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Reddit Reviews
I'd choose the rectangle one over the dome. Domes in my experience are harder to keep dry. Also limited headroom. I have an instant up 10 man I got from Sams Club and would highly recommend that one. The rectangle one said set up was 20 minutes. Domes are usually longer. My big instant up takes 2 minutes from being spread out to it is standing fully. Same taking it down. Super quick. Plus has stood up great in storms. So might look at some instant up styles.
The Hampton was our first big tent and served us well (still have it and use it as a guest tent). Seems to serve others well as we see them all over the place. It's roomy and airy with a decent height. Best advice we got was to seal the horizontal seam well (drips from the half fly) and zip the windows if you're going to be away. Doing that, we had no problem with the rain (also tarped in the really heavy stuff).
Go bigger than you think and something you can standup comfortably in. I have a 10 man tent I use for glamping purposes that I got for a steal but here's something you can get easily and will accomodate you as your kids get older and bigger: https://www.canadiantire.ca/en/pdp/coleman-hampton-3-season-9-person-2-room-camping-cabin-tent-with-room-divider-rain-fly-carry-bag-0765183p.html?rq=tent This is similar to mine and packs into the size of a hockey gear bag.
I got this one, too! On sale for 229$CAD at Canadian tire. It’s huge and goes up very easily. It would fit 4-6 people nicely. It is not very rainproof, so I bought a very large, thin $30 tarp and we throw it over top whenever there’s rain. Works like a charm. You’ll need two people to put it up.
Coleman Hampton 9 person cabin tent. Buy a cheap tarp for rain.
had similar dilemma last year when looking at these exact models. went with the costco one and been pretty happy with it during few rainy trips. the full fly coverage really does make difference when weather gets nasty - stayed completely dry even during some heavy downpours in the mountains the canadian tire one looks nice with that room divider but from what i've read online the partial fly can be bit of gamble if you get caught in sideways rain. plus setting up the divider wall adds extra time which isn't fun when you're trying to get shelter up quick. for car camping where you got space anyway the extra room might not be worth the trade off in weather protection one thing to consider is how many people you actually camping with - both tents are pretty optimistic with their person counts so if you planning for 6+ people regularly then maybe worth the extra cash for bigger footprint
My 5-family glampimg tent is a [Coleman Hampton 9](https://outdoorscott.com/coleman-hampton-9-person-tent/). $299CAD and often goes on sale for $100 off.
Coleman cabin tents. Used for years until we finally upgraded to canvas. The thing ill miss the most from my colemans? The swinging door. Awesome for day time use for getting in and out of tent without zipping and unzipping all the time. Hampton is the model we've had for 8 years or so. If youre near Baltimore, id even let you borrow mine.
Coleman cabin tents. Used for years until we finally upgraded to canvas. The thing ill miss the most from my colemans? The swinging door. Awesome for day time use for getting in and out of tent without zipping and unzipping all the time. Hampton is the model we've had for 8 years or so. If youre near Baltimore, id even let you borrow mine.
The Sundome or Cabin series are car camping staples. Great value, easy setup, perfectly adequate for 40-75°F. The ventilation is decent and they're bomber in light rain. Downsides: heavier materials, can get condensation if you seal it up too much. Honestly for your use case, Coleman is probably the practical choice. The price difference could go toward a better sleeping pad or quilt which makes way more difference for comfort.
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