Tents

[Tia Maria]

What kind of tent would you recommend for a family of 5, who intend to use it occasionally?

Keeping in mind I have had no camping experience since my days in the Brownies.

Did you buy new or second hand?

Cheers

Tia

[wilson182]

We bought a tent from KMart when it was on sale over winter, haven't used it camping yet but have practiced putting it up in the garden

We had a frame tent in the UK which was great (got it second hand for GBP80) cause it meant that OH didn't have to permanently bend over!! It took ages to put up though, that was the only down side. Our new tent is smiliar to the frame tent but much easier to put up. Dome tents are probably the easiest and quickest to put up, but maybe not so comfortable for someone tall. For a family of 5 I would recommend getting at least an 8 person tent for comfort and space (and I am talking from experience here) You want somewhere to store luggage etc - without having to leave everything in the car.

Thats my 2 cents HTH

Debs

[Moorf]

Ohhh, I hadn't thought of that Debs, getting a larger one than needed for luggage and stuff - we're currently trawling TradeMe for one (used or new, don't care) - and were looking at 4 man ones (well, 2 dogs and 2 people!) - think I'll up the ante now!

[M-Squared]

When they say "8-person tent" they mean to sleep, with NO room for anything else. So get at least a 10-person tent. There are 3 of us and we have a 6-person tent. We can keep our dry food inside, fold-up chairs when we go walkies etc.

[KerryS]

Work out what you want from the tent and then go from there. Do you want to sleep in the same space as the boys, or do you want a tent that's divided into 'rooms'?
My main criteria is that I have to be able to stand inside, as I hate trying to put on trousers whilst wriggling about on the ground.
I have a cheap 8 man tent from KMart, which has done for several summers of camping now. And it fits 4 easily, 6 tightly and 8 only if they're very good friends... It's got a big porch at the front, which is useful for keeping the chilly bin and a place for kicking off shoes, but it's all one big communal space inside.
The Warehouse and KMart usually have a good selection, or there's a really good store in Wairau Park down near Harvey Norman which sells tents and camping gear. It's tucked up a tiny side road and it's called something like the Sleeping Bag Factory Store. Bit of a mess inside, but the people are incredibly knowledgeable and will help you find the right one for your requirements.

[StevieD]

We have a 9 person dome tent, it is huge!! One "room" each for us and the kids, with a large porch area for the bits and pieces.

If you intend to take it up, even for occasional use, it pays to get the best you can in terms of size and durability.

[Flutterby]

A decent 3man tent should have enough space for 3 men plus gear (storage vestibule) blah blah.
My suggestion would be to look around a few camping shops to see whats on offer (try Outdoor Pursuits or Great Outdoors) Payless Plastics had a few when we looked round, but obviously you get what you pay for so if you get a cheap tent it will have less storage space and be likely to fall apart sooner.

IMO the easiest tents to erect are the Dome tents, and the less poles you have the less complicated it is, so if you only intend to use it once in a blue moon, get something that is ultra simple to put up. (the added bonus of simplicity is speed, so you could be camping in 10minutes)

Vango and Coleman are good brands

[melly]

We are a camping family and therefore have 3 tents. A 2-man tent for multi-day tramping (fits 2 people cosy with vestibule at both ends to store packs); a 5-man tent that we bought for 4x4 camping for a max of 1week stays with 2Adults and 2 Toddlers where we want to fit all our gear in the boot, so food and stuff stays in the car and only sleeping gear and clothing is in the tent, it's a dome tent which is quick to put up, but has a vestibule at the front so dirty shoes can stay outside, but not get wet etc.; and a 12-man tent (which we have nicknamed 'The Palace') which is what we take for our extended summer holidays (2 weeks staying in the 1 place), it has 2 rooms (suppose to sleep 6 in each room), so we have 1 room as the 'sleeping room' with all our beds and clothes and the other is the 'living room' where all food and other gear is stored with enough space for us to have room for the kids to play/us to read books if it is raining and therefore being outdoors is miserable.
Our advice to people thinking of camping is not to just go for the cheapest option, because you are guaranteed to not have the most enjoyable camping experience and therefore not want to go camping again so your cheap tent turns into a very expensive purchase as it only gets used once.

[Moorf]

Our advice to people thinking of camping is not to just go for the cheapest option, because you are guaranteed to not have the most enjoyable camping experience and therefore not want to go camping again so your cheap tent turns into a very expensive purchase as it only gets used once.

I'm going to print this and give it to OH!! He keeps trawling TradeMe for cheapie tents but I said I want a decent one that keeps out the draughts!!

[melly]

Other piece of advice I have is going to a store where they have the tent set up so you can actually walk in and out, lie down (just as important for tall people as height as some tents floor lengths mean taller people have no choice but to spend the night sleeping in a semi-foetal position), get an idea for size and where stuff would fit. Buying a tent is just like buying a batch, it's just a collapsible/take with you anywhere version. But the goals are the same: you are intending to live in it for multiple days - cook, clean, eat and sleep; and you want it to be an enjoyable experience.