Help me replace my REI Hobitat 6 tent with a better one
August 13, 2013 2:01 PM Subscribe
I have an old REI Hobitat 6 tent that has reached the end of its useful life. There were some things I really liked about that tent, and some things I really disliked. I'd like to find a tent that keeps what I liked and fixes what I disliked.
Things I liked:
- Size. I'm 6'2", and I could stand easily in the Hobitat 6. Plus, the vertical walls made it feel really roomy, and there was room for a queen-size mattress pad and a cot/bench for storing gear. I believe the footprint is about 10' square.
- Ventilation. I camp in heat quite a bit (less so in extreme cold, since I live in Texas), and the mesh walls are pretty nice.
- Wall pockets & hooks on ceiling for hanging/storing stuff
- Pretty easy to pitch
- Doors on 2 sides
Things I didn't like:
- No rain vestibule(s). Some tents have a little covered external storage area where you can put shoes and whatnot when it's raining or muddy or need the shade. I would like that. It would also be nice to have built-in external mats to put shoes on, so they don't have sit in the mud outside
- Rain pooling on the rain fly. The way the poles were designed, rain tended to pool up on top of the tent, gradually sinking the ceiling down. It never caved in (thankfully!), but it was a pain.
- No replacement parts. REI won't sell you a replacement pole; you have to either ship it to a third-party repair shop (since REI also doesn't do repairs anymore) or buy a new tent. Very annoying.
- Dark color absorbs heat.
I'm willing to spend a few hundred bucks, and I'm happy to buy used if it's in good condition. What should I look for?
Things I liked:
- Size. I'm 6'2", and I could stand easily in the Hobitat 6. Plus, the vertical walls made it feel really roomy, and there was room for a queen-size mattress pad and a cot/bench for storing gear. I believe the footprint is about 10' square.
- Ventilation. I camp in heat quite a bit (less so in extreme cold, since I live in Texas), and the mesh walls are pretty nice.
- Wall pockets & hooks on ceiling for hanging/storing stuff
- Pretty easy to pitch
- Doors on 2 sides
Things I didn't like:
- No rain vestibule(s). Some tents have a little covered external storage area where you can put shoes and whatnot when it's raining or muddy or need the shade. I would like that. It would also be nice to have built-in external mats to put shoes on, so they don't have sit in the mud outside
- Rain pooling on the rain fly. The way the poles were designed, rain tended to pool up on top of the tent, gradually sinking the ceiling down. It never caved in (thankfully!), but it was a pain.
- No replacement parts. REI won't sell you a replacement pole; you have to either ship it to a third-party repair shop (since REI also doesn't do repairs anymore) or buy a new tent. Very annoying.
- Dark color absorbs heat.
I'm willing to spend a few hundred bucks, and I'm happy to buy used if it's in good condition. What should I look for?
Is this for car camping? If so: I have a Coleman 14 x 8 tent and like it. Yeah, it's just a Coleman, and the first one we got had a flaw that shouldn't've been allowed out of the factory, but it's relatively cheap and it does the job. It's roomy, it has wall pockets, it's ridiculously easy to set up, and the sides can all zip down so it's nothing but mesh. Mr Corpse is 6' and can easily stand up in it. I've camped in the rain with it and didn't notice any rain pooling on it.
Cons:
It doesn't have a rain vestibule.
I haven't tried to get replacement parts.
posted by The corpse in the library at 2:27 PM on August 13, 2013
Cons:
It doesn't have a rain vestibule.
I haven't tried to get replacement parts.
posted by The corpse in the library at 2:27 PM on August 13, 2013
We have a Mountain Hardwear Corners 4, which is a very nice car camping tent. Storage is easy, but it's not something you'd take backpacking or anything.
My husband is 6'4" and can stand upright in the tent. He can also set it up by himself quickly. (I'm 5' and can't really set it up at all---it's just too tall.). It has two vestibules formed by the rain fly, and lots of pockets and places to hang stuff from inside. It sleeps two adults and two kids with some room to spare.
Mostly it hasn't rained, but my recollection from the time it did was that it behaved fine.
posted by leahwrenn at 3:27 PM on August 13, 2013
My husband is 6'4" and can stand upright in the tent. He can also set it up by himself quickly. (I'm 5' and can't really set it up at all---it's just too tall.). It has two vestibules formed by the rain fly, and lots of pockets and places to hang stuff from inside. It sleeps two adults and two kids with some room to spare.
Mostly it hasn't rained, but my recollection from the time it did was that it behaved fine.
posted by leahwrenn at 3:27 PM on August 13, 2013
Response by poster: Corpse: Yes, this is for car camping.
I should mention that quality and good design are what I'm looking for, not cheapness; the REI tent did have pretty good zippers that didn't get stuck, for example. But the roof design was flawed, hence the water pooling issue. And things like having the doors designed so that rain isn't funneled into them when you open them, color-coded poles for easy setup, etc., definitely matter.
posted by crookedgrin at 10:17 AM on August 14, 2013
I should mention that quality and good design are what I'm looking for, not cheapness; the REI tent did have pretty good zippers that didn't get stuck, for example. But the roof design was flawed, hence the water pooling issue. And things like having the doors designed so that rain isn't funneled into them when you open them, color-coded poles for easy setup, etc., definitely matter.
posted by crookedgrin at 10:17 AM on August 14, 2013
Speaking of color-coded poles, the Corners 4 has two, identical, poles. (Ok, so the poles have poles---attached little pole-lets that extend orthogonally to the main pole, but still, two poles.) you set up the poles and then clip the tent to it, so no annoying threading through tubes or anything. It's super easy to set up.
posted by leahwrenn at 1:07 PM on August 15, 2013
posted by leahwrenn at 1:07 PM on August 15, 2013
If you use guy lines, the rain fly shouldn't collect rain. Unfortunately I didn't, top touched the ground, poles bent to hell... Still works fine, but poles don't go straight lol.
I looked up getting A replacement pole from the source they give. $200. For a single pole.
Went with a canvas springbar.com tent. MUCH heavier though, but sides, vestibule, you can buy individual parts (or use the lifetime warranty), doesn't take up space with guy lines. We love the tent.
posted by malrimple at 1:26 PM on August 15, 2013
I looked up getting A replacement pole from the source they give. $200. For a single pole.
Went with a canvas springbar.com tent. MUCH heavier though, but sides, vestibule, you can buy individual parts (or use the lifetime warranty), doesn't take up space with guy lines. We love the tent.
posted by malrimple at 1:26 PM on August 15, 2013
« Older How to handle dated 70s window valance? | I want to work for an international NGO, but how? Newer »
This thread is closed to new comments.
Big Agnes Wolf Mountain 6? now on sale! Never owned one, but MEC in Canada sells them. Seems big.
posted by GuyZero at 2:19 PM on August 13, 2013