Buying your family tent may not need the same considerations as buying a house, still there are important rules to know.
Most first time tent buyers look at the person or berth capacity a manufacturer recommends as their guide. This can prove to be a very big mistake, unless you don’t mind sleeping like sardines in a can with no turn or stretch space.
What about your equipment and personal paraphernalia or privacy to change clothes? Consider the following when looking for The Perfect Tent.
- Get the largest tent possible for your needs. Add 2-3 person space. In other words if you are a family of four and two friends or extended family are coming with you then look for an eight to nine person tent. If everyone packs light, there should be enough room to store individual backpacks or duffel bags within the tent.
- If you are camping with your family, try to find a tent that will allow one sleeping area for a “quiet space” where a child or children can be alone. This can double as the storage area if there is enough room to have a lay down.
- Look for a tent with good head space in the living area and in the sleeping areas enough room to sit upright. If you have to, you can change your clothes in a sitting position if there is no other alternative.
- Make certain that your tent is suitable for the season you will be camping in. Most family tents can be used for three seasons: late Spring, Summer and early Autumn. These tents will have good ventilation. Winter tents are constructed differently and are meant for extreme conditions. You will be miserable in those tents for summer camping – they are too insulated and have poor ventilation.
- Do your research on the camping areas you want to visit to be certain your tent will fit in the space allotted to you.
Size may not matter in other areas, but for family camping it can make a difference between cramped and edgy nerves and happy campers having fun!
(By the way that’s a photo of the Ephor 6 person tent.)
