Campers Info Source

How many times have you wished that your tent had a sleeping area and an area to sit at a picnic table aways from the bugs.  I’ve lived in Minnesota almost my entire life and with all of our beautiful lakes, we also have lots of mosquito’s and other flying insects.  My wife Kay and I would often take the kids camping and the mosquitoes always seemed to bother my wife and kids more than me. 

Chinook Twin Peaks Guide 4 Person Plus

When I moved to Texas in 1987, we were surprised to find there were literally no mosquitoes when we went camping.  This was mainly because they had a lot less water for mosquitoes to flourish.  But they did have fire ants and roaches which were almost worse.  We moved back to Minnesota in 1993 and the mosquitoes welcomed us with open arms again.  We had a big family dome tent with lots of room for all three kids and we spent a lot of time around the camp fire.  It would have been nice at the time to have a large screened area to protect the kids from the mosquitoes while still enjoying time around the campfire.  Chinook is a tent manufacturer that came up with an innovative design concept in family/group tents: Chinook’s InterDome.  Among the large dome tents available today, the Chinook Twin Peaks Guide 4 Person Plus tent is a 3 season, 2 tent-in-1 system, for double the living space. One very roomy sleeping dome, plus a functional and practical screened dome with a removable heavy-duty floor the will make you the envy of the campground.  It has an extremely large screened dome which is big enough to fit a picnic table.  Both Interdome rooms have plenty of headroom with peaks that are 6’6″ high.  It has a heavy duty, oxford nylon floor on the main dome that will stand up to repeated camp cot and foot traffic. And it has a very durable PE floor on the screened dome hat can be removed if necessary.  It’s two large doors on the fly double as sun and rain awnings. Now you can have a large screened area to protect the kids from the mosquitos while still enjoying time around the campfire.   If this is something you’d like, I recommend you check out the Chinook Twin Peaks Guide 4 Person Plus tent and remember, “The Joy is in the Journey”.

A long time ago there was a family that went on a tent camping vacation to a place they had never been before.  A mother, father, Brother, Sister and a small baby went on the trip.  They brought a medium sized dome tent to sleep in, not one of those large dome tents you see at most camp grounds.  After a full day of driving to the camp ground and a long day of sight seeing, the family decided to check into a local hotel for the night and continue their drive across country the next morning.  They’d checked out all the

Sierra Designs Wu Hu Annex 4+2 Person Tent

surrounding areas and the hotels were all full. Finally they came to the last one and were desperate!  They enter in to find that the hotel was full!  Desperate, the father told the clerk “We’ll take anything you have… just Anything!!  “Please Mr.” hes said.  “Don’t you have a room for us?”  The clerk felt really bad for the family and told the father “Sir, we do happen to have just one room left. We don’t normally let people stay in it though. It’s haunted. Everyone that has stayed always disappears in the middle of the night without so much as a goodbye or even paying their bill!”  The father said ” Great!! We’ll take it! You see, I don’t believe in all that ghost rubbish anyhow!”  So the father took the key and the family went into the old hotel room.  Seeing as how the family was so tired from their travel, the family decided to order out for pizza. The pizza finally arrived and the mother got the pizza and put it on the counter. The little baby was so hungry!!  He watched that pizza the whole time!  Mom announced “Everyone it’s time to wash up for dinner!!” So off to the bathroom Mom went to wash her hands for dinner.  She entered into the bathroom, turned on the sink and heard a horribly scary voice …  “BLOOOOOODYYYYYYYY FINNNNNNNNGGGERRRRRR.  It scared the mom so badly that she jumped out the bathroom window and ran away, never to be seen again!  After a few minutes the father started to wonder where the mother was.  So he told the kids he would go find out so that they could take their turn in the bathroom and then eat the pizza.  He went into the bathroom, turned on the sink and heard that same scary voice “BLOOOOOOODYYYYYY FIIIINNNNNNNNGGGGERRRRR”  He got so scared that he ran to the window, jumped out and was never to be seen again.  After another few minutes the brother started to wonder where Mom and Dad were.  He went into the bathroom to check on them. He walked over to the sink, turned on the water and heard “BBBBLLLLLLOOOODDDDYYYY FIIINNNNNNGGGERRRRR” (getting louder and louder each time it was said).  He ran to the window and jumped out, never to be seen again.  The sister then started to wonder where everyone had gone to.  She went into the bathroom to check things out. Once in the bathroom she decided to wash up.  She walked to the sink, turned on the water and heard a scary voice “BBBBLLLLLLOOOODDDDYYYYY FFIIINNNNGGGGEEERRRRR” (getting louder each time it was said).   She was so scared that she ran to the bathroom window and jumped out, never to be seen again.  Ok…so all that’s left is the baby,…..he’s pretty upset that everyone has left him alone and he can’t even reach that delicous pizza himself!  He was going to tell them exactly what he thought about it too!  JUST as soon as he can find them.   So he crawled into the bathroom to see where everyone had gone. First he opened the door…nothing…he crawled over to the sink…still nothing…..”hmm” he thought to himself… THEN he heard it!  The scary scary voice… “BLLLLOOODDDDYYY FIIINNNNNGGERRRRR”.  The baby, frustrated, looked around …”BLLLLOOODDDDYYY FIIINNNNNGGERRRRR” (much louder this time!).  The baby just sat there ,…”BLLLLOOODDDDYYY FIIINNNNNGGERRRRR (VERY loud).  Finally the baby says just as loud and very frustrated “AWWWW Stick a BANDAID ON IT!” he shouts!  And the scary voice was never heard again.

