A family backpacking shelter

[JeffRaines]

So now I’m a family of 4(well, since last year but regardless). I’ve got plenty of shelters when it comes to car camping, and I have shelters when it comes to backpacking solo.

Me and the wife would like to eventually bring backpacking back into the mix, and with my daughter getting to the age of being able to carry some of her stuff(will be 6 this year - obviously not all of her stuff but her pad/bag and water/snacks for herself) I’m in a position where we’re gonna need more room than the 3 person tent we were using.

I’m not necessarily against trying floorless again, but here’s the deal - I had a Cimarron with stove before, and while it was roomy for a backpacking shelter it was a condensation magnet. Pitched up, down, didn’t matter. Opened the top of the doors, didn’t matter. Running the stove was the only solution, and while that worked okay during the colder months it’s not something I want to do during the summer lol.

Anyone have any suggestions? It’s a precarious position - space is at a premium considering I’m needing to carry bags/pads and food for not only myself, but my wife and son as well. I have the 7900 SG pack… but more weight and more bulk is not always better.

Thanks.

 

[passinggas33]

I’m in a somewhat similar situation but there are six of us. I have been using the seek outside redcliff with a custom mesh insert from bear paw designs. It’s still reasonable light and I can get us all in there (no stove).
I make each of my kids carry their sleeping bag and water. (About 5 pounds total). I then carry my bag, tent, food, etc in my pack. My wife helps carry the sleeping pads as well as her water and her food. Depending on the hike she sometimes will carry a little more as well. My youngest is 7 and oldest is 15. This year my 15 year old will be carrying a little more.

 

[JeffRaines]

I’m in a somewhat similar situation but there are six of us. I have been using the seek outside redcliff with a custom mesh insert from bear paw designs. It’s still reasonable light and I can get us all in there (no stove).
I make each of my kids carry their sleeping bag and water. (About 5 pounds total). I then carry my bag, tent, food, etc in my pack. My wife helps carry the sleeping pads as well as her water and her food. Depending on the hike she sometimes will carry a little more as well. My youngest is 7 and oldest is 15. This year my 15 year old will be carrying a little more.

I had a BPW nest that I either sold with or seperate from the shelter. Honestly, and maybe it was just me, it was janky as hell to get it set up right.

I think if I go the route of floorless again I’d probably try tipi instead of pyramid due to the steeper walls. That was another issue I had with the cimarron - I’d have to sleep 1.5-2+ feet from the wall to keep my sleeping bag from touching. I’d also probably get door screens to aid with ventilation.

 

[Anglo-American]

Similar deal.
I'm looking at the Kifaru 8 and 4 man teepees but with the lining for the condensation.
Heavy (ish) with the lining, but we also have a dog so floorless works well for us.

I think the weight just is, what it is unless you just want to pitch a tarp or two and sleep under that.
I use DD Tarps and have found them to be very good.

 

[Clovis]

Two ideas for you--I have done both successfully under the circumstances you describe: (1) tipi--I have a Kifaru 6 man and have had great times with the whole family or with a couple other guys and their kids. The kids, being kids, don't take up as much space as a grown man and you can comfortably get a couple of adults and 3-4 kids in there. We did this backcountry in Yellowstone years ago and that whole group--kids and adults--talk about it to this day as one of the best camping experiences they ever had--conditions were dry, campsite was flat and we had fantastic air circulation through the tipi so no condensation. I have a liner but rarely use it. (2) is to grit it out and carry a bigger frontcountry tent with you--I have an Rei Kingdom tent we used for this but they make a newer version now. If you are on here you probably have a good backpack and can tote a decent load. If you are backpacking with a 6 year old you most likely aren't packing 10 miles in. When my kids were little we did this fairly often---I would end up with a gigantic pack (though lots of what I was carrying was bulky but not heavy--and it was great too. Having a big tent was worth the net gain in weight over a minimalist backpacking tent where the main limitation was the kids' willingness to hike not what I could carry. Good weather or bad, but particularly bad, camping with kids is usually more about time in camp rather than miles covered and room for them to spread out and play, read and goof off inside a dry bug-free space and still give my wife and me a little room to enjoy ourselves too. And the willingness to backpack in what we needed was worth it too because it opened up more interesting and less crowded camping spots and started the kids down a path of backpacking that still continues now that they are teens and pack their own tents.

 

[JeffRaines]

Two ideas for you--I have done both successfully under the circumstances you describe: (1) tipi--I have a Kifaru 6 man and have had great times with the whole family or with a couple other guys and their kids. The kids, being kids, don't take up as much space as a grown man and you can comfortably get a couple of adults and 3-4 kids in there. We did this backcountry in Yellowstone years ago and that whole group--kids and adults--talk about it to this day as one of the best camping experiences they ever had--conditions were dry, campsite was flat and we had fantastic air circulation through the tipi so no condensation. I have a liner but rarely use it. (2) is to grit it out and carry a bigger frontcountry tent with you--I have an Rei Kingdom tent we used for this but they make a newer version now. If you are on here you probably have a good backpack and can tote a decent load. If you are backpacking with a 6 year old you most likely aren't packing 10 miles in. When my kids were little we did this fairly often---I would end up with a gigantic pack (though lots of what I was carrying was bulky but not heavy--and it was great too. Having a big tent was worth the net gain in weight over a minimalist backpacking tent where the main limitation was the kids' willingness to hike not what I could carry. Good weather or bad, but particularly bad, camping with kids is usually more about time in camp rather than miles covered and room for them to spread out and play, read and goof off inside a dry bug-free space and still give my wife and me a little room to enjoy ourselves too. And the willingness to backpack in what we needed was worth it too because it opened up more interesting and less crowded camping spots and started the kids down a path of backpacking that still continues now that they are teens and pack their own tents.

