Best ground tents?

[armourbl]

I'm considering getting a new tent. Mainly to support just myself and my wife on simple trips to start off with, but hoping for more extended and serious trips in the future. Can't see myself making the big leap at this point to a roof tent.

Been out a couple of times with her in a REI Passage 2 that I normally use alone. It is sufficient, but still a little cramped inside.

Labor Day is coming and with it is a sale at REI and an additional 20 percent off couple for members. I haven't done a lot of research, but the REI Kingdom 6 looks like it might be a good option. I may be able to get it for about 50 percent off over the holiday. It has loads of room and even an interior divider wall that can add some privacy when there may be others on the trip (such as my kids).

Ease of setup, loads of room, stand up height inside, very large vestibule, etc. But, I see the footprint area size being possible a big negative for camp site selection.

Any other recommendations to offer for the ground sleeping crowd?

Thanks,

ben

 

[martin_j001]

Very much depends on your needs. My wife and I have a Quarter Dome 3 for backpacking with, and easy single nights out where we don't want to take a lot to set up. I'm a fan of a 3 person tent for two, especially if one or both of you are over the size (height and/or weight) the two person tents are built for in any way. We learned this the hard way starting out with a two person tent first. For longer trips, where we don't want to "rough it" as much, we had a Hobitat 4 and the garage. This tent got used the most, whether car camping or "walk-in" sites, as it gave us plenty of room regardless of weather. More recently, once our family grew by 1, we picked up a Kodiak Canvas 10x14 tent, which has ample room for the entire family (and a pack and play, etc) regardless of weather, but will only ever be useful for car camping where a big flat spot is already available.

 

[armourbl]

Thanks Martin.

I'm 6' 1" and about 200 pounds. Wife is 5' 2" and about 120 pounds. We are both slender built. I've got a very large 8 person North Face tent we used to use for family trips. It requires a lot of space and it difficult to setup. Only really good for long stays in one spot.

I'm looking to Glamp when camping from the Jeep as much as possible. Maybe use our queen size air mattress, some more room sleeping bags or blankets, etc. I like to have a lot of my clothing and hygiene stuff with me inside the tent as well.

Looking at the Kindom 6, it even looks like I could use the front half of the tent to setup a small table, do some simple cooking, and sit inside the tent when conditions warrant needing a place to escape the bugs but still hang out (of course cooking would be with the rain fly off if we decided to cook).

Still researching. Here is a site that I've used before to see comparable options. https://www.outdoorgearlab.com/reviews/camping-and-hiking/camping-tent/rei-kingdom-6

ben

 

[Steve]

In search of: The Best Ground Tents
https://www.overlandbound.com/forums/index.php?threads/In-search-of:-The-Best-Ground-Tents.4755/

 

[armourbl]

Ah man, but I wanted my own thread. LOL

ben

 

[MazeVX]

So it's more on the cheap side but I can recommend the Coleman "blackout bedroom" tents.
The darkness in the sleeping area is really awesome and gives you a new quality of sleep especially when you travel high up north during summer or whatever.

 

[Nomadik Nova]

We have a Cabela's West Wind 4-Person Dome Tent: https://www.cabelas.com/product/CABELAS-WESTWIND-P-DOME-TENT/2437123.uts for me, Mrs., and our dog. I'm 6'4" and fit comfortably.

It performs exceptionally well in wind/rain!

 

[Mike474]

I have a REI kingdom 4. Works great for 2. Just spent a week camping with 3 plenty of room. Im 6'4" and I can stand in the middle. I was back and forth between 4 and 6. Like the 4.

 

[Smileyshaun]

I have had great luck with the Colman insta-tents , the one we have has room for 6 with room to spare , very tall and takes a whole 2-4 minutes to setup . Not sure how it would handle a lot of wind being in the pnw trees always seem to block most the wind .

 

[WareWolf MoonWall]

We picked up a Weathermaster 6 person tent this year and have really enjoyed it. I am 6'3 and can walk around. It's sized for 2 queen mattresses and has a bonus netted room that you could also have kids etc in if desired. We set it up with two cots, a blanket on the floor for my 110lb dog, and a small table and still have room to get out to the restroom.

Since we had cots, we were able to store all the containers with our supplies out of the way, but still handy. Several pockets for storage also.

We also had two chairs and another table in the netted outdoor area kinda like a dining room.

With the rain fly removed you can watch stars wonderfully. It took us maybe 20 minutes to put up together, and we were able to get it back into the original bag.

