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Post by fifeplayer on Dec 1, 2020 21:19:59 GMT -8
I have a hammock and a tarp when I hike, but....a family member has put “8 person tent” on their Christmas list. Said individual’s child wants to go tent camping. Their version of camping is full size air mattress and drive-in campsite, so...recommendations for an “I don’t care how heavy” tent that fits an air mattress for semi-claustrophobic adults who prefer many creature comforts and 2 growing kids? Pretty sure a 6-person would suffice and they’re not gonna be out in predictably stormy weather, nor in the mountain west.
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bluefish
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Post by bluefish on Dec 2, 2020 2:30:22 GMT -8
I have a Big Agnes Big House 4 with vestibule and love it for camp comfort . They make the Big House 6, it would be worth looking at. Ours has been in heavy rain and wind and has been great. www.bigagnes.com/Gear/Tents/Car-Base-CampingGoes up easy, lots of headroom.
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Post by trinity on Dec 2, 2020 4:13:08 GMT -8
Our family car-camping tent is an REI Base Camp 6, though a much older version (we bought it about 15 years ago). It's a great tent for that purpose, roomy, sturdy, and very durable.
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rebeccad
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Post by rebeccad on Dec 2, 2020 11:00:07 GMT -8
I have seen tents in campgrounds that I swear are bigger than our house. How many of them will stand up to a 10-mph wind is another matter :D
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gabby
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Post by gabby on Dec 2, 2020 11:10:30 GMT -8
Check with Ringling Bros., Barnum & Bailey. In the current environment for them, you might even get them to throw in an elephant for packing the damned thing. :^)
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Post by Coolkat on Dec 2, 2020 11:12:33 GMT -8
I have seen tents in campgrounds that I swear are bigger than our house. Warning--Thread Drift: When I was a lot lot younger we'd go camping with my grandparents and they had a huge canvas tent with huge metal spikes that took a maul to pound in. Everything is much bigger when you're little but I'm making an educated guess that is was about 12x20 ft. Not sure what all the space was for since we camped without electricity but I'm guessing it was all the food. We ate like kings when we car camped... better than we did at home.
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gabby
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Post by gabby on Dec 2, 2020 11:17:26 GMT -8
We ate like kings when we car camped... better than we did at home. Whoever the bastid was who posted a link to the BA tent website, damn! damn! damn! Now I'm hungry for me some flapjacks and sausage!! Here is da bastid! I'm a gonna haf ta tak dis guy out and ... go camp!! (I tink dis guy live up da rode fum me.) Oh no! It be dis guy! I have a Big Agnes Big House 4
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Post by Lamebeaver on Dec 2, 2020 12:53:49 GMT -8
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Post by High Sierra Fan on Dec 2, 2020 14:44:58 GMT -8
Eureka, REI and more and more Big Agnes all offer tents in that size range. Look and decide your features. One aspect? Vertical sided tents offer maximum interior space with limited wind stability while domes offer a bit less interior as the sloping walls restrict headroom but are stabler in wind. Camping in your standard wooded car campground from Yosemite to Mesa Verde to Acadia, Great Smoky Mountains and Shenandoah and wind has not been an issue but I still prefer domes for the simpler set up. Ive this one and like it. www.rei.com/product/136058/rei-co-op-base-camp-6-tent
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Post by johntpenca on Dec 2, 2020 14:58:13 GMT -8
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bluefish
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Post by bluefish on Dec 2, 2020 15:18:28 GMT -8
Whoever the bastid was who posted a link to the BA tent website, damn! damn! damn! Now I'm hungry for me some flapjacks and sausage!! How declasse, Gabby. Only ribeyes and marinaated shrimp hit my grill in the vestibule. In this year of tremendous sickness, where I was told of my own demise, living in that tent during some saltwater fly fishing trips was what kept me fighting. It's OK to be comfortable once in awhile, makes you appreciate what backpacking is all about......
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Post by johntpenca on Dec 2, 2020 16:08:56 GMT -8
gabby- start drinking early today?
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franco
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Post by franco on Dec 2, 2020 17:02:51 GMT -8
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Post by johntpenca on Dec 2, 2020 17:57:14 GMT -8
Just as an aside, an 8 person tent has a large footprint. Maybe look at two smaller tents?
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daveg
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Post by daveg on Dec 2, 2020 20:47:32 GMT -8
Our car camping tent is a Sierra Designs Bedouin 6. Bought it 13 years ago and it has served us well (although we haven't used it recently). Spacious (just right) for two people (two 30" wide sleeping pads and duffel bags and other stuff inside, standing headroom). Would work okay for four people. Six would be crammed in like sardines. Full waterproof fly provides decent ventilation but always kept us dry even in windblown, prolonged heavy rain (when campers in inexpensive tents literally had bathtub floors and wet sleeping bags and clothes). Swayed a bit in 25-30+ mph winds (that collapsed several dome tents in the campground) but no damage. It's no longer made. The current successor appears to be the Nomad 6. A tad more floor space, significantly lighter, uses three poles instead of two so probably more stable, looks like fewer frills.
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