I have a number of shelters that would work for #2, and while I know that we’re not gonna be going on some 20 mile trek in with a toddler and a 5 yo… I think I’m leaning tipi. I could go for a 6 man and still have a manageable pack and weight.

Anyhow here used both the Redcliff and 6 man tipi and have any input?

 

[Bearwhisky]

Following. I’m in a similar situation, but camp back east 75% of the time. Floorless is simply not an option for family camping here during warmer months because of bugs, ticks, etc.


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[Ratbeetle]

My family of three plus dog use either a SO 6 man with liners or a marmot tungsten 4p tent. Both are a bit on the heavy side but we typically won't pack in more than a few miles with a toddler...and dad doesn't skip leg day.

 

[mlevimadden]

I used a megatarp from Kifaru for the last 5 years, but picked up a SO 6 man tipi last year and have really enjoyed it. I backpacked it in on a sheep hunt with 3 guys and used it on all of the truck-based hunting trips for the year.

I was already used to floorless and we often have our dogs during backpacking season. I don't get much condensation issues being in CO though, so it doesn't have many drawbacks for me. It was plenty of room for 3 adults with backpacking gear and a stove on the sheep hunt.

 

[Braaap]

I’ve been trying to figure this out as well and I’ve considered having my wife and I each carry a small 2 person tent and then we just sleep two in each tent. That or a redcliff or similar. I borrowed a buddies redcliff and set it up in my yard and it’s plenty of space for a family of four plus our two dogs.

 

[JeffRaines]

What blows my mind is that SO doesn't offer a "lite" version of their nests.

Imagine a full bathtub floor and say 4-6" of netting above. Uses existing stakes for the floor and the netting clips onto the lower part of the shelter. It would offer snake protection, and probably 90% or better bug protection - 99% if you treated the netting with permethrin. It would also offer rodent protection as well... or rather roaming rodent protection... no tent is truly rodent proof if you've left something inside they want. Also it would cut down on condensation not only because of the airflow, but because it would be stopping the condensation coming from whatever you've pitched the shelter on.

All this would probably be at most half of what their current full nests weigh. Yes, coverage not as great as the current nests... but for folks who would like the added protection but don't want to carry a 46oz+ full nest around... I just don't see how it wouldn't be a popular enough option to make it worth it from a production standpoint. Especially for guys with families who might be critter averse.

 

[Anglo-American]

What blows my mind is that SO doesn't offer a "lite" version of their nests.

Imagine a full bathtub floor and say 4-6" of netting above. Uses existing stakes for the floor and the netting clips onto the lower part of the shelter. It would offer snake protection, and probably 90% or better bug protection - 99% if you treated the netting with permethrin. It would also offer rodent protection as well... or rather roaming rodent protection... no tent is truly rodent proof if you've left something inside they want. Also it would cut down on condensation not only because of the airflow, but because it would be stopping the condensation coming from whatever you've pitched the shelter on.

All this would probably be at most half of what their current full nests weigh. Yes, coverage not as great as the current nests... but for folks who would like the added protection but don't want to carry a 46oz+ full nest around... I just don't see how it wouldn't be a popular enough option to make it worth it from a production standpoint. Especially for guys with families who might be critter averse.

Try and get one made.

 

[JeffRaines]

Try and get one made.

If I could find someone locally maybe.

Trying to have that done by someone without the shelter present would likely be a disaster.

I tried seek outside - they won’t do it which is unfortunate.

 

[JR Greenhorn]

Imagine a full bathtub floor and say 4-6" of netting above. Uses existing stakes for the floor and the netting clips onto the lower part of the shelter. It would offer snake protection, and probably 90% or better bug protection - 99% if you treated the netting with permethrin. It would also offer rodent protection as well... or rather roaming rodent protection... no tent is truly rodent proof if you've left something inside they want. Also it would cut down on condensation not only because of the airflow, but because it would be stopping the condensation coming from whatever you've pitched the shelter on.

You're basically describing the nest the old Golite Shangri-La used to come with. Those tents had a fantastic nest (I'm biased; I have an SL5) with a higher bathtub floor. The SL's also had higher center poles than comparable pyramid style tents, which really helps with livability. However, nests are just heavy. My SL5's nest is heavier than the rest of the tent combined: fly, pole, stakes, extra stakes, extra guy lines, and even the bags.


My SL5 is still by far my favorite tent, although I also have a Redcliff Light. However, when I do the kind of family camping you describe, both stay at home and I use a Mountainsmith Genesee 4 dome tent. It's only about a pound heavier than my SL5, and every inch of the footprint is useable space. My kids are both in HS now, so in recent years I borrow a friend's Genesee and we bring 2. We've carried them a bunch, and they're plenty backpack-able.


I'm not sure if the Genesee is still available, but I bought a Morrison 4 on sale at the end of the summer. Set it up once, haven't used it yet, but I won't have to borrow next year.

 

[JoshOR]

We are in the same boat, family of four. We went with the 2, 2 man tent option．We got light backpacking tents, mom and I each carry one or split with my boys, and draw straws for who bunks with who.