Most family camping is done at easy to get to campsites.  You just need to pull up to the site in your car and walk a few yards to where you plan to set up camp.  Some families enjoy a more rugged camping experience.  If you plan on hiking into your site you want
to make sure you can bring a lightweight tent that isn’t going to add too much extra weight to your backpacks.

The Sierra Designs Lightning XT Four is a great option for families looking for 4 man tents that are strong, durable 3 season tents, without the size of a large cabin tent.  It also can double as a bigger 2 man tent if you are just looking for some more space without extra weight.   The best thing about this tent is that it is an ultralight option so that you don’t have to worry about carrying a very heavy tent when you are backpacking into a campsite.  You could even pack it into separate bags if you want to split up the weight between various people.  This tent is so great for backpackers it even won the 2009 Editor’s choice award from backpacker magazine.

While the price doesn’t let it fit in the cheap tents category, you can confidently trust to protect you when the weather kicks up around you. The floors are able to maintain a tighter pitch which prevents the floor from flapping when it gets really windy.  If it’s a dry night you don’t even need to put the rain fly up and get a view of the evening sky through the mesh walls.  If it’s raining add the rain fly over the top and you won’t need to worry about getting wet.   The floor is a superseal floor implementing both a catenary and bathtub style floor so that water doesn’t collect inside.  For added protection I would suggest getting the separate footprint that you can purchase for this tent.

The design of this tent is a little unique using both a tunnel and dome tent design to its architecture.  This tunneldome design allows the best of both designs to be utilized.
If you are just getting started in camping you may not know much about the companies who put out the camping equipment.  Rest assured Sierra Designs is a very trusted outdoor brand.  They’ve been making products for over 40 years and they have received numerous awards from the likes of National Geographic and other magazines that focus on the outdoors.