2.5 person car camping tent

You’ve invested in some awesome shelters. I’ve heard great things about Slingfin for durability and weather worthiness, but are you really just getting more of something you already have a great solution for?

For a value/quality/easy car camping tent it seems hard to beat an REI Halfdome SL 2+ (or 3+). For more you can get a BA Copper Spur with the awnings for ventilation. I haven’t tried it so don’t know if it’s useful for rain protection deployed up.  I’ve focused on freestanding because it’s easy and good for teens in my view.

Full disclosure, I started a PT job with REI the last year. There are a ton of options and many more REI doesn’t carry. Definitely lighter, cheaper, and maybe there is a silpoly freestanding tradional car camping tent I’m not aware of. Following to hear other’s suggestions, but if I had the shelters you already have I’m not sure I would be spending a lot on another car camping tent.

Now you didn’t mention hammocks. That’s what I use whenever possible while car camping.

Copper Spur 3 Long?

I like the TentLab Moonlight tents for car camping. They are available in 2, 3, and 4 person sizes, are quite spacious, well made, strong, silpoly, and easy to set up. I also like the Big Sky Revolution in the 3 person size, but it looks like it may now be available only in 2 person.

 Sierra Designs Meteor.

It comes with unbelievably cheap pegs so I invested in some that I can drive in with my hatchet. I have the 3 but I’m usually solo so I fill it with an Exped Megamat and pitch it on top of a set of EVA foam exercise mat squares Plenty of room at a great price point.

I sent you a PM

How big is your car? How large is your wallet? Springbar makes some nice tents. I keep a OneTigris in my truck. A bit cheaper. For a small car you may want something lighter and less bulky.

@Terran, as this is for a 2+ -person tent, size/weight of the tent won’t matter, no one of them will be so big as to be a problem.

No set price.

oh, and when I said headroom, I meant sitting headroom, not standing height.

@Bob, we do have hammocks, haha. But don’t normally use them car camping, just backpacking/canoe camping.   Campgrounds tend to frown upon them, plus no place to get dressed or leave stuff while you are away for the day.

Included Stakes are not a consideration. I have lots of stakes already.

@Ken Ross, thanks for the tip.
I am really trying to stay away from PU coatings, at least on lighter fabrics, after the inner PU coating on our Big Agnes (I think) completely hydrolyzed a year or two ago.

Silpoly would be my preferred fabric for  the combo maintaining tension when wet, and quick drying, but I didn’t know of any brands.

When we go car camping we really want to be comfortable, so even if there are only two of us, I set up our 6-person LLBean tent with an integrated screened vestibule and we have plenty of room to put a double air-mattress and duffels with our clothing.  It’s nice to be able stand anywhere in the tent and it’s not so big that it’s an issue when packing.  I also typically take a 12×12 screened room to go over the picnic table, which is where we hang out when we’re in camp and not sitting around the fire or sleeping.  I guess my point is this:  Why not just use your 4-6P REI monster when car camping?  Space to set up a tent is often an issue when backpacking, but when car camping there’s usually a large flat space (at least where we car camp).

I actually just bought a Rivian R1S that has Camp Mode.  To go with it I bought a SUV Tent that connects to the rear hatch of the Rivian.  I’m looking forward to having time to try it in a campground.  It will give us a level sleeping platform with A/C and heat and the SUV tent allows us to stand up easily.  A lot of people like RTT (Roof Top Tents) with these SUVs but, at 60, the thought of climbing down a ladder when nature calls multiple times during the night is really unappealing.

@Bob, yes, I could use the existing tents we have.

The Durston is small, certainly for 2 people (for car camping. It’s quite roomy 2 for a backpacking tent). A bit more challenging set up. I suppose I could have sent it with my 16 y.o this weekend when they camped at a rowing regatta. For 1 person it would have been big enough.

The Hex and the Ultamid don’t work “as is” because they have no vestibule, and rain enters the inner tent when you unzip the door. I can deal with that for backpacking to save the weight, but it’s silly for car camping.
I could get a 2 person inner for one of those, and use those. That’s actually a good option.

I bought the Hex 3 about 18 years ago, and we used it backpacking with all 4 of us when the kids were tiny. It was great at less than 3 pounds for a full double wall, super wind resistant shelter for the entire family.
I always struggled with pitching it though, the 6/12 sided shape just isn’t easy, especially on uneven ground or with uneven stake points. Add to that the sag when wet, so that’s why I got the Ultamid 4: easier set up, no sag and fits all 4 of us if needed, or 3 with lots of room.

So it seems the Ultamid half insert or the Moonlight 2+ or 3  would be the best options:

Getting the 2 person inner for the Ultamid:

That would allow set up fly first (I think. Perhaps need to add a small carabiner or hook for the top attachment). No sag fabric. Lots of floor space, less sitting space inside the inner, and touching the mesh for the second sleeper.
Least expensive option.

