Review: REI Co-op Base Camp 6 Family Tent

When my wife and I had kids, one of the first things we did was get a bigger tent. Fifteen years ago, the nicest car camping tent I could find was REI's Kingdom 6. All these years later, that tent is still going strong (a friend is off camping in it right now), but it turned out that we never really needed all that room. I'd happily trade that room for little more strength in stormy weather, which always seem to find me when I'm camping, and a smaller footprint that will fit in more spots.

That's exactly what REI's Base Camp 6 tent offers. It's smaller in overall livable space than the Kingdom 6, but in my testing it has held up much better in the wind while still being big enough to comfortably sleep five.

Family-Friendly

Photograph: Scott Gilbertson

Before I dive into the Base Camp, I should note that while REI no longer makes the Kingdom 6, it makes something close in the Wonderland 6, which is an option I'll discuss at the end. I decided to swap the space for the stronger design of the Base Camp. I also like that the squarer shape of the Base Camp fits better on smaller camping sites.

The REI Co-op Base Camp tent is available in four-person and six-person sizes. I tested the Base Camp 6, which I would say comfortably sleeps five adults and is just about perfect for two adults, two teenagers and one 10-year-old. REI's specs claim 84.3 square feet of interior floor space, which, compared to the rest of the family camping tents in our guide, is almost exactly average for a six-person tent. You can technically fit six sleeping pads, but it's going to be tight, which is pretty much par for the course with tents. If you want a better day-to-day living experience, size up to at least one person larger than your actual group size.

One thing that the Base Camp has that makes feel more livable is a plethora of pockets and ceiling hooks for storing clothes and gear out of the way. There are 14 mesh packets around the tent (more or less the whole lower portion of the tent is mesh pockets). Keeping things tidy and organized always makes life in a tent better.

Photograph: Scott Gilbertson

There are two huge doors with full zippers, so you can completely open it up when you're loading stuff into it. The top of the tent is mesh, and there are two triangular mesh vents on either side of the tent, along with mesh panels on the doors. All of these can be closed up with zippers except for the roof, which is just mesh. All the venting options combine to make this a great tent for warmer nights as there’s a way to get the air moving no matter which way the wind is blowing. Even when it's dead still, it's nice to know that some heat is escaping out the top of the tent. There are vents in the rainfly as well, which can be propped open to allow a breeze through even during a storm.

If you really want more livable space, REI sells the Base Camp Vehicle Connector, which adds another 62.2 square feet of living space with a 7.5-foot ceiling. As the name implies, it also hooks up to your car or truck, giving you potentially even more space to, for example, cook on your tailgate. The only issue with the Vehicle Connector (which I did not test) is it won't work in every campsite, and obviously it won't do you any good at portage or walk-in sites.

Pitching and Setup

Photograph: Scott Gilbertson

The Base Camp 6 is a traditional four-pole dome tent design with two crossed poles running corner to corner, then two poles running side to side. The rainfly uses a fifth pole to add a vestibule area over one of the doors. All the poles are aluminum and color coded, which makes it easy to see which poles go where. The pitching instructions are printed on the bag.

The peak height of the interior is 74 inches. If you're under 5'8", you'll probably want help setting it up as it can be a struggle to get the rainfly over the top by yourself.

The tent is almost entirely polyester fabric, 150-denier for the floor, solution-dyed 40-denier nylon for the walls, with the roof and side vents made of no-see-um mesh. The rainfly is 75-denier polyester with a polyurethane coating. That's pretty substantial compared to many tents, especially the 150-denier floor, which ends up being almost like a tarp. REI sells a footprint for $65, which, when you consider the tent's $549 price, is probably worth buying to extend the tent's lifespan. I never use footprints with backpacking tents, but given the amount of gravel and other sharp objects in most campgrounds, they're a good idea for your car camping tent.

Photograph: Scott Gilbertson

The Base Camp 6 is sturdy and well-built. I couldn't find any stitching anomalies or misses like you'd find in cheaper tents. I expect the Base Camp 6 to last at least as long as my Kingdom 6 (going on 16 years).

One downside is that the interior of the Base Camp 6 doesn't have any dividers like the Kingdom 6 (or its replacement, the Wonderland 6), and the peak height of 6 feet might be too short for some, especially considering there's only about 1 square foot where it's actually 74 inches tall.

The Base Camp 6 packs down to about 10 by 24 inches, which is considerably smaller than my old Kingdom 6 (about half the size), and weighs just under 21 pounds. The included bag uses a shoulder strap to make it carry like a sling. I prefer the backpack style of the Kingdom 6, but the sling works. REI includes some nice heavy-duty tent stakes, along with guylines and tighteners, as well as a pole-repair tube. There are separate bags for the poles and stakes.

Weather Resistance

I accidentally gave this tent one of the better wind tests I've ever pulled off when I left it set up in my yard during a storm that ended up having 35-mph winds (according to my weather station). The Base Camp 6 held up well, especially considering I hadn't selected the site with wind protection in mind. Much of the Base Camp's strength comes from the full-length pole sleeves for the two primary cross poles.

REI rates the hydrostatic head (HH)—that is, how high a column of water can be placed on a fabric before it seeps through—at 1,500 mm, which is enough to hold off some rainfall. For reference, the minimum HH for tents is 1,000 mm, which will shed a light to medium rain. Throw in some heavy rain and wind, and the minimum HH number you want is more like 2,000 mm. The Base Camp 6 sits right in the middle of that, making it perfectly capable of weathering a storm but not an expedition-weight tent by any means, at least on paper.

My testing in the real world, out at various campgrounds this summer, proved the Base Camp is plenty capable in heavy rain. I never had it wet out or leaking at all. Because the fly comes almost all the way to the ground, you don't have to worry about backsplash.

Base Camp 6 is listed as a three-season tent, but thanks to its strong design, full-length pole sleeves, and nearly full-length fly, I wouldn't hesitate to use it in the winter. I love the way all the (optional) mesh panels allow for ventilation, and I love the large vestibules, solid storm performance, and seemingly endless mesh storage options. This is the main reason I suggest it over the Wonderland 6. It's just a more robust tent in nearly every way.