# Large family tents...



## Tam631 (Apr 14, 2011)

Looking for info on these 2 tents... The size is good, but are they water tight?

DELUXE FOUR ROOM CABIN TENT

PINE CREST Turbo Tent - 22' x 10' 10+ Person

I can't seem to find a tent this large with a full fly... Help?

Thank you,
Tami


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## artmart (Sep 21, 2010)

They are both decent tents for the rain.

The first one only has a partial fly but the tent fabric has a 3000mm rating. This means it can ward off 3000mm of water before it starts to leak.

The second one only has a 2000mm rating, but has a fly with an additional 2000mm rating and while the fly does not cover all the sides most of the tent can then ward off 4000mm of rain.

Keep anything away from the sides or roof to prevent wicking and you might just survive the rain. If you anticipate a real strong and long rain storm, then you can add an oversized thinweight vinyl tarp on top of the tent for an extra layer of dryness. This should be staked out so the the edges of the vinyl extend far beyond the roof line to prevent rain from even landing on the tent. Just be careful of all the extra lines running from your tent to trip and fall.

Don't expect any tent to be completely watertight, that's why they sell waterproof or water-resistant sleeping bags, pads and clothing, because water will leak if enough rain falls. You are just trying to better your odds by knowing what are the best materials to use and what techniques you can use to keep dryer as long as possible (seamsealer for example).

Of course, if there's a flood all bets are off cuz there ain't much you can do when the water rises, only when it's falling.


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## Tam631 (Apr 14, 2011)

So, it's okay to put a tarp over a tent? My hubby wants to do that for heavy rain... Good to know it won't damage the tent.  Time to start saving up...


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## artmart (Sep 21, 2010)

You have to be careful that the tent can withstand the weight so don't use an industrial tarp. The other drawback is loss of breathability because tent fabric requires airflow to prevent mold and mildew. The tarp must be very lightweight material (for weight reasons), I've seen others with clear plastic 200ml plastic but without grommets it can come apart.

The tarp should only be used on the top - never the sides. If it's oversized, it can go out past the walls (lash it with additional line and stakes) and keep the water off the side walls to gain some time for water seapage. WARNING: In losing breathability of the tent this means air flow can be compromised and this only means it could get stuffy. Then if the tent is wet or damp (even with a tarp this can happen) the tarp needs to be removed to allow the tent to dry out or then the tent will start smelling mildewy or moldy.

I've also seen tenters that put several "swim noodles cut to size" as a means to elevate the tarp off the tent roof, to improve airflow. This might take some study on where to put them. One last thing about the tarp, The darker the color of the tarp the higher the temperature inside the tent. I bring this up for the Eastern U.S. persons since the humidity can be higher and this is stuffy as the temperatures rise.

You DO NOT have to see mold and mildew forming for it to develop. Keeping the tent dry will help it last much longer. Even if you have to store it wet, you must open it back up and let it dry out completely. I often leave my tent opened up for a few days beyond the time I think it's dry before I pack it up for the next time. You'll need room at home to do this. This is also true for the tarp if you use one.

I hope I covered all the possibilities.... for this reason, I just let it rain, but I camp in drier climates... LOL


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## imskipinout (Aug 21, 2011)

Tami -- I did look at the tents that you had posted and although they look nice and big I did not know what your situation is as far as how many people that you are intending to camp with? I have been camping all my life and started with the boy scouts and I would suggest looking at a Eureka Equinox 6 tent as it has a full coverage rain fly and you can get a queen sized air bed it in as well -- I have this tent and many others as well but find that this tent is very easy to set up by myself and I am disabled ( it just takes me a bit more time ) One of the nice features of this tent is that the top vents can be closed in cold weather and or very hard driving rain as other tents will get a rain ( spin drift ) inside of the tent when experiencing driving hard wind blown rain. They costs MSRP= $400.00 but I got mine on eBay for $300.00 new in the box. The only draw back is that they are not as big as the tent that you had posted. I love the fact that you are doing your research and asking for opinions and everyone has there favorites -- I am a Eureka tent person and I have three kids who have there own 6 person Eureka tent when we go camping and I have spare Eureka tents for my guests as well -- We have 2 Equinox 6 tents, 2 Sunrise 11 tents, 1 Tetragon 10x12 tent, a older hex eureka screen shelter and looking at a Northern Breeze screen shelter for a upgrade to the older Hex shelter. These are the tents that we use when we go car camping at the camp ground as we like and love to comfort camp. The best advise I believe is when you are at your favorite campground look around and see what others are using and have a chat with them on the likes and dislikes -- Most often you will get a honest opinion from them. When I first went camping with my young family in the early 80's I had a Coleman cabin tent and it leaked and went down in a storm with all of us in it and had to get in the car and go home and come back the next day to break camp -- I looked around the camp site and the tents that were still standing were the Eureka tents, and others that were of a low dome design. I hope that this helps you and I am sorry if it sounds like I am a Eureka tent salesman.


