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Hi leisurepower what is your budget, do you have a preference for number of bedrooms and sleeping arrangements, do you want to all be sleeping at one end of the tent or do you want a bit of distance between you and the kids, nylon or polycotton, are there any must haves like SIG or ZIG etc? This will help people narrow it down a bit for you.

Katie

Hi Leisurepower,

A good family tent must have space for all of the junk that kids insist on taking away with them and enough height for a decent sized adult to be able to stand up in without stooping otherwise back ache kicks in and your camping trip is ruined (and your hair gets wet everytime your head brushes up against the top of the tent!).  It is a good idea to get a tent that is big enough to set up a table inside in case it is raining and a porch area is handy for keeping muddy boots and other bits of equipment such as cookers out of the main living area.  A sewn-in groundsheet (SIG) is a benefit too as it stops draughts, leaks and creepy crawlies from getting in.

One thing to bear in mind is that when a manufacturer says a tent is a five man tent it is usually for five matchstick men with no luggage!  I would always recommend looking for a tent that is 1 or 2 births larger than the amount of people staying in it so that you have a bit of room to move about without knocking eachother over.

With tents you tend to get what you pay for.  A lot of places like Tescos, Halfords and Argos are doing packs but the tents tend not to be up to much.  Your best bet when looking for the right tent for you is to visit somewhere like Winfields, Yeomans or Go Outdoors where they have the tents up on display and you can walk around them and try them out.  Then go home and hit the internet to see what price you can get for the one you want.  If you are lucky there are some real bargains to be had at times.  We bought an Outwell Idaho XL early on this year and while some places were charging between £500 and £750 for it we managed to pick one up for £225.  I thought it was because it was a 2008 model and they were clearing out ready for the new 2009 stock but I have seen the new one and it is identical to mine.

Once you have chosen the size and shape that you are looking for it is then time to look at the technical stuff such as the hydrostatic head which is the amount of water that the tent fabric can withstand before it starts leaking.  It is also a good idea to get one that has re-inforced stress points to minimise the risk of ripping if you don't put it up exactly straight (which is an art form in itself!).  There are also different skins such as single skin or double skinned where you put up an inner tent and then cover it with an outer skin (or vice versa) but these can be difficult and time consuming to errect.  The weight of the tent is also a factor to consider as some of the larger ones weigh a ton (mine included!) and need at least 2 people to put them up.

I would say that the most popular brands tend to be Outwell, Vango, Sunncamp, Winnster, Khyam and Gelert but I will probably be shot down in flames by someone who owns a different brand and is proud of it!  If you find a tent that you fancy there is a really useful tool on here called 'Tent Reviews'.  Sometimes you think that you have found the perfect tent and then when you read reviews from the people who have owned one you find that it has serious design flaws that you might not have thought about.

It's a minefield but if you take your time and go about it the right way you will find the right one for you and it will last you years.  I spent ages looking for my latest tent before settling upon the Idaho XL and am delighted with the tent but am aware that there is a downside to having a biggy like that as some sites charge more for larger tents so that is something worth bearing in mind too.  Although we haven't yet encountered this because we refuse to go to sites that do that.

I hope you find the right one for you (although I've got an awful feeling I may have just made it even more difficult for you by giving you too much to think about!) and have many happy years of camping!

Wilko31

Hi again Leisurepower,

Just thought, I didn't mention the extras such as carpets and footprint groundsheets.  Not all family tents have them so they are worth bearing in mind.  The footprint groundsheet is really handy - you put it down on the floor first and then pitch your tent on top of it.  If you have one with a SIG it keeps the bottom of your tent clean as any mud goes on the footprint instead which is easier to clean when you get home.

The carpet speaks for itself - a touch of luxury but one that certainly puts a bit of home-comfort into camping!

