3 person minimum for two to sleep comfortably.
Need to decide if you want room to stand up or not. Full size cots (normal bed height) or low profile cots (4” off the ground) or just sleeping pads on the tent floor?
A couple options to look at. I own both and can confirm they do VERY well in Washington state. We use them once a month for Boy Scouts camping.
Alps mountaineering Lynx 3 or the Taurus 4 if you want more room
Browning glacier 4 if you want 6’ high for standing and full size cots.
All those options have a rain fly that goes all the way to the ground with vestibules for keeping gear out of the rain (chairs, coolers, muddy boots etc)
I am a scoutmaster and currently own 10 tents. Here are my favorites for scouts and adults:
The Alps Mountaineering Lynx model has 2, 3, and 4, person variants. The 3 person is the sweet spot for sleeping two people with room for gear. It is small enough to go backpacking with. It has a full coverage rain fly and I can confirm it stays dry even in the PNW rain. This is a great tent for scouts to use all the time and a great adult backpacking option.
For car camping, I like to be a little more comfortable. I use the Alps Mountaineering Ranger 1 for myself. I can fit a full size cot, camp chair and small air table with room in the middle to stand up and change clothes. It packs down well but is way too heavy for backpacking.
As others have mentioned, hiker direct dot com is a great site for discounted NEW gear for troops. You can google it, you must type the address into the address bar. It’s free to create an account.
One last note, in Cub Scouts, families may tent together but in the troop, youth must tent separately from adults including their parents. This is part of the program to teach independence.
Alps mountaineering Lynx series is a great option IMO. Our troop uses the 3 person variant but they do make a 1 and a 2 person size. You do sacrifice a little bulk and weight for very good durability.
A lighter but less durable option would be the Alps Mountaineering Helix. Mesh walls and thinner nylon. I have the 2 person size and it’s perfect for 1 person plus gear. This one might be a little outside your budget though.
Troop scoutmaster here.
If you are in a troop (11-17 year olds). I strongly recommend getting two tents. One for you and one for your scouts. The scouting program wants to encourage SYT best practices and youth independence by having adults and youth tent separately if at all possible.
The challenge is finding a tent that is big enough to be comfortable but small enough to pack and travel well. In general, a 3 person tent will be big enough for two people plus their gear. A two person tent will be big enough for one person and their gear. You can go smaller or larger but that’s a good starting point.
If you’re just starting out, I might recommend looking at more car camping style tents which will be bigger, heavier but more durable and comfortable than more compact backpacking style tents. Depending on your area and typical weather patterns, you might want to look for something with a full rain fly that goes all the way to the ground and has covered vestibules. These will keep you the driest in rainy weather.
As for specific recommendations, I strongly encourage you to create a free account/profile on www.hikerdirect.com. It is an unpublished website owned by Alps Mountaineering that is intended for scouts to purchase good quality gear at nearly 50% off retail prices. I have used their products almost exclusively in my 8 years of scouting with my kids and everything has been great quality.
My favorite tents are the Lynx, Taurus, glacier 4 and Ranger 1. (I currently own over 7 tents)
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.
I originally bought the Timberline 2 for backpacking in rugged terrain during Fall/Winter seasons in northern VT and NY. The simple A-frame style is superior to most designs in high wind or snowy conditions, but most folks today demand more space and comfort.
As a retiree, with creaky bones, who can no longer manage hiking, I now normally use an Alps 3-man dome tent or a Core 4 cabin-walled tent. These two are not as rugged as the Timberline, but are spacious and inexpensive.
I drive an F150 with a full 8' canopy so I keep the Timberline is case of full-storm weather. The Pacific coast can have wicked winds and sheeting rain during the colder months.
Second on Hiker Direct.
I really like the Taurus Outfitter tent. But don't save money by getting the regular Taurus (it has fiberglass poles vs the outfitter aluminum. Get the Lynx with aluminum poles.
They are essentially the same tent. The outfitter has a thicker floor material and beefier zippers. The outfitter has cloth walls with smaller mesh vents at the top. The Lynx has a lot more mesh, like halfway down the sides of the tent, which helps make it lighter weight.
I have the Taurus Outfitter 2 for myself and bought my son the Taurus Outfitter 3 so it's easier to buddy up. Out troop has the Lynx 3 (maybe it's the Lynx 4) and they work great too. We are in the North East also.
As he gets older, you may want to check out a 4 man alps Lynx. It’s light enough you can pack it in and it’s plenty big for a parent/kid. I actually have the 3 man version and we make it work. A lot depends on your unit/council, though. In our unit we camp quite a bit, and it’s rarely car camping - usually we are closer to being wagon-able. Around Webelos/AOLs some families also prefer to start switching to tenting youth/adults separate, although I personally don’t prefer that for my kiddos unless it’s only a Webelos/AOL camp.
I have an ALPS Lynx tent that I LOVE. 2 doors is one of the keys to a good tent (imho) and a FULL fly. Yes, I like a large tent for comfort, but it’s not worth it to lug around for 1-2 nights.
Also, super simple set up and the tallest peak height I could find for its size. Hiker direct has it for a great price. Buy the matching footprint. I’ve been at camp with torrential downpours and been the only one to stay dry in this thing. It’s a great tent for the price.
Nicegy525