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## Tam631 (Apr 14, 2011)

Thank you imskippingout for the great advice...
The tent we ended up getting was none of the ones listed here. And it did beautifully for our 2 week camping trip, and our 3 day camping trip too. 
Camping Tent by ~Tam631 on deviantART









It survived a near tornado touch down and kept us dry in the rains... most of it heavy. And the only thing we did not like is that it's a summer weight tent, so we get cold when it's in the 50's. 

Thanks again for all your input!


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## imskipinout (Aug 21, 2011)

It's a tunnel tent -- I see these all over -- over seas -- I have seen a few on eBay So now I am curious as how nice these really are? They are not free standing but the tunnel design is in every high end tent line usual in a much smaller version. I am glad you had a great trip and that the tent held up nicely.


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## artmart (Sep 21, 2010)

Please note, that just because my name is Art, I am in no way associated with products from DeviantArt. The name similarities are strictly coincidental and any similarities are completely accidental and unintentional.


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## rondha001 (Oct 6, 2017)

In terms of getting wet, they are both are nice tents with regards to the rain.

However, I would suggest you to take a look at Ozark Trail 16′ X 16′ Instant Cabin tent which is one of the top cabin tent that is appropriate for 12 individuals and most importantly, the forepart sunshade is adequately big to savor the rain.

I'd really appreciate if you could kindly please share your thoughts. :smile:


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## Tplife (Nov 27, 2017)

This response is to a 6-year-old post, but if you're looking for advice today: These two tents are for only fair balmy weather at best. They have terrible rainflies, will leak like sieves, their window areas are setup for leaks right off the bat, have footprints way too large for their number of and diameter of poles, will have poor wind integrity, and will break easily for the same reasons. You need to either buy two tents of no more than 10 X 10 in size so that low-end quality will still provide useability. Most tent sites won't give you much choice of where to pitch if your tent is any larger. A tent that needs a secondary tarp over it tells you it has no rain integrity from the get-go. If you want real wind and rain integrity, buy a tent from a quality company like Sierra Designs, Marmot, NorthFace, EMS, REI, Big Agnes, MSR, or Mountain HardWear. Companies like Eureka! do have good tents, but so many low-end models are mixed into their lineup that it's difficult to know what you need for your adventures. A tent that has a bathtub floor, nylon or polyester fabric and full-coverage rainfly can give you decades of service and cost less year-to-year due to their durability. :vs_cool:


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## Gregory Wilson (Jul 24, 2019)

Gents, ladies, 

Rather than start another thread, decided to resurrect this one.
We would like to go camping with our kiddos this season and for safety reasons I’d like to keep everyone in one tent. We already tried our current Coleman 4 person tent last season and it's already too small for us (me+wife) and two fast growing kids (age 6 and 7). So we are looking for a new tent for this season. 
Would like to have standing height + enough room for us and our equipment. We still have our camper, though I'd like to keep some things closer. Waterproof coat preferred. Any suggestions? 
Currently I'm choosing between Big Agnes station (specs, Base size: 10.1 x 9.6 ft. Center height: 6.25 ft. - I like the storage system!) and Coleman Evanston (specs, inside of the tent is 10x9 which is slightly smaller). Would like to hear from other traveling families who use big tents. Maybe there are better options that I'm missing?


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## Gregory Wilson (Jul 24, 2019)

Gregory Wilson said:


> Gents, ladies,
> 
> Rather than start another thread, decided to resurrect this one.
> We would like to go camping with our kiddos this season and for safety reasons I’d like to keep everyone in one tent. We already tried our current Coleman 4 person tent last season and it's already too small for us (me+wife) and two fast growing kids (age 6 and 7). So we are looking for a new tent for this season.
> ...


Got Big Agnes in the end, in case someone interested.


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## thecampman (Apr 14, 2020)

I have the ALPS Mountaineering tent and it works well. It's rain resistant also. I wouldn't put a tarp over the tent because it's too heavy and will make the tent humid inside which isn't comfortable.


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## jimgrains51 (Apr 29, 2020)

The first one looks great. Ive also been looking for a family tent for an upcoming trip in AZ. Im probably going to buy that deluxe 4 room tent if I can find one in my area.


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