No matter who you talk to about choosing camping tents, the single most important factor in choosing a camping tent is to pick the right size.  There are lots of other things to consider but size matters most.  It’s like buying a new house.  One of the most important things to consider when buying a new house is to choose the right location.  For example, is it close to

Wenzel Great Basin Family Dome Tent

where you work, shop, go to school etc.  If you have a large family or need lots of storage space, you need a big tent. 

There are many words to describe something that is big like large, extra large, gigantic, huge, gargantuant, massive etc.  The Wenzel Great Basin 18-by-10-foot family dome tent is HUGE. 

This is among the biggest of 9 Person tents available today.  It sleeps up to nine campers in its two spacious and weather-resistant, rooms, making it ideal for large families or smaller families with lots of gear.

This is the second in a series of six blog posts describing six different designs of camping tents in order to help you choose which style of camping tents is best suited to you.

Modified Dome Tents

The Modified dome tent is almost a dome tent except that it has a square floor area as well as some poles for extra support.  Almost all four-season tents are of the modified dome design.  One good example of this is the geodesic dome

MT.Garfield Dome Tent - With Fly

tent which is especially designed for snow or high winds because of its multiple pole intersections.  Modified dome tents are available as Large Dome Tents or smaller dome tents.  The Wolf Mountain Dome tent from Gigatent is a large, modified, 3 room dome tent which is easy and quick to set up.  It also provides plenty of interior volume and floor space.  There are three twin track doors which provide easy access to the rooms.  The room dividers are removable allowing for one large room or three smaller rooms.  There are four windows in the tent and 2 large roof vents for air flow.  A bath tub floor helps keep things dry and sewn in pockets keep small items off of the floor. A large duffle style tent bag makes this tent easy to pack and carry to the campsite.

When buying a tent, make sure you are looking for the design which best suits your needs. If you’re the family guy then a large dome tent or modified dome tent is the best one for you. If you’re a backpacker, the modified A-frame or tunnel tent may be the perfect design for your lifestyle. Whatever your needs may be, also keep in mind the quality of the tent you will buy; it is an investment for you to enjoy the life outdoors.

This is the first in a series of six blog posts describing styles of camping tents to help you choose the design best suited to you.  It doesn’t matter if you are in the mountains, back country, lake country or desert, the great outdoors call for a reliable tent so you can fully enjoy the tent camping experience.  Camping tents come in different designs, styles, sizes, shapes, and colors.  So it’s important that 

Eureka! Luxury Family Tents Equinox 6

the design of your camping tent be best suited to your needs.  Going over the different designs and styles will help you make the right choice.  

There are at least six designs you can choose from: dome or umbrella, modified dome, A-frame or wedge, modified A-frame, tunnel or hoop, and pyramid, cone, or teepee tents.  Each design provides a unique set of benefits which may be good enough for some backpackers but not to campers.  

Dome or Umbrella Tents

The first design is the Dome or umbrella tent – Its basic design is hexagonal which uses three or more poles depending on the pattern.  There are many models to choose from and can sleep two to eight people.  A dome or umbrella tent is a good choice for all types of camping for most of the year.  They are also easy to set up and take down therefore ideal for backpackers and adventure seekers.  They are great space savers for packing and are lightweight as well.  If you have a large family or a large group such as cub scout, boy scouts or girl scouts, Large Dome Tents are your best choice.  In particular, choose large dome tents that have multiple rooms so your older children can have the privacy they prefer.  If you are looking for a little luxury in a 3 season tent known for exceptional wind stability, maximum weather protection, and easy set up, check out the Eureka! Luxury Family Tents Equinox 6.  It sleeps 6 and is a perfect example of a dome style tent with all the benefits. 

There are other tents out there which do not belong to any of the above because their design is a combination of the best features of any of the above given tents. When buying a tent, make sure you are looking for the design which best suits your needs. If you’re the family guy then a dome or modified dome tent is the best one for you. If you’re a backpacker, the modified A-frame or tunnel tent may be the perfect design for your lifestyle. Whatever your needs may be, also keep in mind the quality of the tent you will buy; it is an investment for you to enjoy the life outdoors.  When selecting the right tent, check that it fits your needs. Don’t think twice if you need to shell out some more if what you’re going to buy will shut out the rain and the mosquitoes.

If you look up the word “Dome” in the dictionary, you will find references such as “anything shaped like a hemisphere or inverted bowl” or “Top of your head”.   And when you think about the names of popular domes, you think of Metrodome, Silverdome,

Coleman Sundome 2 Tent

Astrodome, and Sky Dome.  These are large domes but there is another popular dome that comes in the form of a small dome tent.  The Coleman Sundome tent is available in two sizes 7′ x 7′ and 10′ x 10′.  

