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It does depend on budget. What you are looking for sounds like a tent with a "porch." Some of the porches have side awnings so that you are protected from weather on all 3 sides.
We bought one last year for occasional use for visitors while camping (we have a trailer, but in nice weather, why cram everyone inside the trailer?). Put up pretty fast, slept my son, his fishing buddy and their two dogs easily on two full size inflatable mattresses and the floor was quite sturdy.
The problem is that the cheaper that you go in tent price, generally the short life and the cheaper the materials. How long do you want this tent to last?
I'm already set on the specific tents I'm considering (not buying from here, but links to what they are - Marmot Limestone 3P and Marmot Halo 4P).
It was just trying to decide if the extra size of the 4P is worth the extra cost and hassle of setting it up.
Marmot makes great products but do you really need such a high-end tent for your trip? Yes Marmot = quality but you're also paying for the name. For car camping a Marmot tents seems extravagant. It's more than what you need.
So if you're not brand fixated .....
My friend has used Coleman tents a number of times over the years ... in the coastal redwoods, even through the winter, rain, wind, sun in the summer, etc. and they've all lasted and held up amazingly well. And they're reasonably priced.
Check this out. 4 Person Tent | Dome Tents | Coleman
Happy Trails.
I'm gonna provide my own perspective, which is as somebody who has done mostly car camping (up til this summer), but who would not put a chair in a tent You want a family type or cabin tent if that's a goal, and I'm sure they *can* be had that are easy to set up, though many are not. Check out REI.
So my choice up til now has been a 3-person backpacking tent, specifically the (old edition) REI Quarter Dome T3. In terms of setup I've never had a better tent, the poles practically self-assemble, there's no pushing through fabric loops, which reduces rage and potential for leaks. Color coding. I've set this tent up in the dark so many times. It's comfy for two people car camping who are mostly just going to sleep in the tent and not do much else. It's *very* comfortable, almost too big really, for 1 person.
The designs have changed on the REI Quarter Dome series in 2017 but I hear they are still very good. There is also the Half Dome series that is less expensive. My Quarter Dome lasted about 8 years before needing resealing vs water and having some of the glued portions separate, none of which (so far) have been important when it is not used in windy conditions.
With either of those tent lines, either buy the footprint for it, or if the price is too much, cut a piece of Tyvek and make a footprint out of that.
Car camping? I'd get the biggest one. I use a Cabela's 6-person tent when I go car camping, even if it's by myself. You'd be amazed at how fast a cot and "stuff" can fill up a tent. Backpacking is a different story, but with car camping I'd say the only limit is what you can handle erecting yourself.
I ended up getting a 3P tent - but a different one than the one I was looking at. The Nemo Wagontop. It's taller than the other 3P (and any other I found), but still the 3P floor dimensions. It worked out great. Even held up in a couple of storms with no leaks. Just enough room for me to comfortably stretch out, tall enough I could change clothes easily, but not so big that putting it up and packing it away was a pain.
I ended up getting a 3P tent - but a different one than the one I was looking at. The Nemo Wagontop. It's taller than the other 3P (and any other I found), but still the 3P floor dimensions. It worked out great. Even held up in a couple of storms with no leaks. Just enough room for me to comfortably stretch out, tall enough I could change clothes easily, but not so big that putting it up and packing it away was a pain.
Great! You've found the best tent for you. I have, or have had a 2 man tent, 4 man tent, camping hammock, and camping cot. They did what they were supposed to do when I needed them to do it.
I ended up getting a 3P tent - but a different one than the one I was looking at. The Nemo Wagontop. It's taller than the other 3P (and any other I found), but still the 3P floor dimensions. It worked out great. Even held up in a couple of storms with no leaks. Just enough room for me to comfortably stretch out, tall enough I could change clothes easily, but not so big that putting it up and packing it away was a pain.
I have a NEMO Losi 3p tent and I love it. About 5 years old and still going pretty strong..
I'm doing a camping trip at the end of the month. The tent I've been using the last several years is a cheap one that was given to me by a friend who was looking to get rid of it when they moved. At least the price was right. And I've hated every minute in that tent; too hot and stuffy usually. So I decided to treat myself to a decent tent.
The hard part of my decision has to do with which size to get - 3P or 4P? Since I'm car camping, weight of the tent isn't really an issue. But it needs to be one that I can get up easily by myself. It's usually just me, myself and I when camping. The nice thing about a 4P is I can almost stand all the way up in it. That makes putting on pants easy enough. The 3P I can at least stand bending at the waist, which should get that job done without too much difficulty.
And it's not unusual for me to have to sit out a rainy afternoon in the tent. I would imagine that might be a bit more tolerable in a 4P where I could put a chair and have another sitting option besides just the floor. I set up the 3P tent in my living room last night and put the chair it, it almost works, but my head was rubbing the top of the tent and things were a little cramped feeling. Though maybe I could get one of those stadium chairs or something that sit on the ground.
Anyone have any thoughts or experiences car camping with a 3P or 4P, or which they prefer and why?
How about something like this: https://www.walmart.com/ip/GigaTent-...&wl13=&veh=sem
A little bigger than you'd like but it has the headroom and potential two rooms if you have a guest, or plenty of room for a chair and other ammenities. You'd have the room to camp or glamp.
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You want a family type or cabin tent if that's a goal, and I'm sure they *can* be had that are easy to set up, though many are not. Check out REI.
