Help in shopping for a new tent.

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BBQ BOY

BBQ BOY

10 Year 15 Year
Joined
Nov 26, 2008
Threads
417
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3,724
Location
Charleston, SC
Im in the market for a good tent. I've researched and researched until my eyes have bleed. I have narrowed it down to a few and could use some insight for my family of 5. My tent, which I lent to my nephew was taken to a week long teenage outdoor party/concert. I don't think I want to know what happened in that thing, so, i told him to keep it.
It's between the Big Agnes Flying Diamond 8, REI Kingdom 8 and the Springbar Family Camper 7. Now I know there is some controversy with REI and them being anti-gun and supporting the closure of offroad areas that we so much love. I'm not sure if I really care about that determine my decision make, after all, I love my Apple products and Starbucks coffee and have a boat load of guns.
The Plus of the Big Agnes are many but the only downfall when comparing to the other two is the head room and overall spaciousness. I'm only 5'8" but can appreciate a lot of space, but don't want o sacrifice quality to obtain it. Having never seen any of these tents first hand makes it hard for to discriminate as to what's build quality is better than he other or if one is just on par. I do wish it had a garage like the Kingdom or the Big Agnes Big House 6, which I don't care for the Big House models much.
Next, is the REI. I love just about everything about this tent, except for the price with all of its options. It's about $700 whereas the BA is around $560 with footprint and shipping. Awesome amount of room and that makes me worried that it won't fit on most camp site pads. I wish this tent had better ventilation when the fly is on and when the fly is off, 60% of the tent has no windows, rendering my view useless. The best part is the garage. I can set my kitchen up in there and be done with it and sit under there on a rainy day.
Last but not least, the Springbar. Honestly, I just learned of these today and there isn't a whole lot out there about them. It seems to be well made but are heavy as my mother-in-law and ugly as she is. That's all I have to say about that(the tent that is, since I'm new to he brand.) there's the Kodiak too.
Oh, this tent will be used for car camping in the southeast. No snow(maybe) or desserts( would love to try that one day).
I may opt for a Moutain Harware or Nemo for when it's just me or me and the older two kids.
See y'all at Logan's Run!!!!
 
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In my experience with tents I have found a few details I like to have. A good water proof floor that wraps up the side of the tent at least 8-10 inches to protect from rain splash. Good ventilation via screens or a nice big door. And a substantial rain fly. I had a tent with a rain fly that looked like a beanie and a rain storm flooded me out. The single wall of tent fabric is not exactly rain proof. One last thing is ease of use. Simple design adds more weight but I assume a 6-8 person tent going to mainly be used car camping. Don't let weight determine what you buy. Heavier, to me, means simple design and sturdy material.
 
Best tent i've seen by far is the OZ tent but they are $$$ sets up in under a minute

then the next on the list is the Turbo tent which I think Brian and Andrew both have.... very nice construction, fabric and they are both easy to set up. About half the price of the oz

I avoid REI like the plague..... I don't normally do things like that but since more and more (johnson valley) great wheeling places are getting shut down there is less and less places to go to, to do this.

Also the reason I no longer drink Sierra Nevada (unless it is free at a party or something) and that sucks big time for me because they are one of my favorite brewers.
 
I looked at the Oz tents a couple days ago but ruled the, out because the one I would need(size) was closing in at $2,000. I like their stuff but I don't really see a tent on their web site that would be large enough. They look to be mainly 4 man tents.
 
BBQ BOY said:
I looked at the Oz tents a couple days ago but ruled the, out because the one I would need(size) was closing in at $2,000. I like their stuff but I don't really see a tent on their web site that would be large enough. They look to be mainly 4 man tents.
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Pm garnerfj40 about the turbo tent. I think a good family size one is around 600
 
Love the Turbo Backup tent, worth the money. However it's heavy, but I can get 4 queen size mattresses in the 2 rooms. And I like the fact I can back the 80 right up to it under the overhang....
 
