Tent recommendations for 1 adult & 2 kids?

[Steven Hall]

Hoping to get my 4 & 6 year old out this summer and have been a hammock dweller for the past few years. Looking for some recommendations of a cheaper/lightest tent that could fit all three of us?

I´ve read the TT Double Rainbow is a good size for 2 adults, any one ever tried to put an adult and two small kids in it?

Thanks!

[Mark Verber]

If the kids are less than 3ft tall and you stack the head to head (rather than side to side) it would work. My favorite solution was a pyramid tarp… I took the middle and the kids went on either side so the steeply sloping walls wasn’t an issue.

[dirtbag]

Define cheaper?

 

[Steven Hall]

Thanks, sounds like that might be a tight fit…

Cheaper = something I can pick up for under $300 used.

[dirtbag]

I would have recommended a Nemo Dagger 3p..  it is expensive though unless you scored one used on gear swap. I have one that I have used with 2 of my kids.. and there is lots of room in it. We fit my wide pad and 2 regular pads in it and all of our gear. 

[dirtbag]

REI members get 20% off and if you have any dividend refunds…

[Derek Pankratz]

We’ve had good success with a Black Diamond Mega Light with two adults and two kids. Could probably find it <$300 with sales and a little patience.

[Luke Schmidt]

I’d lean towards a bit of extra space whatever you get. I don’t know about your kids but I’ve seen kids move a lot in their sleep on camping trips. And extra room is nice if there is rain etc.

Once we tried an experiment with a cabin full of campers and two staff in a huge tent. Somehow I ended up with a kid draped over my ankles. I tried to roll him off but another kid had rolled into his spot. Not wanting to move 3 or 4 kids I slept curled up in an uncomfortable ball. Never used that silly tent again.

[Steven Hall]

Thanks! My kiddos would probably want a floor…does anyone make a tent like this on the cheaper side that has a floor?

Think Iḿ going to error on the larger side.

[Luke Schmidt]

Personally I’d look at a cheap generic 3 or 4 person Kelty. Not very light but with kids that young you won’t be hiking dawn to dusk like thru hikers. A couple years ago I took a 9 year old caribou hunting. He got tired so I took his rifle and I think his water in addition to my rifle, the spotting scope etc. I probably had 30 pounds. I still had energy to hike when the reasonably fit kid started to tucker out. I doubt a heavy tent will slow you down.

Side note, hiking gets old faster for littles. Plan fun campground activities. First pocket knife, s’mores, etc. When I was 4 or 5 I put a Donald Duck butter knife in a leather sheath I found somewhere and that was my “real” big kid knife.  I could peel bark off a stick and that was pretty cool for a preschooler (but not very dangerous). You might be able to do something similar. I like to have a few surprises I pull out at opportune times.

[Alex Wallace]

I’ve taken my 2 boys on many backpacking trips starting when they were 3 and 8, now 5 and 10, using a “4 person” mid w/ inner (TaraPoky Mega). Works really well for us. For something a bit cheaper, maybe something like Luxe Outdoor’s Sil Octopeak f8; or 3F UL’s CangYuan 3 (similar to Golite’s Shangri-la 3).

[jscott]

One tent for you…and another for the kids? set up right next to each other if the kids prefer that.

Otherwise, yeah, go to Rei and get something generic that'[s not too pricey. It will work.

[Elena Lee]

I have tried to put two small kids in my Double Rainbow TT a couple of times for an overnight, but it’s not ideal. I brought my double matress that covers the entire floor of the tent and had one of them sleep facing the other way.

Now we just go with two tents.

[Steven Hall]

Thanks! I think I’m gonna try to find a deal on a TT Rainshadow 3…seems like it would be a good size and something we could use for awhile!

[Kevin B]

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