subject: Selecting the Best Family Camping Tent [print this page] Selecting the Best Family Camping Tent Selecting the Best Family Camping Tent
How many tents do you need on family camping outings? That is a great starting place when beginning this journey. We had to factor in different circumstances and base our decision on that. First what is the age of family members, secondly what are the genders, and lastly what type of camp site will we be facing.
OK, so lets look at the first point, age of the family. Obviously if your children are extremely young there is no question but you all pile in one big tent. But as your family evolves they may want -and require- more space and solitude. So here are some easy numbers I use. When my kids were under 10 years old I would go with either one big tent or else two tents for family camping: one for the adults and the gear and the other for the kids. Even different genders get the kids tent. Over 10 years old boys in one, girls in one and mom and dad in their own tent. That brings up the kids' gender...
I made the jump at 10-11 because that is usually when the kids start wanting more privacy. If the kids are under 10 then it's fine to put them together. Besides they are only sleeping in the tents, so bunking together for a few hours is fine. Just make sure they have their own personal sleeping bags or bed rolls.
The last consideration for how many tents for your family camping adventure is based on your time and space constraints.
Are you camping in a state park with limited camp size? Maybe you should rent two spaces to accommodate your several dome tents in your "family camping condo". Or are you out on your own? Then, just find a spot to set up camp. For obvious reasons if you are tight in camp you may want to consider bunking together even if the kids are a little bit older, just because there is limited room. And again it is not the end of the world; you are only slightly cramped for a few hours while you sleep, anyway. Another time when you may consider camping in one tent is when it is a one or two night camp. Then it is such a short amount of time that it hardly makes sense to set up several tents when 1 or 2 would suffice. If you are on a family camping vacation, say for 4 or 5 nights, comfort is usually your ultimate consideration, and you may want to sprawl as much as possible, especially if the kids are teenagers!
Remember: consider the kids' ages, genders and your space in the campsite as well as how long you are staying. With this information under your belt you can now go make camping more comfortable for yourself and your entire family. So go family tent camping next weekend and enjoy yourselves!
