REI Base Camp 6 Tent

Comments about REI Base Camp 6 Tent:

I owned a Base Camp 4 for about a year and was very happy with it. But when the family decided they all wanted to camp, it was just too small. I moved up to the Base Camp 6. I took it to woods expecting a bigger replica of BC4. I was surprised that REI had added mesh - all lot of mesh that can not be zipped shut to this version. Not that big of a deal with fly on - but even then there is not complete privacy because of the fly window and no ability to close the "door". In summer, this tent will likely perform better then the old design - but in cooler temps it has a bit of a draft because all the new mesh around sides and doors - and a fly that does not go all the way to the ground. I had to stuff pinestraw around the bottom to stop some of the cool breeze (granted it was a chilly and windy night).Bottom line: this tent would be perfect if REI would add the ability zip the door mesh shut (not an option on this version). My family got tired of having to go through the fly - and then the mesh door to get in and out. Plus, I like mesh when it is hot, but I also like to be able zip it shut when it is cold. [...] I ended up with a Kingdome (which after 1 backyard campout is a hit with the family). This is still a great tent - just make sure you are OK with the more backback design of this family tent. Cheers to REI for another solid product [...]

Comments about REI Base Camp 6 Tent:

About three years ago we got blown out of our campsite at Anza Borrego Desert State Park in California. We bought this tent to withstand those terrible winds coming out of the canyons. We bought some great stakes and tied our Base Camp 6 down this last weekend. The winds came, and they were tough and accompanied with rain. There are over 100 campsites in the campground, and it was full. The next morning ours was the only tent left standing, and it hardly moved in the wind. If you want a tent that can stand up to wind, this is a good bet. You just need better stakes than REI provides.

Comments about REI Base Camp 6 Tent:

We wanted the smallest, high quality tent I could stand-up in. Time for us to begin using cots! I have used Sierra Design tents for the past 15 years, so I have very high expectations for product performance. A tent that won't hold-out a Rocky Mountain summer thunderstorm, or hold-up to a fall snowstorm, isn't of any use to me.

This tent is very well designed and the construction quality is top-rate. I set-up the entire tent by myself in 10 minutes the very first time. (Getting the fly over the top does take a little imagination.) Having the instructions sewn to the tent bag is genius! The tent stakes are nice and tough.

We just returned from camping at an alpine lake in the Idaho back country and experienced an all-night thunderstorm. A total gully-washer. This tent is tough. We did not get a single drop inside. It was raining so hard that it was too loud to sleep!

Great product!

Comments about REI Base Camp 6 Tent:

The first time I used this tent, a tornado happened to come through a few miles away. I was not near any permanent shelter or my vehicle, so I had to stick out the storm in the tent. This tent didn't even budge during very high winds and larger than golfball-sized hail that lasted quite some time! Not a drop of water got into the tent, and although there were pools of water collecting under the tent, no condensation formed on the tent floor. I was throughouly impressed: I didn't think there was a tent in creation that could withstand the kind of weather I was in!

Comments about REI Base Camp 6 Tent:

The Base Camp 6 has served us extremely well so far! We primarily bought it for me, my wife, and 2-year old, but I have also used it on guy's trips. We like having the extra room and that's why we decided on this one instead of BC4.

It is easy to set up- tent takes about 10-15 on my own and then the fly is a handful of more minutes. It's easier with 2 people, but not bad at all by yourself. A big tip that I want to share is to slide the first two poles into position before setting them up in the grommets- this way the tent lays flat and you don't need to mess around with trying to fit the second pole through when the other one is already up in position. The directions may already state this, but I don't remember.

Pros:
**Big! 6 adults isn't realistic though- 4 guys comfortable. I just came home from a trip and we had 4 in the tent- 6'4 240, 6' 330, 6'2 220, and 5'9 160. We were comfortable, but the 5th would have to lay by the feet so I can see that not being too comfortable
**Easy to set up and take down!
**Rain fly has good coverage- no leaks during pretty big rain storm.
**Nice vestibules! Would be nice if both were big, but they're not. Our last trip, we mostly went through the smaller vestibule and it still worked out fine. The larger vestibule is wonderful because that gives you a ton of more space for gear, shoes, etc. Just be sure to bring a small tarp for a ground in the vestibule. We just use a larger tarp (12x8) that goes under the whole tent and it extends a couple feet into the vestibule.
**A lot of loops to hang whatever you wish. Nice attic area where you can store more items at the top center of the tent. Also, pockets in the corner that make storage convenient.
**Bag is a nice size where you are not trying to jam everything back when packing it up. I even fit the extra tarp in there.
**Instructions are sewn into the bag- convenient for the first couple times setting it up, but really not needed since it is a simple set-up (color coded poles).

