small tent for 5 people - black out. Small!

[demotedreally]

Hi any recommendations for a tent that 5 - 2 adults and 3 6-10yos. We'd really like blackout, and it needs to fold down super small. Not air, and not too expensive because it is only for the occasional night.

We have just bought a decathlon poled for £139, but it is not blackout and we are worried about an early wake up.

Any suggestions?

Coleman Dark Room Skydome

looks expensive?

Anything less than £400 is good for a 6 person tent if you want it to last more than 1 or 2 outings.

Thanks for your comments, I don't really want a 6 person tent and it isn't about longevity particularly, more about suitable for occasional nights. We will not use it for regular holidays or trips, so we won't invest too much in it

Cheaper to buy eye masks.

Tbh, I would always want a tent that can fit one more person than will actually be sleeping in it! 5 people in a 6 man tent is still going to be a bit of a squeeze.

I have a 4 man Coleman blackout tent for me, DS, and the dog (the dog is a new addition, the tent was bought without her in mind) and I wouldn't want to go any smaller. It's comfortable, whereas a 2 or even 3 man tent would be horribly cramped!

When we were at that stage we opted for something small. But there are definite drawbacks to the one room tents with that number of people and doesn't really take into account that your 6yos are growing quickly. So you need to imagine having 5 adults literally side by side in a tent all night!

We initially had what was deemed a 6 person tent similar to suggestion above. We had 2 under 10s and a baby. Was hard!

With camping, though you can buy blackout rooms and fittings, you really have to accept that without eyemasks, you will b the waking up earlier than you perhaps would prefer!

I'd go for bigger! And that would be my focus over blackout if you can't afford more.

This one is in the sale at Blacks. It would help to have an idea of your budget though!

If it’s only for occasional nights, is the blackout element really a must? It’ll be increasing the price.

We are thinking we can expand to a small pup tent if and when we need to in the future.
We love camping but partly because we all sleep beautifully so get lots of high quality rest. Waking up at 5am isn't going to cut it.

The reason it needs to be small is it will be being pulled on the back of a bike. With everything else, and only one of us can tow, although each adult and the older child will have a back pack too

We don't need to put loads of crap in it, as we aren't bringing much

Budget is nearer 150 really although the decathlon blackout 4 man is £200. Thanks for the blacks one, it is too big though

Personally I'd just buy whatever tent you like then buy some eye masks which weigh nothing and take up no space at all and do it that way.

In that case, and given that it needs to be towed by a bike, I would forget about the blackout element then and concentrate on best size/weight ratio you can get. The blackout element is pushing the price up significantly and, given you only want the tent for occasional use, doesn’t seem essential - everyone can cope with an early wake-up now and then!

Another vote for the eye masks , I have one on at 5 every morning I have to have it pitch black to sleep

In small backpacking / festival tents with blackout this looks like a good bet but not sure you can all cram in
www.amazon.co.uk/Coleman-Technology-Essential-waterproof-groundsheet/dp/B01M28ZX4F/ref=mp_s_a_1_10?keywords=coleman+mosedale+5+tent&qid=1657006989&sr=8-10

The people I see on campsites who travel by bike only ever have small pup tent type tents. Two of those?

My favourite modest style 5 person blackout tent (of a height to stand in) is the Coleman Mosedale 5 , but I think it was discontinued this year.

That's the tent I've got. It's a good size for me, one child, and one not very big dog. The thought of trying to fit two adults and three kids in it would not fill me with joy!!

What about two of the 3-man blackout poles tents from decathlon? £64.99 and 4kg each.

I don’t think what you’re looking for exists, even disregarding the blackout bit. I have a 6 man from millet’s, was £300 reduced to £150. It’s bloody massive, about the size of my living room when put up and even if you’re towing it on a trailer, it would be hard work. I’d guess around 12-15 kg and large.

Sure, you’ll be able to get more compact and lighter, but as with anything outdoors equipment, you’re going to be paying lots of £££. Certainly not in the £150 region.

I think your best bet is 2 smaller tents, kids in one, adults in the other, and eye masks.

They do a 2-man version too, £49.99 and 3kg, if you were happy to squish in. You could take a lightweight tarp for sitting under and keeping gear dry if it rains.

When a tent says it sleeps 'x' amount if people, it means you literally laying side by side, reaching all 4 walls of the tent. No bags or standing room at all. You should generally go +2 on however many people you've got, so even a 6 man tent will be tiny for you guys.
A blackout tent is going to increase the price. So is something that folds up light and compact.
If you want something cheap, you're going to have to compromise on something.

We have a 3 man blackout tent from Decathlon, and I love it. I struggle to sleep when it's light, even at home. When we're camping, I can actually manage an afternoon nap in that tent, because it's so dark.

We need a bigger one for camping with DDs too, but I'll be going for decathlon blackout again.

OP I’ve just been googling a bit and Eurohike do a nightfall range that does a good job at being darker inside apparently. I’ve got a Eurohike Avon 3 and that has a decent sized porch and I’ve used it about a dozen times now, it’s holding up well.

So you could get a 3 man with porch for storage, and a more compact 2 man, both with blackout type material, coming in at around 9kg combined for around the budget you’re looking at, maybe slightly over.

Good luck and hope you all have fun!

Some really helpful comments there thanks! I am a previous tent owner so do know they come up small etc. We are not going for luxury experience and it will only be one or two nights at a time. 2 smaller tents is the other option we looked at,but the pop up style normally folds into a round circle which I think will be harder to accommodate than a lozenge shape. I'm not worried about future proofing for older children too much as we can always expand pup tents - but for this year at least only one of us can tow a trailer so we need to pack light! Eye masks are on the packing list already, most of us wear them all year round!

Even for 1 or 2 nights I'd want more berths than actual people otherwise it's a fucking nightmare, no where to put anything!