If you love spending
time in the outdoors with your family, then you’re a lot like me. When I was a
kid, I used to regularly go camping with my parents (yes, we had the best
family tent in my opinion) and still remember the wonderful time spent in front
of our campfire roasting marshmallows.
But that was all
made possible because we had a good, sturdy family tent with us!
If you’re a family
with kids and are concerned about their safety and security while camping in
the outdoors, then family tents are the best choice for you since you won’t be
separated. You can easily attend to small children when they become restless or
spooked out in the dark. Plus, if you have separate individual tents, then you
need a hell lot of time to setup your camp.
So how do we go
about finding the best family tents? The top ones will be big, well-designed
and waterproof to keep your family safe even in the worst weather possible.
Not all family tents
are ideal and trust me; there are a lot of choices in the market that will
leave you confused. So I've made your job simpler by reviewing the top 3 family
tents available in the market. I’m a seasoned outdoor specialist and have been
camping for more than a decade now and my recommendations come backed by strong
reviews and testimonials from other families.
Top 3 Family Tents
1. Coleman Montana 8 Tent
My # choice for the
best family tent under 200 dollars is the Coleman Montana 8 person 1 room tent
that has a 74 inch center height and comes included with 11 mm fiberglass
poles.
There’s more than
enough room in this tent for the whole family and me, my wife and our 3 kids
can all comfortably fit inside this with enough space left over. There is a
rain fly that covers the outside of the door all the way through and in fact,
there’s enough space to put a couple of chairs beneath it and enjoy the rain
outside while stay fully dry.
You don’t need to
buy a separate carpet as the floor does a decent job although I personally
always carry 2 carpets along with me. The front door has re-inforced zippers
that glide smoothly and overall the tent is very spacious thanks to the generous
16-by-seven-foot (W x D) layout.
There’s also a
vented cool air port and a privacy vent window that will keep your tent fresh
and airy. I also liked the electric access port that helps me stay in touch
with the world outside.
You won’t face any
problems with the setup as the directions are very easy to follow and is made
easier thanks to features like the continuous pole sleeves, shock-corded poles
and InstaClip attachments.
Coleman is more than
a 100 year old company so you don’t need to worry about the quality. Plus this
one comes with a limited one-year manufacturer's warranty.
All in all, I am
extremely satisfied and this is truly one of the best family tents in the
market at the moment!
2. Wenzel Klondike Eight-Person Family Cabin Dome Tent
Another great family
tent under the $300 price range is the Wenzel Klondike Eight-Person Family
Cabin Dome Tent that comes with an attached screen room and is made from weather-repellent
polyester.
Setup is relatively
easy and takes me just under 15 minutes (remember to stake the corners down
before you raise it). The full mesh ceiling makes it wonderful for star gazing
and is a great recipe for quality family time.
The tent itself can
be divided into two rooms and is pretty tall at about 6.5 feet in height (I’m
6.1 so standing up was not an issue at all). The walls of the screened room can
be zipped up to form a second sleeping area and can be converted into a picnic
room as well.
There’s enough
stability even in high winds thanks to the double-staked Power Corners while
the tent Klondike itself is made of weather-repellent Weather Armor polyester.
It also has a fiberglass frame, two hanging pockets and a removable fly.
You really can’t go
wrong with this one folks!
3. Coleman Sundome 4-Person Tent
And finally ending
my list for the best family tent is the Coleman Sundome 4-Person Tent. I would
recommend the Montana 8 person tent always but if you need a 4 person tent,
then this one should be your top choice.
It has 63 square
feet of open sleeping space and comes equipped with an adjustable Variflo
ventilation and vented Cool-Air port. There’s also a privacy air vent, an
interior gear pocket and a rain fly for those who love some great features in a
family tent.
The rain cover works
great and provides plenty of ventilation and setup is fairly simple. I’ve gone
camping with my 10 year old son and we could set this up in under 10 minutes.
Even with the rain and thunder outside, we were fully dry and not once did it
seem that the tent would give up on us.
This one comes
highly recommended from my end and with its price tag of under $200, it’s real
value for money.
What to look for when buying the Best Family Tent under 300 Dollars
There are a couple
of things that one needs to keep in mind when it comes to choosing the right
family tent. Some of the must have features are:
·
Big inner space
·
Fiberglass poles
·
Removable walls
·
Extra gizmos and gadgets you desire
Space needs to be the first priority when it
comes to buying the best family tent for the money. To make your buying
decision easier, you need to first figure out how many people are going to be
staying in the tent. You have family tents for 2 people, 4 people, 6 people and
so on. From personal experience, I can tell you to always go for a slightly
larger tent than you family size (so for a family of four, I would recommend a
6 person camping tent).
You also need to be aware of some good poles
that are used for setting up these tents. Fiberglass poles are the ones used
most frequently when it comes to family tents because they are lightweight and
tend to last for a long time. Even if they break, you can easily replace them
because they don’t cost more than a few dollars!
The best family
camping tents tend to have internal walls that are removable. This allows you
to use the tent either in the form of one big room or multiple smaller rooms.
This is great for couple who want to catch up on a little privacy once the kids
are deep in sleep.
These days, family
tents come with a whole lot of extra features to make you stay as comfortable
as possible. These include electric access ports for charging your mobile
phones and laptops while others include gear lofts and internal pockets to help
you store those little objects that are always needed.
Want to see some more Family Tents on this List?
I’m pretty sure that
you would have decided on the best family tent for your needs after reading my
detailed review of the 3 tents above.
However, in case you
feel that I've missed out on a really good family tent, then please do let me
know via the comments below. I’ll make sure to test it out thoroughly and if I
feel that it merits a place in the above list, then I’ll be sure to include it
along with a detailed review.
