The North Face Cumulus

This is the perfect small family's car camping tent. Extra room, comfort, excellent stability, and durable materials.

I've used the North Face Cumulus 3-season, 3-person tent for more than 15 years. I made one repair years ago, unrelated to the tent's durability after my 80 pound dog clawed his way through one of the clear mesh doors to get out and say hi to me cooking bacon one morning. Sadly, it's no longer in production, but if you get a chance to pick one up, take it.

This is the perfect tent for a car camping family, easily fitting two adults and two kids and a small duffle each. It does very well with the supplied rain fly and has kept me dry in thunderstorms BUT note that the rain fly has to be properly tensioned. If it isn't drum tight, the roof top won't slope and the rain will pool on top, making the fly contact the tent's mesh roof and leak. To be fair, I didn't read the instructions when I learned that lesson.

On clear nights, you can enjoy stargazing through the mesh roof. Entrances on two sides of the tent are great for easy access. With the rain fly on, there's tons of vestibule space for shoes and other gear, and the aerodynamic shape does well on windy nights, too. 

I have more expensive, larger tents that I can take if I need room for more than 2 adults/2 kids, but honestly, I'd rather not. It's my favorite tent by far.