family wall tent

[62flint]

Wellll
My wife and daughter are now going to events with me. Annnd they are bringing friends.
Now don't get me wrong I am really glad they are going but I am running out of room in the tent.
I need a wall tent with a stove insert that will be big enough for 5 people and gear. 2-3 adults and 2-3 kids on average.
I also need a stove in the tent at times.
I have a bell backed wedge I set up for a "kids" tent when the weather is warm. This past weekend got to cold for the kids to sleep in it.
So what size do you think I should get? 12x14,12x16 or?
Also what about makers. I have had panther tents and have been happy with them. What about some of the other makers?
Thanks

 

[flintlock75]

Your story sounds famillar,
I have a 13x18 marquis with a stove, It is awesome in bad weather. This past summer was very wet and cold. I had the family at a 10 day rondy and we were all dry and warm, unlike a few others.
At one point my daughter had 5 frends inside out of the rain. there was plenty of room. While marquis take more to set-up if you are going to be in one place for a few days, it is well worth it. My tent was made by Tentmasters about 20 years ago, it still looks like new. I also have a military wedge for short stays, it is 8'-6w x 9'-6"L, it has a stove also. its ok for 2 adults and 2 children for sleeping not so good to hang out in.

 

[Muskeg Stomper]

I would recommend that you assess your needs a bit. Do you plan to sleep on the ground, use cots, or have a collapsable period bed? If sleeping on the ground, plan on a footprint of about 30" X 75" per adult. Cots make the footprint a little wider so that you can move around them. Obviously, a full camp bed takes considerably more.

The wood stove is going to eat up quite a bit of floorspace if you are going to use it safely. I would plan a margin of about three feet all the way around the stove so that nobody squirms up too close in the middle of the night.

Do you plan on having gear boxes or furniture inside the tent at night?

Unfortunately, camping comfort comes with the price of the hassle of more camp set-up time and tent transportation and storage issues. In the long run, keeping the family interested in coming along with general comfort makes it worthwhile. As Roundball75 stated, many up here were forced to reevaluate their tent choices after some nasty weather. A smaller second tent can be used when it's just you out with the boys for shorter trips.

 

[mazo kid]

We just got a Panther Primitives wall tent, 12 X 14 and had it custom made to have 4 ft. side walls and a 7 ft. ridge (instead of the standard 5 ft. walls and 9 ft ridge). We did this so we could still use our dining fly. We had a 10 X 12 with 3 ft. walls before and the room increase was amazing. We have 2 cots we make up into a queen size bed and there is lots of room left! If you had separate cots, you could sleep a bunch of people.

 

[hack]

Contact Four Seasons Tentmasters 517-436-6246
they sell a 12 x 15 with four foot walls that is just wonderful for four people and a stove.

 

[Muskeg Stomper]

Check out this brochure from Denver Tent Company. I don't know anyone who has one of their tents but the brochure is pretty handy for comparing just what you can fit in common tent sizes.
Link

 

I have a 12x12 and a 12x14, both from Panther.

Find a room in your house that is near the demensions of the tents and compare the feeling of size and plan the layout. You can even chalk outlines on the driveway. Tents this size are a big investment and making a mistake in size requirements is an expensive irritation.

You can set up 8 cots in the 12x12 and still have walkaround room and a stove. You can also set up two double beds and still have one side of the tent free. If you line up the beds along the walls you could jam a bunch of kids in there.

The 12x14 will accomidate three double beds with half the tent left over and we have slept as many as 12 on cots and about the floor with room for more.

When the whole family is present, espically the raft of teenage girls in our clan, I set up a wedge tent as a changing area and closet with clothes hanging from a rod along the ridgepole. Those girls like to make their own clothes and will change two or three times a day. You will need a designated privacy area.

When our boys hit about 12 or 13 they broke off into teir own camp and set up a tent close buy to escape the giggling and noise. It was a good idea, I spent a lot of time over there.

My 12x12 has 5 foot walls and the 12x14 has 4 foot walls. I greatly perfer the 5 foot walls. I can stand up all the way to the edge of the tent.

