Camping is a fun activity to delve in the freshness of outdoors, offer hours of enjoyment and a fantastic opportunity to connect with your loved ones and nature. Whether you love to indulge in biking, hunting, or any other type of outdoor activity, camping makes you happier, helps you cope with stress, sleep better, and perform some physical activities. If truth be told, taking your family on a camping soirée is one of the most adventurous and greatest experiences you can give your kids in today’s hectic rat race. So, if you are planning to have a good family camping trip, choosing the best family camping tent that meets your needs and wants is one of the most important steps to organizing a great trip.
To transform your family camping adventure into an amazing experience, here are a few tips to choose the best family camping tent that will surely make your trip a gratifying experience for the entire family.
When it comes to choosing the size of the tent, it is important to determine the number of people you are planning to go camping with. If you are not planning to backpack through the wild, the size and weight of a tent shouldn’t matter, as long as it fits in your vehicle. The length and width of the tent on the other hand should be taken in to consideration, so that it can accommodate every family member comfortably. Tent capacity is based on how many standard sleeping bags can fit in it. It is strongly suggested to choose a tent that has a capacity rated two people higher than the number of people using it to allow for more leg room. You can also opt for a multi-room tent where rooms are separated by an inside tent wall with a zippered door to offer additional privacy.
Tents come in myriad shapes – dome style, cabin-style and A-frame tents. Dome-shaped tents are a wonderful choice for family camping trips, and are distinguished by a rectangular floor and two poles. They have an adequate standing room, with big windows and a rainfly over the top. Dome camping tents can withstand intense winds and heavy rains, have less headroom and can easily be set up with less effort, making them one of the best family camping tent for your needs. Cabin-style tents have lofty ceilings that provide a lot of headspace. They are equipped with large windows to provide privacy, are easier to set up, provide more vertical walls, and tout a vast floor area to accommodate considerable number of people. A-shape tents have vertical side walls and the angled A-shape made up by the longer sides of the tent.
When it comes to choosing the best family camping tent, you should opt for one that is easy to setup with minimum effort, easy to attach to the tent and easy to transport. Tents are fabricated from metal-tipped fiberglass and aluminum poles. Fewer poles make the installation process easier. Some tents have poles that are linked together with an elastic shock cord. If the pole is bent or broken, many tent manufactures provide a replacement or emergency repair kits along on the trip. However, many tents are freestanding and supported by external poles without entailing any stakes. For maximum support, go for strong loops of nylon webbing and stakes of aluminum.
Camping tents are usually manufactured from nylon as it’s lightweight, while some are fabricated from polyester, which protects against ultraviolet rays and performs best for family tents. If you are planning a camping trip when the summers are at their zenith, it is advised to look for plenty of mesh panels to allow for adequate air flow. Similarly, dense fabrics fare better in extreme weather conditions.
While purchasing the best family camping tent for your next trip, make sure you prudently check the zippers. They must be able to open and close freely and should be durable enough for frequent use.
Carefully check all seams to make sure they are sturdily stitched. Make sure to use seam sealer on all seams.
The floor of the tent must constitute a waterproof rainfly nylon coated material, otherwise moisture may pool and run down the tent. The floor should also be tub style so the seams that join it to the sides are several inches above the ground level.
When buying a family camping tent, you should consider wind, rain, sun and other natural elements. For windy areas, you will require sturdy poles, stakes and anchor ropes to stand against the gusts. Geodesic dome tents are a perfect choice for breezy places, as their Igloo resembling shape helps to prevent airflow and their pole arrangement offer great support.
To seek protection from rain, your tent should be fabricated from a waterproof rainfly made of coated nylon. The rainfly serves as your tent’s umbrella, which help keep out the rain. In addition, the rainfly also provides maximum protection against harmful ultraviolet rays, while large screened windows allow ample air to flow through the tent.
These are a few considerations that you should keep in mind while choosing the best family camping tent for your next exploratory camping trip. Happy camping!
