Kelty - Daydreamer 4P

Dropped £200 for a Kelty Daydreamer 4p. Definitely not as good as the much cheaper Fresh & Blacks all our mates had. Dark material heats up. Non hivis ropes make people trip all the time. No fucking ground sheet so we had to go buy a tarp and fashion it into the right size. No way to open vents from inside. Would not recommend!

Get a blackout tent. I have the kelty daydreamer and my toddler and dog sleep in much later in the morning with that vs waking up at the crack of dawn when the sun lights up the tent. We were also able to put the toddler to sleep at the normal bed time when it was still light outside. I'm curious to see how nap times will go and if the tent stays cool under the summer sun with it closed up to keep it darker inside, but I haven't had to test that yet.

I'm a fan of the Kelty tents. They have held up well for me over the years. If you want your kids to sleep in later in the mornings, the Kelty daydreamer is a black out tent and keeps things very dark so everyone doesn't wake up with the sun.

I have had a normal kelty 4 man and the daydreamer 6. The 4 held up great for almost a decade of use (~6 trips a year with that tent) before we needed more space and upgraded. The day dreamer 6 is pitch black inside which is great for getting kids/dogs to sleep in later than sunrise. The thick fly to keep out light definitely adds a pound or two to the day dreamer vs a normal tent.

Kelty is my go-to “budget” brand but Coleman will work too for beginner stuff. I wouldn’t splurge on Big Agnes until later on. Get cheap basic stuff and then upgrade as you go along.

Kelty Daydreamer. It is made for your exact situation. It comes in a couple different sizes. You can find it at REI or at Kelty online.

I've never had a CORE tent, but Coleman and Kelty have both worked well in the past for car camping. The Coleman "instant cabin" would probably be an easier setup, but not much easier, and at cost of some sturdiness. Coleman Dark Room and Kelty Daydreamer are also neat; they're designed to black out sunlight, so the material is a bit heavier... and yeah, you can sleep in past dawn much more easily.

it fits my kelty 6 comfortably with space on the size. it was very tight with my kelty 4

My BF and I have 7 different tents and our favorite one is the 4-person Kelty tent that I bought for myself when I was 17-18 years old. That makes it 36-37 years old. It’s not the same shape as the one OP covets but it has the same basic options with a large back window screen and the zipper screen entrance with the additional layer of solid fabric. Unfortunately it’s so old and the fabric is becoming very brittle and fragile. Wish they still made tents like they used to.

Well if you want advice on a tent I could probably try to help you out! Just took a quick pass through the tent options and I’d recommend the core 4 person instant tent for $150 just because they’re already an established tent making brand with great reviews. I personally own a 4 person kelty tent and the quality is really good imo and they’re easy to setup. Some of the kelty tents have these sleeves that the bottom of the poles go into and it makes solo setup a breeze. My issue with instant tents like the one you mentioned, the gazelle t4, etc. is that they’re heavy and they don’t get very compact. But if you have both storage space and space in your vehicle go for it.

Are you backpacking or car camping? That makes a huge difference. I have a 4 person kelty for when I go car camping with my wife and dogs. For when I go backing with just one of my dogs I have a big Agnes copper spur 2p. When we go car camping, we have a foldable memory foam mattress, it’s quite large and takes up most of my roof box, it’s my trade off for comfort. There’s this company HEST, that makes these memory foam rolls for car camping. They look awesome, I just haven’t been to an REI lately to check them out. They are pricey but look to be really nice. I have my old ridge rest that I roll out to protect the tent floor from their paws. If your car camping and have the room, those floor mat puzzle pieces are also a great floor protector.

I like the Walmart brand Ozark Trail. We have had a smaller tent from them for quite a while (it does leak now but we set up a tarp over it). Our nicer Kelty tent tore and the zipper broke. They’ll fix them for you but I lose the receipt :(  Since you’re new I’d go on the less expensive side first.