The best easy up family camping tent is the 6-Person Instant Cabin by Coleman and here are my 8 reasons why I choose it.
1-Tent Footprint
Setting up a large family tent can be a night mare. Especially if you get to the site late and are running out of daylight. This first thing to think about is the tent foot print. The tent is 9 feet by 14 feet. So think of a space about the half of the size of your garage at home. If you do it will also give you room to walk around it without having to duck under tree branches or other close objects.
2-Easy Set Up
It should take around 10 to 15 minutes to put up or take down your family size camping tent for the first time (10 minutes after you get the hang of it) and even though one person can do it, I recommend two people. It just make everything easier. When you take it down it has an expandable bag which makes it easier to get the tent into the bag. I really like this since I'm usually in a hurry when I break camp and have a long drive home.
3-When it rains
Even thought all tents have bottoms or floors, I still take a tarp like this one and spread it out and stake it to go under my tent just to provide an extra layer of protection from ground moisture. Yes you will have to punch your tent stake through it, but trust me it's worth it. I've never had a camping tent that didn't have some amount of condensation when camping during the rainy season and this certainly helps.
4-Ventilation
Additionally camping tents, usually don't vent very well causing the condensation which doesn't keep things dry. This one does better than most. Even when rained on with strong winds (20 to 30 mph) it held up well with only a small amount of condensation in the corners near the ground. But be sure to stake down the the rainfly for windy conditions because you don't want to go chasing it through the woods.
5-Spacious
This tent has plenty of head room (78 inches) which is great if you are a tall person like me. It has room for blow-up mattresses and large backpacks. It has a room divider and a few storage pockets to keep items like keys, phones, and your wallet off the floor. You can even put in a couple of outdoor sleeping cots in it and still have extra room. Even fits a small table which helps on the back from having to bend over to get things off the floor. About 6 people can comfortably use this tent, but not more than that with your camping gear even though it's a 9 man tent.
6-Zippers
I've owned a lot of tents and it's no fun when zippers get caught in the overlap. This family camping tent is no different. I don't believe it's a design issue cause it's happened to me many times just being in a hurry. So take your time when zipping it up or it can really be frustrating trying to get it unstuck. What can help prevent this is using crossbow wax. I know it sounds crazy but it much better than an oil which collect dirt. It also help protect the metal zippers from rusting.
7-When it's hot!
When it's hot the large mesh windows allow breezes to flow through the large tent nicely. Also when the wind it not stirring the large mesh ceiling vents create a convection effect that naturally help draws out the heat by pulling cooler air in from the windows. I always take along a portable fan like this one.
8-Electrical Cords
If you are camping at a site that provides electricity then you will want to bring an electrical cord and a multi outlet for charging phones, lights and food/coffee warmers. This tent has an electrical cord access port which you can keep closed when not in use. Very handy.
Two Bonus Reasons I like this tent
It is coated with a polyurethane coating to prevent water from penetrating the fabric and not all tents are manufactured like this. This helps the water rain bead up and roll off and provides protection from stains and mildew. This means if you wipe down your tents (take 5 minutes) before taking then down they will be clean and ready for your next adventure.
They final reason I like this tent is that most tents are stitched with an overlap seam, which will separate and rip over time. However this outdoor family tent has seam that are sewn with an inverted stitching which makes then stronger and less likely to rip for a very long time.
Also if the seams are heat sealed and taped which won't allow wind to force the rain through the seams. Yeah, no seam leaks.
Okay that's all I got for this quick read. Remember to do your self a favor and take a kid camping, it will change your life. ~Alex
Also check out these articles, Top 10 Pop Up Tents for 2021 (the one you should buy) and Top 15 Backpack Tents Datasheet and My Top Pick.
And in case your are wondering this is how I choose a camping tent.
Thanks for reading.
Do yourself a favor, take a kid camping!
Alex Anderson
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