Family Friendly: REI Base Camp 6
Written: Jun 16 '04
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Stable, quality workmanship, Good design, Good height, large vestibule.
Cons: Big and heavy, Setup is best with two people, not enough ventilation.
The Bottom Line: This is a great family tent that will sleep 4, and their gear, comfortably or 6 in tight quarters.
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| yakkowarner's Full Review: REI Base Camp 6 Tent |
I have had this tent for two years now and it has been a good investment. Although not a perfect tent, it does provide ample room and will be perfect for my family of 4 for the next several years.
Why I bought this.
Before my son was born we had a two man backpacking tent. This tent was barely large enough to fit two of us, so there was no way I could add a child to the mix.
So we went to REI and looked at several tents and this seemed to fit our needs and was a good price to boot.
This tent was rated at 6 people. So I felt that was enough room for a family of 4. In fact we set up a queen size mattress, A single mattress, and a baby crip. And we still have room to spare for gear.
What it comes with and custom accessories.
It comes with the tent body, a rainfly, 5 poles (4 for the tent, 1 for the vestibule), a net, and about 12 light stakes. I have replaced the stakes with heavy duty ones that last longer. It adds weight, but I am not taking this backpacking any time soon.
You can also buy a custom footprint for 45 dollars. I highly recommend this for any REI tent. It matches the tent perfectly and eliminates any hassle you might have with folding a generic tarps. The footprint provides ample protection for the tent bottom.
How it sets up.
It set up like most other tents. You run 2 poles through 2 diagonal sleeves. Once you get the poles taut and put the ends in the grommets, then the tent stands up and takes shape. You take the other two poles and run them through a couple of holes above each door. You then twist them 45 degrees and insert them in their grommets. Then you just clip some clips on the poles to tighten the sides of the tent.
The rain fly is just placed on top of the tent and clipped to the bottom of the tent by clips. You run a pole through the front of the rain fly, put the ends in the grommets in the front corners of the tent body, and stake the front of the rain fly to create the vestibule.
It is fairly easy, just time consuming. It will take you from 5-10 minutes to set up.
Internal accessories and storage
On the ceiling of the tent is a small net (about 1 foot by 1 foot). It generally holds id’s, keys, and small flashlights. I personally feel uncomfortable hanging anything heavy or large from it. Definitely less than 10 pounds. But the most I ever do is 2 pounds.
On both sides are 2 large pockets right next to each door. They are large enough to hold a pair of sandals. I do not use these much but you can put more weight in these then in the net.
Basic dimensions & weight.
It will weight a little over 22 pounds with the optional footprint and my sturdier stakes. Not light at all and I certainly would not want to be carrying this in my backpack.
The floor is 10 ft. 5 in. x 8 ft. 4 in. and is plenty of room for 4 people and gear to sleep comfortably. But if you sleep 6 people, you basically only give each other 2 feet of room. If you’re like me and move around a lot when you sleep, then you will really tick off the person next to you.
When the unit is packed it is 27 inches x 11 inches x 12 inches. Not bad for the room it provides.
Durability
I will say this of every review, you need 10 years with most camping products to test their durability (or a serious simulator.) With that said, this tent has shown no signs of deterioration or damage. It has held up to the abuse both my son and I have given it. The seams are fine, there are no rips, the floor shows no signs of deteriorating. Although the poles are bent, but it does not affect the tents performance.
My experience
The major issue with this tent is the size. I have to carefully select a size that will accommodate it. Now this is not a big tent and you will not have as much difficulty as you would with a 8 man Coleman that requires guy wires in order to be secure. But this tent will not work for every campsite in your typical national park. In one site I had thorny bushs on 3 sides. I was a little bit of a pain to set up and I got poked a couple of times, but the tent was fine.
There is plenty of room in this tent for kids to crawl around. That was nice because it allowed my wife and I to sleep and our son could play with his cars until he felt like collapsing. For our last camping trip we put the portable crib at our feet for our daughter to sleep in. Room is not an issue.
I have never felt the need to set up guy wires. The tent itself is very sturdy because of the construction. I have a good deal of confidence in the design.
How rain proof is it?
All the years I have taken this camping, I have yet to get in a rain storm. The 2 times I did encounter rain, my wife requested we go to a hotel. I was not going to argue because I really did not want my son to be exposed to the elements (not good for 1 or 2 year olds to be getting pneumonia or something else.)
What I can tell you is there is a good 9 inches of room between the zipper and the ground. Believe me, you need that space in a good rain storm. Once while using my Clipper tent I came back to camp with 6 inches of water, but the inside of my clipper was bone dry. So if this tent does find itself in a puddle, it will be dry up to around 9 inches of standing water.
The rain fly is also well designed. It clips into the main tent and you can stake it down if you really wanted to. The front of the tent has a large vestibule that allows you too take off wet jackets and shoes without getting water inside the tent. (I had to open the front of the clipper tent to have enough room to do the same.) I still have to crouch a little inside the vestibule.
If you want to know about my experiences with the REI Clipper tent then follow the link on the bottom. I have put that tent through its paces and I have no reason to believe there would be any differences between the two tents with the exception of size. The quality of materials and design between the two tents are very similar.
Problems
I have no problems with the construction or material. The tent is in good shape with no signs of abnormal wear. But minor design changes are necessary.
The major problem I have is with the design of the test set up process. It is not quick and a little time consuming. But it is fairly easy to set up by yourself.
Who would want this?
- This would be for a family of 4-5 that goes car camping.
- Someone that wants a tent that is sturdy in high winds, or a tent that does not require guywires.
- It can be used for a group of 6 backpackers. But the person carrying the tent will not carry much else.
By the numbers Information from the REI website.
Suggested use Family and/or snow camping
Average minimum weight 18 lbs. 4 oz.
Average packaged weight 20 lbs. 13 oz.
Sleeping capacity 6
Floor dimensions 10 ft. 5 in. x 8 ft. 4 in.
Peak height 6 ft. 1 in.
Floor area 87 square feet
Vestibule area 23 15 square feet
Packed size 11 x 27 inches
Pole material Aluminum 6061 and 7001 series
Number of poles 4 1 vestibule pole
Rainfly fabric Coated polyester ripstop
Canopy fabric Nylon taffeta
Floor fabric Coated polyester oxford
Doors 2
Pole diameter 10.3/11 millimeters
Why the rating?
This tent deserves a 3. But because of the quality/value ratio I will get out of this tent I give it a 4. It does not deserve a 5 because there are still too many design issues that REI needs to work out. So many that I think they will need to go back to the drawing board to please me.
Summary:
This is a great tent for 4 people and their gear. It is well built, sturdy, and well designed. Although not great for backpacking, it is perfect for car camping. And the quality I expect from REI is there. But if you want state of the art, you may want to go else where.
Other camping structures.
Kelty Sunshade
REI Clipper Tent
Coleman 2 burner propane stove
Recommended:
Yes
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