A Review of Family Tents For Camping

You constantly see advertisements on television for motor homes and other types of recreational vehicles. It only takes one visit to an RV show to see many of the options available on the market that can be quite expensive to buy and operate. An option that many families consider in their desire to take the family camping, are family tents for camping.

Types of Family Tents For Camping

Many of the available tents for families are dependent on the size of the family.

Dome Tents

– Dome tents got their name from their shape, that is, they look like domes. Dome tents come in a number of sizes. Sizes are normally ranked by the number of people they sleep. It’s important to keep in mind that sleeping room really is only enough space for sleeping. Dome tents come in seizes rated from 2 occupants up to 8 occupants. In most case dome tents are only a single room. Some manufacturers are making dome tents with small screened vestibules, and flys over the entrance flaps.
Some considerations to keep in mind with dome tents in particular is that the roof height gets higher with the floor size. For example, the roof height on a 2 man tent will be only 4 feet in the center, whereas the ceiling height in 8 man tent could be as high as 6 foot 4 inches. Another consideration is that if the weather is inclement you may be spending a long time inside the tent in just one room.

Family Recreation Tents

– These family tents for camping are larger than dome tents. In some instances these are also called dome tents but they are not true domes but do contain some of the dome features. These tents have rooms inside that are separated by fabric walls. This room feature helps offer some privacy for mom and dad from the kids. In addition, in inclement weather they offer more room when staying inside out of the rain.
Many of the tents offer a number of additional features like screen rooms and vestibules. These additional features can make it quite enjoyable when you have a screened room for the evenings as well as the vestibules for storing camping gear out of the weather while not having to bring it inside the tent.

Wall Tents

– These types of family tents for camping are a bit old fashioned in design compared to the newer dome type tents. These tents are one room tents with a peak and walls around the sides. One disadvantage of wall tents is that they can be harder to put up than the newer designs. The newer designs, like dome tents came about as a result of demand from consumers for easier tents to erect. In addition consumers wanted lighter weight and modern fabrics. These features are not normally found in wall tents. Probably one of the largest users of wall tents would be the military, but even the military is shifting to a design that is more similar to a dome tent called a DRASH (Deployable Rapid Assembly Shelter) tent.

Family tents for camping shopping tips

When shopping for a family tent you should always see the tent erected. A picture of a tent will not give you the feel of the inside space. You must be able to go inside the tent and see the available space, the available headroom, the screening, and the overall feel for the space. Keep in mind that the tent will feel larger when it is empty than when you have it loaded with gear.

The other reason you want to see the tent erected is so that you can study how it goes up. The ease with which a tent goes up can be the difference between a camping trip starting off on a good or a bad note. Ease of set-up is very important.

The final comment I would offer when looking at family tents for camping is to buy the largest one you can afford. The extra space you gain by doing this will quickly pay off as you start to fill the tent with cots, chairs and other gear.

So you’re now armed with some basic information regarding family tents for camping, enjoy your shopping.