Cons (definitely not deal breakers- more like "good to knows"):
**Not enough stakes- buy a few extras to ensure you can set the tent appropriately- especially when using guy lines. You can get by with what comes with the tent, but I would rather use more stakes just in case weather turns windy, rainy, etc.
**There's a lot of mesh on the tent that doesn't zip up so if you don't have the fly on, there is no privacy.
**Since there is a lot of mesh, the tent doesn't hold in heat extremely well. The fly almost goes to the ground, but is still a few inches up; we noticed our heat escaping there. Also, when the fly is properly installed, there should be space between the tent and fly so condensation doesn't build- this also caused the cold to move in.

I highly recommend this tent! The traditional dome style has proven to be strong and spacious. The fly vestibules make it unique and are great touches for added storage, or even sleeping quarters as a last resort.

It is decent amount of money, but seems like it will last a long time and is competitive with competitors pricing at similar sizes/levels.

Enjoy!

Comments about REI Base Camp 6 Tent:

We live in one of the most remote areas of the world, Mongolia. We needed a tent that was roomy enough, and one that would stand up to the wind and sand/dust storms that are a regular occurrence here. The tent was fantastic. We slept through wind, sand, and even rain. Awesome.[...]

Comments about REI Base Camp 6 Tent:

After 5 years of owning this tent, I'm still impressed every time we use it. We use this tent about 2 times per year for camping in California. Materials, craftsmanship, waterproofness and design are excellent. Most recently (5/08) we camped with 9 other families at my kid's annual soccer team's camping event. It drizzled most of the weekend and rained quite hard at night. With the rainfly, this tent stayed nice and dry inside for all 3 days. NOTHING got wet inside. We almost felt guilty hearing the other families' sad stories of tent leaks, wet sleeping bags and difficult nights sleeping in their cars. Felt blessed that we didn't own a cheap tent. High praises for this tent's waterproof capabilities, durability and general high quality.

Comments about REI Base Camp 6 Tent:

This is the first big tent I have owned. After a summer of hard use I feel it will also be the last one I own. Before this tent I was using the hand me down tent my father purchased when I joined cub scouts. It was a good tent but was getting long in the tooth and starting to leak.

This tent gets used for what I like to call extreme car camping...where interior space and HD construction take precedence over everything else. I travel to many outdoor racing events including rally and motocross races and this tent sees it all from torrential down pours to drunk people falling into it(steel city 08) and it has held up extremely well and kept me and my friends and all our gear dry.

There are only two draw backs to this tent. One, it takes two people to set up and really three makes it much easer and try to setup in the daylight if you can. Its heavy, real heavy. You could use it for extended 4 wheeling adventures as well as a pack tent on horse back but there is no way this thing is going into anyone’s back pack.

Other then those two things it’s a great tent.

Comments about REI Base Camp 6 Tent:

We've had this tent for several years. I've researched other models, looking for something slightly larger to accommodate our growing family of 5 with a little more room. But nothing compares. This tent is just frankly the best out there, hands down. We've had it in severe windstorms - no problem. Torrential rains - no problem. Very hot days - simply open the front and the back and capture a glorious breeze. Lots of interior storage compartments for water, flashlights, etc., and very roomy vestibules. We do a lot of car camping, and no other tent out comes close to this perfect set of features. We'll continue with it (even though we wish it were a little bigger) because we can't give up any of its great features!

Comments about REI Base Camp 6 Tent:

I spent about a week looking for a good tent for family car camping. As such, weight wasn't so much an issue. The criteria that guided my selection were as follows:* roominess (3 to 4 people plus some gear with ease)* good stability in the wind* tall enough for me to stand up inside* full rain fly... never cared for those cheap tents with tiny little rain covers* waterproof / sheds water efficiently (seam sealing is a given)* freestanding (it's hard to stake at some campgrounds, depends on the ground)* good ventilation with the fly off* footprint offered (I just don't like making them)* vestibule (nice but not entirely necessary)* good warranty and supportI finally settled on the Base Camp 6. A couple of days after the purchase, my family of three took it out for a one-night test spin. The tent was extremely easy to set up with two people, and I don't think it would be that much more difficult to do solo. I appreciate the four-pole design, which seems to make the tent more stable than a lot of the two-pole designs I looked at. Without the fly/vestibules (which need to be staked), the tent is free-standing, and before we left, my wife and I flipped it up and shook out a little bit of grass that had gotten inside.The tent offers great ventilation. We had a forecast of 50% scattered storms, so we wound up putting on the fly/vestibules. Even then, we were able to get some good cross ventilation by rolling up the two vestibule doors and zipping open the door windows. It did not rain, however, so I cannot yet speak to the waterproof nature of the tent. Still, the design, with a full fly and no places for water to collect, suggests that the Base Camp 6 should handle wet weather well.The tent had plenty of room, both for standing and changing clothes as well as for sleeping and gear. No problems there. Gear pockets and a gear loft add some nice storage space in this tent.Functionally, the tent was fantastic. My only qualm was a cosmetic issue. The two doors both had light brown stains that looked like dye from the floor had rubbed off in spots. At first, I thought it was a used tent that had gotten muddy, but the stains were confined only to the door sections and nowhere else. [...] Am looking forward to going out again with this tent. It was a joy to use.