GarnerFJ40 said:
Love the Turbo Backup tent, worth the money. However it's heavy, but I can get 4 queen size mattresses in the 2 rooms. And I like the fact I can back the 80 right up to it under the overhang....
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Realistically, would I be able to fit 2 queen mattresses and a pack-n-play and still have room to walk around a little in the back room? I would like to leave the other room for chairs, stoves, gear and ect. Plus, the second room isn't sealed top keep the bugs out, is it?
When do you see the weight being an issue? Can you set it up by yourself and if so, how long does it take?
Are there any models you would like? I really wish the room you pulled into wasn't the only entrance in and out the main tent and I wish the main tent was a little larger and the part the you can pull into was slightly smaller.
Being that this will be my first camping outing with the wife and 3 kids, I am not sure how this will play out in a 10x10 tent. I could put the older two in a bunk cot but I am concerned that it may be too much weight on the canvas floor and eventually puncture it.
 
Turbo tent. I would like a bigger size. The ease of deployment and tear down make it great. I would keep an eye on overstock.

Andrew
 
BBQ BOY said:
Realistically, would I be able to fit 2 queen mattresses and a pack-n-play and still have room to walk around a little in the back room? I would like to leave the other room for chairs, stoves, gear and ect. Plus, the second room isn't sealed top keep the bugs out, is it?
When do you see the weight being an issue? Can you set it up by yourself and if so, how long does it take?
Are there any models you would like? I really wish the room you pulled into wasn't the only entrance in and out the main tent and I wish the main tent was a little larger and the part the you can pull into was slightly smaller.
Being that this will be my first camping outing with the wife and 3 kids, I am not sure how this will play out in a 10x10 tent. I could put the older two in a bunk cot but I am concerned that it may be too much weight on the canvas floor and eventually puncture it.
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The main room holds two queens with space to keep clothes and such. Dog would sleep in a corner, but I don't think a pack and play would also fit in there. The tent itself works for us with two little girls. Most camping trips the little one shared one mattress with my wife, and I got one with the oldest. We left the pack and play at home.

The second room has a floor that attaches to bottom of the tent, but yes not as sealed up as the main part, but youire probably good for keeping out most bugs. Using the second room, you do lose the ability for backing the rig up. But there are 4 doors on the tent, the backup area and two doors to the side, then you have one off the main room.

We went camping at Lake James, and all the sites are walk in, so I carried it a good ways, but that's the first and last time. Setup is easy, spread the main room out and stake them. Lock the 4 poles and climb inside and push up. You're done. Second room has three extended poles that slide out and connect with the framing. That room is done. Then pull the fly over the whole thing, some vecro and "backpack buckles" and you're done. By yourself, maybe 10-15 minutes. Easier getting the fly on with a second person, but I've done it myself..
 
GarnerFJ40 said:
The main room holds two queens with space to keep clothes and such. Dog would sleep in a corner, but I don't think a pack and play would also fit in there. The tent itself works for us with two little girls. Most camping trips the little one shared one mattress with my wife, and I got one with the oldest. We left the pack and play at home.

The second room has a floor that attaches to bottom of the tent, but yes not as sealed up as the main part, but youire probably good for keeping out most bugs. Using the second room, you do lose the ability for backing the rig up. But there are 4 doors on the tent, the backup area and two doors to the side, then you have one off the main room.

We went camping at Lake James, and all the sites are walk in, so I carried it a good ways, but that's the first and last time. Setup is easy, spread the main room out and stake them. Lock the 4 poles and climb inside and push up. You're done. Second room has three extended poles that slide out and connect with the framing. That room is done. Then pull the fly over the whole thing, some vecro and "backpack buckles" and you're done. By yourself, maybe 10-15 minutes. Easier getting the fly on with a second person, but I've done it myself..
Click to expand...

How big is the main tent? The only specs I can find on it are 17x10, which I am assuming is the total size of the tent and addition.
 
Well, I went with the Kodiak 10x14. I was planning on going with the Springbar but I got a great deal on the Kodiak. $530 with a ground tarp and includes shipping. I do plan on getting a smaller tent for when it's just me and/or another person. In that case I do plan on getting a Springbar Campsite 3.
 
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