Boundary Waters Quetico Forum :: Gear Forum :: Family Car Camping Tent?
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walllee |
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bwcasolo |
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Oisinirish |
This past weekend we were just sitting around have coffe and the world was dead calm when the pole holding out the front of the fly just snapped on its own. Pulled it out to see if we hadn't inserted it all the way into the metal ferrule. Lo and behold it was the side glued in that snapped. When we took the tent down to days later I checked every pole. Pretty sure this tent collapses on us next time we set it up. Every, and I mean every, joint is failing. Only 4th 3 night trip for the tent. At least it was a present and didn't cost us anything. |
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PappyCase |
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awbrown |
quote butthead: "quote awbrown: "The sacrifices we make to please our grandkids. Ha! I should be easy to spot. Camo hat and camo shorts. Should be easy to find me in the small group of 100,000+ that will be there today. Lol |
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butthead |
But still the best day I have spent at the EAA. Probably the only time to see FIFI, B29 pulling up and out in a missing man formation. butthead PS: Apologies for taking of topic liberties. bh |
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BHark |
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Flashback |
87.1 sq ft of space 10'3" X 8'6" floor 6'4" peak height Pack dimensions 8" X 28" Weight 15 lb. 2 doors with bug screen @ storm flap coverage 4 gear pockets Aluminum poles Plenty of room for our 2 cots, a small table & chair. Would probably accomodate 2 small kids if you dispensed with table & chair. $580.00 (free shipping from Eureka Annex and footprint are available @ extra cost Check it out on Eureka website My 2 man outfitter, and 4 man outfitter are still being used. The 2 man is over 12 years old; the 4 man is over 10 years old. Neither had any issues, and I expect none from the 6 man. If we are car camping we typically set up either our small, or large CCS rainfly over the kitchen/lollygagging area. Tent is strictly for sleeping. With minimal/simple maintenance I suspect this tent could last for up to 15 years. BOB |
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butthead |
quote awbrown: "The sacrifices we make to please our grandkids. Ha! I have tickets for Saturday, will keep an eye out for ya if yer still there! An excellent event. butthead |
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karaRobert |
MrBadExample: "Hey folks, I think napier truck tent would be better in this purpose. There have nice reviews about napier, check these- napier truck tent reviews |
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walllee |
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butthead |
quote awbrown: " Put mine to a good test this weekend (first really crappy weather with it). Wind off Ottawa Lake rain Friday nite, T-Storm last nite. I have heard concerns about wind stability. There are several velcro frame wraps per pole right at the guyline loops, I used 6 guylines and the tent virtually never moved. The body flapped a bit but the frame stayed put. Not a drop of rain entered. I just stuff the body and fly into the backpack compartments and have plenty of room for the footprint on top, no problem zipping the bag shut. Sides rolled up to the velcro pole guyline anchors. The attached vestibule end with both sides tied back. butthead |
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duckcall |
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VaderStrom |
quote unshavenman: "I've been very happy with the Marmot Limestone 6P. It's very roomy inside and has great headroom. Do some searching online and you can find a deal on one I'm sure. " +1 on this one. My brother has it and we have loved it. I'd recommend almost any tent made by Marmot aside from some of their new design 1-2 person tents. |
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Blatz |
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ozarkpaddler |
REI Reviews: NEMO Wagontop |
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ZaraSp00k |
nice thing is you can burn it to cook breakfast in the morning |
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ObiWenonahKenobi |
I may even lug it along on a base camping canoe trip next summer. With her medical issues crawling into a tent and sleeping on the ground just aren't viable options. She can still paddle though. |
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mirth |
quote ObiWenonahKenobi: "Just got an REI Kingdom 8 with Garage and Footprint. Used my 20% off coupon and my dividend for it. I love love love it. Set up is relatively easy and tons of space. Most importantly it makes the wife happy. That's my plan for mine too. Taking the wife & kids base camping in the Turtle Flambeau this summer, she has some issues which make sleeping on the ground problematic. So we'll also be carrying a double height queen air bed... As of now I've got the garage, poles for the garage awning, and footprint taken care of. I'm going to get the rest of the tent w/dividend & gift cards once the annual sale kicks off next month. |
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Wheeldog |
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awbrown |
quote awbrown: "quote BigCurrent: FYI, today is the last day to take advantage of 20% Member coupon at REI. Very valuable when purchasing a tent at this price range. " My new Kingdom 6 arrived Thursday and I set it up in the back yard today. A few observations......... I was pleasantly surprised at how easy it was for one person to set up. Took me about ten minutes. I was impressed with the "back pack" tent bag. Tent goes in one compartment, fly in another, tent poles in a third. The stakes and guy out ropes fit in pockets on the outside. The zippers on the doors are operable with one hand. They work slick as a whistle. The doors also open from either side of the tent and can be opened completely and stuffed into a pocket at the top of the door. Handy if you're moving stuff in and out. Lots of storage pockets on the inside. The fly corner straps attach to the bottom of the tent with snap type buckles instead of having to put the poles thru grommets as the older version had. The fly can be arranged in several different ways to provide ventilation and privacy. I can stand up in the center of the tent. As I get older, this is a nice feature. |
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unshavenman |
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butthead |
Other is a used REI Kingdome6. 2 rooms, heavier fabric, easy setup with a fly that has a vestibule on one end. I used it once last year without and problems, it will take the place of the Bighouse. The Bighouse has been redesigned and now is a 4 corner umbrella style frame as opposed to the hexagonal dome frame structure of my version which is very similar to the Tensleep4. I really like the Kingdome, and it looks to be a great vehicle based shelter. Another BA tent that realy got my interest is a Flying Diamond6 or 8. Very strong frame, the one I talked to the owner about, stood up to 50mph winds at RoadAmerica last year. butthead |
