last week), thoroughly disappointed with it, OK it didn't help that the kids burnt the groundsheet on the first outing with hair straighteners but overall I couldn't recommend it as it's really for the bin after only 5 or 6 outings.
That Hi Gear Oasis 6 that was mentioned before looks to be a really good idea, yes it maybe heavy & cumbersome but if you want to camp with kids & your other half actually only likes the idea of camping whilst constantly moaning about how the next tent will have built in 6 burner Arga & hot water with underfloor heating that can maintain 25 degrees then you need to be realistic in what you want V's what is acceptable to them.

HTH.

Cheers.

Both about the same price.

But only one of them is made by Gelert. That really is a no brainer of a choice.

But only one of them is made by Gelert.

I did read that some of the HiGear models were made by Gelert and that they just re-sell models from other manufacturers. Their [url= http://www.higear.uk.com/hi-gear-premium-frontier-6-tent-p286290 ]Frontier 6 Premium[/url] for example looks just like a blue [url= http://www.yeomansoutdoors.co.uk/camping.aspx/tents/new-tents/green/outwell/montana-6-tent/53605705016#.V1Xim1fVt8V ]Outwell Montana 6[/url]. I'm not sure where they got the Oasis 6 from, not seen anything similar yet.

One for the camperists with young kids... I noticed that Coleman have the Blackout Bedrooms (which I think they've won some awards for so guessing it's pretty good.) Knowing what our two kids are like I'm very tempted by this though they only seem to do it on their fancy new air beam range. Don't know much about Coleman tents, and wasn't really looking for an air frame one, but I'd be happy to spend a few hundred quid extra if it means I don't get destroyed by a week of 4am wake ups.

Anyone got a view on this or come up with some other solution? Speaking to my mates about it the general feedback seems to be "yes it's sh*t for a while but it does get a bit easier over time" 😕

The Vango tent I've got has "lights out" inner tents which definitely make the bedrooms less bright, though not dark as such. Ours all slept though till 7am at least, whether that was down to the darker tent or just years of training i don't know 🙂

The coleman version definitely looks darker, probably cooler for summer camping too.

I have an old Vango, precursor the the 500 I think, which is ideal for me and the kids (10 and 13) for a few nights every summer (Mrs doesn't do camping 🙂 )

If I was replacing it my cash would be on a blackout inflatable one, like this :

[url= http://www.decathlon.co.uk/air-seconds-family-4-xl-freshblack-inflatable-tent-4-man-id_8357358.html ]decathlon[/url]

but I'd be happy to spend a few hundred quid extra if it means I don't get destroyed by a week of 4am wake ups.

With our two (age 5 & 2) they are a total nightmare every time we go away, regardless of whether it's a tent or a bedroom. They keep each other up late and the first one to wake gets the other one up. They usually sort themselves out into a better sleep pattern by day 3, which isn't much use for a weekend away.

All I'm saying is that if yours are similar, a darker tent isn't going to make any difference.

All I'm saying is that if yours are similar, a darker tent isn't going to make any difference.

When staying somewhere with a proper bedroom we take blackout blinds with us and they do ok, makes a big difference. I do worry about the light thing.

The coleman version definitely looks darker, probably cooler for summer camping too.

Is quite tempting, but then that'd be the Valdes 6 probably and that's the best part of 800 quid 😕

If I was replacing it my cash would be on a blackout inflatable one, like this :
decathlon

I was looking at those. I'm quite tempted to get one of the small 2 or 3 man ones ([url= http://www.decathlon.co.uk/arpenaz-2-freshblack-tent-2-man-id_8357354.html ]like this[/url]) and use it instead of a bedroom pod in a big 6 man tent. Crazy idea?

Well a visit to a tent show later...

Had a look at a fair few and I can see why the Outwell's are well rated compared to others. Bit disappointed in the Coleman ones, the blackout rooms are very good but the quality seems pretty poor, even the display one had tears where the bedrooms attach to the fly sheet. Quite tempted by the air ones but really can't justify the extra cost.

