Family tents buying guide

When it comes to spending time in the wilderness with your whole family, you have to think about several factors. But don't be stressed out. Family tents are here at the rescue.

But with a number of options available in the market, buying a tent is not a piece of cake. You have to consider space, safety, comfort, and tons of other things. Gathering information on all these characteristics can become a tiresome task.

There is a lot of information available on the internet, but you have to look here and there. Moreover, the market salesmen never tell you all the details of the product.

You need a helping hand by which you can get all the information in a jiffy and make an informed decision. Investing in the wrong tent will ruin the adventure for your whole family.

To save your money and buy the right product, you need to refer to a buying guide. We have prepared a comprehensive buying guide that contains all the useful information in a well-organized manner.

You will get all the details about the product in the guide, and pinning down the best product will not be difficult after you go through it. So, without any further delay, let us dive into this immense guide to get all knowledge.

What are Family Tents, and why should you buy them?

When it comes to spending quality time with family, nothing is better than camping. It is the best way to bring the whole family together for a trip full of relaxation and fun.

Before planning a family camping excursion, you need to explore some of the family tents to accommodate everyone to spend a comfortable and sturdy night while living outside.

One of the allures of camping is you will be roughing in the wild. So only a little research and preparation of family tents are worth it.

No matter how much you love the outdoor excursion, but no one wants to be uncomfortable when it's time to sleep. To give an enjoyable camping experience for your family, you need to choose the right family tents.

Because tents are your home away from your home and the only place where you can relax, sleep and store much of your gear.

To cherish your family moments, you need to find a tent that will complete your needs and give your family the gift of the best outdoor experience.

So, let’s begin with the various types of tents that will give you an overview of different shapes and how they impact your decision.

Types of Family Tents

There are different types of family tents available in the market, ideal for your family camping. With plenty of options, you might get confused if you are in search of the right one for you.

So, it would be great to know about all the different types of family tents given below:

1. Dome Tents

When it comes to family camping, security is the first thing that we are all concerned about. The dome tent is one of the most secure tents, which comes in a dome shape.

There is a zipper on the tent's entrance, so one can protect oneself from the harsh climatic condition and the wild side of the jungle in case you are camping in the forest. These camps are weatherproof and are quite famous among regular campers.

2. Cabin Tent

Cabin tents are one of the ideals of family tents. They are quite spacious and come in different varieties. The tent comes in a large size and is a bit high-priced in the market.

Most of these family tents come with windows and separate rooms inside them. These types of tents are most suitable for summer camping.

With the upswing popularity of family camping, cabin tents are specially designed to hold the whole family and acquire popularity easily.

3. Bell Tent

A bell tent is one of the most recognizable tent styles. The tent features a central pole to support the canvas, giving the tent a very classic shape.

The doorway is formed with an A-frame pole, and the fellow ropes give stability to the tent. The bell tents come with a waterproofing feature and provide you more practical, breathable, and luxury camping experience for your family.

Tunnel Tents

Tunnel tents are another name in the list which you can consider as one of the best Family Tent. They are made up of at least two poles that run parallel without crossing.

The poles are tied up at each end to build bows to set up the tent. Tunnel tents can be speedily set up and offer you an excellent interior weight/space ratio.

Things to deem about while selecting appropriate Family Tents

Floor Size and Height

Camping with family is one of the most delightful ways to spend a few days outdoors, and you need to be well prepared for the occasion.

It implies that you should make a plan in advance and need to gear up things in advance. So whenever you are going to purchase a family tent, the main thing you need to check on the priority is the floor size and the tent's height.

Most of the manufacturers will offer you the floor space measurements the tent covers when set up. Some brands will also provide you the square feet floor space a tent gives.

One more thing you need to focus on is the center height of the tent. It shows you what kind of headroom you will have inside the tent.

Material and Construction Quality

Checking the material and construction before buying a family tent is the crucial task that needs to be done when purchasing one for your family trip. There is a variety of tent fabrics available out there.

But you must pick the one that is best to satisfy all your needs. Here are some of the names which you can consider for your purchase.

Canvas and Cotton Tent Fabric

Canvas has a lot of excellent properties and is considered a traditional tent fabric.

The canvas was developed using hemp material in the old days, but now these tents are furnished from cotton material. So, tents publicized as canvas or cotton are mainly produced using the same fabric.

