Help!! Buying a new tent

[harley79]

Hi Everyone,

My name is Tammy I am from Mass and just sold my pop-up to go back to tenting.

I can't decide which tent to but if I should just got to Walmart or Kmart or get one thru Coleman's.

I have a family of five which is my husband and three kids ages 9,6,3 and we reall would like a 3 room tent. I want something that will stand up to the rain and natures elements which isn't really all that bad here in Mass. I also would like it ot have a screen house attached. Any ideas or suggestions would be great. Price is not really an issue .

Thank You tammy

[Bigdog57]

A good friend at work recently bought a Northwest Territory Family Dome Tent tent from K-mart - the 14X14 model. They camped up in Ohio when the weather was still quite cool, and had their last night in a hard rain - they stayed dry and cozy.

http://www.kmart.com/shc/s/s_10151_1...20Hiking_Tents

This is the specific tent:
http://www.kmart.com/shc/s/p_10151_1...ype=G3&prdNo=3

It has two big rooms. They used the back room for sleeping and the front for the table and chairs. Y'all could put the kids in one half, and you and your SO in the other.

This 15X16 with Screen Porch might be more to your liking.
http://www.kmart.com/shc/s/p_10151_1...kType=G2#specs

One thing to keep in mind though, is that some campgrounds have tent pads that might not fit a large family tent.

[RebeccaG]

Coleman instant tent

This is a great two room tent. The front was intended as a porch but has complete privacy. Nice divider between the rooms and has a door in the front and rear. IT takes one minute to set up and about 4 minutes to take down.

[tplife]

You want two smaller tents, not one large one. As mentioned above, most level tent sites are 10X10 or smaller. Typical large tents of the size you describe costing under $300 don't have the quality or integrity to shrug off rain and wind, they shortcut pole size and diameter, fabric material and thickness, features and rainfly to leave you with a very sub-standard tent. They won't last for more than a few seasons of OCCASIONAL use and won't have repair parts available as they were never designed for regular use. They are toys really for the kids in the back yard, or the once-ever jaunt outdoors. EMS on the east coast and REI on the west offer tents that won't let you down. Once you find them, you may want to use Ebay to get them new-in-the-box for 60% off retail, I've bought 3 high-end tents this way. Quality manufacturers include Sierra Designs, REI, NorthFace, Marmot, and some models from Eureka! Happy camping...

[harley79]

Thank You everyone,

We ended up purchasing the Columbia Cougar Flats II. I did want to buy it on ebay but got nervous don't understand how they can sell them so cheap. I was also worried about having to return it if it was defective. Hopefully the tent will serve me well Thank You everyone for your advice.

Tplife were you nervous at first ordering off of ebay?

Tammy

[tplife]

Thank You everyone,

We ended up purchasing the Columbia Cougar Flats II. I did want to buy it on ebay but got nervous don't understand how they can sell them so cheap. I was also worried about having to return it if it was defective. Hopefully the tent will serve me well Thank You everyone for your advice.

Tplife were you nervous at first ordering off of ebay?

Tammy

No, Ebay guarantees its products and polices its sellers. "New" products like tents have warranties, the manufacturer will guarantee their product is not defective. Quality tents are sold at a cost savings since the seller has significantly less over head - high profit margins, store rent, employees,workman's comp, taxes, zoning regulations, etc. The tents on Ebay aren't that cheap, you're simply being gouged in the brick-and-mortar stores for some esoteric idea about "customer service" and "return policies" and other such nonsense, in my opinion. Columbia has a high-end label, it's called Mountain HardWear. Good stuff!

[nearlywild]

Columbia has a high-end label, it's called Mountain HardWear. Good stuff!

I didn't realize Columbia made Mountain Hardwear. All the locals up here in Alaska, where the weather can be pretty harsh, highly recommend MH.

[tplife]

Actually, I believe Columbia aquired Mountain HardWear and the CEO said the would retain the Mountain HardWear brand.