Tent Thoughts

[SoundGuy]

I'm posting this here in the General RVing forum rather than the tenting forum because I'd like some input from other RVrs on using a tent for additional sleeping space. For several years we owned a triple bunk bed travel trailer but once our boys reached adulthood they were both too busy, not interested much in camping with us any longer so a couple of years ago we moved on to a shorter, lighter couple's trailer which suits the needs of my wife and I along with our 80 lb dog just fine ... we're quite happy with it. :B Recently though our 19 yr old has expressed a renewed interest in camping with his parental units so on the couple of times we've done this he's used the sofa for sleeping and although he seemed to be comfortable enough privacy was non existent and his personal belongings really cluttered up the camper! Since he's in university about the only time we see this happening is during the warm summer months so we're now thinking perhaps a tent may be the solution, though because use would be infrequent I'd want to limit the cost to perhaps $150. Obviously there are an endless variety of lightweight one and two person tents that would do the trick but they all require some sort of annoying setup ... recently though I became aware of the Coleman Instant Tent 4 which is currently on sale locally at Canadian Tire for ~ $142 + tax. The main attraction is that set up and tear down each take about a minute as the poles are all pre-installed ... the downside is it doesn't come standard with a fly and although one can be purchased after the fact any reports I've read said it's not fully effective anyway. I think I could solve that easily with a tarp and although this tent is certainly much heavier & larger than a back pack tent I can easily store it out of sight, out of mind in the trailer yet have it available anytime we may have an occasional need for additional sleeping space. As one who hasn't tent camped in decades my question therefore is - does this tent seems like the solution I'm looking for or should I be sticking to a more traditional style of tent from brands such as Eureka!, Marmot, Mountain Hardware, etc, that are sold by camping specialty stores? :h

[Nik]

We used that tent for the last few years before going back to and RV; it's great. Yes, it does not have a fly. No, a tarp isn't stylish but it did the trick through Sierra thunderstorms, three days of rain in Colorado, etc.

We joke that tent was a marriage saver: any tent you can put up without having to fight with your spouse is worth its weight in gold!

[colliehauler]

Maybe I'm off base here but I will suggest a different direction. Have you thought of a used pop up trailer? I have seen used ones for around a thousand that he could pull behind his car. Might be a cheap way for him to get into camping and be self contained.

[2112]

We went through the same with the kids, two girls and a boy spread out about four years apart each.

The oldest DD hit that age where she didn't want to camp so we suggested she bring along a friend. We bought a small cheap dome tent (7X7 I believe) and a full size air mattress. We called it the guest room. The next trip she wanted to bring two friends. Camping is fun again.

Our younger DD hits that age so she brings a friend. We bought another cheap tent and air mattress for them.

One trip we were in command of six giggly girls and I only owned two. We rented two sites for that one.

Went through the same with our son. The kids are all grown, youngest son is now 26, but I still have those two cheap tents and mattresses. I keep one set in the FW just in case. It's the guest room.

[tatest]

I think a 19 year old needs the challange of a tent that takes 15-30 minutes to assemble, rather than an instant up. Opinion based on nothing more thanseveral years training men and women in this age group toward self sufficiency and personal responsibility. But if you're going to be setting it up for him, go for the instant up.

Personally, still camping in a 7x7 external frame umbrella tent I bought for $49 in 1972, which would probably be about $500 today if you could still find someone making canvas tents. About 12 minutes to put it up, 15 minutes when my wife helped.

[down_home]

I still have the frame of our four man tent. Somewhere the rest of it got misplaced in the move. It was only a couple hundred dollars in 1975.
Probably 350.00 or more now. We put a ground cloth down and a half inch foam pad we bought somewhere, a little larger than the tent( mice liked to chew on the foam, all around the tent)with a rain fly on back and another larger fly for the front. On top of the frame a tarp with bungies to the ground. Formed an air space and the tent did not get too hot and stayed dry. Sent many nights, while hunting, with wife and first child. I'm trying to remember the name as I've been typing this but... It was oiled, meaning waxed cotton type material. It was and still may be the leading brand. You could actually sleep maybe 6 in it. The three of us had lots of room. If I had someone to set it up I might use it now. A guest would be well accomodated with that foam pad. I read a while back about a small air conditioner designed for them.

