Here’s what I would do.
I would buy a 4-6 person tent that is 6’ tall and has a full rain fly with vestibules on each side. This gives you room Inside for sleeping and standing up to get dressed. The vestibules give room for gear storage and the rain fly keeps everything dry.
A good tarp to go under the tent will help keep the ground dry. Make sure the tarp does not extend beyond the tent/rain fly or water will pool underneath and seep up into the tent floor.
Bring a large tarp and some collapsible poles and rope/stakes to put up a dining fly for your cooking/eating area.
I’m a big fan of Alps Mountaineering equipment. It’s a good value for a good price. It’s not the best high end but it’ll last a long time if you take care of it. Most of my gear is Alps and I camp at least once a month.
The browning Glacier 4 or the Alps 6 person cabin tent may be good options to look at.
Alps has an ultralight shelter tarp and a set of poles available too.
If you decide to use an air mattress, remember the air in the mattress will get very cold so you need an insulation layer to keep you warm at night.
Coleman tents will work fine. Consider the additional effort required of setting up a huge tent and then having to set it up in your home to dry it out afterwards. If it’s just you, you don’t need anything bigger than a 4 person tent.
If you wanna step up in quality/duarbility, I’m a huge fan of Alps Mountaineering. I camp once a month with the Boy Scouts so I need something that holds up well.
I know people who use Ozark Trail brand and it works for them.
Are you guys only going to do car camping? Or do you plan on doing literally any light backpacking with the tent? (Or more specifically, carrying the tent any distance farther than a few feet from a parked car). This way, you're not committed to lugging around a giant tent to every camping event, or if not everyone in the group goes.
For me, I prefer to really only sleep with a maximum of 2 people per tent, so I'd say get two 3-person tents. Maybe two different kinds to maximize flexibility for different environments. General rule is you want a tent that advertises one extra person for the amount you want to sleep. So, if you want to sleep 2 people, grab a 3 person tent. I know that this would be literally double your budget, but I think it might be the way to go for the most comfort and longterm. If you really insist on sticking to a single large tent, the Alps Mountaineering Lynx 6 sits just within your budget on Amazon right now.
For budget tents, I really have been impressed with Alps Mountaineering. I've used their gear for a while now, and it's held up just as well (sometimes better!) in foul weather than my super high-end MSR gear.
To address some of your points:
\--Buying a tent with an included footprint isn't necessary. None of my old boy scout tents that we used and abused had a footprint, and they lasted just fine for many years.
\--Aluminum poles is definitely something you'll want. I've camped on enough beaches and windy days where the weak fiberglass poles snap, and then you'll be getting fiberglass fragments all in your hands. Good aluminum poles are easily field repairable with a splint, and much more durable longterm.
Kelty and Alps Mountaineering have both been good to me. Quality gear at excellent prices. I often reach for my alps gear more than my expensive MSR gear sometimes. Anecdotally, my Kelty Grand Mesa has lasted me almost 20 years. Still waterproof. My Alps Mountaineering tent has withstood several Pacific Northwest storms and many nights of absolutely frigid temps. Hasn’t let me down either.
Check out discount websites like Sierra.com and Steep&Cheap for good sales.
Third on the ALPS Mountaineering tents. My family has used a 6P for car camping for several years. We use an orange plastic tarp for a groundsheet. It has aluminum poles.
Personally I have two Gazelle knock offs that are just absolute chefs kiss. Unfortunately that company sucks and they don’t make them anymore.
I would be hesitant to buy an Ozark Trail tent, but I do have a $30 tent from Academy that I use for outdoor storage and it stays surprisingly dry.
I love my Alps tent, and I think it was Eric on YouTube that did a budget trip and the Featherstone tent he really liked.
I've spent a lot of time in my Alps Mountaineering tent. It's not the best quality, or lightest, or cheapest, but it's the best of all 3. Great quality, not too bad on the price, and very easy to set up.
The kingdom tents from REI are great. the tubeshape and features are quite nice so are the extras.... but if you want easy to put up an down the instant tents from Ozark Trail I used with my family when kids were young in cub scouts for 5+ years. I the integrated poles made for putting it up and down very quick and easy even by myself, and I could stand up and had 4 cots in them. The may be cheaper than others but there are a few brands that make the instant tents with integrated poles. I was surprised how well my ozark held up. also
check out the alps brands, they are built well, but heavy.
Nicegy525
