How to Choose Tents for Camping
REI Co-op Base Camp 6 Tent
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With a compact, geodesic dome design that makes it strong and storm-worthy, the REI Base Camp 6 is easy to set up and roomy enough for your group of 6 and your gear.
Shop newer versionKey Details
Sleeping Capacity
6-person
Packaged Weight
20 lbs. 6 oz.
Number of Doors
2 doors
Best Use
Camping
- Color coding makes the tent quick to set up with a combination of clips, sleeves and 4 strong aluminum poles that give the tent flexible stability
- Large front and rear doors offer easy access and tuck cleanly away into interior pockets
- Generous mesh windows in walls, ceiling and doors provide excellent ventilation; 2 fly ceiling vents help reduce condensation and can be accessed from inside the tent
- Front and rear vestibules provide ample covered space to store gear; front vestibule's window lets you see the view and enjoy the light
- Mesh gear attic and multiple interior pockets keep your tent organized; hang loops are located throughout the tent
- Bound, cut-in floor and UV-resistant, full coverage polyester rainfly will not stretch or expand when wet, ensuring a consistently taut pitch
- Convenient backpack-style carry bag organizes tent, fly and poles with extra space for footprint; footprint sold separately
- The REI Base Camp 6 tent comes with 12 stakes, 4 guylines with tighteners, pole repair tube and gear attic
- REI Co-op brand is certified to The Climate Label; we actively fund efforts to reduce carbon emissions across our business and support climate projects around the world
| Best Use | Camping |
|---|---|
| Seasons | 3 - 4-season |
| Sleeping Capacity | 6-person |
| Minimum Trail Weight | 17 lbs. 3 oz. |
| Packaged Weight | 20 lbs. 6 oz. |
| Packed Size | 25 x 17 x 9.5 inches |
| Floor Dimensions | 10 ft. 5 in. x 8 ft. 4 in. |
| Floor Area | 83 square feet |
| Vestibule Area | 23 + 15 square feet |
| Peak Height | 6 ft. 2 in. inches |
| Number of Doors | 2 doors |
| Number of Poles | 4 + 1 vestibule pole |
| Pole Material | Aluminum 6061 / 7001-T6 |
| Pole Diameter | 10.3 / 11.0 millimeters |
| Canopy Fabric | Nylon taffeta |
| Floor Fabric | Coated polyester oxford |
| Rainfly Fabric | Coated polyester taffeta |
| Footprint Included | No |
| Design Type | Freestanding |
| Sustainability | From a Climate Label Certified brand |
Buying Advice
Better gear is built together
From feedback to field testing, all of our gear is dialed-in by REI Co-op members. Their adventures informed every stitch and detail—making for better, longer-lasting gear.
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Most Helpful Favorable Review
Solid Tent
John773412 years ago
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
John7734
Castle Rock, CO
16 people found this review helpful
Most Helpful Critical Review
No Mesh Cover for Doors
honda92hatch12 years ago
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.
honda92hatch
Sacramento, CA
9 people found this review helpful
Customer Images
Schmoo
Michigan
One of the Best Tents
11 years ago
If the rain fly had a window cover it would be a 5. This tent is easy to set up and can stand up to some heavy wind and rain. The first time I set it up was with my new girl friend that had not been camping before. we did it in 15 mins. It is roomy and we will use it plenty she loves camping now.
Yes , I recommend this product
Great Basin Hiker
Fernley, NV
Great summer tent
12 years ago
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.
Yes , I recommend this product
kindarch
Philadelphia, PA
Awesome family tent
11 years ago
I LOVE this tent. CERTIFIED WATERPROOF...we slept in this twice in TORRENTIAL downpours...I was pleased to find it was BONE DRY. I was shocked. I have a family of (4) so this sleeps us comfortably with no kids kicking me in the head in the middle of the night (6 people would be pushing it). Dual entries make it easy to pee in the middle of the night w/o stepping on my kids and wife. I can stand up in this easy, lots of storage, rain fly works great with large vestibule. I set it up and break it down solo. My buddy has the Base Camp 8 which is sickly HUGE....bordering obnoxius. This slides right under Dbag size....so its cool. Best quality purchase in a long time.
