REI Hobitat 6 Tent

Comments about REI Hobitat 6 Tent:

I've owned the Hobitat 6 for about 2-3 years now. This tent has been used at least once every month or two from Spring - Fall. It's held up very well. It still sets up quickly and easily.

The weight of the tent is such that it's not practical for backpacking. It's definitely a car camping tent. I would also add that like every other tent I've ever used, the sizing of 6 people is pretty optimistic. My family (me, my wife, and 4 kids) can camp comfortably in it but when it's me and the guys we have a strict 4 person limit. :)

The only complaint I have is in regards to the design of the top barrier between the tent itself and the rainfly. Others have complained about getting wet in blowing rain. I've never experienced that. Once we got a little damp in the very center of the tent. What basically happens is when you tighten the rainfly down it will press the barrier (the foamish cylinder between the tent and rainfly that gives spacing for airflow) down againt the top of the tent. If the very top center of the tent (between where the 4 poles cross an the barrier for the rainfly sits) is not taut then the barrier will sink lower into the tent than it should creating a slight depression on the very top of the rainfly. That depression will hold water and prevent it from running of easily. After a night of thunderstorms we had a slow but steady drip drip of water in the very center of the tent. After pushing up on the barrier all the water ran off and we had no more problems. Every subsequent time I've used the tent I've been very careful to spread the poles out as far as I could so the top of the rainfly is both tight and slightly raised. I've never had any sort of water issue sense.

All in all, it's a great tent for the money and I highly recommend it.

Comments about REI Hobitat 6 Tent:

Bought this tent after looking around, reading reviews, and really making sure what I wanted in a tent.
my parameters were: enough space to hold my family of 4 and gear, general ease of set up, durability, and a nice ceiling to see the stars in the summer.
My first attempt to set this up was in my driveway with the kids..9 and 7...they basically stood around :)
It went up real easy...BTW...Watch the video on setting this up...It's an amazing help!
REI should have one for each of their tents!!!
My second set up was when I took my 7 year old camping...we made the campground at 8pm..and it was DARK!!! (Never figured this into the equation :) )
Had my son hold the lantern as I put the tent up...he was able to hold the end down for me as well and though it took a bit longer to set up, it still went up easily given the situation.
The fly went on easily as well, though at 6'2" I have an advantage in throwing this over the top.
Inside we had 2 military cots, plus our gear...It was like an apartment..we were the envy of the campground :)
Except 1 thing..it got to be 35 degrees at night!
This tent is definitely a 2 season tent..the fly only covers the air vents..but still not great for cold weather camping.
but you live and learn..I'll be looking into a 3 season tent next, and I give this tent 2 thumbs up!

Comments about REI Hobitat 6 Tent:

First time we used this tent, July in DC, got wet because of inadequate rain fly. Later in the year, October on Skyline Dr. (Shenandoah NP), early season snow storm, convinced us that this, indeed, is a fair weather tent. Returned to REI and purchased 6 person REI dome tent. We are now happy campers. This tent has plenty of ventilation, if that is what you are looking for.

Comments about REI Hobitat 6 Tent:

I was hoping that with everyone's suggestions here that I could make a go of it with this tent, since on its face it seemed to satisfy what I needed. Even with all the advice, set-up was very confusing and required more than one attempt. It has great headroom and is spacious, but rain collected in the top of the fly like it was a bowl, and had to be cleared out every time in a summer of record-setting rainfalls. If it rained while I was out, I couldn't even get the door open, because the weight of the water changed the pull of the fabric, and the zipper would not operate - I would have to rock the tent frame until enough water sloshed out to free up the zipper. The ground cloth was completely the wrong size, and I never even bothered putting the vestibule on, as I went back to using my dome tent instead.

Comments about REI Hobitat 6 Tent:

When I backpack, I'm a minimalist/ultralighter. But my family doesn't see it that way, and wants plenty of space when we car camp together. The Hobitat totally works for that! Lot's of space... sets up easily (requires two people though), and plenty sturdy. One small nitpick... the mesh part of the tent goes almost to the floor in the corners. So even in good weather, you need to have the rainfly attached for privacy (you know, little girls changing clothes, and that sort of thing). Other than that, it works great, and we're really happy with it. Not able to comment on its weather worthiness at this point, as we haven't had any weather issues with it yet.

