Greed, optimism, stinginess, and materialistic guilt thrashing together in a dance of futility that leads straight to the checkout counter? To make matters worse, sometimes I’m so ashamed of the purchase that I can’t even bring myself to return it. You either need six people or twelve arms to hold the thing together when assembling. I purchased my tent a couple of years ago, but time passed and just got it out to put it up.
But it’s one of the least expensive tents we found that had no significant drawbacks and will truly cover your bases for three-season camping. The tent also comes with its own footprint, a groundsheet that protects the tent from abrasion, which we recommend that you have. We also appreciated the shepherd’s hook stakes that come with the tent.
And this tent is easy to set up and pack down, especially considering its size. As with most six-person tents, the Wawona 6’s footprint ozark trail canopy is sold separately. Like our couples’ tent pick, the Wireless 6 is a dome-shaped tent with a tried and true two-pole design.
Avoid the left side to stay out of the heavy rough, deep bunker, and the lake. This downhill par 3 features a heart-shaped green with plenty of trouble on all sides. A flowing creek off to the right feeds into a large pond to the left of the green with additional cascading falls and a bunker beyond the hole. In terms of flaws, there aren’t much to speak of with the Wawona 6, apart from the price. The North Face offers a limited lifetime warranty on the tent, and will repair most flaws and damage at its discretion.
The set-up is a breeze, even for someone like me who’s not much of a handy person. The pre-attached poles and the quick assembly process make it a cinch to put up this massive tent. In fact, it’s so large it feels like a proper home away from home. Upon arrival, setting it up was easier than I anticipated, thanks to the color-coded fiberglass and steel pole design. The mesh panels made the whole experience feel like an open-air movie theater, providing a 360-degree view of the surreal surroundings.
During our testing, our Base Camp shrugged off both a rainstorm and a desert windstorm as if they were nothing. Despite losing some headroom in comparison with the Kelty Wireless 6 and The North Face Wawona 6, both of which measure six-foot-four in height, the Base Camp 6 offers a substantial six-foot-two. At $500, this modified dome-style tent isn’t cheap, but it represents substantial value. Many tents with similar profiles—such as the Big Agnes Dog House 6—either cost more or require you buy the tent body and attachable vestibule separately. The Wawona doesn’t come with a footprint—few tents this size do—but it’s otherwise all-inclusive, and it is compact considering how much livable space you get. The price also reflects the high quality of the materials, such as the four reinforced aluminum poles, which weigh little yet result in a remarkably strong tent.
Though the Wireless’s fly kept water out of the tent’s interior, it took longer to fully dry once the rain stopped than some others we tested. If you don’t have time to let the fly dry before you pack the Wireless in its duffle, we recommend laying it out when you ozark trail canopy get home so it doesn’t mildew in storage. The Wireless 6’s drawbacks have mainly to do with material quality. These can be as strong, or even more so, than aluminum poles (especially cheap ones), but they’re always bulkier, heavier, and not as nice to handle.
With its 180 square feet of living space, tall center height, and adaptable room divider, it felt like a second home in the midst of nature. The separate doors for personal sleeping spaces or convertible screen room was a thoughtful feature for a group campout like ours. The large windows that zip open allowed for a refreshing breeze, and the flexible mesh walls gave a charming outdoor feel.
A footprint doesn’t take up much space, is relatively inexpensive, and is much easier to repair or replace than a tent bottom if it tears. A full rain cover, two vestibules, and an extra-sturdy pole structure make this the best choice for couples who want to get outside in any weather. It’s ozark trail chair pricey, though, and unless the other couples’ tents we recommend, it doesn’t include a footprint. Canopy tents are great for summer outings, events and more. Use a beach tent for a bit of shade when visiting the shore, or use a pop-up tent to quickly set up a kiosk at a company function.