Most of us have a tendency to think bigger is better. Doesn't matter whether its a tent or an RV a car or a permanent residence. Bigger usually means more luxury and more comforts and more prestige. People tend to start out camping small, with a pup tent or a tent trailer, but after a few years, their "needs" and wants begin to grow. When you are camping alone you can get by sleeping in a pup tent, but, as your family grows, a larger family tent will usually be more be comfortable and can be used for more than just sleeping. A tent trailer offers a lot of amenities, but a big motorhome or travel trailer delivers even more luxury, comforts, and convenience. A little tent trailer gets you up off the ground but a motorhome or travel trailer can deliver near residential services and conveniences anywhere you go. If you've ever had to weather out a storm in a tent you'll appreciate having some kind of RV with solid roof and a nice, forced air furnace to warm you up! If you have kids you will really come to appreciate having a TV to keep them occupied on rainy days and long trips.
But is bigger ALWAYS better? Not necessarily. A bigger tent is going to be heavier to carry around and will take up more room in your car, your trailer, and your shed or garage. It will take longer to set up and to strike. It will be harder to heat in cold weather. It will probably cost more. One must weigh these disadvantages against the perceived comfort and prestige of using a larger tent. Larger RVs usually have more amenities, but may be limited on where they can go. Some places have restrictions on length, height, and weight. Bigger motorhomes don't always mean room for more people. Many large, luxury, Class As are designed for just two people while smaller Class C's often have sleeping accommodations for 6-8 people. Going from a Class C to a bigger Class A might actually reduce the number of people who could "live" comfortably in a rig. And you can usually be VERY comfortable in a moderate sized RV. If it doesn't come with all the luxuries you want, they can usually be added. Big things like washers and dyers aren't usually very feasible, but many of the other conveniences found on high end rigs can be added to more modest units to improve comfort, convenience, and livability. It is mostly a matter of cost. The one thing that usually can't be added, is more room.
Bigger usually means there is more to maintain and keep clean. A
bigger tent or RV is going to take more time to clean and take more
work to maintain. Usually that will also translate into higher costs
for larger accommodations.
Why would you want a larger tent or RV? Sometimes, as families grow, they really need more space. We started out with a Class B van conversion and it worked well for our little family of 4. We even added an extra bunk across the front seats when our third child came along. But as our family continued to grow we physically outgrew the little van. If we were going to continue camping in an RV we clearly needed a bigger one. The same thing can happen with tents, but you may have more options with tents. One alternative to upsizing is to just buy a second tent. That works pretty well when you have older kids who can and want to be in their own tent, but it may not work as well for families with younger children or members who need constant supervision. A second reason for going bigger is probably more of a want than a need. That is the desire for more "elbow room" in your facility. You might get by for a while longer with the smaller equipment, but we all love our creature comforts, and even if you're not particularly claustrophobic, things can get cramped in camp when you put too many people into too small a space. Sometimes the additional space is a practical concern, like having enough room to safely cook meals in an RV or having enough room to get dressed in a tent. Larger tents are often perceived as more luxurious so we think we want them. That isn't necessarily a bad thing, but we should always weigh the actual values, not just perceived benefits, versus cost and other factors that impact usage. Remember, a bigger tent will take up more room in your vehicle, be heavier to carry around, and harder to keep warm on cold days.
If you are tempted to upsize your RV or tent, make sure you know what you are getting and that it will deliver the benefits you seek and you are aware of the additional requirements or restrictions it may bring. Jumping to a large Class A when you need more beds for a growing family may be a big disappointment. You may find transporting, setting up, and taking down a huge, heavy family tent is more trouble than it's worth. On the other hand, if a larger facility meets your needs and satisfies your wants -- and you can live with the conditions that come with it -- by all means, go for it! I must admit I look with a certain amount of envy at some of the newer "front porch" and "lodge" tents, but since my primary camping is via RV and I don't have a large family at home any more, those large tents would just be extra weight to carry around and extra room to heat. If I were going to be staying in one camp site for an extended time I might have time to enjoy a bigger tent, but most likely it would just be more space to heat and keep clean! BTW, we've never been sorry we upgraded our RVs over the years. Each upgrade was done with quite a lot of thought and research and whole lot of price comparison.
Prestige -- or at least the perception of prestige -- is sometimes a factor in upgrading. But ask yourself if you are doing it for your own benefit or to try to impress others. Sometimes a larger RV or even a larger tent make people feel better about themselves, and that is certainly OK. But if you find your interest in upgrading is mostly to impress your friends, it is a good idea to re-think it! In most cases I wouldn't think prestige or ego should be a sufficient reason to get bigger facilities. It could be a lot of expense without delivering any real benefits. But, if you will really enjoy using a larger tent or having a bigger RV, if it makes it more fun for you, then go for it. Only you can decide if the cost of going larger is worth the financial outlay and any additional effort or limitations your larger equipment will impose on you.
Before you go out and spend big bucks for a bigger tent or RV, invest some time researching your options. Check out bigger RVs at trade shows, at dealer lots, and among your fellow campers. Make a list of potential upgrades so you can compare features and prices. The same thing applies to upsizing your tent: check out the options. Make sure you know what you want before you blow big bucks on something that may or may not satisfy you for very long. If you can, always try before you buy. It may seem like a waste of money to rent equipment, but if lets you zero in on getting the right stuff without blowing your budget on purchasing errors, it will save you money in the long run.
Many of us have become accustomed to saving money by buying the "giant economy size" offerings and case lots at supermarkets and warehouse stores like Costco and Sam's Club. That may make sense when you have appropriate storage for them at home, but when camping, in an RV or a tent, bigger is definitely not always better. You need to balance the quantity of many products against their use, storage, and transportation. A 50# bag of flour may be a good choice for your kitchen or pantry at home, but it is usually a lot more than you'll need for any ordinary family camping trip. Buy or bring along sizes that match your expected consumption. Y ou may still be able take advantage of the price savings on bulk purchases if you simply re-package just what you need for each outing and leave the excess home.
Ultimately the best solution is "right sizing": choose the RV or tent that is right for your current needs. The same thing can be said for most of your camping equipment and even supplies. Having a stove that is sufficient for your needs beats the heck out of trying to work with one that is too small and is inadequate for preparing meals for your family. But having one that is too big is just going to take up extra room, add weight, and cost you more money. The right size tent will fit your family without taking up too much room, being too difficult to set up and take down, too hard to keep warm, or adding too much weight.
Live large -- judiciously!
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