Our favourite family tent. Camping in comfort & style

Looking back to when I was a kid, our family camping vacations were always something we looked forward to. How my parents were able to deal with me and my siblings running around like sugar-high Tasmanian Devils is beyond me. We just couldn’t contain our excitement. Meanwhile, Dad was busy packing everything he possibly could into his Jeep Cherokee—trunk, floor, roof—no space was wasted. Although we lived in the suburbs, Dad loved to fish and camping was always our summer vacation. Camping, for us, was going somewhere, car camping if you will, to set up a base from which all our adventures were based.

Now, as a mother of three, I couldn’t wait to share the camping experience with my own children and, of course, my husband, who’s not what you’d call an experienced camper. Aside from tailgating at a ball game, and a couple of outdoor festivals, his experience is more of the “being covered with polyester or nylon held up by a couple of poles” kinda camping. Anyway, I was determined that my own family got the chance to share the outdoor experience, the kind that’s only possible if you go family camping.

Creating the perfect family camping experience

With kids aged 4, 6 and 11, I reckoned we’d have a good few years of camping left to do, so when it came to choosing our latest family tent there were a number of criteria that were super critical: amount of living space, durability, and ease of setting up. We were super impressed with the reviews around the Coody 13.6 which has 13.6 m² (146 ft²) of usable space and the Coody 17.2 (185 ft²) which sleeps up to 10 in sleeping bags, as the name suggests; it’s 17.2m². Their dome tent was also a consideration but we decided that it was not exactly what we needed at this point in time. We reckoned that with all the kids and gear (I had inherited most of my family’s gear) that the Coody 17.2 was the tent for us. Is it the lightest tent you can find? Or ideal for backpacking? No. But, that’s not what we wanted. We needed a base camp, a home from home that we could adventure out from and then stay in, with enough space to live comfortably when we can’t venture out.

Arriving at the ocean: a family adventure begins

For this trip we had a two-and-a-half-hour drive which is just about far enough for us, and must seem like a world away for the kids; it certainly felt like that when I was small. There’s always a buzz of excitement when we catch our first glimpse of the sea, and this time was no different.

Unpacking and organizing: the tent setup

There’s no real art to the basic setup, with the Coody 17.2 it’s just a case of hauling the tent over to the camping area, unrolling it and starting to inflate. No poles to click into place or try to slide into narrow sleeves, even with two of us the setup used to be a bit of a nightmare with the kids getting increasingly antsy. With the manual pump it really didn’t take long, but we’ve progressed to using one of the Coody electric pumps; it just makes the whole process that much faster. Aside from giving the air beams a small helping hand to get them into the right shape, the whole process is practically effortless, in any weather.

The PVC floor is quite thick and very forgiving, it’s an added bonus being able to inflate the tent and not have to worry about being correctly in place over groundsheets; especially convenient in windy weather. Saying that though, we do put a groundsheet down first as it means that you can put the tent away quickly without having to wipe the bottom from any stones, pine needles etc. Once the tent is up to pressure (the tent has a safety release valve which means no over-inflation and even if it’s hot, any expansion is taken care of) it’s just a case of unloading everything from the car.

Something I’ve learned over the years is to pack everything in reverse order: bits and pieces for the kids (toys, games etc.) first, décor, clothes next, kitchen equipment, kitchen table, chairs, inflatable chairs, stove, then the bedding, the beds and lastly the tent and rainfly. Why? Well, with our Coody 17.2 we have two rooms, if we put the tent up and then the beds in and bedding down, we can get the kids in there first. That means they’ve somewhere to hang out should they need it. Usually, if the weather’s good, they’re running around outside anyway.

With the built-in stove jack, the dedicated area for the stove is the next priority. The kids are at an age now where the stove is not a danger and anyway, when it’s on we’re always very watchful.

Spaciousness: comfort for everyone

Another reason that we can put the stove on with confidence is the amount of space that we have, there’s never any need to be squeezing around one another to get past. It really takes camping to a whole new level. The headroom is brilliant, even my husband, a 6ft ex-college volleyball player, can stand up straight in the middle of the tent. And with two doors, front and back (many Coody models have front and rear entrances), they are helpful in so many ways. Whether it’s an early morning toilet escape for some of the little ones or just so they are not running in and out past the kitchen area when we are preparing. With canvas, and mesh doors that keep the bugs out as well as TPU clear doors that keep the heat in and the cold out (or just let you view the beauty outside from the warmth of the tent) it really is a boon to any camping trip. My personal fave moments are when it’s raining outside and I stare at the drops from the inside. It’s almost like being under the rain but staying dry. It’s amazing!

Of course, while speaking about the doors I have to mention the skylights, or as the kids call them “our stargazy ceiling.” Again, with an interchangeable mix of TPU plastic panels and canvas,we can use the TPU when it’s warmer during the day, star gaze and with the plastic panels before bed, and we can stop the early morning sun by zipping in the canvas at night. Can you imagine what it’s like to watch a shooting star or a meteor shower from the comfort of your tent with your kids? It’s beyond magical.

Exploring the features of our best family tent

What we’ve also found incredibly thoughtful is the number of pockets there are. The kids love to take all their bits and pieces, don’t we all? The pockets seem to be exactly where we need them most. There’s no need to be crawling around the floor lifting layers of gear to find that one cable or Lego figure, as long as they’ve remembered to put them away of course. Loops are also at a premium so we can hang up our string of cozy lamps as well as individual lamps where we need them. There’s a line that runs down the center which we use at night to hang up a thin sheet just to split the bedroom in two, the kids love the idea of having their own room. The line isn’t capable of carrying heavy wet clothes, but is okay for socks, gloves etc. The beauty of this amount of space is that as they grow, we can rearrange the living spaces however we like into multiple sleeping areas.

