The REI Campwell 6 is a freestanding tent appropriate for automotive tenting. It has an enormous footprint with loads of inside house that’s a palace for 2 however may maintain a household with just a few small children. The tent is a hybrid double wall tent with an inside tent and a rain fly that simply covers its ceiling, with a slight overhang for rain safety. The roof of the inside tent is made nearly solely of black insect-proof mesh, but it surely has a low ceiling, simply 64″ excessive, which suggests I’ve to stoop and can’t arise straight inside. There’s one door, which is stable cloth and never screened, and one mesh window that may be coated for privateness with a free piece of cloth suspended from dowels. I can’t say that I like this tent, however in order for you much more inside house for tenting with your loved ones, it’s a step up from a single room six-person dome tent for a similar worth.
- Capability: 6 folks
- Weight: 17 lbs. 13 oz.
- Footprint accessible: Bought individually
- Poles: 3
- Packed Dimension: 9.5 x 26 inches
- Ground Dimensions: 120 x 100 inches
- Peak Top: 64″ (actually 63″)
- Doorways: 1
- Ground: 150-denier polyester
- Cover: 75-denier polyester taffeta with a 1,500 mm polyurethane (PU) coating; no-see-um mesh: 40-denier solution-dyed nylon
- Rain Fly: 75-denier polyester taffeta with a 1,500 mm PU coating
- Professionals: Large coated house, straightforward to arrange with a companion, black mesh ceiling for star-gazing
- Cons: Partitions flap within the wind, entrance door catches on zipper and isn’t screened
The Campwell 6 is a freestanding tent that comes with three poles to arrange: two very lengthy collapsible fibrerglass poles that slide into sleeves and cross in the midst of the cover ceiling. This provides the tent a really sturdy basis, though you’ll nonetheless need to add extra guylines to the corners in windy circumstances. A 3rd, shorter forehead pole is used as to create a small awning above the entrance door and rear window.
When the rainfly is deployed, it covers the inside tent’s ceiling mesh and extends out from the sidewalls just a few inches creating an awning across the 4 partitions of the inside tent. This prevents rain water from draining onto the partitions of the inside tent but in addition acts like an air scoop, permitting air to move below the awning’s edges and into the inside tent by means of its mesh ceiling.
When the rainfly is deployed, there aren’t a number of choices to see exterior. The entrance door, is a stable panel of cloth with out a display screen behind it, so you’ll be able to’t see out the entrance when somebody comes knocking with out utterly opening the door. The door zipper additionally snags each time I exploit it, with out fail.
There’s a again window, which is screened, however isn’t weatherproof. It’s a free piece of cloth that’s held in place with dowels, on the wall reverse the door. If I may redesign this tent, I’d make each make the entrance door and rear window with mesh and canopy them with stable zippered cloth so you can see out or batten down the hatches in foul climate. That means you can have some cross-ventilation between the 2 on heat evenings.
If the entrance door and again window are closed, mild nonetheless filters by means of the inside tent’s evenly coloured partitions. There’s not a lot contained in the tent besides an enormous unstructured house, though there are 4 pockets within the corners, two mesh pockets within the ceiling and a material loop the place you’ll be able to dangle a lantern.
One factor that I haven’t talked about beforehand, is that the ceiling of the Campwell 6 is annoying low, measuring simply 64″. I’m 5’10” and I’ve to stoop inside. That received outdated in a short time. For those who’re going to get a cabin type tent like this, get one you’ll be able to arise in like a Eureka Copper Canyon LX 6, or a Coleman Skydome 6 if you wish to buy your tent from REI.
I’ve had the Campwell 6 out in windy climate (10-20 mph) and I can’t advocate it for these circumstances as a result of the partitions cave inwards within the wind, which might be disconcerting if you’re inside. From that have, I’ve concluded that this tent is greatest used at a effectively protected campsite in dry climate, when you’ll be able to maintain the again window utterly open for air flow.
Evaluation
The REI Campwell 6 is a freestanding tent designed for automotive tenting. Whereas it’s straightforward to arrange for 2 folks, it’s greatest utilized in good climate at pre-established tent websites that supply good safety from the wind. Although spacious inside, the ceiling of the tent is sort of low, simply 5′ 3″ excessive which will get outdated very quick when you’re taller. As well as, you’ll be able to’t see by means of the entrance door, its zippers snag simply, and the rear window isn’t weatherproof. REI sells so many different massive tenting tents that don’t have these issues, that I can’t advocate the Campwell 6 and recommend you attempt a special tent just like the Coleman Skydome 6 which is equally priced and accessible from REI.
Disclosure: REI donated a tent for evaluation.
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