First you must decide what type of camping you are going to be doing. Are you going to be back packing or are you doing car camping? Car camping is where you pull your car up to a base camp site.

If you are backpacking it goes without saying that you'll want as lightweight a tent as you can find and also one that will withstand expected weather conditions. You may want to look into a warm weather tent or single wall tent if you're camping in summer weather conditions. If you decide you want the comfort of a larger tent, and if you need a 3-season or 4-season tent each backpacker can carry some of the tents components to lighten the load for each.

If you are car camping then the weight of the tent is not a problem for you. Most families do car camping. The ACA or American Camping Association and KOA or Kampgrounds of America have thousands of camp sites all over the country. You can check their online web sites for information. These sites generally are tree shaded with an area for a grill to be set up. Most have facilities within easy walking distance such as a bathroom, shower, pool and even sometimes light food restaurants.

What you will always want to keep in mind, no matter what type of camping you do is what type of weather you will be camping in.

As mentioned above there are 3-season and 4-season tents. 4-season tents are heavier than 3-season. They are made to withstand heavier winds and rain and the weight of snow on them. Generally if you camp between May and September a 3-season tent will suit your needs.