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Old 07-24-2015, 05:58 AM
 
4 posts, read 6,507 times
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What do you have?
(We are 4 + a dog )
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Old 07-24-2015, 07:01 AM
 
Location: Omaha, Nebraska
10,312 posts, read 7,897,459 times
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Take a look at the REI Base Camp 6 and the Big Agnes Flying Diamond 6. Very spacious and sturdy tents that hold up well in high winds, and both have very spacious vestibules for storing stuff.
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Old 07-24-2015, 08:38 PM
 
Location: Pacific NW
9,437 posts, read 7,330,613 times
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Look for at least a 6-8 person tent. I think their ratings are based on how many people can fit in a life or death emergency, not comfortable use! 4 people is very tight in a "4 man" tent.
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Old 07-25-2015, 02:05 PM
 
Location: Mid-Atlantic
32,784 posts, read 36,033,769 times
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How often do you camp? If you only go once a year, you don't need a top of line tent. My decent, but basic, tent lasted for years because it was only used once or twice a year.

I wouldn't try to put four people and a dog in anything smaller than an eight man tent. Or, you could use two fours. We had a four man, two man and a Hennessy Hammock. There was plenty of room for everyone.
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Old 07-26-2015, 05:59 AM
 
4 posts, read 6,507 times
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Thanks for all the help guys!
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Old 07-26-2015, 05:50 PM
 
Location: Lost in Montana *recalculating*...
19,478 posts, read 22,378,259 times
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We have 5 tents. 2 North Face backpacking tents, 1 NEMO brand tent, 1 solo bivy tent (Sierra Designs), but by far our family favorite is an old Diamond brand family tent. That thing is a TANK. Fully rubberized floor takes serious kid and dog abuse, it is big enough for 2 cots, 2 kids and 2 dogs- comfortably!

This is from my photo album on this site-
http://www.city-data.com/forum/membe...ater-falls.jpg

Best $50 I ever spent in my life! Got it at a 'Boy Scout Troop going out of business sale'.

Her name is 'Big Bertha', lol. My son (now 16) wants this tent, so I am shipping it back to Diamond for repairs (new screens, poles, stitching etc). This tent is over 40 years old. Diamond makes all the BSA canvas tents and military canvas tents. Great, great company and wonderful, bombproof family tents!

Last edited by Threerun; 07-26-2015 at 05:59 PM..
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Old 07-26-2015, 08:40 PM
 
Location: Richmond VA
6,871 posts, read 7,826,644 times
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We swore by our Eureka Timberline and had lots of accessories to go with it. Then graduated to a big Eureka 6 person tent for the 4 of us. nicely made, good zippers. We lived in the town where they are made and got them at the outlet for great prices. DH got burn holes in the big one while camping at a racetrack so I gave it to him in the divorce.

Moved to NC, bought a 4 person tent at Walmart for the 3 of us, works great and functions very much like the Eureka.

IMHO, don't spend a lot of money and bring an extra tarp.
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Old 07-26-2015, 08:41 PM
 
Location: Richmond VA
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If i had a largish family (more than 4) I'd go for two tents rather than one giant one.
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Old 07-28-2015, 02:29 AM
 
11,550 posts, read 52,959,916 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Threerun View Post
We have 5 tents. 2 North Face backpacking tents, 1 NEMO brand tent, 1 solo bivy tent (Sierra Designs), but by far our family favorite is an old Diamond brand family tent. That thing is a TANK. Fully rubberized floor takes serious kid and dog abuse, it is big enough for 2 cots, 2 kids and 2 dogs- comfortably!

This is from my photo album on this site-
http://www.city-data.com/forum/membe...ater-falls.jpg
I'll second the Diamond tent ... I have the twin to the one you've pictured, and it's as old as yours.

Back in the day when I was doing a lot of inland sailboat racing, this was my base camp and it saw a lot of multiple day hard use. I've had many a day at Colorado mountain lakes when this tent stayed up while the other camper's tents were blown over. I made the mistake of pitching it early in my ownership under a mulberry tree at a lake, and a strong windstorm came through a blew the fruit down onto the tent. Took 20 years for the bright purple stains to fade from the tent top, but the fabric was unaffected. On the day of that windstorm, my Diamond tent was the only tent left standing out of 40 campsites ... and a number of those other tents had some of their stressed poles snapped when they collapsed. The Diamond just kinda' wiggled around a little bit in the gusts.

As well, it's been used for a lot of back-country camping from my airplane, and the size/standing room has turned what could have been disappointing times during inclement weather into a comfy retreat. I've got a picture of my fiancée's (now wife of many years) North Face 3-person tent at Big Creek Idaho next to my Diamond tent in a driving rainstorm; her tent is a soggy mess and collapsing and my Diamond tent was staying up, clean, dry, and comfortable inside.

A main feature of these canvas tents is that they don't "wet through" like so many other synthetic fabric tents. I've had many a rainy day in backpacking tents with a rainfly where an item or pack inside a tent was the point where water soaked through, sometimes flooding a tent floor area and sleeping bags or other gear. But the Diamond has never done so, even with a cooler up against the sidewall of the tent.

In recent years, Diamond's entire production capacity was taken up by USA military contracts and their civilian/retail tents were not available. But they've been the official BSA tent supplier for a long time and still making tents for that market and the "outfitter" commercial tent marketplace. That's where you can still find their products, well worth the money. I bought mine off the showroom floor of Gart Bros in Denver, it was the Diamond tent on display and had many folk looking through it for 8 months. None the worse for wear, it has served me well for many decades. IIRC, it was a $300 tent back then and Gart's took $50 off because it was the last in stock, and a newer version was coming in ... different windows then mine.

Friends who owned a sporting goods store have loaned me and Mrs Sun a number of other tents to try out and because they have so many left over from when they sold the store, have asked us not to bring them back. While convenient for fair weather use, they don't have the size/standing headroom of the Diamond, and are a PITA when it comes to having to secure a rainfly to get the limited weather protection they offer. Some of these tents were high dollar ($300+) name brand 2-3 person tents; all have been a disappointment for me.

If you're serious about using a tent for car camping, most of the cheapie tents will prove to be a disappointment. Get a good canvas tent to begin with and you'll have a better camping experience.

PS: another big advantage to the canvas wall tents is that they are QUIET! You'll not have the noises of the rippling nylon/Dacron fabrics throughout a night in even a gentle breeze.

PPS: as an alternative to the Diamond Brand tent, take a look at Cabela's Outfitter series. These can be pricey for the upfront cost, but over the years of use, they will be a better performing tent and cost less in the long run.

Last edited by sunsprit; 07-28-2015 at 02:47 AM..
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Old 07-28-2015, 12:08 PM
 
Location: Lost in Montana *recalculating*...
19,478 posts, read 22,378,259 times
Reputation: 24266
That tent will be standing long after my 4 season North Face and ultra light NEMO tent bite the dust. That's why my 16yo son wants it and I'm willing to refurbish it.

That rubber floor extends 5" or so up the side walls, and the canvas top keeps rain OUT. I've camped, with the family, in a solid 1 week rain storm and we were all comfy. We had two cots set up along the side walls, a 5' long Action Packer truck box set up in the middle (with our clothes and misc gear and the kids slept on the floor in the rear of the tent. The kids would use their little camp chairs and play games on the top of the Action Packer during the rainy stuff.

I've used that tent for a hunting base camp- rainy, windy, snowy snotty stuff and looked forward to coming back to it for a dry, warm nights sleep.

Awesome, awesome tent. Today's tents, especially the 'family tents' are not even close in quality, not even close.
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