Which tent? Help...!

[threeandcounting]

Hello!

Me and dp cannot decide on which tent to buy for our first family camping holiday.....

It will be me, dp and four children (the youngest being a baby) all 10 and under.

We have been looking at the Robens tents www.robens.de/en.aspx and are looking at the cabin 600, the double dreamer plus and also the triple dreamer and just don't know which one to get. Dp does not want a tent that is massively big, where as i worry about not having enough room on a rainy day!

If anyone has any experience of these tents, i would be really grateful if you could pass on your thoughts, or if you have a great family tent which you love could you let us know what it is........otherwise we may be here next year trying to decide..

Thanks!

Of the three I would go for the triple dreamer as it has three bedrooms with the option of either having you and dh or a couple of the older dc at the other end of the tent, and a bit more privacy for whoever gets that end bedroom.

Can I ask why you want a Robens tent? They are lovely, I was stood inside one today (can't remembr which one sorry) but they are at the high end of the tent market, they are the premium brand in the Oase company.
If you have a set budget you could probably get something with a bit more living space with a slightly lower spec.

Slubberdegullion-We don't have a clue about tents, but saw Robens after looking at loads online (too far away from anywhere to actually go to see tents set up) and we thought they looked lovely ) and thought they looked very sturdy and spacious.

Open to other suggestions though....! (Robens are at the top end of budget though

Robens are owned by Oase which also owns Outwell (very popular brand) and Easy Camp (more budget end of the market). Robens tents are I suppose the more technical branch of the company, as you can see by the number of v lightweight mountaineering/backpacking tents on their home page. In the small selection of family tents you are paying for premium quality materials and some clever technology in terms of design. They certainly should be able to stand up to most of the weather the UK could throw at you.

As for spacious...well that rather depends on what sort of camping you envision doing. We would go stir crazy sat in a tent of any size if it chucked it down continuously so we get on waterproofs and get out and then tend to go for the cafe/pub option if we want to dry off. If you think you might be more of a stay in the tent all day family then even the Triple Dreamer might be a little snug for 6 of you.

If you look at the Outwell tents (as well as other companies like Vango, Coleman) you can get equally good quality/robustness for your money but with a bit more living space and/or a porch which imo is probably essential for 6 people's worth of outdoor clobber/boots etc.

hth

We have a robens triple dreamer and have been very pleased with it. The only reason I got a bell tent is because I'm in love with them it has good space, the third bedroom is good for storage or we often take it out, as there is a huge door there that you can the lift up to make a giant porch. V quick to pitch and good quality. thin but strong poles, not bad pack weight.

It is high end, but the hydrostatic head (waterproofness) is v high, and the quality is good.

Slubber is right though-you can get tents cheaper.

Just sen you have 4 children-the bedrooms are not huge, but all 6 of you could sleep there- I wouldn't go for a massive tent-you will struggle getting pitches at many sites, and the eldest are likely to be in a pup tent next to you in no time :)

Slubber is right-with a table in the living space and 4 chairs (and pushchair) there is not much space on a wet day

think it depends how long (in days) you think you might camp for. We have a triple horizon, same layout as triple dreamer. We only have two kids but we are thinking of getting a porch (which I see they do for the horizon)...... there is technicaly enough room for us all (of course) but when it's wet it nicer to put wet wellies/gear in the porch and keep the tent dry..... As for robens as a make- they are really really great tents (ours was a wedding present!) but they are expensive, but they make lighter weight/sturdier tents than some makes....
You might find that there is a place near you that has lots of tens up (like a big go outdoors) which may help you decide on layout etc

Thanks so much for all of the advice! There is so much choice....just want our first family camping experience to go well (i.e. not get wet or blown away!) as if we love camping it will save us a fortune going in family holidays!

SeaShellsUnderCanvas-can i be nosy and ask why you love the your bell tent, and if you had to choose between the two which one would you use...?

do you have a decathlon neaby?
their own tents (Quechua) are pretty good and good value.
this one for example
or this one with two bedroom but more common space

We have only just started camping with the Bell and loved it-lovely feel to being under canvas, great look, v chilled. It isn't massive though-we have got the 5m for 4 of us and it is comfortable, but cam imagine 6 may be tight for space. They are both great tents, just fulfill different criteria :)

SeaShellsUnderCanvas-had a look at bell tents with dp....and have ended up ordering one! They do look lovely and since we weren't sure what we wanted we decided it might as well be that!

Thanks everyone for all the ideas and feedback

Oomph welcome to the MN bell tent quiche! Now order an Iceytek....

Ooooh not oomph farking Dyac!

Sorry !!

Nooooooo! Just googled and they look great...but don't tell me any moreor I will have to start selling children!........

Off to google lights and rugs........

and another one succumbs...

RESIST THE RUGS... LOOK AWAY FROM THE LIGHTS!!!

Look at this very sensible website about very sensible pegs