Be my wife I have kids and the first thing we do is get bigger tents. Fifteen years ago, the best car camping tent I could find was Rei Kingdom 6. The tent is still sturdy after these years (a friend is camping now), but it turns out that we never really needed all the rooms. I would love to trade that room in stormy weather to add more power, always finding me when I was camping, and the smaller footprint would fit more places.
This is exactly what REI’s Base Camp 6 tents offer. Its overall livable space is smaller than the Kingdom 6, but in my tests it performed much better in the wind while still large enough to sleep comfortably.
Family friendly
Photo: Scott Gilbertson
Before entering the base camp, I should note that while Rei no longer makes Kingdom Kingdom 6, it brings something close in Wonderland 6, which is the last option I discussed. I decided to switch the space to a stronger base camp design. I also like the square shape of the base camp to be more suitable for smaller camping sites.
The REI Cooperative Base Camp tent is available in four and six people. I tested Base Camp 6 and I would say that sleeping comfortably in five adults is perfect for two adults, two teenagers and a 10-year-old adult. The REI spec claims 84.3 square feet of internal floor space, and the six-person tent is almost average compared to the other family camping tents in our guide. Technically you can fit six sleeping pads, but it will be tight, which is almost standard for classes with tents. If you want a better daily life experience, at least one person is larger than the actual group.
One thing that the base camp has made the feel more livable is a pocket and ceiling hook for storing clothes and gear. There are 14 grid packets around the tent (about the entire lower part of the tent is a mesh pocket). Things that keep tidy and organized will always make people’s lives better in a tent.
Photo: Scott Gilbertson
There are two doors with full zippers, so when you add something to it, you can open it completely. The top of the tent is mesh, and there are two triangular vents on both sides of the tent, as well as a mesh panel on the door. All of this can be zipped, except for the roof, which is just mesh. All ventilation options combine to make it a great tent for warm nights, as there is a way to move the air regardless of the wind direction. Even if I die, it’s nice to know that some heat is escaping the top of the tent. Rainflies also have ventilation holes, which can be opened and open for ventilation even in storms to make it a breeze.
