Recommendations for Tents for Family of 6

[Fibonacci1123]

Hi,
I am seeking recommendations for a tent for a Family of 6. My partner and I, with kids aged 7, 6, 4 and 2 years old. (3 boys and a girl).
Would like to give camping a go as it would allow us to see more places. Hotels are so expensive.
We are new to camping so looking for a tent or tents that are easy to put up / take down and any other practical advise for a family our size as we are very much beginners!
Thanks in advance

When you say tents what do you imagine the split being? I think al the kids are too small for that.

you need at least, at least, an 8 berth tent.

do you know anyone you can borrow from?

Thanks for your reply.

I was considering splitting it; my wife with 2 kids and me with 2 kids - if there was a particular good 4-5 man tent that was easy to use.

We recently bought the Hi Gear Zenobia 8 Nightfall tent in the sale from Go Outdoors, for just £150! I don’t know if you can buy it anymore as I believe they have discontinued that model for the Eclipse.
But if you can, what a bargain for what it is. It managed in torrential rain and 50mph winds and didn’t budge at all! Where as our friends air tent collapsed on them 🙈
There is just 4 of us but plenty of space for 2 more kids, living area in middle and 2 large nightfall bedrooms each side. We have recently bought the porch to add on and will use that this weekend. Can’t recommend it enough and I’m sure the new model will be the same.

I would also add that buying cheap, second hand or borrowing for your first trip is better than wasting money if you don’t enjoy it. Then if you enjoy it you can add to your kit or buy something better.
But one thing I would invest in is a good sleeping bag for everyone as a good nights sleep can make or break the trip! I found that not all 3 season sleeping bags are equal and ending up buying twice, so learnt the hard way!

It’s quite a good time of year to buy tents as places don’t want to be left with stock as end of season approaches. I’d prioritise ones with “nightfall” rooms (darkened bedrooms for sleeping) - they really make a big difference. And if there are a lot of you, it might be better to have a large tent for all of you than two smaller ones, as a single large tent has a good living space for everyone to hang out in.

Six people def need an 8 man. Rooms that say they are 2 man rooms will only fit two children, unless you don’t mind being v v squashed. Would recommend 3 man rooms for 2 adults at least.

Air beam tents are quicker to put up but much heavier overall - our large 6 man air beam tent is as massive as we can actually lift in and out of the car. The tunnel type tents generally have a simpler construction than dome ones, but dome might be better for multi bedrooms.

If you go 2 separate tents, eg if you are 2 blended families perhaps? think about having a communal larger under-gazebo space for you to all sit and eat under shelter?

It may be better to get one 8-man tent rather than two 4-5 man tents, purely as you might have to pay for two separate pitches with two tents. We have an 8-man Kampa Watergate tent (think it may have been discontinued), which has 2x2 person bedrooms at each end and a living area in the middle - similar to the Higear Zenobia 8 mentioned above. You could easily sit 6 people in the living area, but may want to have a gazebo or something for meals. Definitely borrow equipment if possible the first time you go - then you can see if camping suits your family.
We love the freedom camping gives us and our DC.

@Fibonacci1123 wholeheartedly endorse what @Talipesmum says. I wouldn’t try for two tents as that just over complicates things! One big tent will be fine, preferably borrowed so you can try it out.

I have a VERY large cotton tent from when the kids were a bit younger. We were only five plus the dog but it was plenty big enough and it cost me only around £300 for a top notch second hand tent plus loads of other gear including an awning thing, table, camp kitchen, etc. Check around on eBay etc.

Just make sure anything you buy has been taken care of - see (and smell) it out of the bag and check for mildew, which can be a big issue if tents are packed away even slightly damp.

one thing to consider is that big family tents take up so much room in cars. Especially coupled with all the other gear you need. If you have a van, less of an issue.

But, I agree with you - camping is an excellent option for large families or those on more modest incomes. You can have great holidays in the UK, or in France/Spain/ Germany/ Austria for under £1k for two weeks, if you put a bit of effort in. It’s what we did as a family when I was growing up and money was scarce. Great memories.