Comments about REI Hobitat 6 Tent:

This is a good tent for calm, sheltered areas only. Plenty of room inside for people and gear. The side gear pockets are clever. Zippers worked well, with minimal snags. Not too difficult to set up with two people. Tough to do with only one.
Where this tent fails is any kind of adverse weather conditions. My tent was only 2 years old when a 25 m.p.h. windstorm blew out the side of it along the whole length of the lower seam. Fly barely covers the vents along unit, so wind and dirt got through it easily. Never experienced any wet weather with it, so cannot judge it on that.

Comments about REI Hobitat 6 Tent:

If you ONLY camp in fair, non-windy weather this tent offers a nice floor plan and headroom. While it's airy, it's so overly ventilated that you get no protection. The designers choose to use a ridiculously skimpy rain fly which barely covers the full-length mesh on two corners and the ceiling of this tent. With any wind at all, rain or dust blows past the fly and through the mesh. One one occasion, all our stuff got drenched and on another everything got caked in dust. In both cases, the wind was only blowing 5-10 mph. If I keep this tent, I'll either look into getting a full-coverage rain fly made or I'll see if the mesh panels can be replaced with closed nylon. I'm disappointed to have to consider these options.

Comments about REI Hobitat 6 Tent:

This tent cut my planned week-long 2008 labor day weekend vacation down to three days. All went well until storms blew in. During the night the tent shook and shuddered in the wind but held well, until I realized that the way the tent poles are built it allowed rain to collect in the center top of the fly. The center of the tent kept getting lower and lower. Camping alone, without someone to switch off keeping watch, I had to push up and empty the fly about every 20 minutes or risk pole damager and a tent collapse. This tent is wonderful in dry weather, but not recommended for anyone who camps where a sudden storm may develop and cause sleepless nights (and days after those nights). Upon setup, there is a zipper in the center of the top of the tent and a little stick with velcro intended to make the tent into a dome, rather than a flat top. This stick is supported by ribbons and the screens around the ribbons. However, in anything more than a light misting, the force and weight of the rain doesn't run off, instead it pushes the center of the tent down creating a larger and larger lake. Attempted remedies included further cinching of the fly until it was drum tight. This only forced the center of the tent down. Adding a center pole would fix the problem, but there are tents that don't require this fix. I was forced to abandon camp halfway through the week and ended up spending the rest of the week in an urban environment. Bummer.

If you only camp in dry weather go ahead and purchase this tent. If you think there could be a chance of rain, find something else. You will be glad you did.

Service and delivery comments:

Customer service did take the tent back without argument.

Comments about REI Hobitat 6 Tent:

Just threw the tent in the trash. Poles collapse last year during a high wind. Replaced poles for $100. This weekend it folded under any wind. Finally poles cracked and ripped through tent. Leaked around the zippers for giant puddle at door.

Comments about REI Hobitat 6 Tent:

After car camping for two seasons with this tent it is great to have all this room (for two of us) when spending several days camped. We sleep on cots and no longer are we cramped in our tent. 6'+ interior I can stand up and raise my arms! Near vertical walls. Plenty of ventilation: 2-doors/2-windows on opposite sides, and the entire top. It's very roomy, EASY TO SET UP (one person even), and doesn't take much time, a helper is not really needed. I have set it up myself, in the near dark. I've stretched a couple REI tent clotheslines inside it to provide storage and hanging space, no problems leaving the lines up! I never take them out of the tent. There are lots of small hanging loops inside the tent, and plenty of pockets. *Very Glad* I bought the '6' instead of the '4'.
Note: Also get the fitted Hobitat6 ground cover and note the tent (and ground cover) is not square - match the colored tabs, and get the proper side down! :)
Also, not a CON but this tent takes up a fair amount of ground space with the stakeout lines in place ... but that should be obvious.

Service and delivery comments:

Easy, FREE, Prompt delivery from online order to the local REI store.