What tent shall we buy?

[TheArticFunky]

I 'm starting my research into buying a family tent for next year. We are a family of 4 and we want something that will ideally last us about 15 years!

We don't want to get a trial tent we would rather go the whole hog and get our "forever" tent. It needs to be quite hardy as the majority of our holidays will be spent camping.

I like the look of the bell tent but they aren't very practical and dh/ds1 turned their nose up at a photo of one.

It needs to be fairly easy to put up as dh will be doing it on his own because I can't even put up a Wendy house.

Any ideas?

I recommend going to a tent display and looking at them in the flesh.

Have you been camping before?

After a few outings you'll be proficient at putting up & taking down your tent believe me.

Do your DC need separate "bedrooms" or might they in the next 15 years?
What is your budget?

We have an Outwell Wolf Lake 5 (an older model without the enclosed front) but it's a bit of a beast and we have a van to transport it. We love it but wouldn't want anything bigger. But it did 2 weeks in France, no problems. We also have a selection of "weekend tents" when we don't want to lug 30+kg of tent around. A lot of people get on well with something like a Montana 6 plus its awning. Then there are the pyramide lovers but personally I prefer a tent with more windows/midge nets for foul British weather camping. Virtually all our holidays are camping though so we need it to be a home from home. (see profile pic)

Best thing is to go to a tent show (see Yeomans website in the spring) and have a good look at them. Also peruse UKcampsite for reviews. Your camping experience will owe as much to the right bedding as the right tent though so you might spend as much agin on sleeping bags and mats/mattresses.

Happy camping!

We have never camped with children before but we have camped all over pre children. Dh and I camped in Africa in a 2 man tent with no facilities so camping in Europe will be a luxury!

My budget is around the £300 mark. I've looked on EBay and you can get brand new tents on there for much cheaper than in the shops.

I have seen some good ones at our local shop although they are quite pricey. There is too much choice and I find it slightly overwhelming!

Ideally we want 4 beds. We only need 3 bedrooms at the moment but I'm planning ahead and thinking about the boys bringing friends along.

If the boys are old enough, when they have friends coming could they set up alongside in a pup tent for sleeping? Or you can perhaps accommodate in a 3bdr setup depending on the tent (if it would only be on odd occasions). We have a Montana 6 and the living area is big enough that people could bed down there if need be.

I think what makes the right tent can vary a lot from person to person. I rate decent wet weather entry, being able to stand up inside, good insect-free airflow, tough in rough weather. Perhaps spend some time rating features so you are clear on your essentials and can checklist prospective tents. Does it need to pack down to a certain size/weight? Good in the heat as well as the cold/wet? Windows important?

We also have a Quechua 4.2 pop-up, which is great if quick and easy set-up is important for you. There are some pics on UK campsite review where people have added on tents (base seconds?) for extra living/bed rooms.

Good luck! (you know that the actual tent is just the beginning of the decisions to be made!.. )

Once your DCs bring friends along, they will probably prefer to be in a small tent alongside.DS has been in his own tent since he was about 9 or 10.

If you have an extra tent do you have to pay for an extra pitch? Some of the sites we have looked at charge £30 per night. I wouldn't want to pay double that.

We have never been charged extra for a 'pup tent'. But then they tend to charge per head, rather than per tent.

However some sites charge on size of tent with higher charges for pitches for bigger tents.

I think it depends what sort of campsite you favour. The 'pitch where you like' rough, wild, woodland sites have never charged extra for a small 2-person pup tent, to my knowledge.