If you're going camping, and you're bringing along the entire family, then you'll need a roomy tent, such as the Sierra Designs Nomad 5 CD.

This new three-season design is built to hold five people, and accomplishes that with a floor area of 69 square feet, plus a total vestibule area of 41 square feet for gear storage. That is not as large as some "huge" tents, but should suffice for most weekend camping trips. Shockcorded aluminum poles are easily put together and then run through pole sleeves and clips. The resulting structure is sturdy. To further simplify setup, the stake loops and rainfly are color-coded. Both the rainfly and floor are polyurethane treated to improve waterproofness. The shortsheet rainfly can be rolled up on all four sides for greater ventilation and visibility; a front awning is supported by poles.

A peak height of 76 inches means an adult can even stand up in the center of the tent. A mesh sky panel in the canopy permits stargazing, as well as providing ventilation. The tent is secured by four external guy lines and ten stake out loops, and is solid in even moderate winds.

There are numerous interior pockets and gear hooks, and even an interior clothesline and doormats are included. A storage duffel bag is also included, along with pole sacks, stakes, guylines, guyline tightener, and awning pole.

This tent is quite heavy and best suited for car camping (not backpacking), but will provide safe and reliable shelter for up to five people. And the Sierra Designs Nomad 5 CD provides some creature comforts to make the weekend outing a happy experience.