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I'm in the market for a new tent. I'm posting here because I check everyday and respect the guys that post here. Looking at a light duty tent, just to take wife and kids camping in the Black Hills of SD. Spotted a Coleman tent at wally world yesterday, like 13x10, and the height was fine, as we are both short in stature. Family of 5, and this tent sleeps 8, I figured we could use the room for suitcases, etc... Any input, reactions, advice? Like I said, this would never be used to hunt, just take on family outings. | ||
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You certainly want that amount of room. I have always found that cutting the "sleeps" quantity in 1/2 is about right for people and their gear. Mike Legistine actu quod scripsi? Never under estimate the internet community's ability to reply to your post with their personal rant about their tangentially related, single occurrence issue.  What I have learned on AR, since 2001: 1. The proper answer to: Where is the best place in town to get a steak dinner? is…You should go to Mel's Diner and get the fried chicken. 2. Big game animals can tell the difference between .015 of an inch in diameter, 15 grains of bullet weight, and 150 fps. 3. There is a difference in the performance of two identical projectiles launched at the same velocity if they came from different cartridges. 4. While a double rifle is the perfect DGR, every 375HH bolt gun needs to be modified to carry at least 5 down. 5. While a floor plate and detachable box magazine both use a mechanical latch, only the floor plate latch is reliable. Disregard the fact that every modern military rifle uses a detachable box magazine. 6. The Remington 700 is unreliable regardless of the fact it is the basis of the USMC M40 sniper rifle for 40+ years with no changes to the receiver or extractor and is the choice of more military and law enforcement sniper units than any other rifle. 7. PF actions are not suitable for a DGR and it is irrelevant that the M1, M14, M16, & AK47 which were designed for hunting men that can shoot back are all PF actions. 8. 95 deg F in Africa is different than 95 deg F in TX or CA and that is why you must worry about ammunition temperature in Africa (even though most safaris take place in winter) but not in TX or in CA. 9. The size of a ding in a gun's finish doesn't matter, what matters is whether it’s a safe ding or not. 10. 1 in a row is a trend, 2 in a row is statistically significant, and 3 in a row is an irrefutable fact. 11. Never buy a WSM or RCM cartridge for a safari rifle or your go to rifle in the USA because if they lose your ammo you can't find replacement ammo but don't worry 280 Rem, 338-06, 35 Whelen, and all Weatherby cartridges abound in Africa and back country stores. 12. A well hit animal can run 75 yds. in the open and suddenly drop with no initial blood trail, but the one I shot from 200 yds. away that ran 10 yds. and disappeared into a thicket and was not found was lost because the bullet penciled thru. I am 100% certain of this even though I have no physical evidence. 13. A 300 Win Mag is a 500 yard elk cartridge but a 308 Win is not a 300 yard elk cartridge even though the same bullet is travelling at the same velocity at those respective distances. | |||
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I admit I do get a chuckle out of how the tent makers "size" their tents based on how many people they will sleep. I figure they use pigmy runway models and see how many of them they can stuff in the floor space... Seriously though, a family of 5 should fit in there ok, depending on whether you are sleeping on the ground on mats, or sleeping on cots or air beds. The cots and air beds take up more floor space than ground sleeping, but it makes a huge difference in enjoying your bed time. We use a queen size air bed for the wife and I, and used cots for the kids. That pretty much wiped out the floor space in our tent, which was a little bit larger. For height, you really want one you can stand up in easily (which it sounds like you can), as it's hard to get dressed in the morning when you can't stand up straight. Large zip out windows are nice on warmer camps, as the tent will get pretty hot inside, like a green house effect if you don't have good cross breeze. A tent-safe space heater really helps take the chill off on the mornings during colder camping. It's not so bad once you're up and moving around dressed, but it sure is hard to get out of a nice warm bag when it's cold out (if you're not hunting that is-if you're hunting, it's still easy!). The use of a ground cloth under the tent will help the tent floor last longer. They don't build the "cheap" ones that well anymore, and walking around on the floor of the tent beats up the flooring material if you don't have a cushion between it and the ground. Just fold up a tarp and lay it under the tent, so it's just shy of sticking out from under the sides of the tent base. If the ground cloth sticks out and forms a "ledge" around the tent, it will hold water from rain or morning dew, and make it more likely to leak into the tent. Have fun, build those family memories, you can't have enough of them, trust me. Si tantum EGO eram dimidium ut bonus ut EGO memor | |||
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If you are only going summer camping in fair weather, then the coleman will be the ticket. A 13x10 will sleep 2 adults, 2 kids, and some gear quite nicely. If you are thinking of year round camping, you will want so spend the money on a 4 season tent. The seams will be sealed from the factory, the poles will be heavier, the rain fly will likely stay on in the wind. Either way, get some sort of tarp or ground cover to protect the tent bottom and never store a wet tent! Good luck | |||
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If you are going to be camping in bad weather take a look at tents by North Face and Sierra Design. DOUBLE RIFLE SHOOTERS SOCIETY | |||