We also invested in Coody mattresses and a Coody sofa, both made from very cozy materials and both are self-inflating and deflating, the kids love pressing the buttons to help out. I must admit, they are a bit of a luxury, but are totally worth it. 

The breathable terylene cotton fabric, (35% cotton / 65% polyester), which is certified child-safe and low-emission, combined with the excellent ventilation that creates a lot of airflow, really does prevent condensation. The material is UV50+ so no need to worry about too much sunshine inside the tent.  The fabric is also mold-resistant which is a big plus.The manufacturer does not, however, recommend using the tent in very humid ocean/forest environments. We've had to use the rainfly a few times when it’s been really heavy rain, but more often than not we use the rainfly to create an extra vestibule area just for sitting out or preparing food.

Durable Materials

Something I mentioned earlier that was a must when choosing a tent was; durability. The Coody tent oozes durability and quality, the tent canvas feels thick but soft to the touch, all the seams are reinforced, the marine-grade PVC air beams feel solid when inflated. Even in high winds the tent just absorbs everything the weather throws at it. I did actually read somewhere, rather surprisingly, that an inflatable tent is actually better in high winds than a pole tent; whereas tent poles can snap under stress, the air beams in Coody tents simply absorb the stress. Although the built-in floor is fine on its own, after a couple of trips we invested in some carpets for extra coziness, nothing beats wandering around the tent in your bare feet.

Returning to camp: the cozy atmosphere of home

Whenever we head out, whether it’s an afternoon at the beach, to the store, or if we’ve had a day away, getting home is just that. For me it’s a whole new kind of camping where the tent isn’t somewhere to avoid, it’s somewhere you look forward to returning to. Having been through the gamut of tent sizes and styles, this Coody 17.2 truly is something else completely. It’s so roomy and is such a generous space that we have now got making it feel like a home-from-home down to a fine art.

Preparing dinner: family togetherness

Cooking prep is easy when the weather is good, but the stove and stove jack mean it’s never difficult to prepare something inside the tent. I love to involve the kids in the prep, even if it’s just the smallest one tipping the pasta into a pot of cold water and adding some salt, it’s never too early to get them involved and give them a sense of understanding that food doesn’t just somehow magically appear on the plates!  

Evening settles in: eating, tidying up and relaxing under the stars

With room to spare we can easily all eat inside, the wooden storage boxes I inherited become handy little tables surrounded by foldaway stools, ideal for a family meal together. And having cooked together, we clean and tidy away together. It might not seem like it, but getting the children to help, even a little, gives them a real sense of purpose, and means we get everything done much faster so that we can spend the evenings together as a family.

Bedtime routines: the comfort of the tent

After supper and weather (bugs etc.) permitting, we’ll sit for a while around the campfire talking about anything that’s happened during the day and believe me, with this lot, there’s always something happening! We’ll sometimes do s’mores or hot chocolate, or cookies and milk.

Quiet moments: lasting memories of family camping

We usually go in about an hour before bedtime, board games are a real favourite, nothing too complex, nor too long, we’ll even watch a movie—in our PJ’s of course—to wind down before starting the process of getting everyone off to bed. It’s in these moments in the tent, reading, watching, playing card games or just sitting together that I believe helps connect the family, as I did with mine all those years ago.

Sleeping is easy

With the tent having vertical walls and a peaked ceiling, it’s hard not to make the comparison to a cabin The shape alone of the Coody tent makes it feel safe, the volume and flow of air inside means it never feels stuffy or cramped, the canvas walls have been made from really good quality textiles, and along with the feeling of security, condensation is not an issue. What I mean to say is you don’t go to sleep feeling warm and dry and wake up feeling cold and damp. One of the reasons, I’m sure, that puts people off from ever camping again, when you wake up as if the cold and damp has seeped through to the very marrow of your bones. Not so with the Coody, aside from occasional early morning calls of nature, or birds making natural calls, sleep is a pleasure. Other than the comfort of the tent itself facilitating a good sleep; being away from all the usual hustle and bustle of school, work, house, etc. means we get up exactly when we need to, not when we have to. Waking up rested and ready for our next adventures together is amazing. In the Coody tent you are together, but with more than enough space for everyone.

The worst part of camping

Seriously? Nowadays it’s having to pack up and go home. But that’s getting easier when the kids help out folding up their bedding to go back in the car, they love listening to the sound of the air escaping out of the mattresses. Coody mattresses and sofas inflate and deflate on their own. Just push the button. They can be doing that out of the back doors of the tent while we work on putting all the living space/kitchen stuff away. Little stuff into medium containers, medium containers into bigger boxes.

The tent itself takes minutes to let down, if you leave the doors and the internal divider zipped up it helps a lot. You have to close every zipper from the outside because it helps you next time when inflating - it makes everything go faster. The process of folding the tent up so it goes back in the rather generous bag took a few attempts to get exactly right, but now we know precisely where to fold it to get it into the right shape. We’ve been lucky so far that we’ve never had to pack it away wet, we’d probably manage to inflate it and dry it out in the garage at home, but I imagine you’d need quite a lot of room to inflate it indoors if you don’t have your own space. 

This Coody 17.2 is easily the best family tent we’ve ever had, our eldest once asked over s’mores one evening, “Who are we?” We had many tries, but couldn’t guess. Eventually we had to give up and asked, “OK, who are we?” “We are Coody campers,” came the reply. I guess that says a lot about the impact the tent has had on our lives and on how it is helping us build memories of family camping together that will last a lifetime.