How can I speed up pitching?

[2LittleMonkeysJumpingOnMyHead]

As the DC are young DH and I find pitching the tent alone quite hard work, especially if it's raining. I'd lento be able to to take the DC camping without him during the week in the summer, but it's not an option with our current tent.
I plan to look around at the end of the season for a new tent, and wondered what options there are for quick and easy pitching. I'd love the speed of the top of the range trailer tents, but definitely can't run to that!

[Thumbcat]

I have a tunnel tent (4 berth for me and DS) and find it very quick and easy to put up alone. I leave the bedroom compartment hooked in so that it goes up all in one. The best thing I've invested in is my SIMs as I used to get the tent up and then was faced with having to pump up airbeds. Now they inflate themselves while I'm opening the wine

[kate7590]

We have an inflatable tent. Its so easy to put up. Defo recommend!

[cece]

Send your kids to cubs/scouts/explorer scouts. Last time we went the dc pretty much the tent up without me.

I did have to pack it away single headedly though!

[ninja]

Pop up tent - 5 minutes up, 5 minutes down! My 7 year old can pretty much do it alone too :)

Shame there aren't many of them out there any more :(

Sorry - not helpful!

[2LittleMonkeysJumpingOnMyHead]

What about trailer tents? Are they significantly quicker?

[NothingTraLaLa]

Bell tents are super quick. We have a 5m one with a zip in groundsheet which I can barely lift, so pitching is DH's job, but I would be able to manage a 4m one no problem. You peg out before putting in the pole, so it's not going to blow halfway across the campsite while being pitched (unlike our old tunnel tent).

[2LittleMonkeysJumpingOnMyHead]

I'm not sure DH would go for a bell tent. What are the other benefits? And can you get separate 'rooms' inside?

[TreadSoftlyOnMyDreams]

We got a 6 man inflatable tent from Decathlon last year. It's insanely easy to put up and was extremely spacious and weather proof. You could also drag it around to a different location by quickly unpegging it and dragging it which was handy when we got a telling off for pitching too close to friends

I would recommend a smaller model though - I certainly couldn't lift it into the boot by myself. It says it is 26kg and it also pretty much entirely filled our very large boot. Fine for a weekend but we would need a roofbox if we were going for longer.

www.decathlon.co.uk/air-seconds-family-63-xl-inflatable-tent-6-man-id_8300026.html
This was the business as we filled the front section with clothing and stuff which left the middle section completely free for kid friendly activities when it was raining.

[TreadSoftlyOnMyDreams]

No idea what a trailer tent is but given the weather this summer so far you might find some outstanding bargains at the end of the season.

A single friend has just bought a £750 bbq for £250. She's dead chuffed though I have no idea why she wanted something so immense

[Thumbcat]

My parents used to have a trailer tent. I remember them having to winch down the legs, fold out the bedrooms, secure everything, put up the living area and peg everything out. It certainly wasn't a quick job.

[2LittleMonkeysJumpingOnMyHead]

Modern ones seem a little different. And the lure of a proper bed is strong...