We tried the rain fly for each tent as well, one time rushing to get several of them up during an unexpected rainstorm at night. When heavy trade winds buffeted our Oahu-coast testing site, we pitched each tent in full face of the blast. We then rotated the tents looking for structural weaknesses, and we ozark trail chair tested their guy lines and tabs to see which tents had the best and most intuitive design for withstanding wind. You can also set up the tent without the fly while retaining some privacy, since the tent body has a high polyester wall on one side. Like the Mineral King 3, this tent comes with a footprint.
We recommend doing it with two people, but one person can manage in about 15 minutes. As with any free-standing tent, with this one you stake out the four corners, and then you feed the two main tent poles through the Wawona’s fabric sleeves, which go halfway down the tent’s body. The North Face’s color-coded poles make this process easy to navigate. (We were stubborn and didn’t look at the instructions.) Once you identify the front and back, the process is straightforward. The fly goes up and over the tent body, covering only the upper half of the mesh dome, and then forms the glorious vestibule with the aid of a third pole.
An argument can be made as to whether this is good or bad. From a positive perspective, the lightweight design increases portability which is certainly important in carrying the tent to its intended location. From a negative ozark trail canopy perspective, the weight is indicative of a lack of high quality material and components used throughout the shelter. The included carrying bag does not have wheels to aid in transportation, but at only 29 lbs.
It’s pricey, though, and unless the other couples’ tents we recommend, it doesn’t include a footprint. Some campers might find the Wawona 6’s footprint unwieldy in smaller campsites, or they might simply prefer a tent with a more straightforward design. If you want a six-person tent made with high-quality materials but a traditional profile, we recommend the similarly priced Big Agnes Spicer Peak 6, or Nemo’s Aurora Highrise 6. MSR’s Habitude 6 is also a good tent, but it costs about $200 more.
So next time you go camping instead of relying on a Walmart special, use your head. I just bought the 9’x7′ backpacking tent 2 days ago, because I want to do some bikepacking here in FL. It is easy to set up and take down, and I loved the fact that it has three windows for lots of circulation in the heat and humidity. The first time I got it set up was about that same day. I have been camping all of my life and I know camping gear.
Underneath the fly, the Mineral King 3 has a full mesh dome with a waterproof, tape-seamed bathtub-style polyester floor. The overall feeling inside the tent is airy and comfortable. The tent doors are nearly wall-sized, and after you unzip them, you simply stuff them into pockets, rather than having to roll and toggle-tie the fabric. ozark trail canopy Another two hanging pockets plus loops for a ceiling hammock provide simple yet effective interior storage. Finding a small, light tent is the logical approach when you’re backpacking. But with car camping—the industry term for what most people consider just camping—you’ll likely be parking next to your campsite and unloading.