So about to order an Outwell Drummond 7. Seems a good bet for a large family sized tent. Good choice? Madness? Will I surely die?

I'm waiting for my weekend eBay purchase to arrive. An Outwell Nevada M for £133 delivered. Result.

Not everyone's cup of tea of course, we've got a 5m bell tent. Although there are only three of us, we tend to go away for the whole of August so it swallows everything. Add to that a fortnight at easter and a couple of weeks in June/July and it's in use around 8 weeks a year.

I've just come back from a week away up the Cantabrian coast, just me and the 3yo, and we rattled around inside it but the weather the first night was atrocious (should've slept in the van tbh) so he could at least play indoors.

I love it even if I do feel like a pillock erecting a wigwam.

[img] [/img]

After much to-ing and fro-ing, did the Outwell Montana and extension thing off eBay. It arrived in two wheelie bags plus poles.

Did the trial erection and I think I could have parked my van in it twice.... No bad for rainy days in the UK but in Finale, it effectively was a greenhouse, took up al the pitch space so had to park the car elsewhere... and thats without the extension.... Its like a mobile conference centre. Used it once, back on eBay and sold it for what we paid for it.

The Khyam Rigi-dome makes more sense, well made, very quick and robust

Probably going Teardrop Caravan next.

I didn't think the Montana was actually that big 😐

I agree with your choice.

We got a Vango Icarus 500 off eBay with extension last year to test out if we think we might like a bit of camping action with a view to doing 2 weeks in France next year in a tent. We first thought it was huge- it is a 5 man tent, but after spending a week in it, it soon starts to feel small. So for next year we're going with an Outwell 7 man tent. Had a look at all the options and decided the build quality of the Outwell tents are worth it - heavier denier material, and just seemed a bit more robust than the others we looked at. We're going for a 7 berth model to effectively give us an extra room in the tent where we can hang clothes and get changed stood up.

It's definitely Glamping with a capital 'G' and with these new air been style tents it really does not matter if you're only camping up for a weekend or a fortnight - they go up in a matter of minutes so you may as well have the space.

Having said that, I think if we were keen on doing loads of camping rather than 4 or so times a year, then i'd probably get a caravan.

I used my Montana at a Beaver Scouts event the other weekend. So much easier to put up than the normal Stormhavens & Bell tents.
Had 45 kids in it at one point, (bedrooms removed). Forecast was for heavy showers so wanted somewhere they could all sit for lunch in the dry.
There's a reason they are so popular & that's apparent when the weather turns crap. Steel poles make it so stable.
I can get it up on my own but it's easier with two.
Build wise, they are excellent.

Bit worried about the size now! I could downsize to the Phoenix 6 but I do like the steel poles on the Drummond.

I hope It's a PSA & you have waited as the Drummond is now £399 at [url= http://www.gooutdoors.co.uk/outwell-drummond-7-tent-p395114 ]Go Outdoors,[/url] so I bought one 🙂

Cheers.

Had a Wild Country Homestead 7 for a long time - my first eBay purchase in 2004 I think.
Had to borrow a mate's garden to practise putting it up as ours wasn't big enough!

Was huge, quite hard to erect for two adults - had happy outings in it with ours and extend family, festivals as well, it was quite heavy and needed a lot of the boot or roof box.

Can't recall how much we bought it for, from eBay, managed to sell it on a couple of years ago, still got some cash for it which was useful - kind of Islabikes economics..

Edit - one of these -
[img] [/img]

Ha I did get it before that GoOutdoors deal. Thankfully didn't pay an awful lot more than that for it! First weekend away with the kids and it was very good. Not too bad to put up and take down. Loads of space inside which we didn't really make that much use of as the weather was good. Happy with it.

Now any good deals about on a quick to put up 4 person family tent for quick nights away? 🙂