Cook 4 Man Tent

By the way I’m a member of r/snowpeak and thought your question asking about the Alpha Breeze entertaining to a bunch of Snow Peak nut jobs. lol I’ve had various tents for various situations over the years. Earliest memory was using a Coleman four man tent with my family when I was a kid, an acceptable tent for a child, but I also didn’t know any better. I would say any sub $200 tent now probably falls in the same quality of cheaper tent fabric and lower quality poles. In my teens and throughout my 30s, I got big into backpacking so it was with brands like MSR and Big Agnes. In that time of lightweight backpacking tents, I really loved the original MSR Mutha Hubba (3p), it was lightweight and very packable and was spacious relative to its total weight. I’ve since gotten a newer MSR Hubba Hubba (2p) which I like, slight lowering in quality since the 2000s era of MSR quality. Which brings us full circle to the Alpha Breeze, it’s now my dedicated car camping tent, having also slept in and seen other tents that friends bring on car camping trips. It’s something I view as a long term investment that features thoughtful tent design along with the durability that comes with quality. Last thing, the price is high, but I’m seeing this as something that will last me +10 years, if not 20. Which over time breaks down to about $60/year if using 10 years.

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. 

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.

I picked up a used Coleman four person tent for my boys for $40 on eBay. They started sleeping in it when they were 4 and 6 years old.

I camp alot, using an economical 4 person Coleman.

I wanted to add that, as the kids get older, you/they may want more space. We're a family of 5. We used to all camp in a 10p Coleman. Once my eldest turned 11, he wanted his own tent. Now my kids are 11, 15, and 17, and we use a 6p (me and husband), 4p (11 & 15 yr olds), and a 2p (17 yr old). It is definitely much easier to find a flat spot to set up with smaller tents. The kids also set up their own tents. It's easier to keep a smaller tent warm too. For a family of 7, I'd suggest 2x 6p tents. We used our 10p Coleman tent for 11 yrs before we stopped using it. Our smaller Colemans get used at least 7 times per year. They're still going strong.

I've had a couple of the instant set-up cabin tents throughout the years, I will keep buying this type until I make the jump to travel trailer. However, I cannot recommend the 10p Core with the built in screened porch. The porch is basically useless in the rain, it doesn't detach & holds the front part of the rainfly. If you decide to keep the screen open it just collects bugs that quickly make it into the tent when you unzip the doors to get in. This is my first Core & probably my last, will probably go back to the Coleman in the same size for my very last tent. Choose Wisely.