Wilko31

I can highly recommend the Khyam Ontario 8 tent. We are a family of 2 adults and 3 kids aged 15, 7 and 3 plus a loopy dog and find we have plenty of space.
2 youngest share a pod, eldest has one to himself or uses his pup tent and we have the large pod with the curtain down giving us a wardrobe/storge space.

Our Ontario 8
* is a tunnel tent and is very easy to put up
* fits on a standard pitch (tent measures 7.5m x 3.7m)
* has a SIG (sewn in groundsheet) which helps keep bugs out and wayward toddlers in!!
* has 3 large bedroom pods (4+2+2) and the largest pod can be divided by a cutrain. The bedrooms can accomodate 8 x 75ch wide airbeds.
* bedroom pods are removeable if you don't want to use them all thus giving even more living space.
* Living space is over 3m x 3m with all the bedroom pods in place
* standing height (225cm)
* you can buy footprint groundsheet, carpet and sun porch to make it a real home from home.

We bought ours in 2007 and paid £189 and got the footprint groundsheet thrown in for free.

Apparently the 2009 model has 2 x 4 berth pods which can be divided with a curtain, so if I were you I'd look for a 2007 or 2008 model which gives you 3 bedrooms therefore giving you greater flexibility (plus it should be a bit cheaper too!)

What tentyou buy is a matter of what tkes your fancyand fits your criteria. Ask someone what car you shouldbuy and they willmost likely swear that their current modelis the bees-knees, even though they will probably change models next time they buy. It's human nature.

My advice as a relative newbie, who has been through the same minefield, would be to decide wat you need as a family re. living space, sleeping layout and affordability. Take a look at the tent reviews section and see what others think. Bear in mind some technical requirements such as the HH, SIG and whether it will all fit in your car then make a stab at your best choice. I suspect that with all the major manufacturers of quality tents there probaby isn't a bad  one amongst them, some will just be more suitable than others, so relax and enjoy the choice.

We recently made our choice of the Coleman Matrix 9 berth and of course it's the best tent ever made.

GL and happy shopping.

Thanks for the response so far....we have all been to outdoor world to take a peek, we are really liking the look of the outwell sun valley 8.

Looks dead simple to put up...which is a must for me lol, loads of space....free kids room worth 50 quid they say....£399.00....£69.00 for the fitted carpet...sewn in groundsheet 5000 HH looks like a winner.

Of course if there is anything similar cheaper....I would go for that as I am a bit of a miser heheheh.

I will consider smaller, but kids need to have their own "Room" so to speak, smallest will sleep anywhere.

HEJC72....will take a look at the Khyam you mentioned....I like that price of 189.00

hi leisure power we're not far from you  (newton le willows) you have obviously been to Outdoor world and seen the tents on display there but can i also suggest you go to both GO Outdoors in Wigan Jct25 off M6 and also Yeomans at golden days garden centre in Standish just off jct 27 M6 (we got out tent from there last August)  they both have really good tents on display at the moment and seeing the different styles really is the only way to decided what is best for you.

Elsadog....that coleman looks great....Wards world, we are going to nip in to go outdoors on thursday and take a look.

Oliver, there is a world of difference between a trailer tent and the type in discussion here.

I am going to take out the workings of the trailer tent...they come out easily, and use the trailer for all our equipment and the tent....this has the bonus of still being able to take the kitchen that hooks on the back

Leisurepower

The coleman is a superb tent and suits us perfectly. We take 2 kids, 9 and 11, plus 2 dogs and have lots of space. Bear in mind though it is a big tent and weighs 42kgs so you need to have a car big enough to take it and all the equipment. We have a 4x4 plus a big (5400 litre) roof box. If you can utilise your trailer you shouldn't have any problems.

Happy hunting

Yea...I like the look of that too....don't like the colour...but hey it's a good deal.

What's everyones thoughts on this?

http://www.ukcampsite.co.uk/redirect.asp?redir=http://www.gooutdoors.co.uk/hi-gear-kalahari-8-family-tunnel-tent/CORETFDBZHG064