Camping tent for family

Forums › Off topic › Camping tent for family

sqw

21 posts

Geek

#299311 28-Aug-2022 08:31

I'm in the market for a camping tent. I'm disappointed that none of the reputable brands (Marmot, North Face, Big Agnes etc) seem to make their camping tents available here or in Australia. I've been looking at ordering one from overseas but the lack of warranty could become a problem.

I've looked at the Macpac and Kathmandu options and they look ok. I'm likely to avoid the Macpac option as a friend of mine pitched it in the backyard and a pole broke. Replaced under warranty but questionable quality. I generally avoid buying store brands so I'm resistant to Kathmandu, Torpedo7 etc. And Coleman tents aren't great in my observation.

Interested in people's experiences with family sized camping tents — especially in rain and strong winds. We'd prefer a multi-room but single room with a large vestibule would be fine too.

1 | 2

738 posts

Ultimate Geek

Lifetime subscriber

#2960445 28-Aug-2022 12:30

Look at Zempire, major NZ seller of quality tents. Highly recommend looking at the inflatable tents, especially for windy weather. They are much more robust in the breeze. Great customer support as well. I bought a stove from them with a minor broken latch, they went the extra mile for me. Hamilton-based I believe but lots of people stock their stuff.

allan

2043 posts

Uber Geek

ID Verified

Lifetime subscriber

#2960450 28-Aug-2022 12:49

My son bought a Zempire inflatable tent a couple of years ago and has been more than happy with it. They survived an extremely windy weekend at Castlepoint when most others packed up and left/had poles broken, so they are pretty sturdy. The inflatable tubes appear to provide a lot of stability from what I can see and they seem pretty easy to put up and deflate.

This one I think - https://zempire.co.nz/catalog/product/view/id/294/s/aerodome-i-pro-v2

Jase2985

13457 posts

Uber Geek

ID Verified

Lifetime subscriber

#2960539 28-Aug-2022 18:58

inflatable tents blow over (poles bend) in strong wind but pop back up when the wind drops.

Anything with a light nylon fly and fiberglass poles will likely break.

A canvas tent will survive most things but the downfall is they are very heavy and take up a lot of space.

We went with a canvas tent and its been great.

duckDecoy

896 posts

Ultimate Geek

Subscriber

#2960556 28-Aug-2022 20:23

We have a kiwi camping tent that has definitely survived constant rain, but we haven't been subjected to strong winds in it. It's easy to set up and put down and MILES better quality than the Kathmandu et al

But as others have noted, the inflatable tents seem to be fairly popular at the moment. One thing I don't know about those is how long they last, you can easily buy new poles (and kiwi camping are good at supplying parts should you need them) but what do you do if your inflatable tent springs an air leak?? Is it all over rover?

allan

2043 posts

Uber Geek

ID Verified

Lifetime subscriber

#2960615 28-Aug-2022 21:43

duckDecoy:

... But as others have noted, the inflatable tents seem to be fairly popular at the moment. One thing I don't know about those is how long they last, you can easily buy new poles (and kiwi camping are good at supplying parts should you need them) but what do you do if your inflatable tent springs an air leak?? Is it all over rover?

Zempire sell replacement "air beams", plus they also appear to have the equivalent of an inner tube that you can use in an emergency.

mortonman

270 posts

Ultimate Geek

Subscriber

#2960668 29-Aug-2022 09:32

sqw:

I'm in the market for a camping tent. I'm disappointed that none of the reputable brands (Marmot, North Face, Big Agnes etc) seem to make their camping tents available here or in Australia. I've been looking at ordering one from overseas but the lack of warranty could become a problem.

I've looked at the Macpac and Kathmandu options and they look ok. I'm likely to avoid the Macpac option as a friend of mine pitched it in the backyard and a pole broke. Replaced under warranty but questionable quality. I generally avoid buying store brands so I'm resistant to Kathmandu, Torpedo7 etc. And Coleman tents aren't great in my observation.

Interested in people's experiences with family sized camping tents — especially in rain and strong winds. We'd prefer a multi-room but single room with a large vestibule would be fine too.

You dont say what type of camping and for how many people.

For a throw in the car pitch up and stay in one place for a few days then the inflatables are great.

I camp every year with a few families and we all have inflatables.

There are 2 torpedo 7 tents, one zempire inflatble canvas and we have a zempire Evo2 TM. Our teenage kids all have 4 person pup tents from torpedo 7 and kiwi camping. We all used to sleep in one big tent but once the kids got older we have all moved onto smaller tents and the kids in their own.

The inflatable tents are great to put up and take down but I have found they don't have a good ventilation as a pole tent and they dont have a fly so the inside can get a bit damp in the mornings.

In the past we have owned a dwights canvas which was fantastic and massive but needed a trailer ( dwights also have inflatables). Also still have an old Kathmandhu tent which our daughter has used a couple of times.

sidefx

3711 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted

#2960678 29-Aug-2022 10:13

We've been happy with a Coleman chalet 9cv xl for a number of years. Haven't had much chance to use it over the last couple of years but hopefully this summer will get into it again!

Loads of space and Has been fine in some heavy rain and high winds, though nothing over the top.

Only disadvantages are that it's pretty bulky to transport and takes a bit of time to put up.

