4 Best Family Camping Tents
August 16, 2011, By Phil Dotree 0 comments
When I camp, I don't waste time with the multipole monstrosities favored by my parents. A good family camping tent makes your camping experience go from frustrating to enjoyable in a flash, and you really don't have to spend more than a few hundred bucks.
Yes, that's a lot of money to me, too. When you buy a good tent, though, you won't have to replace it every few years, and you'll find yourself thinking of excuses to camp. Plus, you'll waste less closet space on a tent that packs up real nice.
Here's a look at a few of the best family camping tents on the market:
GoLite Shangri-La 2
For a lightweight tent, there's no beating the Shangri-La. It weighs in at under two pounds. That means that it's ideal for long hikes, when you seriously need to consider the weight that you're carrying. You'd expect that such a light tent would get torn apart rather easily, but this one is made of something called silicon-impregnated ripstop nylon, which sounds vaguely threatening but also provides excellent protection from all types of weather. It only accommodates two people, but for hiking alone or with a friend, this is the tent to own.
Big Agnes Big House 6
This 64-square-foot family tent lives up to its name. I could even fit my extended family into one of these things, although I wouldn't want to hike with it, as it weighs a hefty 13 pounds. (The tent, not the family.) Still, for all that weight you get a lot of space and weather resistance. The Big House 6 and the whole Big House series is comfortable and large with coated polyester that avoids that weird tent smell all of us have come to know and hate. It's a lot hardier than the typical tent, yet well ventilated enough for large camping trips. For one- or two-person camping, however, it's overkill.
NEXT: Kelty Gunnison 4.1
