If you love the outdoors, a family camping tent may be one of best investments you'll ever make. There are some considerations to make when choosing a family tent. Weight may not be one of the most important consideration unless you're backpacking with the family.
If you want your family to comfortably sleep at night on a camping trip, the first thing you need to consider is space. Always choose a tent with a bigger person rating than the number of people you intend to accommodate inside the tent.
A good amount of headroom also makes the tent more comfortable. Dome tents have a lot of headroom but not as much as cabin tents because the walls slope a little bit more towards the center. Large mesh windows and moonroofs add a sense of space to a tent. Awnings has other wonderful uses too other than give you the illusion of space.
For additional space, a vestibule helps. Keeping you gear in the vestibule gives you more sleeping space. Unfortunately, vestibules are not always included in a family tent.
In case the weather turns bad, a family tent needs to be able to keep you dry. Stay away from cheap tents and stick to ones that are well known to keep you dry in a heavy downpour. Look for tents with sealed seams, bathtub floors and rainfly.
Another important thing to consider is breathable fabrics and ventilation. Sleeping on a pool of water can be a rude awakening.
If you have limited space inside your car, you might want to consider packed size. A tent that packs small usually cost a lot more.
Some people appreciate the fact that most family tents are freestanding. This allows the tent to be moved without having to take it down which can sometimes be very useful. You have to be careful though because if it's not staked or if there is not enough weight to hold down the tent, it can be blown away be the wind.
Ease of set up is an important consideration if you want to spend more time with your family rather than with the tent. Ask for a demonstration and try it out yourself. Some tents like the Turbo Tent are fast to set up and almost hands-free. Another way to make it easier to set up the tent you already have is to practice setting it up at home.
For many families, price is a very important consideration and it often becomes the limiting factor when choosing a tent. Cheap tents are really not the type of tent you want to use in bad weather If you buy cheap tents, be prepared to buy again for your next trip or make some major improvements to it.