The Moonlight tents would be another great option.

Easy set up, (semi) freestanding can be nice. Could use for winter camping with a Pulk. Smaller foot print.
More “comfort” features like pockets etc. More adjustment/venting options (multiple doors/vestibules More durable notions. Could get the 3 person size, so that when we have trips with just 3 of us, it’s an option.

Much more expensive.

@Kevin:

good point about when not to use the big two chamber family car camping tent.
It certainly has pros. We did just as you say, including the screen tent, last month when we went to a mtb race for four days with all 4 of us, and rain was forecast. It was nice to have the space to change and hang stuff to dry and eat in a dry spot.

Here are the situations/reasons we don’t always want that:

A 2.5 week road trip we did from MN to UT. We only camped 2 nights, in Wyoming in summer, so didn’t expect much rain. At the same time, ease of set up, and packed size was at a premium, since we had all the other gear. So a smaller, quick to set up tent is nice in those types of trips, or trips where you only stay in each spot for 1 night.

The other one is for group events. For the group campsites, there is often not room for each person/couple to bring a full family tent, nor is there room in the cars for every one to do that.

Conversely, for dispersed camping, it’s hard to find a large flat spot for the big tent, so even 2 smaller ones is an easier option.

I have a half insert for a DuoMid XL so I can visualize the Ultamid 4. I don’t use it as much as I have a Solplex for BP and I find the freestanding tents easier for car camping.  I also have a big REI Kingdom 4 that was great for Adventure Guides when my son was young, but now we either hammock camp, use bivies or freestanding tents for the desert. My son has a HalfDome 2 that served him well in Scouts and he took it with him when he moved to Austin. I just got a HubbaHubba 2 for me since I often hit the SoCal desert in winter months and wind and rain are possible. You need bigger versions than me, but maybe not for long. Once he was in HS my son wanted and took care of his own tent when car camping.  BPing he’s still willing to share with dad.  Maybe consider what becomes the hand me down shelter. It will come sooner than you think.

There are several freestanding tents that have larger vestibules like the BA Blacktail Hotel line that might give you the mud room to avoid rain getting in. I always thought a tarp would be a good stand-in of extended rain is expected, but I’ve only deployed it when there were good trees and usually then over the eating area instead of outside the tent.

@Bob:

very true about family dynamics changing, and that’s indeed why I listed the ages. Since my previous tents have all lasted me 10-20 years, I figured this mattered. Soon it will just be the 2 of us again 🥹

my oldest did indeed want their own tent last year camping with the youth rowing team, while the rest of our family slept in the big tent,  and like yours, they are willing to share the X-mid 2 for our upcoming bikepacking trip, to save weigh/bulk, haha!

Seconding the Moonlight tents.

We are a family of three and occasional small dogs, and the ML4+ has been really, really nice for car camping, which is what I bought it for after realizing our Ultamid 4 (sold) wasn’t as comfy for that purpose. These tents won’t win any minimalist or ultralight or fastpacking awards. And I value those things in their place. But since the design choices focus on car camping or easier going backpacking trips, for this intention they are very pleasant to use in every regard. The tent shapes, fabrics, and hardware notions are well thought-out. Miles ahead of any big box REI type designs. They can also take a LOT of wind. Great tents.

Tjaard, when I summarize your goals I get a picture something like this:

– 3 person tent (because those are truly 2.5 p or less).
– Weight and pack size are secondary, but light-ish opens possibilities.
– Family dynamics -> downsizing more likely than upsizing.
– Strong is good.
– Vestibule(s).
– Free-standing is a good counterbalance to your current collection of mids.
– Longer is better.

That leads me to free-standing domes, which are popular: Nemo Dragonfly 3 (88″L), Hubba Hubba 3 (84″L), Slingfin Portal 3 (92″L), Moonlight 2+/3+ (95″L), and Big Agnes Copper Spur 3 Long (96″L).

The Moonlights look great for car camping. They are the heaviest, so probably not for backpacking, ever.

Copper Spur 3 Long is the longest.

Portal 3 is 92″ long and perhaps strongest of the 3-person tents.

(Note: Durston is working on the X-Dome, which he hopes to make lighter and stronger than the Portal 3. However, the first version will probably be 2-person, so too small. I assume similar for Tarptent, although they seem more likely to make a 3-person tent before Durston, maybe.)

EDIT: Oh, and about the vestibules: Most of the above tents have some vestibule. If you want more, then a small tarp rigged between the tent and two trekking poles would give you an extended vestibule.

@Bil, well said.

I went ahead and ordered the Moonlight 3. Although their 2+ really is 2+, my daughter and o figured (t would be nice to have the 3 person option for those trips (more in the future) where it’s just 3 of us.

The Copper Spur long  was a great option, but after my last experience with a short life span on a BA tent, I figured I would go more for durability than light weight.

Nice. Durability is a feature itself.

Moonlights do appear to be strong. Let us know how it works out.