[pconroy328]

Naio wrote:
Goodness, I have camped for months at a time in $30 tents. I don't know why you would spend more. Just get a dome tent.

Took my 5th grader up into the mountains for their school's Outdoor Education week. He wanted to bring the Quickie Popup Cheap Orange tent. But I also brought along the Kelty, just in case.

The cheap tent - which works fine in the backyard - collapsed with the first wind before the thunderstorm.

I had about 10 minutes to setup the Kelty 4 man.

The storm hit and the entire class took refuge in the shelter.

My son, has some special - um - "gifts" and insisted he was going to sleep in the tent. So...

We did.

While the ?sensible? kids slept crammed in the shelter, we were warm, dry and out of the wind in our good tent.

Ok - most folks would have high-tailed it inside before the storm. But I kept thinking about what would have happened had we been in the cheapie tent and the front had hit about 2am. We'd have been soaked and chilled to the bone.

"Cry once" - is my philosophy.
We've got two Kelty tents now - that 4 man and an 8 man.




Plus - we all have a memory that we'll never forget.
His classmates still talk about that week he slept outside in the storm.

[Naio]

Goodness, I have camped for months at a time in $30 tents. I don't know why you would spend more. Just get a dome tent.

Have you checked craigslist? One good thing about a used tent is that, before you buy it, you can ask the seller to let you put a garden hose on it to make sure it does not leak.

[Deb_and_Ed_M]

There are also "tent inserts", if you happen to have a 10x10 popup canopy (which is always a handy thing anyway)

[millerak49]

We have taken a tent along a few times for my son and extra kids. It worked out well. I also still tent camp often with the scouts, so I already had the gear. A really nice air mattress and sleeping bag set up is more important than the tent to me. I want the kids ( or whoever) to be comfortable enough to want to go again. We used a 6 man dome tent with cots and pads. Even ran a cord out with a little electric heater on a fall trip. sounds like you are on the right track!

[JiminDenver]

I've seen inflatable tents. One looked like a cabin, others use air tubes instead of poles. Set up would be pretty easy without poles.

We have our tent, we can use it as guest quarters or set it up to be more comfortable if it rains. It is 10x20 and close to as big as the trailer so we can put the lawn recliners in it and not have to sit at the dinette. Unlike the awning and screen house, it can take the wind. Once we found a level spot big enough, it takes maybe 15 minutes to set up.

[wnjj]

Campfire Time wrote:

wnjj wrote:


One of their videos on that site claims they don't need a fly.

Ever sleep in a tent on a warm sticky night, where you couldn't open the windows because of the pouring rain? That's why you need a rain fly.

Nope. I'm in Oregon. 😉

[bcbouy]

maybe look into an add a room.you can use it or your kids can use it.

[rexlion]

I bought a Coleman 6 person Instant Cabin, and DS and the grandkids slept in it when they went camping with me last month. It worked well. No reason why you can't take a tent along with an RV.

The reason why I chose such a large tent was past experience: tents never hold as many as they claim, unless you cram in tightly. A 6 person tent holds 3 or 4 quite comfortably, plus floor space for gear. And if I ever feel like going tenting myself, there's plenty of space for my cot and my zero gravity lounger and whatever else I'm lugging along.

For just your son, pick whatever tent suits your fancy!

[Campfire_Time]

wnjj wrote:


One of their videos on that site claims they don't need a fly.

Ever sleep in a tent on a warm sticky night, where you couldn't open the windows because of the pouring rain? That's why you need a rain fly.

[davosfam]

My son and his girlfriend bought a Coleman Fast Pitch tent (either 6 or 8 person). They camp with us a couple times a year and didn't want to spend a fortune. It is also large enough for them to stand in the center and has room for their dog's crate and their bags.

You should probably get something a little larger in case he ever brings a friend. I wouldn't get anything smaller than a 4 person tent for a single person unless they are backpacking.