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6 person tent is nice and roomie but you only need a two 4 person tents. I'd go Coleman as a basic tent it comes with everything but a tarp to lay under it. Scouting they usually tent two to a tent with smaller kids having an extra person in their tent.
If you are car camping then honestly Coleman is my favorite. Tarpaulin bottom, sturdy, long lasting, and inexpensive. The downside is they are heavy, which doesn't matter when car or canoe camping. The instant cabin tents go up very easily as one person. But if you are in a really windy area then a dome would be better.
I have an old tent I use for car camping that's big, heavy, and cheap. Backpacking gear comes with compromises, no need to suffer through that or put wear/tear on it unless you are testing new gear. Get a cheap Coleman and you won't be worried about your tissue paper backpacking tent being damaged.
I got a Coleman four person dome tent at Big 5 on sale. I can put my cot, the table with my CPAP, the battery for the CPAP and charging the phone in it. There's room for the dog in her crate in the open corner. I leave the crocs outside and have tent slippers. If it's rainy I put kitchen stuff back in the car, bring in my little chair, and sit reading in the tent. My cheap sleeping bag and a foam pad on top of the cot are enough to keep me warm. I use a blue tarp and fold excess under the edge of the tent floor so as not to draw the water underneath.
I’ve used the North Face Wawona 4 and 6, along with a 4 and 6 man Coleman. The Coleman’s held up surprisingly well. They don’t do as well in the wind or rain though. The NF tents are a much higher quality though. Thicker poles, stronger fabric, better in the rain, better features. Something to think about is size. The smaller tents are easier and faster to setup. Plus you need less soft. The Wawona 6 has a huge vestibule/ rain fly. It takes a lot longer to setup, and while I can do it all solo it takes much more time than the 4. My 2 and 3 man backpacking tents are even faster. If you are getting in late and go with a normal tent, smaller is probably better.
I do a lot of beach camping, and have a 4 person Coleman dome tent that has stood up to 35+mph winds on Cape Lookout. The only issue was that the wind was blowing the sand so hard it came up and into the vents in the top of the tent. It has gone through other thunderstorms too. One wiped out 3/4s the tents at Ocracoke and ours was standing strong. Probably not the best tent, but it has survived a lot of heavy weather. Ours has the little patio entrance thing, which is nice for sand. Just make sure you have good stakes.
Assuming car camping, a simple Coleman 4 person dome tent that they are capable of putting up/taking down with a friend.
Two people in a two person REI Backpacking in a four person Coleman with a blanket on the top of the two person. The four person had ice on it , but we were cosy warm inside. Some gear inside the 2 person. Some gear between the 2 and the 4 person and some gear in the vestibule.
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