While these are smaller tents that sleep 2-3 people and are great for backpacking, each Coleman Sundome tent has a durable tub floor with welded corners and floor seams to prevent leaks.   They are both engineered to withstand stormy conditions. 

Dome tents are the perfect way to enhance the camping experience and the Coleman Sundome Tent is an excellent tent. 

Get a Coleman Sundome tent before your next camping trip and remember, the Joy is in the Journey.

I am the oldest child in a family of 7 kids and when our family went camping, we needed a big tent.  So my dad would bring his father’s old canvas tent and put bees wax on the seams to keep the rain from leaking through.  The tents were big back then but

Pacific Crest 14x14' Family Dome Tent

mother nature had her way with those tents.  Fortunately, technology has made some wonderful advances in lots of things including tents.  Large dome tents made today can stand up to most anything mother nature can drum up. 

Pacific Crest made this large dome tent that can handle up to 8 people.   If you are looking to bring the whole crew camping, but don’t want to drop big bucks on a pricey shelter at those outdoor stores, check out the Pacific Crest 14×14′ Family Dome Tent.  It has  divider curtains that can separate the interior into up to 4 rooms giving your older family members all the privacy they need.

If price is very important to you then you will love the dome tents. Dome tents are generally less expensive than the outdoor event tents and tent trailers.  The gaps are in the hundreds of dollars.  Using dome tents is a great way to travel light and protect yourself in the campsite.  Carrying heavy loads from one place to another isn’t necessarily the fun part of camping.  If you are going camping

SwissGear Falera Family Dome Tent

for only a few days then the dome tent or family dome tent is a perfect product for you.  It is light and it can get the job done. On the other hand, if you are going to be camping out for a longer period of time you should probably get one of those larger wall tents. Family dome tents are large which is what you will need if you are going to be camping out for a long time because living in a tiny dome tent will not be so much fun for three to four months of camping. The dome tents are better off for camping in the short spans of time.  Use the dome tents accordingly.  Camping is so much fun. If you have not gone camping then you should try it out as soon as you can. Ask your friends if they want to join you in your camping adventure. Bring several dome camping tents on your next trip.  Ask your family if they are interested in being part of your camp out.

There are a number of major benefits to a dome tent.  Because dome tents have no corners, they do better in windy conditions. Dome tents are basically tents that look like domes. You may be wondering, what makes these dome tents so special anyway?  Dome

Katahdin - With Fly

tents can be pitched in any orientation to the wind since the shape relative to the wind is always the same.   A dome tent weights

more than other tents but provides more living space too.  Many family dome tents can accommodate up to 6 people easily.  One of the things that sets these dome tents apart from the rest is its sleek design. When you put up a dome tent, there will be a peak on top of the tent.  The fabric of a dome tent will not go downwards directly but in a curvature. The curvature gives more space to the tent. There will be more volume in the tent with this kind of design. Another thing that sets dome tents apart from the rest is the weight. When you have a dome tent, it is usually lighter than all the other tents. When a tent is lighter, you will have a lesser hassle carrying it around. You will also be safer since you will not worry about the weight straining your back. You will not worry about any of your muscles or your joints getting strained during your transit to the camp site.  Some small dome tents also have a dual personality i.e. they can serve as a dome tent and a backpacking tent.

Do you know what the biggest of all dome tents is?  It was built in 1982.  My oldest daughter Jennifer who is now 28 years old, married, has her own house and a 3 month old baby was born in 1982.  I remember 1982 not only because my first little baby girl was born in that year but also because one of the biggest dome tents in the world was build in 1982.  The Metrodome was built in 1982 and was home for the Minnesota Vikings, Minnesota Twins and Minnesota Gophers for over 20 years.  The Minnesota Vikings and Mall of America® announced today a partnership for the naming rights to the field that has served as the team’s home since 1982.   The agreement, announced from the Vikings Winter Park facility, provides that the field will be called Mall of America Field at Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome for a three-year period beginning October 5, 2009, and ending February 28, 2012.  Now this is obviously not a Dome tent for camping but there are some pretty big dome tents and some smaller dome tents.

Dome tents are basically tents that look like domes. You may be wondering, what makes these dome tents so special anyway? One of the things that sets these dome tents apart from the rest is its sleek design. When you put up a dome tent, there will be a peak on top of the tent. The fabric of a dome tent will not go downwards directly but in a curvature. The curvature gives more space to the tent. There will be more volume in the tent with this kind of design. Another thing that sets dome tents apart from the rest is the weight. When you have a dome tent, it is usually lighter than all the other tents. When a tent is lighter, you will have a lesser hassle carrying it around. You will also be safer since you will not worry about the weight straining your back. You will not worry about any of your muscles or your joints getting strained during your transit to the camp site.  Some small dome tents also have a dual personality i.e. they can serve as a dome tent and a backpacking tent.  The White Cap Mountain Dome Tent from Gigatent is an excellent dome tent for 5-6 people.  Small groups or young and evolving families will enjoy this dome tent a lot.  Check it out and remember, The Joy is in the Journey.