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Moving into the main living area, head room is good, there’s a side door with inner mesh panel so if it’s warm you can roll up the outer and leave the mesh zipped in place. Ideal for keeping kids and dogs inside, and the bugs on the outside. The large front door has the same inner mesh and outer setup, with the lower lip being able to be pegged out flat, making wheelchair and pushchair access much easier. It might also act as less of a tripping hazard if you've had one too many beers around the campfire. There’s plenty of ventilation through the tent, it was a bit chilly inside but we would put that down to the time of year, and this venting is designed to minimise any build up of condensation inside, which appeared to do adequately. Additional features include barrier free access to ensure easy movement in and out of the tent, extra large bedrooms for a great night’s sleep and convenient cable openings in the tent wall that allow easy accessibility to a power source outside the tent. Is this a tent you will grow into? Buying a family tent in anticipation of an expanding family is wise. Think about what features and designs suit you best - what is and what is not important to you as a camper.The drop down doorway at the entrance makes it easy to pop in and out as you please, without the risk of tripping hazards getting in your way, whilst the temperature is perfectly moderated by the excellent ventilation at the side and rear of the tent, also aiding in reducing any risk of condensation in the process. Those who require powered accessories needn’t worry as the abundance of zipped cable entry points combined with the multiple lantern attachment areas should provide you with plenty of options. How do you camp? Bare essentials or glamping? Size, features, and layout are all important factors in determining which tent is right for your camping style. Consider your camping equipment and which tent best matches your gear. What to read next:
Just like all fo the best tents you can buy, six-person and family-sized tents are extraordinarily varied. It’s simultaneously a blessing and a curse. Yes, you get an amazing range of choices, but which of the best 6-man tents to choose? You can remove the tent dividers to create one large bedroom. This creates quite a flexible sleeping layout.
A cable entry point in the main tent lets you connect your electrical gadgets to the electric hook-up point and there are rings in the living and sleeping areas to hang camping lanterns from. Moving to the outer front porch, we found that there was ample room for a couple of our camping chairs and a few other bits and bobs (cooler etc.). A lovely space to sit and watch the world go by, thanks to it’s size as well as those large side windows. The Coleman Vail 4L has a fitted groundsheet throughout, and we brightened and warmed up our inner living area by placing some blankets on the floor (it was February). Coleman also have a lovely blanket that will fit this tent too.VERDICT A great tent for beginners and camping veterans, with good-sized bedrooms and an airy living area Dome tents are generally being ditched in favour of tunnel tents in family camping grounds because they can’t compete for space. However, they are still very popular with hikers and trekkers because small dome tents are quite stable and lightweight. Dome tents with geodesic designs are very good at dealing with extreme weather.
For extra peace of mind, the stoppers on the tent doors ensure that zips are always within easy reach in the event of an emergency, even for children. The Vail 6L is a spacious family tunnel tent with a comfortable living and sleeping area. Multiple entrances offer easier entry and exit in inclement conditions. The living area is bright and airy, providing plenty of space for dining or storing equipment. An extra-large porch offers sun and rain protection. Features of dome tents: cheap; fairly light; have single zones only; OK in moderate wind – the bigger the tent, the less stable it is. Once pitched and inside, there’s plenty of head height and the tent feels really spacious. Pitching for the first time required us to install the bedroom area. It’s held in place with toggle fixings and it only took a few minutes to get the darkened sleeping pod installed. Starting at the rear and then working your way forward, it’s all pretty effortless and once it’s in, you can leave it there permanently – ready for your next outing.Features of geodesic tents: capable in harsh weather; lightweight; best suited for hiking; often a pricier option. Are you looking to upgrade? If you have a large tent already, and are now on the hunt for something with extra bells and whistles, consider the Zempire or Outdoor Revolution tents. The Berghaus is a great middle ground. There are large windows to let in plenty of light, and it has both the main tent door and an additional side door. There is also a dedicated cable entry into the tent. Staying with the sleeping area, we see it will sleep 4 easily in the 2 halves of the room. It has a central divider that you can remove and create one large space. As you will probably notice from the photos, we slept 2 adults in there on this trip with no divider. There was plenty of room inside, ample space for our overnight bags, a bit of furniture and some lights, for example. A fabric’s waterproof properties are measured using a rating called its hydrostatic head. If a tent has a hydrostatic head of 3000mm it means that a 3 metre column of water can be placed on its surface before any drops will show through the underside of the fabric. (The Ministry of Defence in the UK classifies fabric with a hydrostatic head of 800mm+ as waterproof).
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