 

[mrbortlein]

62FLINT,
We got the 12x18x9 with 5ft walls from Panther last year and love the amount of room we have. But with that extra room makes it possible for a few problems. One of the biggest issues of having a larger tent is the need for help setting up camp. It's a family project and every one has to chip in to get it set up. Another issue is the need for support. Depending on how tight you want your sides you may need posts on the sides of the tent; or you will be using lots of ropes. So if you use the posts, now you have to haul some really long pieces of wood or find a way to connect two pieces of wood together to get the length you need. Either way it's a pain to haul. You might also need a center support up right. So when you are planning your floor space remember that you can't place your wifes' bed where the pole is going. With the stove, when ordering, you have to know exectly where you are going to set the stove. Heating the tent is also an issue. We set up at the Eastern this year and a few nights got down near freeezing. It is more difficult to heat the larger tent. So be prepaired to get up in the middle of the night to make a fire when needed. You should also consider a particion for priviacy. We had ours installed about 2/3 of the way back. Don't want to discourage you from getting a larger tent, just letting you know of the things we had to consider when we made this purchase. And don't forget, larger tent means finding a larger camp site. Good luck.
mrbortlein

 

[Bullmoose]

As to WALL TENTS, I got a Kirkam's tent from Utah, less than $500 and one awesome tough tent in the 14.7 OZ cloth, had it for 3 years, awesome 10x12 wall tent and they will put ties instead of snaps, also if want back door, they will do that, Just a great tent,
LINK http://www.springbar.com/wall_tents/options.html

 

I recently purchased a 14X16 Davis Wall Tent

I am very well pleased with the quality and the service this tent maker out of Denver Colorado has to offer. I highly recommend them . They are a 3rd generation business and will go out of their way to help you with any questions you may have and make what ever size tent you request.
I would also say that you should check out their website .....
Link

Hear also is a couple pictures of the tent I got set up.

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I was just on the Davis Tent website and their January Specials are hard to beat with what they have included in them.. I would get the extra door option added on to one of the tents they have in the January Special.And you may want to check out the stoves too. They keep the cold at bay for sure if you plan on cold weather camping.
Here's the
Link

 

[gbsclohn]

Woodhick,
Great looking tent :thumbsup:
What do you have on the inside of the tent for a frame? Wood poles or metal frame?
Greg

 

I have an internal frame made of 1' electric conduit.They have the angle kit for the peak and corners and the center that the conduit will fit into. They also will supply the cut list ( what lengths it needs to be) for the conduit with the tent. This tent can be set up with a ridge pole and the "A" frame type ends also.From what I have read , the "A" frame is the best setup for in windy conditions. It also saves from haveing to transport the internal frame when going on a trip.The ends at the peak come with the hole for the ridge pole to stick out and rest in the "A" frame ends, or you can secure it off into a tree.
Right now they are two wall tents on special for the month of Jan. they have a monthly specials. usualy every month it is different special.
They also have some interesting info on canvas on their website. I done weeks of googeling tents and this is the one that I pick as for quality and cost campared to many others. After hunting elk in Colorado last fall , I made my mind up that I would never go again with out a wall tent.
The first number in a tent size is always the width so a 12X14 is 12 ft wide and 14 ft long. also it is recomended that if you thinka 12X14 is large enough then you should get the next size bigger. Espically when someone extra is going to be going along as in your situation. As mentioned layout on a garage floor or in the yard , weather permitting, the size of the tent you are considering . Then mark off or set up your cot and stove and table and what ever else you plan on haveing in it. You will soon see that the next size bigger is most likely the way to go. You won't be sorry in the end.
And if you call them you will be surprised at the customer service that they have. One thing that is missing in many business these days.They will go out of their way to make sure you get exactly what you want, along with some very usefull suggestion.
Good Luck

 

[gbsclohn]

I already have a Panther 12 X 18 wall tent and I just got in a frame kit from a place in Idaho custom made to my tent(I hope it fits)
The reason I got a frame kit was the hopeful ease in setting it up over the 3 pole wood ridgepole setup.
Do you have any problems setting yours up ---
Pros and Cons????
Thanks,
Greg

 

I can set my 14X16 up myself in about an hour if no suds break in involved
I lay the tent out with the top laying in the middle. I then climb inside with the roof frame and assemble.
To make it easier I color code all the conduit and angles that they go into with spray paint.
No guessing as to what angle and what conduit go together.
I would suggest that you set the frame up by itself and color code all the connections for faster assembly.
I took the time to wrap masking tape to make stripes when color codeing them so you can use just a couple colors simply by useing different numbers of rings or stripes on the connections.
Good Luck and hope you new frame will work out great for you.
If it fits tight, it may be your tent has shrunk. I have read where you can wet the tent and stretch it fit the frame. Then leave it set up until it dries and reforms to the frame.
The most single important thing about a canvas tent is:
NEVER STORE IT WET OR DAMP> ALWAYS STORE IT COMPLETELY DRY
Mildew is the worse enemy of canvas tents.

Good luck and hope your new frame will fit.

 

[gbsclohn]

Thanks for the info :hatsoff: