Triple Rainbow DW

The big driving factor will be whether you sleep on 20 or 25 inch wide pads. I sleep on a 25 inch pad and it complicates selection a bit. I've got a copper spur 3 that I do like, but we don't really fit with two 20 inch pads and a 25 inch pad. Many 3 person tents assume 20 inch pads only. We picked up a Tarptent Triple Rainbow recently and initial impressions are pretty good. Very spacious. Fits two 25 inch pads and a 20 inch pad. Zpacks Triplex is another good option, about 5 inches narrower than the Tarptent and twice the price, but less than half the weight.

The Big Agnes Copper Spur UL3 is the QUEEN of 3person tents. It *will* get a bit cramped once you have two adult-sized boys, but it’s still doable. But at that point, you’ll be at the end of that tent’s lifespan (newer tents will be much lighter) and/or the boys are gonna want to sleep alone in their own tent. For an even lighter option, the Tarptent Triple Rainbow, Hogback, or Cloudburst 3 person tents are all great choices. One thing to consider: double doors are more pleasant with two people … but with 3, you may want a front-opening single-door tent like the Cloudburst. That way, nobody needs to climb over anyone else for the bathroom. The Cloudburst also won’t feel too tight with an adult and two adult-size kids. It has TWO openings/vestibules but they’re positioned at the head and foot, so no climbing over your friends.

Take a look at Tarptent's double and triple Rainbows, despite the brand name they are fully-featured semi-freestanding tents with nets and all. The Double might be enough, there's space diagrams on their website for the floor so you can get an idea. Their floor is 30D nylon so stronger than the average lightweight tent floor, they have DW variants to stargaze and from what I have gathered they fare very well in high winds due to their shape.

I have a Tarptent Rainshadow 2 that I use for similar purposes and works great. (It's a 3P tent, confusingly named.) The successor, the Rainshadow 3, also looks good, but appears to be out of stock. The Cloudburst 3 would be okay, but it would be a bit of a squeeze in terms of width. Tarptent Triple Rainbow would probably be my pick.

Tarptent Triple Rainbow is what you want. I have one, and it's great. That being said, sometimes I wish I had purchased a Big Agnes Copper Spur for the family instead for those amazing nearly straight walls.