REI Base Camp 6 Tent

Comments about REI Base Camp 6 Tent:

I bought the Base Camp 6 after using the previous model that I loved. I was sadly disappointed to see there was no covering for the mesh doors other than using the rain fly and having the vestibule act as the cover. This still doesn't prevent the tent from being noticeably colder than the previous model, doesn't stop the draft of wind coming in because you can't get the rainfly all the way to the ground except on one of three sides and you have no privacy unless you use the rainfly and even then that's questionable because you can still see through the vestibule window into the tent because of the mesh door. You missed the boat on this one REI. Honestly, how much money did you save by not have a cover for the mesh door? Lame! It's the only tent I've ever really wanted and now it's coming back for a return.

Comments about REI Base Camp 6 Tent:

I grew up in Alaska Hunting, Fishing and exploring. Since my early years, we used Eureka tents. They were light enough to pack, easy to setup and strong enough to brave both winter and summer. Since my youth, I have invested in a few other top name brands only to be disappointed. I really like this tent for what it was intended for.

The construction is solid, setup instructions are printed on the tent bag and look to be durable enough to withstand years of abuse without fading. I was actually impressed with the tent bag which compartmentalizes different components/poles making it easy to extract and pack. The tent bag also includes pack straps which would really come in handy if your base camp is any distance from your vehicle.

As I mentioned I have a couple tents already for different uses. I purchased this one for the family for those weekend get-aways when we toss everything in the back of the suburban and set out for a weekend fishing trip or destination we want to explore for the weekend.

The tent is rated at 6 man. There are 5 of us: 2 adults & 2 kids and a Lab. Even if your looking for a party of 4 - I would recommend going with the 6 man. It provides plenty of room for everyone especially if you have a kid that rolls around in their sleep alot. Not sure who they measure when they rate tents - 6 adults sleeping in this tent would need to be very cozy and comfortable with each other.

The Metal poles really won the day for me. I've had and seen many a tent with fiberglass poles suffer damage which impedes setup and takes away from the strength of the tent. This tent has metal poles with the integrated bungee cord to make setup a snap.

The only Con would be the weight. If you're looking for a tent where you plan to backpack in a ways - this is not your setup. Then again - I did not purchase for that use so its perfect for what I want/need

Comments about REI Base Camp 6 Tent:

Bought this tent after having a kid and after camping in backpacking tents for years. I was impressed that this tent is still easy to set up (4 poles plus 1 for the fly), great ventilation, and feels like it will last for years, even in bad weather. Loved that I could stand up in the tent.
If you're getting a tent like this, may as well go for the 6 man version.

Comments about REI Base Camp 6 Tent:

I have had this tent for 4 1/2 years. On the plus side it is extremely weatherproof, solid and stable. It has stayed dry in heavy, steady rain and, when thoroughly guyed out, withstood a wind storm on the north rim of the Grand Canyon which brought 40 mph wind gusts all night long. It also has a nice vestibule area. If you are an all-weather camper and want a sturdy, fairly roomy structure, it's a good bet and is a good combination of practicality, roominess and stability.

On the down side, since the first time we put it up, the zippers on the doors have been extremely difficult to close along the bottom corner. This is a design flaw that can't be remedied by adjusting the stakes to loosen tension (having to loosen the pitch tightness is bad...). Now, as a result of the constant stress, the zipper on one door has failed, and I can't imagine the other will be far behind. REI's response when told was to give me contact info. for their repair service. To replace the zipper, should that be required, would cost probably upwards of $100 -- and it won't fix the underlying problem. Granted the tent is several years old, but the fact that a tent that I've cared for meticulously has had a substantial failure that will cost 25 percent of the purchase price to repair is disappointing. Some reviews I read at time of purchase noted the flaw in the door/zipper design. Based on illustrations, the design flaw is still there. A well-cared for tent should last many, many years, and mine has had a significant failure in less than five years of use (it probably has been used 3-4 times per year for long weekends).

If the door zippers and overall design were sound, I'd increase my rating. Also, it's heavy...but this isn't a backpacking tent so expecting it to be light is a bit much to ask.

Comments about REI Base Camp 6 Tent:

A nicely sized, comfortable tent for a family of 4 or 5. Well-ventilated so any late sleepers don't immediately bake when the sun comes up. Easy to set up.

