Robens - Klondike Grande PRS

Best tents I’ve ever used (apart from a yurt and I used to make them) were big polycotton Bell tents. Warm in cold weather, cool in hot weather. One centre pole to set up (granted lots of pegs). Lots of headroom, lots of sleeping space. Can take a wood burning stove in colder weather too. Black out liners available. Great ventilation. Packs up pretty small (for car camping). Polycotton is better than all cotton canvas because it won’t hold water if it rains, it won’t mildew if it stays damp, it’s lighter and stronger. Worth checking eBay etc for a cheaper used one. The Robens Klondike Grande is a good example, with a tough polycotton outer fabric. My experience is that polycotton is much more comfortable than nylon for tents. They stay much cooler inside under a hot sun and do t suddenly get cold and damp inside as the sun goes down. If you can’t find a bell tent look out for a used family frame tent with a polycotton cover, they’ve been around for a long time.

I have a Robens Klondike S. The tent is fantastic and very well made.

You need a tunnel tent or a tipi tent with full fly coverage and supporting guylines. I personally use Robens Klondike (another commenter mentioned it) for car camping because of its weather resistance and some additional features I find useful (fabric that handles heat and rain, and support for a wood burning stove). Tipis are not cheap, but the design works well in challenging conditions. Robens specifically uses very overbuilt poles, which helps with strength. Cheapest way I can imagine for handling strong winds would probably be North Face Stormbreak, with additional guy lines (1 extra per pole), all staked out and taught, and the fly needs to be taught in every tie down it has.

I have a Robens Klondike S. It is extremely well made. Just plan to replace the pegs the tent comes with, because those are crap.

If you stick exclusively to car use, you can get a canvas tipi like Robens Klondike S. Canvas breathes in hot weather, but the tent can be also fully closed off from the wind, handle snow load, and is tested for something stupid like 110mph winds? As a bonus you can use a wood burning stove inside, heh. I use one as a car camping rig, but it is never going backpacking.

Mate that's an ambitious setup with 8 people but respect for going all in For sleeping bags I'd honestly look at getting a mix - synthetic for the little ones since they're more forgiving when wet and cheaper to replace, down for the older kids who can look after them properly. The Robens Klondike is solid but you might want to consider something modular like multiple smaller tents since herding 8 people through one entrance sounds like chaos Water filtration wise the Sawyer Mini or LifeStraw Family are decent starting points without breaking the bank, just make sure you've got backup purification tablets One thing nobody mentions - get everyone their own headtorch, not just one per tent. Trust me on this one

I have always used a robens klondike for family of four, absolutely love it! Great quality, plenty big enough to stand in, dress etc, has inner tent if you need rooms for kids, will withstand the harshest of British weather………..