Eureka Sunrise 11 Family 11-Foot by 11-Foot Six-Person Tent

My wife and I have four tents. For ultralight backpacking, we use the REI Half Dome, for a quick one or two night camp or early season iffy weather, we use the Sierra Designs Alpha 3. For multi-day car camping our standard tent is the Sunrise 11, and for really big campsites that don’t have a lot of shade, we use the Copper Canyon 1512. I could fit 5 REI Half Dome tents in that Copper Canyon 1512, it’s huge. Although that Copper Canyon 1512 is lux, unless you have a wide open meadow, it is really too big for most camp sites. Eureka also makes a Sunrise 8 and 9, but I think the Sunrise 11 is just about the perfect size for car camping in maximum comfort in most established campgrounds. We’ve had the Sunrise 11 for about 7 years and have spent over 30 nights in it. Overall, I really like the Sunrise 11. Sleeps 6? Maybe, but I prefer just my wife and I in a queen size air bed with plenty of room to move around and for our stuff. We can easily stand up in it. I don’t like the room divider, but we just keep that rolled up. A few years ago we camped for 4 days near Taylor Reservoir, Colorado. It rained heavily non-stop, but at least there was no wind. The only water inside the tent was at one of the internal mesh storage pockets sewn into the tent wall. I thought I had seam sealed the tent pretty well, but must have missed this one spot. Luckily, my oversight only resulted in about a 3 tablespoon puddle each day. You must seam seal all tents, use a ground tarp and replace the cheap tent pegs while you’re at it. This isn’t a four season tent, but it has held up pretty good against some mean weather. My wife has so far stayed warm and dry, and that’s what allows me to stay out there longer. I’ve since sealed all the seams once more and garden hose testing results were dry. Ready for another season. The Sunrise 11 is well ventilated even with the rainfly on. I’ll choose less warm and airy over hefty-bag like condensation and suffocation any day. I think the primary selling point for me were the dimensions of this tent. Most developed campgrounds will have a 12 x 12 ft tent pad. I bought the Sunrise 11 because it will fit our big air bed and gear inside and still maximize the setup on a typical campground tent pad. Tent pads are square so I like square floor tents instead of hex. Setup is significantly easier with two people, but can be accomplished solo with minor swearing. Getting the rainfly on solo takes a little more ingenuity. Lay it out upwind, stake it down to keep it from flying away, insert poles, attach a rope and standing on the opposite side of the tent, pull it over. I’m not thrilled by pole sleeves because they hang up on the pole ferrules, but these aren’t full sleeves, only at the very top. You clip the rest of it. Overall, I think this is a well made, stable, large, rain shedding tent and has served me well. UPDATE 06/09: We camped in high winds for 3 days at the Oasis near Great Sand Dunes National Park. I tied everything down and we had no problems. Same tent is still going strong. The tent barely fit between the trees. You never really know if a big tent will fit, but so far I’ve been able to squeeze this Sunrise 11 in. Its been really close a few times. (If I’m unsure, that Alpha 3 is light enough to bring as a backup). If you go a little smaller in size, like a 9×9, then it will easily fit any place I’ve ever car camped. For a 9×9, I might go with the Eureka Grand Manan 9 over the Sunrise 9. It looks like the rainfly offers a little more coverage and it is a more subtle color. (nothing against blue.) I’d like to give that one a try. This is why I have so many tents. UPDATE 7/6/09: We camped for 3 days at Lone Rock (#7) near Deckers, CO. I wanted to set up the Copper Canyon 1512, but it wouldn’t fit. I also brought the Sunrise and Alpha because there was room in the truck. I probably should have just set up the Alpha, but went with the Sunrise. We had heavy rain, high winds, and even a little hail. The railroad tie and gravel tent pad only prohibited the rain from draining off. At one point we had about 2 inches of water under this tent. The floor felt like a water bed. Only about a 1/4 cup of water water blew through a pin hole in one corner. No big deal. Impressive considering the amount of water under the tent. This Sunrise is a great tent.
Rating: 5 / 5

The tent is very spacious and airy. That may be the reason it can be colder than some of the tents which are smaller and not as well ventilated. A word of caution – make sure it is well staked down or the shape makes it take off like a sail. We went camping in Yellowstone this summer and the wind blew it around as we were putting it up. Also, the size can make it harder to find a good camping site.
Rating: 4 / 5

This tent is tall, roomy, and could sleep four comfortably, though it was just me and the kids. I had a large cot in the center and the kids slept in sleeping bags on either side. Tent comes with a netting organizer that suspends from the top of the tent where I kept keys, cell phone, etc. It also has a netting shelf with mirror that I didn’t use but will be convenient in the future. This tent withstood three nights of heavy rains in the Texas hill country without leaking! It rained buckets, and the tent was sitting in muck, yet it did not leak. As I took it down, I noticed water seeped into one corner slightly and water seeped through the floor where my cot’s feet were, but the tent had been sitting in mud (on a tarp) for three days. I should have padded the cot’s feet to prevent this. Set-up and take down are simple, and it has sturdy poles. Trust the reviews — this tent is fantastic. You won’t get a better tent for this price.
Rating: 5 / 5