Most of the time we go family camping and I am thinking replacing our cumbersome giant tent with a Eureka Timberline 4XT. It is a simple well ventilated A-frame looking tent that sleeps four. One of our Eagle Scout friends has one (2XT I believe) that has lasted for over six years of camping all over the world, without repairs.

I have a small solo tent from LL Bean. It is pretty good too and only a couple of pounds. I just wish the tallest part was about 6-8 inches taller, then I can sit upright in it.

My suggestion is to get a tent with aluminum poles. The fiberglass ones break way too easily.

Our Eagle Scout's tip is to have a ground cover under the tent and a cheap tarp on the inside to make cleaning much easier and to extend the life of the tent.

One other tip from another camper dad is to add paracord loops to the tents anchor points. That way, if you ever have to cut your tent free of a stuck peg, you just cut the cord and replace it without damaging your tent.

I only included the tips I learned since preserving a tent means not having to replace a tent.