9 Person Instant Cabin Blockout Tent

It’s pricey but man blackout tents are a game changer for kids. Put a sound machine in the tent with you and you might even get to sleep in a little while camping with young kids. This one goes on sale every now and then but it’s def not cheap. https://www.coreequipment.com/products/9-person-instant-cabin-blockout-tent-14-x-9

Always go up 1-2 people. We like the Coleman and the Core pop up style tents that take less than 5 minutes to set up. Hubby and I just bought a 2 room 9 person Core with easy set up. Large but we love it. One room for large Core cots and plenty of room to get around - and past the divider section we have our suitcases, changing area, camping boxes of kitchen and other items and an emergency 2am potty 🤣.

Hubby and I have a 9 person/2 room tent because we like lots of space, and a room for changing and the midnight porta potty, plus bins of equipment. It’s also an insta- up tent, just takes a couple minutes https://www.coreequipment.com/products/9-person-instant-cabin-tent?variant=44708495818974&country=US¤cy=USD&utm_medium=product_sync&utm_source=google&utm_content=sag_organic&utm_campaign=sag_organic&tw_source=google&tw_adid=&tw_campaign=22177304336&tw_kwdid=&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=22181074945&gclid=CjwKCAjwlOrFBhBaEiwAw4bYDSSxsCe-fcOvavqjU39_xoUP4Rp3laa3qcSok9RFJYEGcFBT9FuR7RoC93gQAvD_BwE

I was in the same boat - I was looking at RTTs but went against it because we didn’t want to have to break it down if we wanted to take the truck out to explore away from the site. Realized I only wanted one since it was easy to set up. So, found the easiest ground tent on the market to set up. Went with the CORE 9-Person Instant Cabin Tent. Just got it in the mail, excited to try it

I currently have a Gazelle T4 Overland, and I’m really happy with it. Packed up it’s bizarrely huge, but I love how easy it is to set up; it goes up in only a couple of minutes. I’d like to go larger however, and I’m looking at the Gazelle T8. My priorities are interior space and ease of setup. The T4 has been great in wind. I live in the southwest, so rain and snow aren’t a huge issue, especially since if the weather is bad I’ll just stay home. So what’s everyone’s favorite large tent that falls into this category? I’m ok spending about $3-600. If there’s a better option than the T8 I’m all ears. Edit: I’m also looking into the Gazelle T4 Plus which has the same footprint as the T8 but with a screened in room that is sealable for the same price. Edit 2: thanks so much for everyone’s input! This has been a really fun discussion and I love this group. I’ve decided to go with the Gazelle T4 Plus. It arrives on Tuesday, just before my trip to the Grand Canyon with my kid! Edit 3: tries the T4 Plus. It was amazing when set up, and rock solid. The problem is that it’s so heavy and cumbersome, you run the risk of damage the material just moving it around and trying to pack it up, which is really an ordeal. I wound up going with the Core 9. Not as solid as the Gazelle, but much lighter and easier to set up, take down and move around for one person.

If you want easy, get a CORE instant tent. The poles telescope and stay attached so it sets up in seconds. If you have a Costco membership, they may still have some set up for you to see. I would go with the 9 person with the 2 kids. It has 2 rooms which would give you tons of space and at least a 6 foot center height. And if you want more recommendations from women that are used to camping totally solo, check out r/womensolocamping

I’ve had Core instant tents and never had an issue. Easily over 100 nights before any leaking, and I wasn’t taking the best care of it so likely could have lasted longer.