Yes, another “which tent” thread

Have you considered doing 2 2-man tents instead of one that can fit the 4 of you? You can pitch your kids close to yours and they will likely think it is cool that they get their own tent. I suggest this because it won't be long before they will want their own tent anyway and if you got a BA FL UL 3 for instance (really sized for two), it is light enough that they can seperate the poles and tent body and each carry their part. It's also big enough that all four of you could squeeze in for playing games and reading before bed before going back to your own tent. I have three boys and this is similar to what I did with them and it worked out great.

My go to tent with the wife and kids has been the Big Agnes Copper Spur UL4. The tent is dead simple, free standing, huge and a little over 5 pounds and packs surprisingly small. When the kids were little, I needed a space where they could stand up – they didn't like not being able to stand up – and play a little if the weather was bad. Now that they are older, it has become the "luxury tent" for shorter trips.

Type "Family Tent" into the search bar and you will find lots of good discussion and options for backpacking. Aside from the usual tent considerations here are a few family specific ones culled from the discussions-

1. How far do you want to walk?
2. What is the family dynamic like? Some people start in one shelter and then move to two once the kids are older. Some start with two right away. Others stay in one shelter because they like the closeness. Only you can answer this, and it probably will change over time.
3. How robust does it need to be? Some kids are gentle, others like to bounce!
4. Some folks like to improvise by fitting into smaller tents and seem to do fine.

Popular tents for 3 season backpacking for 4 people:
A mid (with net tent for buggy areas)- MLD, OWARE, Golite?
Copper Spur UL4
Tarptent Hogback
Other tarps/net tents.

Examples (assuming no cuben fiber due to cost)
Tarptent Hogback -65oz $399
Silnylon MLD Supermid (29oz) with Supermid Inner (20oz)= 49oz +pole&stakes = $530
Copper Spur UL4 85oz $630

Have fun shopping.

The Hogback is a monster, but awesome!!!!!!!

This tent will handle three and maybe even four if they are small. It is light for its size.

The Hogback takes 4 x 6' mats with some space at the head/foot end for all however it has a smaller footprint than both the BA and MLD tents mentioned above.
franco@tarptent