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A tent that leaks can ruin your camping experiance. I have friends who wanted to introduce their children and wives to the fun of camping, only to provide them with the misery of a wet tent, thus turning them off to camping forever. Don´t shortchange yourself on a cheap tent. If you do. be sure to seal the seams and provide tarps top and bottom. For the price of a nice hotel room for five, one can purchase a excellent tent that will serve you well for many years. Happy Camping!!! "The lady doth protest too much, methinks" Hamlet III/ii | |||
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I have a XPG with alum. poles from Cabelas it withstood a 60 mph windstorm and is easy to setup but is one room and is a four season tent. Just remember you get what you pay for. | |||
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I think I have had the exact same tent and I have slept three adults in it with a bit of room for everybody. Depends on how much "stuff" you drag along. Definitely you need a ground cloth under the tent, and you need enough height to stand erect. We forwent the cots in favor of queen sized air mattresses which my wife made up just like beds at home. Don't know how old your kids are nor how long you'll be staying at a time but if the kids are old enough, you might want to consider a seperate, smaller, tent for them to sleep in at night. It would be an adventure for them and make it more convienent for you to spend some "quality time" with the wife. If you saw it at Wally World, buy it, take it home and set it up and see what you think. You can always take it back. If it's the same tent as mine, I was pretty satified with mine. | |||
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Any tents that I could recommend would not suit your needs. My suggestion however would be to lay out sleeping bags on the ground, add some "space" for whatever gear you think you want inside then measure the dimensions. Go from there. I would think that a tent from the manufacturer you mentioned would suffice for your needs. Just my thoughts. Bear in Fairbanks Unless you're the lead dog, the scenery never changes. I never thought that I'd live to see a President worse than Jimmy Carter. Well, I have. Gun control means using two hands. | |||
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I bought the Cabela’s Alaskan Guide 5 years ago. It’s a great tent and holds up in any weather. I have a family of 4 (with 2 dogs) so I bought the 6 man size. What a mistake. Go 8 or bigger. I’m a tent kind of hunter/camper and the Alaskan Guide is perfect for family camping trips. I use a Cabela’s Big Horn for hunting trips and REI Quarter Dome for backpacking trips. REI has a lot of nice tents for sale but Cabela’s tents holds up a little better (especially with kids). | |||
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Looks like you are on the right track. Don't go any bigger unless you know the campsite layout as it can be difficult to find a suitable flat area big enough for a really large tent. My family of 4 had a tent about the same size as the one you are looking at. A few things to remember. Take a pup tent along in case the weather turns crappy and you have to find more room to put stuff. No matter how much room you have, if the weather gets bad it is never enough. Doesn't take up much room and where we camp (Oregon) has been used almost every time. I almost forgot. We use this for a changing room for the kids also (swimming, etc.) keeps the wet clothes and dirt (mud) out of the main tent. Get a 2'X3' piece of that fake grass (wannabe Astroturf) to put out in front of the doorway to keep MOST of the debris from people's feet getting inside the tent. Make everyone wipe off or take off their shoes BEFORE getting in. Gives them a place to put their shoes OUTSIDE THE TENT. If you have kids, this is a must. Keeps the amount of stuff that can poke holes in the floor of your tent to a minimum and you are not constantly trying to keep dirt, pine needles, etc. out of your sleeping area. I take a small plastic lawn rake to rake the area I am going to put the tent on. I took an old one and cut the handle down shorter. My hunting buddies USED to give me grief for doing this. Now, after many years of doing this if I forget the rake, they get bummed because they have to bend over to pick up sticks and rocks. Get a large tube of Seam Grip (except no substitutes) and set your tent up PRIOR to camping. Reinforce all of the main seams around the door and windows with Seam Grip. Also this is a perfect time to inspect the zippers, etc. and make sure they all work and that you have all the hardware to set the darn thing up. Nothing like finding out FOUR HOURS FROM HOME that the front screen does not zip or that you are missing a critical component. Never happened to me, but to other people in camp. Do not assume that your new tent is free from defects. I had a three room 16X10 Coleman tent that I used for over 10 years before replacing it year before last. JUST A TYPICAL WHITE GUY BITTERLY CLINGING TO GUNS AND RELIGION Definition of HOPLOPHOBIA "I'm the guy that originally wrote the 'assault weapons' ban." --- Former Vice President Joe Biden | |||
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Thanks for all of the input...where would I find Seam Grip? I intend to seal the seams, and recently bought a bottle of liquid silicone that I slathered on my work boots. Would that be just as effective, or should I go a different route? Thanks again | |||
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The Coleman Sundome tents are surprisingly rugged and weather resistant. I've got a 10'x10' which has weathered several thunderstorms and 50 mph winds. However, a family of 5 is going to be tight in a 13'x10' tent. You learn something new everyday whether you want to or not. | |||
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I opted for a coleman bayside, 15 x 10 8 person tent. They had it on sale, so I figured I'd give it a shot. Leaving on the trip on Tuesday, so getting pretty ansy now. Thanks guys for all of your input!! | |||
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