Kelty - Tallboy

Those look great, but I’m trying to keep it under/around $300 if possible. I will have to look into these if/when my son gets a little older.

Thanks for the comments everyone! I checked out all of your suggestions and it helped me narrow down what I wanted. I decided on a Kelty Tall Boy 6. I liked the standard dome tent design, but I wanted to be able to stand up and put cots along the sides so the tall style was my choice. We’ve never had a tent with vestibules and I didn’t think they were really necessary or worth the extra set up time, especially since we already have a canopy. The Tall Boy also has less ventilation, which works well with the timing of our camp outs because it holds heat better and we don’t camp in the dead of summer. Finally, I trust Kelty tents because I grew up with them and never had issues, which is why I went went Kelty over some of the other brands such as Coleman, which I’ve had leak in the past. Thank you all again for your input.

See my comment below. I went with a simple dome tent from Kelty.

My son is young and I’m trying to keep him interested in camping and scouting. The tent will also double as a family tent and my wife and daughter aren’t big campers, so a little extra comfort isn’t a bad thing. With that said, we went with a simple 6 man dome tent from Kelty. I’m also an Eagle Scout, spent 10 days backpacking in the mountains of Colorado, and have multiple nights outdoors in literal sub-zero temperatures. I earned my stripes as a young man and want something with a few more creature comforts as an adult. It’s just a simple Cub Scout camp out in a field 20 feet from a car so the kids can experience running around in the outdoors, learn to tie some knots, and have a fun campfire.

You really have 2 requests: Comfortable for 2 weeks, I have one set of suggestions. But you need to fly with it. So that changes my recommendation. We have a Eureka 4 person tent in a tall configuration that we have flown with. There is a similar tent in production called the Kelty Tallboy 4. It is 5'10" in the center which makes it a little more comfortable. Also, while I know a Scout is Thrifty, considering some of your gear to be disposable might be to your advantage: pick up a ground tarp and a camp chair at a Walmart. Gift it to someone who is driving or donate it to a Goodwill on your way back to the airport.

The Astro 300 doesn’t have a red light but there are options that do. The Cosmo 350 does, slightly more expensive at $35. Sea to Summit makes nice pads. The STS Comfort SI is great for car camping. Mine lasted many many years. Would highly suggest getting the wide version if you are at all broad shouldered, you want to avoid your arms hanging as much as possible. Sleeping with dangling arms is really uncomfortable. Cook stuff. Honestly just buy a solid box and fill it with cheap cooking stuff, grab some old silverware/spatula/tongs etc from home, maybe a couple old pans, throw some basic spices, some oil, tin foil, paper plates, paper towels, some rags. If car camping and you have a camp stove, you don’t need to reinvent the wheel here. If you intend to cook over a fire, you will need to think about it more. Kelty makes good intro tents. Again, solid for car camping. 4 person is good for 2 people maximum.

Both are solid tents. FWIW I have an older model Kelty 6P and it is amazing on rain and wind.

I own Kelty, North Face and Marmot backpacking tents, and can attest to their durability, ease of use and agreeable weight. I've used them both in the backcountry as well as when going car camping.

This depends upon your specific requirements: If your intention is portable 2-person tent that doesn't take up much room and weight isn't much of a concern, get a Kelty. They're nice budget friendly backpacking tents. Big Agnes is good if you want to save weight. But they are expensive and only worth it if you plan to backpack as a hobby. Backpacking and prepping are completely separate topics. You're not hiking your way out of a disaster. First, with most disasters, you will never leave your house. Or even if you do have to evacuate, you will go from your house to another house or apartment. You are not camping in the woods. You are definitely not hiking far. Hiking 10 miles a day would put you in the top 10%. And that's on a good trail, with good weather, and without worrying about being tracked. And more important, you know that every week you will be able to get re-supplied. If you want to be prepared to live on the road after a disaster so that you are not dependent upon a government shelter, then prepare your vehicle instead. My current favorite setup would be a compact SUV pulling a teardrop camping trailer. This provides plenty of room for 1-2 people including all of the supplies you need. You can put solar panels on top of the SUV and teardrop so that you will have plenty of off-grid power. And you will sleep a lot more comfortably.

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.

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.