Hey folks,

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?

Just a couple to look at. No experience with either one. They are tall.
Eureka Jade Canyon
Alps Mountaineering Camp Creek

An REI Kingdom 6 or 8, the garage attachment is a nice addition.

We have this one.


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.

I have 2 in the garage. A BA Bighouse4 "old version". Bought used,l has been my vehicle based tent for years. Only 13 pounds, seen it's share of downpours and wind, always held up well. Problems are the brow poles over the door, too much bend and have popped rear pole 2 times, went to a bit shorter pole and have had no trouble since. It is for sale.
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

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.

Check out this...My son has the 8 person one

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

Marmot limestone 4p. 60 inch head room. Room for 4. Bomb proof. Weighs around 11.5 pounds. It's been my card camping for 2 years and I love it.

Our car camping tent is a Marmot Halo 6, pretty sure it's out of production now but have seen a lot of good suggestions above. I would caution against a few of the giant Coleman or other lesser-brand tents. When it comes to buying something I plan on using hard won vacation days for, I can't imaging purchasing anything less than top quality. I figure if I drop $200 on an el-cheapo tent, it gets ruined and/or fails to keep my family dry in a storm we're going to end up spending another $200 on a night in a hotel. For that same $400 you can get a brand new but year or two old model Marmot, Big Agnes, North Face, or similar high-end quality tent.

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.

"I would caution against a few of the giant Coleman or other lesser-brand tents."

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

Forgot to add: get a 6 person tent. While your kids are small it's no biggie, but as long as you keep feeding them they're gonna grow. Since you're going to buy a tent that's going to last, may as well buy one that'll be big enough!

the Big Agnes Flying Diamond 6 or REI Kingdom 6 would be my recommendations. They both allow for standing inside. I would trust the BA in more sever weather due to the design, but both are great tents. If you do end up going with the Kingdom 6, get the add gear garage, it makes for a nice outside (patio) and place to store gear when needed.

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.

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

I've got the Cabela's Alaskan Guide Series 6 man tent. It weighs a ton, but for car camping that doesn't really matter. It made it through a storm last year that had torrential rain and trees falling around us and not a drop of water came in.

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

Big Agnus Big House 8 is plenty tall to stand up in. It would have plenty of room for your family. A lot of on line places are or will have 20 percent off sales

Nemo Wagontop. This is year number three. Hands down best, most comfortable tent we've owned. Going to splurge and carry it in the BWCAW this summer too; too darn nice to leave at home!
REI Reviews:
NEMO Wagontop

just get a big blue tarp, some poles and a bunch of rope, and a big can of Raid, I camped next to a guy that did that last year, he only had to get up twice to redo it and the tarp only ripped in one spot
nice thing is you can burn it to cook breakfast in the morning

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.

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.

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.


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."

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.

Not saying you should get a Coleman, but I have to give a shout out to my Coleman tent. I bought it at Sportmart in Burnsville, MN 10+ years ago on sale for $50. It's a 10x10 Sundome I believe. It has been through several nasty storms and hasn't leaked a drop.

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.

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. "

Thanks for that reminder. I used my 20% plus my annual dividend on a Kingdom 6. I've got a couple of car camping trips planned with the grandson's this summer and this will work out great."

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.

I am not a huge Cabela's fan, but their Westwind series of tents are great, dependable tents for the money.

How about a wall tent for car camping, weight wouldn't be an issue, and if you want durable, roomy and the ability to cook inside in poor weather, a wall tent fits all of the criteria for most car camping Even the smaller ones have peak heights where an average person can stand up. The only downfall most see is setting one up, however in my experience they are no more difficult than any other tent. Also the companies one deals with are usually much smaller than the outdoor giants, take a look at Alaska Tent and Tarp, they also make the ultimate winter camping tent, the arctic oven.

quote awbrown: "
My new Kingdom 6 arrived Thursday and I set it up in the back yard today.
"

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

I'm going to rescind my suggestion of the Coleman tent.
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.

For REI members, REI Kingdom 4, 6 & 8 tents are 25% off May 19-29, 2017. I also received 20% full price/20% off REI Garage items in the mail but don't know if I could apply that to this item already marked down. Obviously, those who have the REI Kingdom like it, but I was recently researching for a car camping tent and read a bunch of reviews on various tents. Here is one I thought to be a good honest assessment of the Kingdom tents: REI Kingdom tents

quote Oisinirish: "I'm going to rescind my suggestion of the Coleman tent.
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. "

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.

quote mjmkjun:
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."

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.

The sacrifices we make to please our grandkids. Ha!

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.

Awesome! A friend of mine is staffing the armed forces area, hope you ran into her. She's cool!

quote awbrown: "The sacrifices we make to please our grandkids. Ha!


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.



"

I have tickets for Saturday, will keep an eye out for ya if yer still there!
An excellent event.


butthead

quote butthead: "

quote awbrown: "The sacrifices we make to please our grandkids. Ha!



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.




"

I have tickets for Saturday, will keep an eye out for ya if yer still there!
An excellent event.


butthead"

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

Yup kinda crowded!
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

sent you an email

North Face Wawana 6 person

MrBadExample: "Hey folks,

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?"

I think napier truck tent would be better in this purpose.
There have nice reviews about napier, check these-
napier truck tent reviews

Really like my North Face Wawana 6 person tent. I was wanting a Rei Kingdom which I know are excellent, but found the Wawana on sale at a steep discount last spring. The Wawana has plenty of room, and is very well made, pretty easy to set up by myself. It’s a single wall tent that doesn’t have a rainfly, nor is one offered for it which was a initial concern. The first time using it had a 5 inch all night rain and not a drop of water came through the tent.

A tepee.

i had a big agnes tensleep 4, they make it in a 6 as well, or did. really liked it, it was just too big for wife and i. sold it to a happy family.

I picked up a discontinued Jeep brand 12x15 tent on craigslist for $20 last year. It's not compact but when set up it's a palace. A family of 4 could live in it, and we figure it could sleep 12 pretty easy. That's the advantage of car camping I guess! Anyways I doubt this will be useful unless you find one used. Been through several storms and survived. Ain't perfect but probably the best $20 tent out there!

Eureka Timberline SQ Outfitter 6
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

+2 on Big Agnes Big House and Kingdom by REI.