I’m a fairly experienced wilderness camper, but looking at car camping option for the family. Kids are 4 and almost 2. I’m considering a 4m polyester bell tent, but don’t really have any experience of bell tents. Any thoughts on pros and cons vs a tunnel family job? One room is the main drawback I can see…
Thanks!

We have a cotton bell tent, it is really nice to be in and socialise. We also run a woodburner in the middle which so far this year we have used every night (25 nights so far). We sleep on foam mattresses on one half, have some carpet off cuts on the floor and it is very comfortable. No condensation and as it is white it is a very nice light inside. It’s small ish – has a 2.5m pole, so would be a squeeze with 2 kids but I think it’s the smallest you can get. Being cotton its downside is weight and bulk and drying when wet. Less of an issue with polyester. It’s pretty easy to put up, we have a seperate groundsheet but never had a bug issue.

Overall I really like it, couldn’t ever see myself going for a conventional tent now, other than for backpacking.

We bought a 5m Polyester Bell tent from Boutique camping for about £250 when our kids were 0, and 4. Nearly 4 years later of hard abuse I have no regrets whatsoever. My guess is we’ll stick with it until the kids are old enough to demand a pup tent, or until camping no longer works for us and we move onto alternative holidays.

I often think a 4m would have been big enough.

I really can’t think of any drawbacks to a Bell Tent with no inner. I guess it must be colder but family camping everyone’s wrapped up warm so we’ve never noticed. We camp from March/April but I don’t recall trying it in a hard frost yet.

One room is no problem at all from a kid POV. Not ideal for intimate moments but nor is marriage/kids.

I think Polyester is deffo the material to go for. Cotton seems like a heavy liability to me.

I agree cotton is a heavy beast, and don’t get it wet.

We had a Cabanon Barbados which is similar to a bell. Used it while the kids were young. My experience led me to believe that canvas tents are a ball ache in the Uk climate.If you have a large area to dry them out in then perhaps it would be better.

They are a nice environment in terms of no condensation, they are definitely simple to put up which can’t be said of all the tunnel tents I’ve seen.

We got rid of ours after a couple of years and now use Decathlon popups. But tbh we don’t camp that much in the UK anymore.

When we say polyester do you mean polycotton? I wouldn’t want to sleep in a non breathable tent without an inner.

I’m into tunnels in modern materials.

But my daughter currently lives in a 3 metre canvas bell tent. Part of her job is change over on rental 4 metre canvas bell tents. These seem to stand just about everything weather wise. You have to keep away from the walls in wet weather. Another down side is that you duck going in and out. Not good for me at 6 foot 4 with a dodgy back. Final downside is that you don’t have the inner as a dry sanctuary where for example we had a new shoe rule.

But non of that means a 4 metre bell tent isn’t a great family tent for loads of people

Cotton seems like a heavy liability to me.

The Dutch do some fabulous cotton bell tents. Need a trailer though.

5 meter cotton bell tent here, i reckon i can put it up in 15/20 mins, take down takes longer ensuring its dry before rolling away. Think about where you’ll dry it if you have to take it down wet. A great space to be in. A wheel barrow is handy if its a car free site. Lying in it in the middle of a storm & you suddenly become aware of having a huge metal conductor pointing skywards, inside of your tent!

[url=https://flic.kr/p/a4zxD3]organic camping[/url] by martinddd, on Flickr

We have a 5m bell tent. Got it from the Dutch camping company online. Soon invested in the bedroom compartment which really changes the tent for the better. The bedroom keeps the sleeping area much warmer on a cold British bank holiday! Also adds another layer to the floor. We have two young kids and it’s great. Only issue is they is no where to cook. We do have a tarp on the front as well.

I think Bell tents can only be a family tent when the kids are very young, or the ‘family’ have a very liberal view on life, once puberty strikes I fear for the arguments though I’m way past that stage.

I think Bell tents can only be a family tent when the kids are very young

Agree, but I think that goes for any large shared space tent and perhaps for ‘family car camping’ itself.

My kids both made it through to 18+ family camping. Obviously they both moved out to their own tents. I think 2 things helped. Going back to the same campsite where they had mates to meet up with helped. Being on a small island where they could party on the beaches also helped. But it has all got a bit out of hand. Daughter has a map of the island tattooed on her arm is back their working with her mates

Agree, but I think that goes for any large shared space tent and perhaps for ‘family car camping’ itself.

I got to the point of buying an Outwell Drumond 7 & a towbar for my passat estate that already had a large roofbox before I realised it was about the same money to hire a static without the hassle of the set up & the extra cost of the trailer on the ferry, so they sit unused in the loft, once the kids get older camping becomes a faff, have I ever mentioned about the time my eldest ruined my last brand new tent by burning the built in groundsheet with her hair straighteners? I kid you not!

5 metre cotton with a spinnaker sail/porch. Drying is a pain in the arse but it’s part of the experience ;). As is the soft patter of rain on canvas, cool in the sun, warm in the shade. The opposite to plastic camping.

You’ll ideally want some type of awning/tarp for entrance/sitting out/cooking etc

Mate of mine has a largish canvas bell tent. It is lovely and all, but it is bastard heavy. If your car camping is anything other than “parked right next to your tent” then I’d avoid such a thing.

Got a 5m Canvas bell. Cougar is spot on about weight. The fly might weigh 30kg with the pole, but what they often don’t tell you is the groundsheet, which ends up zipped to the fly long-term, weighs an additional 20-30kg.

Then there’s the obligatory stove, matting, tarp. The thing almost fills the boot on our caravelle. It is beautiful though. Much better than any plastic tent I’ve used.

5m cotton here. Pretty much as above, but the drying hassles have not really materialised. I’ve no way of drying it at home, so if rain is coming we either go early or stay longer. Don’t see how any other tent would be different tbh.
Weight is not a big deal. We live in a city centre flat and can’t park near , so I sling it on a sack barrow.
Don’t think I’d change it, would like a burner though for those early Easter trips to the Pyrenees.

We’ve got a 5m bell, with porch, carpet, inner tent, wood burner. The wood burner really helps extend the camping season, and means that bad weather isn’t such a tedious ball-ache. You don’t need to be too paranoid about mould long as they’re not stored damp for any length of time and you have some means of airing them – we used hang ours over the bannisters until I put up a pulley over the stairwell specifically for the odd occasion that we have a wet take down. A tent with a zipped in groundsheet helps if weight / drying. is an issue as you can move it in two bits. I say go for it, as long as you can transport the thing. We totally love ours.

Wouldn’t touch bunting with a barge pole though.

The Facebook group ‘Bell Tent Campers (Any brand)’ is a very helpful and friendly ‘hive mind’ type community – even if they are slightly obsessed with fairy lights and bunting. And mildew.