Why do people buy those massive tents (and who on MN has the biggest)?

[sethstarkaddersmum]

You know, those ones that sleep 12.
I'm not in any way being critical, just want to know.
I can get that it's nice to have a bit more space than they nominally cater for, but some of these things are huge.
If I was going camping with more than about 8 people I think I'd want to have a couple of tents so you're not all milling about in each other's way.
And big tent=heavy, takes up more space in the car....

I have a ten berth for me, oh and 2 kids :D

DH went to a music festival recently for a stag night and they bought a 12-person tent from Argos for it (bet it really stank by the end of the weekend!)

We have a trailer tent that is massive, but only has beds for 4. Doesn't take up any space inthe car

tell me more Lunavix. Why, exactly?

Do you hold Jane Austen-style balls in there and do dancing?
Or do you play football using two unzipped bedrooms as the goals?

We have a 6 person Vango Diablo for three of us and although it takes up loads of space in the car and about an hour to pitch the space is great for rainy days as DD can play inside quite happily and we can sit and have a cup of tea. There are two bedroom areas so DD has one and we are not disturbing her when we go to bed. There is also lots of space for all our 'stuff' and the kitchen area is seperate in the porch. We do also have a Quechua 4 man pop-up for weekends - so best of both worlds really. I admit to tent envy when I see some of the big 8 person tunnel tents on site as they look so spacious but there is no way one would fit in our moderately sized family saloon!!

We have just upgraded from a vango with three pods plus living area (think the 2010 equivalent may be a tigris 600/800) to an outwell hartford xxl, which has four pods plus a large living area. I think it is supposed to be a 12 man tent, but that would be a pretty tight squeeze IMHO.

Anyhow, you asked why the need for such a big tent. We needed four separate 'bedrooms' because of the wide age range of our three DCs. We always camp for two weeks in Wales, which we love, but it invariably rains for prolonged periods, and spending hours at a time in a tent with three children, wet clothes and boots, plus the required gear for two weeks' holiday means the more living space the better. (I should add that of course we go out in the rain, spend hours on the beach in the rain etc etc - but there are still times when we are all in the tent and would rather not be on top of each other...)

If we were camping for shorter periods, or in a drier climate, or had children who could happily share sleeping space then we might not need such a big tent. But I'm really looking forward to all the lovely space in our huge tent

I am not responsible for that weird 2010 link btw

Hmmm, weird link has now disappeared

We've got a 6 man vango diablo too wiggletastic. It's great the porch area can be used to store stuff and it means that you can ditch wet stuff before going into the actual tent.

I hate tents that i can't stand up in.

i think they are a bit crazy. espic if they have ehu for the fridge and a disposable loo. ffs get a caravan.

We have the Outwell Hartford xxl too for me, dh and 2 dc. I absolutely love it! 1 room each for the kids, one for me and DH and 1 room for bags, bits and pieces etc, plus the massive middle bit. I love camping, but do not enjoy living on top of all my stuff, this gives me the little bit of luxury I need - don't knock it til you've tried it!

I could not be arsed puttign such a beast up - small is better for a lazy arse like moi . Spend ages erectign it then bugger off all day apart from sleep and eat outside anyway. Fair enough if it pees down everytime you camp but im a fair weathe camper and just wouldnt go and A CARAVAN . Thats just wrong

No fridges or disposable loos in my tent, thank you very much. In fact no electricity at all

Bought 10 man tent for me, DH, DD (4) and 3 month old this very day

DH and DD in 1 room, me and baby in another, loo in one, and walk-in-wardrobe in other, plus oodles of living space. Got an extension too for wet clothes and boots, and also have utility tent. No EHU though - we are proper campers!

'10 man' does not mean 'big enough for 10 men' IMHO.

Disposable loo? Now there's an idea - chuck it out when it's full instead of having to empty it.... (Is someone going to tell me these do actually exist?)

Kitsmummy - we have just ordered a Hartford L (2 bedrooms) for us and 3 dcs (plus whatever random extra kids we have with us on the trip).
If they want their own space they can go in pup tents.
They look like lovely tents but I have to admit it's the Gothic arch on the porch that really sold it to me

Fatsatsuma - we never go for as long as you so perhaps that's part of it. Also we are all quite short in our family!

My 10man has four bedrooms but you can take down the dividers so they are two large ones. And they're on opposite sides of the tent, with living area in the middle.

We actually picked the 8 man, but the 10 man was on sale at £1 more, and the accessories were half price too.

We liked the fact that it is standing height and also the bedrooms on opposite sides. We can take down one row of bedrooms, the four of us fit in the other side and have a bigger living area if it rains - not being cramped and miserable in poor weather is a big thing for me.

Plus we can take some of the kids friends with us if we choose!

Ps don't have a fridge etc, just basic furniture. It was also quicker to pitch than the eurohike two man...

Lunavix - we have the same tent

sethstarkaddersmum - yes they do make them. Cannot get links to work - google and you will see!

stinkypinky - there's some fab pitching advice on UKCS - oh and I put it up yesterday following instructions and was a real faff...doing it the UKCS way next!

mine feels big enough
its a vango 800 which sleeps 8 and there are 6 of us. Can't really see why you would need more

lunavix - I have found that site most helpful too. DH also wanted to follow instructions (first time in his life) but can see that the other way is better. Footprint seems a bit big, but probably our pitching. Only just fitted in our garden, and no hope for the porch fitting. So chuffed

We have an 8 man but never use it for more than four people.We have a porch on it as well.On a site a few weeks ago we met a woman using an 8 man for herself and her dd. Her friends had a 9 man for 3 people.
Some people just need space I suppose.

Ours is a 6 man tent and there are 5 of us.

We do have the awning though, which really adds to the living area and looks huge when pitched.

It took us agggggggggges to pitch it though and dread to think of the fall-outs me and dh would have if we tried to pitch something bigger!

It's just the hassle of pitching (and perhaps drying it afterwards) that put me off a bigger tent!

The way I see it is I know what floats my boat and what makes me a grumpy old bag, eg living on top of each other, pulling dampish screwed up clothing from deep within a more or less upended suitcase, not being able to separate dirty from clean clothes, constantly brushing up against wet rain gear/muddy wellies. In other words, large-scale disorder.

What I like is sufficient space to avoid all that!

our tent -we move the divider to the front AND we have Sunncamp day shelter...