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MrBadExample |
I'm looking for a nice car camping tent for my wife, 2 small kids and myself. Wife would like to be able to stand up inside of it. Any suggestions? |
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DrBobDg |
Coleman Evanston 8 Tent. The thing has a screen zipped porch which I thought was kindof neat. So... I got a Evanston 4 for my wife and myself canoe camping where we don't have serious portages. and for car camping we have a Coleman Evanston 6 which gives the two of us plenty of room..... the porch is neat for putting our chairs on or whatever,, Kindof a neat idea.... hold up to wind decent., decent rain fly, I think they got it right with that design. whatever you get got to be able to handle wind, big enough rain fly, and a tent that isn't mostly screen rather than nylon like one of our former coleman tents..(Can't remember the name right now). good luck in your search dr bob |
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Birdknowsbest |
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bposteve |
For any tent I'd say these are the minimum requirements: aluminum poles, a design that has more than 2 poles, full coverage rain fly. Anything less and it's designed to let you down. With those bases covered you may end up with some lower quality materials at the low end, but that leads to longevity issues, not trip-ending ones. |
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butthead |
Good advise! I know many who will scoff at the thought of $400 family tent, but they are the folks filling the dumpsters after a good storm. I camp for up to 4 long weekends at RoadAmerica, one of the campgrounds is on top of an old gravel pit. Broken fiberglass poles, shredded tents, and crumpled Easyups, are a common sight. butthead |
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BigCurrent |
FYI, today is the last day to take advantage of 20% Member coupon at REI. Very valuable when purchasing a tent at this price range. |
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awbrown |
My 13 year old grandson was begging to attend the EAA AirVenture 2017 fly in in Oshkosh this summer. His parents couldn't get time away from work to take him, so Grandpa volunteered. Earlier this year I purchased an REI Kingdom 6, which I had used a couple of times for car camping trips already. I bit the bullet and purchased the "Garage" for my tent and it worked out great. Provided shade and cover for my cooler and kept us dry yesterday when it rained. It adds a lot of useful storage space to the tent. |
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mirth |
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overthehill |
Eureka Jade Canyon Alps Mountaineering Camp Creek |
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CanoeingHarry |
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Oisinirish |
Coleman Montana. Technically an 8 person tent. I'm 5'11" and stand up inside. Plenty of room in case get stuck inside. I won't be carrying it anywhere though. Lol. |
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mirth |
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Snosaj |
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awbrown |
quote BigCurrent: FYI, today is the last day to take advantage of 20% Member coupon at REI. Very valuable when purchasing a tent at this price range. " Thanks for that reminder. I used my 20% plus my annual dividend on a Kingdome 6. I've got a couple of car camping trips planned with the grandson's this summer and this will work out great. |
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bposteve |
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Sheepdogged |
quote unshavenman: "I've been very happy with the Marmot Limestone 6P. It's very roomy inside and has great headroom. Do some searching online and you can find a deal on one I'm sure. " +1 |
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butthead |
quote mirth: "I'm piecing together a Kingdom 8 as my ultimate car camping tent for the family. So far I've got a couple tarp poles for the garage plus the garage on order. I think my parents are going to get the footprint for my bday, and I've got several gift cards plus my dividend for the tent. I'll be able to fit a queen double height air bed in the larger room for the mrs, and still have tons of room for the kids in the other room." Hope this isn't too late but keep an eye on the "Garage Sales". The Kingdome series has been regularly offered, including the parts, here in Milwaukee. Picked up a footprint for $25 last fall. butthead |
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zooshooter |
quote CanoeingHarry: "An REI Kingdom 6 or 8, the garage attachment is a nice addition." I have a smaller 4-person version of the Kingdom tent called a "Hobitat". It's tall enough that I can almost completely stand up in it (albeit only in the middle) and I'm 6'1". It also works with the Gear Garage that is zipper-based. It has been a great tent for the wife and I, or the wife and 2 kids. If all 4 of us are going on a trip I tent to bring a hammock for myself. I've been wanting to get a Kingdom 6 or 8 for the 4 of us but if you can find a Hobitat 4 and think it'll fit your needs it might be worth picking up. If you get it with a Gear Garage, the Garage almost doubles your available covered space but it has no floor. If there is an REI near you it'd be worth your time to get a membership and check out one of their quarterly garage sales. The membership is $20 and is a single-time purchase. One tent that I've been keeping an eye on is the Big Agnes Wyoming Trail Camp 4 although this only has a max height of 4'6". REI makes a Kingdom 4 with a max height of 6'3" that might be worth looking in to. |
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tashit |
One of the fiberglass poles is finally starting to split and gave me a nice little cut last summer so it's probably finally time to replace it. I'm definitely a 'get what you pay for' kinda guy but I have been eyeing the Evanston that DrBobDg linked. My concern is that the Coleman quality has gone down in the last 10 years, but at that price I may just give it a shot. I do love love love my Marmot Limelight 3 for canoe camping. |
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mjmkjun |
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mjmkjun |
quote Oisinirish: "I'm going to rescind my suggestion of the Coleman tent. Have a question for ya. If you would have been out on a weeklong trip is the failure something you could have temporarily repaired with duck tape? I just purchased this Coleman Montana tent as a gift for a friend for his 3P family outing in YNP. I suppose I should include a roll of duck tape with the tent. LOL The way I figured it, even the first 7-day outing/usage will benefit tremendously considering the hotel rates in YNP. |
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Oisinirish |
quote mjmkjun: Would probably have to dig out the part of the pole that is glued into the ferrule so there is some structure then tape might work. I'll see if I can get pictures of what I'm talking about. |
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old_salt |
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bwcasolo |
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