If you’re looking for an affordable tent, get one of the coleman dome tents. Keep in mind that a 6 person tent will be very tight for 6 full grown people. If the boys are 15+ get at least a 8 person tent.
I switched from a giant 8-person tent to a Coleman Sundome 6 last year for basically the same reasons, my back and my car space both thanked me. The center height is comfy enough to hunch over and dress, and I can set it up by myself in like 10-12 minutes tops. The ventilation’s decent too.
Only thing is it doesn’t have a screened porch, but I just throw a little mat under the rainfly at the door for shoes and it works fine.
INFO: are you driving in or hiking in? You mentioned a cot, so I'm assuming drive-in, but it's good to make sure.
The Coleman Sundome is super easy, even the 6 person. And I love my LostHorizon self inflating mattress.
I’ve had mine for two years and no issues yet. We camped through some big storms this summer and stayed dry. Like anything else I’ll prob redo the waterproofing every few years to keep it in good shape. I always keep an extra can of the spray in my gear.
I own a 6-person tent for me and one kid. That fits two air mattresses and gives us space to stand, change clothes, keep our bags, etc. I have a Coleman and it works just fine.
Your experience with the Ozark Trail tent actually highlights the biggest factor here: in wind, size and shape matter more than brand. Tall, boxy 6-person tents act like sails, especially at this price point. Sustained \~35 mph wind is pushing any budget family tent, but lower-profile dome tents tend to handle it much better, which is exactly why your smaller backup tent performed better.
If bad weather is a real concern, I’d focus on a simple dome design with a full rainfly, fewer big mesh panels, and solid guy-out points. From your list, the Coleman Sundome is probably the most proven option in storms when it’s well staked. The larger Coleman models and the Sequoia are more comfortable, but their height makes them more vulnerable in strong wind unless you’re very sheltered. Personally, I’d take a slightly smaller, simpler tent that stays standing over extra space when the weather turns.
Top Camping Tents on Reddit
1
The North Face
Wawona 6
86% positive of 132 users
Spacious vestibule, strong in storms, but rainfly tricky solo.
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