We are also waiting for a Cinch 4 man tent for something smaller / simpler so we have options. It's got a black out cover and some other bells and whistles, so it should be fun in its own ways.

 

[Anak]

I But, I see the footprint area size being possible a big negative for camp site selection.

I would say you have correctly identified your biggest issue with that tent.

I try to get away with the least amount of tent possible.

Also consider what it is going to take to clean and dry that thing after have to pack it up wet and muddy.

When you have kids (i.e. slave labor) which you can employ to help set up and clean up such a large tent, then it is easily justified, but if it is just the two of you, well, that is a lot of work for two people, at least in my book. I am already planning my off-road teardrop for once I get rid of these Varmints and it is just The Bride and I again.

 

[chris_nc]

I have the REI Kingdom 6 and absolutely love it!

The zip down wall in the middle works great when I camp with my 22 year old daughter and we both want privacy. We set up cots on both sides have plenty of room for personal belongings, changing, etc. It has doors on both ends so we don't even have to worry about access through the other person's side. It goes up easy, and packs up easy as well. We've been in thunderstorms just about every trip and this tent has always done extremely well. I don't even worry about rain these days. I have the additional vestibule, and garage that attaches to one end, providing great protection for entering/exiting the main tent during a storm, and the garage provides a place to store our equipment totes out of site and out of the weather.

With all of the additions (vestibule, garage, and small vestibule attached to the rain fly at the opposite end, it can get really long. However, we've been able to find sites with large enough tent pads to make it work. We may end up with the vestibule/garage over the edge of the designated tent pad, but it still works great.

This weekend, I had it up for just myself. No rain fly and was able to set my cot in the middle and enjoy some nice open air camping with a full moon.

Plenty of other options, but if you do go with the Kingdom 6, I don't think you'll be disappointed.

 

[WareWolf MoonWall]

We picked up a Weathermaster 6 person tent this year and have really enjoyed it. I am 6'3 and can walk around. It's sized for 2 queen mattresses and has a bonus netted room that you could also have kids etc in if desired. We set it up with two cots, a blanket on the floor for my 110lb dog, and a small table and still have room to get out to the restroom.

Since we had cots, we were able to store all the containers with our supplies out of the way, but still handy. Several pockets for storage also.

We also had two chairs and another table in the netted outdoor area kinda like a dining room.

With the rain fly removed you can watch stars wonderfully. It took us maybe 20 minutes to put up together, and we were able to get it back into the original bag.

We are also waiting for a Cinch 4 man tent for something smaller / simpler so we have options. It's got a black out cover and some other bells and whistles, so it should be fun in its own ways.

Some pictures of our Weathermaster from about a month ago.

 

[armourbl]

Thanks everyone for the responses. I'm still leaning toward the Kingdom 6. With the upcoming discount it is practically a steal. All of the feedback is helping.

ben

 

[chris_nc]

Make sure you grab the footprint for the Kingdom 6 if you do go that route. They sell them separately, and it really makes a big difference with this tent as far as floor protection, and keeping it dry.

 

[armourbl]

Yeah, I'd get the footprint for sure. Still trying to decide if now is the time or not to make the purchase.

ben

 

[BlackSheepExpedition]

I use the REI Kingdom 6 Tent... Depending on how long we will be set up depends on bedding. Short Term is the 3.5 Self inflation air mattress from REI. Long Term it is the Air Mattress bed from REI or Cots. We also use the ground cover and garage on the tent..

 

[martin_j001]

Yeah, I'd get the footprint for sure. Still trying to decide if now is the time or not to make the purchase.

ben

With their current Labor Day Sale, it's definitely a much better price than usual.

 

[Cody Stewart]

I have been both truck and backpack camping for years. I have a Nemo Losi 2P and an MSR Hubba 1P. I can tell you I am hard on everything I own and have had to replace bits and pieces. I'll get to the quality of the tents in a moment...First, Customer Service: I am not one to go through the non-personal internet way of handeling things. I have called and discussed my issues and their resolutions with both companies. They were #@$%ing amazing! I needed a new canopy for my Nemo, had it in 4 days after a 5 minute conversation AND I got a swag bag of stickers. I needed a cleat set for the MSR and found customer service to be just as awesome and efficient.

Both of my tents are high quality and meant for backpacking, so the cost is higher than you may find in typical car-camping tents. The materials and ease of setup are fantastic. I highly recommend looking into NEMO and MSR. Both manufacturers make larger tents more adequate for overland/family camping.

Cody