Family Tents

Family camping is always good fun and a great way to bond with your kids.  However, with a huge choice of family tents to choose from it is little wonder that buying a something as simple as a tent can be made very complicated.  Here at Tents Camping we aim to make the process of selecting a family tent as simple and straightforward as possible.

Family Tents – is size important?

Some people think that their budget is the first place to start when choosing a family tent and end up buying a tent which doesn’t meet needs.  The most important thing to look for when buying family tents is its size.  Size is important, since you don’t want to be sleeping squashed beside your dirty clothes, food and smelly shoes you need to consider how big you want your family tent.

Some people would argue that weight is important and many flash salesmen will try and sell you something which is ultra-light, but these types of tents are really expensive and only useful if you are going to be hiking with it.  If you only intend to use campsites then weight is not really an issue for family tents.

When it comes to size the general rule of thumb is; if weight is not a consideration then go for family tents which state they can accommodate two more than you need.  If weight is a consideration then you should be looking at tents which accommodate one more than you need.

Family tents – construction

Once you have chosen what size of family tent you want the next thing you should be considering is the structure of tent and its use.  If you intend to use your tent for family camping trips to camp-sites then you’ll be looking for a family tent which you’ll be able to stand up and comfortably move about in.

Examine all the dimensions of the tent before you buy on online.  A good tip is to use some clothes line and peg out the dimensions of your family tent in the garden, you should feel comfortable with the floor space, bearing in mind that you’ll have to live, sleep, cook and eat in it.  Here is where your budget is important, as the bigger family tents which have a larger floor space are more expensive than the smaller ones – size is always important!

Family tents – durability

Quality in tents is based on two things durability and bizarrely for an outdoor British item how waterproof it is?  Here is where you should not scrimp and you should really go for the best waterproof rating you can afford.  The waterproof rating for tents is called the hydrostatic head measurement.  Basically the minimum rating for an item to be called waterproof is 800mm but due to our poor weather you should only be looking at tents which have a rating of 2,000mm or higher.

However, it is not as easy as all that, as you don’t want to be staying inside a poly bag with rain being kept at bay but still getting wet with condensation.  So you need to ensure that your family tent is made out of breathable material.  And yes you have guessed it this just adds to the expense, but theses new materials are a lot more durable than they were which means that your family tent will last longer.