"I was born not knowing and have had only a little time to change that here and there." | Octopus Energy | Sharesies
- Richard Feynman

Equinox IT

Cloud spending continues to surge globally, but most organisations haven’t made the changes necessary to maximise the value and cost-efficiency benefits of their cloud investments. Download the whitepaper From Overspend to Advantage now.

MikeAqua

7773 posts

Uber Geek

#2960685 29-Aug-2022 10:43

We used to camp in a three room canvas tent. We area blended family, so separate rooms are great from a privacy perspective. Canvas is great for durability and headroom, you just need to have good poles. Screw pegs and guy-rope springs help a lot too.

I made short extension poles that allowed us to rig a silver tarp above the roof of the tent. This managed heat from the sun well, but had to be taken down for storms.

Mike

gabba

84 posts

Master Geek

Trusted

#2960975 29-Aug-2022 20:41

We also purchased a Kiwi Takahe 10 tent last year. We had a canvas tent that ended up having a pole broken, in a strong wind at Castlepoint. It was a weak point in the whole setup, and while another canvas one would have been nice, they are pretty expensive

We chose the Kiwi camping tent because it had some good reviews. I liked the idea that it had a mixture of metal and fiberglass poles in the structure, plus the layout was what we wanted.

I had a look at the Kathmandu ones as I've liked the look of them for some time, but weren't that keen on the pole system, and had heard some horror stories about poles breaking and replacement parts.

The Takahe 10 is a reasonably large tent - we sleep 5 in it comfortably, plus have a family room and seperate sunroom. First time it took us a couple of hours to put up, but can do it now reasonably easily in under an hour by myself. The tent itself (without the fly) is up within 15-20mins.

Been fine in rain and a bit of wind - we are a bit cautious now with camping on windy weekends!!! I expect though it would be pretty good in the wind as it is tied down well.

We bought ours from Outdoor Action . They were really helpful, and did us a good price. They do come up on special from time to time, but coming into summer that may not happen too often!

I have a workmate who replaced their tent with an inflatable Zempire. He seemed happy with it. Not long after he bought it, he popped a pole, and it was quite expensive to replace it, so if you go that way you might want to consider that as well

Cheers

blackjack17

1705 posts

Uber Geek

#2960980 29-Aug-2022 21:03

We moved away from have one large tent, to having a central shelter and smaller tents around it (mixture of hiking and warehouse ones). The smaller tents are more robust, when it rains you can move them under the shelter. If only part of the family is going then just take the shelter and one tent. Friends coming then adding extra tents is easier.

Electric kiwi signup credit Sharesies credit

Handle9

11386 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted

Lifetime subscriber

#2961034 30-Aug-2022 07:10

Dwight’s make excellent, reasonably priced (for the quality) tents. The double pole system is really impressive. They also give good support and supply spare parts.

We have an escape trio (three rooms) in NZ and have camped in 100km+ winds with no problems. I’d buy another one tomorrow.

For reference this is the storm we camped through. It was loud but the tent stood up like a Trojan. https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/347487/as-it-happened-storm-creates-havoc-across-nz

sqw

21 posts

Geek

#2961039 30-Aug-2022 08:06

Thanks everyone. Looks like some really nice options. Gotta say I'm impressed with the inflatable tents. I'd kinda dismissed them as gimmicky but it appears I was wrong.

I like the look of the Zempire range. I can't tell from the website — do the tents come with a pump or is that an extra? I also like the look of the sleeping mats — much like the excellent Exped.

Earbanean

937 posts

Ultimate Geek

#2961053 30-Aug-2022 09:31

We got a Zempire inflatable a couple of years ago and it's been good. I don't have the model number to hand. It's ideal for 'out of the car boot' camping, as opposed to 'carry on your back' camping. Have had friends with large Kathmandu tents which haven't been great at all, with various problems. I'd never get one.

Slightly off topic, but I've also had a very light 3 man Hilleberg tent for years, for back back camping. Highly recommend that.

Earbanean

937 posts

Ultimate Geek

#2961055 30-Aug-2022 09:34

sqw:

Thanks everyone. Looks like some really nice options. Gotta say I'm impressed with the inflatable tents. I'd kinda dismissed them as gimmicky but it appears I was wrong.

I like the look of the Zempire range. I can't tell from the website — do the tents come with a pump or is that an extra? I also like the look of the sleeping mats — much like the excellent Exped.

Yep, pump included. You can also get lots of after market accessories etc as well. Hunting and Fishing stores generally have lots of Zempire stuff. Great to go in and have a look at it all set up.

jonathan18

7413 posts

Uber Geek

ID Verified

Trusted

#2961086 30-Aug-2022 10:56

sqw:
Thanks everyone. Looks like some really nice options. Gotta say I'm impressed with the inflatable tents. I'd kinda dismissed them as gimmicky but it appears I was wrong.

I like the look of the Zempire range. I can't tell from the website — do the tents come with a pump or is that an extra? I also like the look of the sleeping mats — much like the excellent Exped.

Here’s a thread I started three years back on inflatable tents. I’d certainly recommend them, and would be very unlikely in the future to move back to a metal pole-based tent for a family tent.

https://www.geekzone.co.nz/forums.asp?forumid=179&topicid=247874

Ours is a Dwights; I thought they were much better built and designed than the Torpedo 7 inflatable tents. As many have pointed out here, Zempire tents are well-regarded but were quite a bit more expensive; I think the Dwights sit in that sweet spot of quality vs price. I suggest go into a store and check them all out in-person, though.

1 | 2