family tent recommendations?

[nikki73]

Going on first camping trip.looking to buy cheapish tent for family of 4. Has to be light as we are going by train. Where is best to buy?should I go for 4 man or 6 man.any tips welcome.thanks

[intexasatthe moment]

http://www.eastdulwichforum.co.uk/forum/read.php?29,1313548,1325099#msg-1325099

I'd recommend going to Surrey Quays and looking at the tents in Decathalon .

[bawdy-nan]

have you thought about taking two smaller (aka lighter) tents? might be easier to manage on the train. Even if you don;t go for 2 x 2man / 3 man you might want to consider a small light 4 man PLUS a small tent to keep your stuff in. The problem with camping without a car is where to keep your stuff...

[nikki73]

thanks for link and tip. We did go to decathlon a few weeks back and most are over budget but think will try again.

[intexasatthe moment]

Oh excellent point bawdy-nan . Quite agree - storage tent brilliant idea.

[david_carnell]

With tents you've got three factors to consider and you can only have two at a time: cost; size; weight.

You can have a light, big tent but it will be expensive.

You can have a cheap, big tent but it will weigh a ton.

You can have a light, cheap tent but it will be small.

Make a decision.

I don't know how old your kids are but if they're big enough to carry gear then I'd go for 2xtwo/three man tents. You'll never manage a family tent without transport or a trolley. They weigh a lot unless you spend uber bucks. See above.

[nikki73]

Thanks for the tips. Went to decathlon. They are generally quite pricey but there s a cheap range which should work for our purposes

[newtoedf]

if you are travelling by train try to get to the station early and ask to put your luggage in the guards van. by the time you add in 4 sleeping bags, mats/inflatable mattresses, luggage, cooking stuff etc. it is likely to take up a lot of space and there is often minimal storage space on trains. If it's busy it will be hideous trying to stow it all away without dropping it on anyone. I've taken the camping gear for 4 of us on the train by myself with a toddler in tow and it was fine but I was very grateful for the guard's van...

[reneet]

Can you borrow one from someone? see if you like camping before you buy a tent. We have a 6 man and it is really heavy.