3 people comfortably in a tent

[gaz0303]

Hi all,

Need to equip my family of 5 for some planned adventures. Thoughts on how you best accommodate this? Kids are growing up (11-15) and don't fit into the small and cuddly description anymore. Ideally would like 2 tents but how do you handle 3 people and their stuff in a tent, especially in wet weather?

WE Arrow was at the top of my list, but with only 1 vestibule, can it handle 3 packs and still enable a hassle-free bathroom exit?
Are tents with extended vestibules like the Hillenburg GT series more accommodating?
Do you prefer front/back vestibules, like on the Vaude Mark L 3P, which allow for storage on one end and easy exit at the other?

It has crossed my mind to get a Nallo 4 GT for the family and a small tent for me:)

Cheers

[Warin]

Ummm Adventures?
https://hilleberg.com/eng/tent/red-labe ... itum-3-gt/
3.4 to 4.1 kg ... all seasons.

Do you really want/need all 4 seasons? For all 5 of you?

Two Xmid 2p would be <2kg total .. but 'only' 3 season... for less money...

[Tortoise]

Hi Gaz.
I have a 1st Arrow, which I comfortably use as a 2 person tent. At the foot, there's no room for a third mat, so you'd need a very short person with a short mat. At the head, there's enough room for food bags between the 2 mats, but I'm not sure if 3 regular sized mats would fit across. With 2 packs in the vestibule, there's room both sides to get in and out, but I think you'd be doing well to get 3 packs in there without blocking the exit - especially as there'd be no room in the tent for any extra gear.

[gaz0303]

I’m more concerned about coping with big rain events than camping on snow. Shoulder seasons in Tassie/NZ, UK weather. Sorry typed a bigger post about usage patterns but not quick enough to post it before it was lost.

Quality 3 season would be fine. More a question on vestibule orientation. The Xmid would require a climb over. All 5 of us hike together.

[gaz0303]

Thanks Tortoise…not the answer I wanted to hear but exactly the info I was looking for

[crollsurf]

If you are seriously considering tents like Hilleberg and the WE Arrow, I'm guessing you're not price sensitive. Both those tents are hard core 4 season tents. I wouldn't recommend taking the family on some extreme winter snow adventure (read blizzard, 100klm winds etc), at least not for a while. As nice as those tents are, they are overkill and heavier than you need for almost all hiking situations.

5 people in a tent, that sounds like fun, NOT. Plus there are no 5 person tents without people climbing over each other.

The obvious solution would be a 2 person tent and a 3 person tent. I think that would give you flexibility going forward. Some hikes may not be with the whole family. Plus the kids will have a tent to go hiking with there mates, school...

Alternatively 3 x 2 person tents would be great as well. Many of them have duel vestibules to avoid climbing over each other and provide adaquate cover for your gear. Plus the 3rd tent would only have 1 person and some extra space inside for gear.

I'd go Ultralight as much as you can afford. UL cost $$$ but even at the ages 11-15, you'll still be the pack mule for a while yet. UL doesn't mean 2 season. I've got the WE Arrow "UL" and it's bomb proof at 1.4kg

I've found a tent with a decent vestibule provides 100% protection from rain and wind to a larger degree. If you're getting flooded out, well, probably has more to do with site selection than anything else.

Wilderness Equipement and Mont are good local brands
Durston Gear and Tarptent and good US brands but there are a heap of others out there.

[Tortoise]

I've got the WE Arrow "UL" and it's bomb proof at 1.4kg

Hey Crolly! How'd you get your 2nd Arrow down to 1.4 kg? Specs say 1.86, with minimum weight (presumably leaving the pegs for the side guylines at home) 1.66 kg. Mine is about 1.8 kg packed with all the pegs.

[crollsurf]

I've got the WE Arrow "UL" and it's bomb proof at 1.4kg

Hey Crolly! How'd you get your 2nd Arrow down to 1.4 kg? Specs say 1.86, with minimum weight (presumably leaving the pegs for the side guylines at home) 1.66 kg. Mine is about 1.8 kg packed with all the pegs.

Sorry about that, I got that wrong, it's actually 2.4kg!! Thanks for pointing that out. I've always been confused with there naming, but looks like I have whats now called the First Arrow, plus a few extra sand pegs which I use for snow

[Neo]

Add a group hangout space using a tarp. Something like the larger Mont batwing or many other choices.

[headwerkn]

Until recently I owned a Nammatj GT and can vouch that, although you pay the price in weight and bulk, the extended vestibule 'GT' Hillebergs are definitely A Good Thing when it comes to extra storage, cooking and 'getting out of the weather' space. For non-crazy weather 3-season use the Anjan 3 GT has a lot of space for its weight (2.3kgish).

However, for less money - quite a lot less - you could buy each of your kids a Lanshan 1 Pro (https://3fulgear.com/product/ultralight ... rrency=AUD) and a hiking pole each. They each have their own tent, they each can carry their own tent, and enjoy and be responsible for their own space. Which teenagers will definitely appreciate... as I write this I'm having flashbacks of being crammed into a Coleman canvas A-frame tent with my brother and sister for endless camping trips... not fun!

Depending on where you're camping, having multiple small tents can be more flexible than one big/long tent when flat sites are at a premium.

Either way, add a tarp into the mix for being able to bring the family together when the weather isn't great.

[Moondog55]

I'm a big believer in having that extra space that a LW tarp gives a group.
When my kids were that age we used a couple of smaller tents, my girls used an early model Eureka Firelite and my son and I shared my old hybrid Fairydown and we normally erected a big tarp between them.
Tarps and tents are a lot lighter these days for the same size and strength

[garekabark]

Tents with extended vestibules, such as the Hillenburg GT, usually provide extra space, but the single vestibule WE Arrow can also work if you don't need a lot of overall space. The Vaude Mark L 3P with front and rear vestibules is a good option for easy storage.

[Moondog55]

So are you still looking or have you made a decision?
I'm starting to have sellers regret about passing on my Hellesport tunnel with the massive extended vestibule

[gaz0303]

I ended up with a Mont Moondance EX, Mont Krypton and a Mont Batwing tarp. Moondance takes the 3 kids, wife and I in the Krypton. The tarp has proved very versatile. Krypton wasn’t part of the plan until the it popped up on sale and I made an impulse buy.

This setup worked well for our recent 3 night Guthega - Main Range loop. 1st night was a severe thunderstorm while at Pounds Ck with 50mm+ rain. Tents were faultless.

Tarp worked well for both wind, rain and sun protection over the trip and was an ideal solution for meals and playing cards under. I took it down each night but in future trips might keep it up to store packs under.