Unfortunately, the tent developed a tear where the floor and side panels meet on our second outing with it. REI wouldn't repair it since we didn't have the original receipt (we did have our charge statement showing purchase price, date and transaction #s, but they wouldn't look it up in their system since we weren't members).

I'll try a home repair with needle, thread and some seam sealer, but I'm not sure I'd buy this tent again.

Comments about REI Base Camp 6 Tent:

This tent works great in the summer. It is breathable, plenty of room, and the backpack style case is great. I used on many trips through out the summer with no problems. However, for colder camping there is to much mesh to keep the tent warm. Also, one night I was surprised by high winds 30+ probably gusts to 50 and snow, nearly a blizzard. I thought the tent was going to collapse. After tying it down it held more firmly but still had me nervous about damage. In addition to the wind the snow was being driven under the rain fly and into the tent. It felt like getting hit by ocean mist but instead it was a blizzard. I do still like the tent but I would hesitate on using it in high winds or cold weather.

Comments about REI Base Camp 6 Tent:

After having great success with our 2 different REI backpacking tents (2 man and 3 man), we chose the REI brand for our venture back into "Car Camping".

Although it is a 6-man tent, our primary use is two adults on twin bed sized air mattresses. This size allows plenty of room to walk in the middle, plus room at the end for our gear. My husband is 6ft and had no problem walking around in the tent.

The tent and fly sets up easily, with the traditional REI colored poles into grommets on black and orange loops. The instructions are nicely attached to the bag so they won't get lost.

Plenty of pockets inside, and I liked that you could open the top vents from the inside. Huge front vesibule, smaller one in back. It has a few different options for setting up the front door/vestibule entrance.

Special thanks to the REI St. Louis store for happily setting up this tent in the store so I could see it before I bought it, even though I told them I was travelling from FL and couldn't buy it from them directly.

Comments about REI Base Camp 6 Tent:

I bought this tent 2 years ago. Since that time, my young sons and I have used it on a number of car camping trips at local state parks.

I have been very very pleased with this product, specifically:

-- Superior wind and water resistance. On two of our trips, we got torrential rainfall due to thunderstorms. The tent fly kept us dry and there were no leaks on the seams or the floor.

-- Full rain fly and double vestibules. The vestibules are very handy for storing items like coolers, and when it rains they keep the ground outside the doors from getting too muddy. This is one notable advantage of the REI Base Camp tent compared to REI's King Dome tent.

-- Lots of convenience features. The tent comes with an overhead gear hammock as well as a number of interior mesh pockets for items like a watch, headlamp, or eye glasses that you need during the night.

-- Space and comfort. There is plenty of room for a family, sleeping bags, and gear.

-- Durability. This tent is showing no signs of wear and I am confident that it will give us many years of enjoyment and good use.

I bought the optional ground pad because the tent pads at our state parks have a gravel covering, and I believe that the ground pad will extend the useful life of the tent.

Drawbacks of this tent for me are few:

-- I wish the tent came with a larger tent stuff sack. I have never been able to get the tent, rain fly, and poles all back in the stuff sack at the same time. I have to bring the rain fly in a separate bag.

-- It is not an easy tent to set up by yourself. The tall center height make it hard to a) get the 2 main ridge poles aligned b) get the large rain fly over the tent easily. Thankfully, my boys have some practice helping me by now so the setup has become easier.

These drawbacks are relatively minor "nits" for me, and they do not detract from my overall satisfaction with the product.

Comments about REI Base Camp 6 Tent:

Great base camp tent, it fits 2 cots with room to spare and I can stand up in it which is a luxury. Home away from home.

Comments about REI Base Camp 6 Tent:

We have used this tent once. It rained the second night and we were able to store all of our chairs and friends chairs in the back of the tent under the fly. In addition, we had our shoes, and fire wood in the front of the tent under that fly and everything stayed nice and dry. The tent is great, allows my husband who is 6'4" to stand up. We are a family of 4 and go car camping. This tent which is for 6 people is comfortable for 4 of us with one air mattress and all of our other gear. We are going camping for Labor Day weekend and excited to use the tent again then and in future years!