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.
