Light, roomy, family tent for mummy, daddy and toddler

[Banjowhacker]

My generally camping-unfriendly wife has said that she might yield to touring if I buy a big tent. Have been very happy for many years with my Terra Nova Solar but I need something more family-comfort orientated (two grown-ups and a toddler). Any suggestions?
Cheers,
Paul.

[nmnm]

This big terra novamight do it - £250 but you get 30% off if you google terra nova tent trade in.

[Banjowhacker]

Yes. I had my eye on that one, and the Monsoon 4. Many thanks for the heads up. Did Terra Nova buy out Wild Country recently(ish)?

[al_yrpal]

Coleman Avior X3. Lots of room, and a side entrance as well as a front entrance. 2.95kg and costs £100 pr less.

Al

[4wils]

The Terra Nova Laser Space 5 is a big tent for its weight. Standing headroom.
Certainly worth a look, we've used ours for two summer tours of the Netherlands. We were particularly glad of the room last year given the wet weather. Plenty of room to cook etc, even with both sleeping compartments up.

[mattmoore]

Hi
Also look at Etesian 4 from Wild Country or maybe Aspect 2.5 from Wild Country through Cotswold camping
FYi Terra Nova own and operate the Wild Country brand just on the Camping side, Wild Country climbing is a separate business
Cheers

[willem jongman]

We used a Hilleberg Keron 4 GT that was robust, light, spacious and sadly also expensive. We used it for ten happy holidays, so I think in the end it paid for itself. You need a big enough tent, and more so if you intend to add to the family size. During the last one or two years the kids began to sleep in their own tents, but even then you still need space. At the same time it has to be light if you are cycling. My wife came from a car and hotel family, but it was he Hilleberg that converted her.
To your wife I can only say that camping is the kind of holiday that most kids seem to enjoy more than anything. And happy kids make for happy parents. A practical advice would be to take very little luggage. Leave home all that stuff that might come in handy, because you will loose oversight. Kids have an uncanny ability to create a mess and distract you. KISS
Willem

[hubgearfreak]

are you going to be getting the tent to the campsite always with a car?

if so, none of the above, imho. the only reason that you'd have a nylon tent is if you're carrying it yourself.

[willem jongman]

I assumed cycle touring. Yes we have done occasional car camping with the Keron as well, but for that a larger cotton tent is nicer (if the car is big enough). The danger there is that of taking too much. We did that on our first holiday with the then 9 month old, in a borrowed larger cotton tent. We took too much, and even a 9 month old can wreak havoc with unnecessary stuff.
Willem

[pjclinch]

Another Hilleberg fan... we have a Kaitum 3, the Kaitum being a lighter version of the Keron. The Keron is heavier because it's tougher but the Kaitum is easily tough enough for anything you're likley to get in to with a small child and reluctant partner.

The Kaitum also comes with a "GT" version, which gives you an extension on one of the porches which makes things easier. We find that the "normal" version has enough space for 3 of us (our daughter is 9) but more is more and more is nicer to camp in. The main downside of the Kaitum compared with the Keron is there isn't a bigger 4 person version, but again the case that the downside of more space in the tent is more weight (and bulk) on the bike.

The Nallo is slightly cheaper and lighter and comes with a GT version and 2, 3 or 4 person versions. What you lose is inner volume and a second porch and entrance, which means a little less living comfort. The Nammatj is the the Nallo what the Keron is to the Kaitum, so tougher and heavier, but I'd think tougher than you need by a long way (people use them as a tent for unsupported polar ski tours...) so I'd save weight and money and not look much further at it.

As has been noted, Hillies have faint-inducing price tags, but IMHO you do get what you pay for. They also hold their value very well and go for pretty significant proportions of their original prices on eBay so you should be able to sell it on if it doesn't work out. They're superbly made, remarkably easy to pitch single-handed and everything is well thought out and just works.

Another option is some sort of Tipi-type tent. Plenty of space and headroom (often standing headroom) and easy to set up. The main trick is making sure you have everything you want included as the basic models don't include groundsheets, bug netting etc. I've not used one so can't comment further on performance, but they have an enthusiastic following and seem to work well.

Pete.

[willem jongman]

The Kaitum did not exist at the time, and we needed a tent for four in any case. We certainly enjoyed the extra luggage space at the rear, for the helmets, empty panniers, spare fuel bottles, badminton rackets etc. Imagine all that in your front porch.... When the Keron fly tore after 10 years (UV damage - family tents are more often kept standing during the day) we bought a Nammatj 3GT because the children were now sleeping in their own tents. My wife thinks that has been a mistake, and thinks we should have bought a Keron 3 GT. She may well be right.The choice between the robust Keron and Nammtj series on the one hand and the lighter Nallo's and Kaitums is a difficult one. I am all in favour of lightweight camping, but the prices are the same, and you do get at least 2 extra years of life out of the heavier ones, and more reliability in very bad weather. And at least my kids were very rough with the tent (imagine two 4-6 year olds fighting it out inside.....). One other advantage of the Keron over the Nammatj is that the inner is symmetrical. So after a few years you can turn it 180 degrees. The zippers of the front door of the inner tent have a hard life, but not those at the rear. Changing front and rear in time will save you a pretty expensive repair. Finally, the Nallo and the Nammatj are not for tall people: the sloping rear will touch your sleeping bag unless you take very great care in pitching. The vertical rears of the Kaitum and Keron are much better here.
On balance I am in favour of spacious and reliable tents. They are a bit heavier but not that much, and they give a lot more comfort. It is quite easy to save more weight elsewhere (do so).
Willem