Why Cotton/Canvas is Great for Tents

• Cotton is wonderful and a breathable material that can quickly suck in water. It shows that there will be no problems regarding condensation.
• The fabric is very durable and fully resists all the UV rays coming from the Sun.
• Due to the insulation and weight properties, tents that are made of canvas/cotton are quieter than others if there's a breeze.

Difficulties with Canvas and Canvas Material

• Canvas and cotton are bulky and heavy
• They need more maintenance than other materials.
• You find this canvas/cotton a bit more expensive than other materials.

Polyester and Nylon

The majority of tents are made of human-made fabrics like nylon or polyester. Polyester is considered a suitable material for family tents, while nylon is used for lightweight backpacking tents.

Why Polyester and Nylon is Great for Tents

• They considered polyester and nylon for their tents because they are easily affordable and suit every person's budget.
• If you compare them with other backpacking tents, then these human-made fabrics are much lighter to handle.
• These fabrics are rapid to dry and can be easily maintained.

Difficulties with Polyester and Nylon Material

• Suppose we compare them with cotton-based fabric tents, then they are not good insulators. It means that they can get hotter when it's warm and chilly when it gets cold.
• The material is not breathable.
• They are lighter enough; this means they flap around a bit more in the breeze.

Number of People who will use

The most used method to choose a family tent is to check the sleeping capacity rating. It means before picking up any family tent; you need to confirm the number of people who will use the space or how many people you want to accommodate there.

Your tent must be capable enough to adjust all your family members in one space. Shopping by keeping the number of campers in mind will help you choose the tent's right size.

Most of the family tents will come with a minimum of six and a maximum of ten-person capacity.

Going on a family excursion, especially camping will uplift every person's mood in the family. Still, tight space intent may hinder their experience, and they might not enjoy their family day out.

So if you're planning to go out of town for camping, you need to ensure you take the best tent that can accommodate the entire family.

That is the reason the family tent should be prioritized when preparing for camping.

Ease of Setup

You also need to consider checking how easy it is to handle a tent or how easy it is to set up a tent. Although putting up a tent can take 15 to 30 minutes, a professional can set it up in 5 minutes.

The tent's setup time varies from one tent to another and is dependent on the tent, how frequently you have set it up before, in some cases the weather condition, if you have help or not, and what kind of tent it is.

If the tent's fabric/material is easily manageable, you can easily set it up. But in some cases, the tents are way heavy, and one person can't set it up on his/her own.

It might take hours to set the tent. So it is always suggested that whenever you make a mind to buy a family tent to enjoy the outdoor excursion, you should consider the one that is easy to handle and set up easily in less time.

It is because you can enjoy the rest of the day by playing some activities or can arrange the setup of the bonfire.

Waterproofing

One of the most important things to consider while purchasing a family tent is to check the tent's water-resistance.

When you think of waterproofing, you might think of a top that can stand up against rains. But keep a note of this, waterproofing refers to the complete water prevention from penetrating into the tent in any form.

You should have a tent that provides you complete waterproofing. Check the fabric of the tent and ask the vendor to tell the specification of the particular material.

You should consider the one whose fabric is coated with a water-resistant finish or should be capable enough to resist the challenging climatic conditions without any family discomfort or interruption.

Sturdiness

Safety always comes first, be it a matter of family safety or personal safety. And the same goes for you when you are out camping with your family.

Make sure the tent you have taken is sturdier enough to face rain and storm. Don't forget the more extensive the tent is, the sturdier it has to be.

When you are camping, your tent is the only secure place you can give to your family. That is why it has to be sturdier enough to provide you with complete protection, even in harsh weather conditions.

Family tents have to be efficiently designed to deal with the rainstorm and wind. They are bound to come up against the great outdoors.

Although, a tent's sturdiness is also dependent a lot on the strength of its poles. So it has always been suggested to consider fiberglass and steel poles as they offer reliable power.

Ventilation

Proper ventilation in a tent is essential to prevent problems like stale air, condensation, and odors. When you have air moving freely, you and your family will feel more comfortable.

This is why it is recommended to have family tents that allow proper airflow in hot or humid weather conditions.

Without ventilation, your tent could quickly get unbearably hot and humid and can make sleep difficult to come by. To give ventilation, most of the tents have mesh on the doors, roof, and windows.