Yes , I recommend this product
Meggenfish
Loveland, Colorado
Excellent Piece of Gear
11 years ago
I had been wanting a new tent for quite sometime and finally decided on this one. I am extremely satisfied so far. I've had it out on 5 or 6 trips now. I took this tent up into the mountains last weekend and it handled all the elements to include, rain, snow and +40 mph wind....the tent didn't move! All the zippers work great and I love the dual vestibules. The back pack bag is genius and has plenty of room for your poly hammer, extra stakes and foot print This is a great tent that I intend to be packing for many years.
Yes , I recommend this product
Batavia Camp Mom
Batavia, IL
Family of 4 + Dog + 10 Days Camping
11 years ago
Bought 3 years ago--latest use was 10 days rustic camping in Michigan on a tent-only site. Fits our family of four plus one small dog perfectly. Our set-up this time was three camping cots side-by-side across the tent and one bag on the floor. The floor of the tent suffered no damage from the cot feet. It rained 3" one night and we stayed dry. Another two nights, there were 25-30 mph winds (with gusts up to 40-45 mph) and the tent held fine: it didn't flap loudly, didn't have air rushing in the screened areas; held our body heat comfortably. I was suprised and impressed. My husband's only beef is that there is no window to peek out of to see what critter is stalking outside. You need to unzip the tent door and exterior fly.
Yes , I recommend this product
Brenda the outdoor girl
Jacksonville, FL
Love this GEAR!
12 years ago
After lots of research we purchased the Base Camp 6 Our decision was based on may factors, we plan on using this tent for may years to come, weather proof and rain proof were some of the things we were looking for in a tent. This gear fits the bill to a Tee. our very first outing we were rained upon for 2 days straight, Not only were we dry but when we arrived home the tent AND rain fly dried in aproximately 15 minutes in the sun. WOW. It was easy to set up and provided plenty of room. The center height is over 6' tall so standing up inside was a breeze. With the rain fly on we felt that it was very private.Packing it back up was easy and all the issues that I have read here didn't exist for us. We like the Base Camp 6 so much because of ease and design that we have added to our campsite experience from REI "The Alcove" free standing shelter! Thanks REI for having great products that work as advertised!^
Yes , I recommend this product
John7734
Castle Rock, CO
Solid Tent
12 years ago
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
Yes , I recommend this product
Marty the Marmot
San Diego
Kept us dry in Yosemite
15 years ago
Last camping trip was to Yosemite in May where it rained/hailed/snowed 5 of the 6 days, with a couple of windy nights. There was a little bit of condensation, but we didn't open any of the vents due to the weather conditions. Other than that, it kept us completely dry. We had a second tent that we were using as a supply tent, and that thing leaked very badly after the first couple of days of rain. Extremely happy that I decided to buy this tent. Our trip could have easily turned into a nightmare with a lesser quality tent. Turned out to be an epic camping trip as the weather added an extra element.
Yes , I recommend this product
fkooyman
Texas
Practically Hurricane-proof
14 years ago
We suffered through a storm in February '11 with at least 40 mph winds (and probably more) at about 25 degrees in an exposed Texas state park on the Rio Grande. Nothing to cut the wind for miles around except creosote bush. We spent an extremely uncomfortable night watching the tent poles swaying and getting horribly distorted in the wind, and worrying about the whole tent collapsing. Miraculously, in the morning the tent was still standing without a single rip in the fabric. Two poles were slightly bent but still quite usable. Ours was the only tent in the park but I'm sure a lesser quality tent would have been ripped to shreds. We continued setting up and using the tent during the rest of our trip without problems. We're past backpacking age and use Camp Time cots (highly recommended) inside the tent. There's enough room inside the inner tent for two cots, a table, and two chairs so you can sit inside and read at night, even without using the vestibules.
Yes , I recommend this product
SCfamily
Santa Cruz, CA
Tent tore on second outing
12 years ago
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.
No, I do not recommend this product
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