Some tents are specially designed to deal with the warmer weather camping, this kind of tent comes with the air vents on the ground or the top of the tent.

Tent Poles

Fiberglass and aluminum are the most common tent poles you will find in the market. Aluminum has replaced fiberglass; since then, they are light in weight and are strongly considering their size.

Fiberglass needs to be much thicker in size to hold an equal amount of weight as aluminum poles. But most of the campers wouldn't consider fiberglass because it gets shattered when it breaks, which makes it a bad choice for extremely cold conditions.

Because this can make a hole in your tent, apart from this, they are a bit hard to repair when getting damaged.

To choose between getting an ideal family tent for your family, make sure to ask the quality of the tent poles to the manufacturer. It will help you make a decision and make your purchase easy.

Apart from this, there are three types of tent poles which you can consider as per your requirement.

Flexible Fiberglass tent poles

Fiberglass tent poles are cheaper than others, but they are not strong enough to handle the strong winds as such tents may bend the tent. But these types of poles are best for lighter tents.

Inflatable Air Framed Tents

Apart from the above two, there are a plethora of tents which don't need poles. You can simply do the process of air inflation in its tent frame, and you are done.

Strong Tent Poles

These poles are made of steel and are more right in cyclone-like winds and provide the best support to large tents. But these types of poles are not much budget-friendly, you might spend a bit to consider these.

Porches

Tents come with porches that are terrific for camping outdoors with family and a group of friends. It is a handy place to store muddy boots and wet clothes which need to be kept out of the tent.

However, tents with extended screened porches feature extra protection from spiders, fliers, wasps, spiders, and other creepy crawlers.

Apart from this, tents with the screened porches also offer you more room for storing gear. This is the best thing that attracts most of the campers.

Having additional porches in tents is one the great feature which you can add in the making the purchase of your perfect family tents

Other Considerations

Shape

We have discussed above; family tents come in different shapes. Some are dome tents; some are cabin style tents while others are bell tents.

The dome shape is the more standard tent shape and is relatively high in demand when choosing the family tents. However, it is up to you which one fits your requirements and fulfills your needs.

Easy to Assembly

When choosing the ideal tent for family camping, you must select the one which is easy to set up and can also assemble quickly. Ideally, it should be easy for the adult to set up with the help of a child.

Pockets

It is good to have a storage pocket inside the tent as it gives you a convenient place to carefully protect your stuff to find them at the time of requirement easily.

Doors:

The entrance is essential. You must check the door's size, how many entries are in a tent, and how comfortable and convenient they are for kids.

Windows and Entrance

Windows and entrance are other essential aspects that you need to pay attention to. Some tents are a bit suffocated because of the lack of windows, and their entrance is also small or won't be able to provide you much ventilation.

Try to find a tent that can provide you the proper ventilation even if the tent's doors are closed. One large window in the tent is enough to give you plenty of fresh air.

Check the windows of the tent on areas where you can quickly close them whenever you want. This means the window needs to be flexible enough so that you can open and close them as per the requirement or the current weather condition.

FAQs

1. Which layout is the best to choose?

This depends on your personal preference and your family's needs. The basic idea is to keep all members comfortable. Make sure that the sleeping area is different from the lounge area, and you get ample space for all your gear.

With adequate space, make sure that the tent is easy to set up. Adding more features sometimes can also add setting time. Analyze all the requirements and then pick the best option.

2. Can I stand erect in the indoors of a family tent?

This depends on the model you have selected. This is an excellent feature to consider while buying a tent. Standing erect in the tent will allow you to move with ease without any hassle, and you can smoothly perform all the tasks.

3. How much time does it take to set up a tent?

The time depends on three main factors. First is the size of the tent. Smaller tents will take less time, and larger ones will take more. The second is the tent type. Pop-ups are quite easier to set up than the other types.

The third is your prior experience in setting up the tent. If you are familiar with the process, then you can complete the task in no time, while on the other hand, if you are a beginner, you will face some issues.

The Final Verdict

Family tents provide a safe and comfortable way to enjoy adventures with your loved ones. Here, in this guide, you will find all the necessary details about the product.

We have covered all the types and vital features that define the comfort, usability, and performance of all the tents.

Go through the details and pick the best one that suits your needs. You will also get answers to various questions and queries. Arm yourself with an elite tent and enjoy your upcoming adventures.