Recommendations: 3 person car camping tent?

thanks again…

The two of us have been using an REI Basecamp 6 for years. Did a lot of research and saw one post where a storm had swept through a campground with endless big tents. The REI Basecamp 6 was the only one still standing. Everything else had been destroyed. Ours went through a major storm that we rode out up on Muley Point in southern Utah not far from the Moki Dugway. It didn’t so much as shutter and I had it double guylined and staked out. It’s a big solid dome with a huge front vestibule. So when you are storm bound it’s luxurious to have a big honking tent with chairs and table aside from the sleeping area. They make a smaller version, the REI Basecamp 4 as well. When I was working and traveling as an aerial mapping photographer I stayed in thousands of hotels and I never went to stay in another no matter how fancy so when traveling to more remote backpacking destinations we always stay in our backcountry fortress. I’m 6’1” and can stand up straight in the middle. On windy cold nights we relax and read inside and make steaming hot beverages in the huge front vestibule, good place to cook dinner or breakfast too.  Better view and ambience than any expensive hotel.

Thanks Glen… but looks like the REI Base Camp tents are no longer available :(

Oh no, tell me it ain’t so!

There were a couple Canadians up on Muley in a small travel trailer during that major storm and the guy kept checking on us thinking we were toast.  He was impressed after the storm receded . I’d have been more afraid in that trailer. Nobody else was around. The views up there to Monument Valley and beyond are incredible.

well I wish you luck finding your own backcountry fortress. It’s nice to have a safe, comfortable place to ride out storms or just cold, windy nights.

Glen… “Nobody else was around.”

Hey,,, anybody that knows the area would NOT camp up at Muley Point when it’s windy…. Hugely Windy Spot!!!  Right on the edge of the mesa… I have been going to Cedar Mesa since the early 90’s and would not camp there… lol….

But thanks for the recommendation on the tent… wish they still made them…

We actually have camped there numerous times and know that whole area well. The reason we went there to ride out the storm was the amazing photographic opportunities and as you know when it rains the roads are impassable and the extremely sticky mud builds up on the tires until it fills the wheel wells. You have no steering or brakes and just slide downhill until you come to rest in the bottom of the ditch. That road is very well maintained and not terribly far off the pavement. I have thousands of photos from the area. We also really like Comb Ridge nearby. Have you done anything there?

Glen… I have done most things out that way…. I have been visiting the area for a month at a time most years since about 1989… love it… it’s like my 2nd home now…

We have a Tent Lab Moonlight 4+ for family car camping. It does well in wind and is very pleasant to be in. Worth a look:

Moonlight tents

The website is a little all over the place but somewhere they link to wind tunnel test videos if that is of interest.

Thanks Chris… those look interesting… but I don’t think she is looking to spend 5 – 700.00 a bit much for her budget…

I use a tentcot for traveling in the car. Good for overnight stops . Sets up easy and fast. Gets you off the ground. Gives you a seat.  I’ve used it on the concrete at rest stops. Still $500 for a double, though I often see them used on FB and Craigslist.
https://kamprite.com/shop/tents/tri-fold-series/kamp-rite-double-tent-cot/

I’ve seen one of those tentcots in the wild.  It looks pretty nice.

I think there’s only 40 inches of headroom inside.  Hmmm… that would be enough to sit up.

The bottom is exposed to the air so it would be cold.  If sleeping on the ground it warms up 10 or 20 F.  Like a hammock.  Have a warmer pad or put insulation under

Big Agnes has 4 and 6 person car camping tents that are dome tents with metal poles and full coverage rain flies under $400.

Car camping I’d recommend the Marmot Tungsten.  They make it in both 3p and 4p.   I’ve been using one for years and it’s been through heavy rain and wind and also a blizzard and held up fine.

I have a REI Quarter Dome 3 which works fine for car camping, but I don’t see it on their website. Probably revamping their lineup.

Because I found the hubs and continuous pole of the Quarter Dome fussy and missed the simple crisscross style of my past, I have been researching 3 person sturdy tents lately. I liked the looks of the Mountain Hardwear Mineral King 3, but my current pick is the MSR Elixir 3.

It has a two pole structure with two crossing points instead of one, as well as a top pole that adds more crossing points (stability) and keeps rain from dripping in when entering/exiting. Materials are more robust, poles a little thicker than normal, and the price ($380) seems reasonable.

The Elixir has fewer mesh panels than some tents, but blowing sand could be an issue as usual in certain environments. Tradeoffs.

How about the Big Agnes Gold Camp UL 3 Tarp? The UL 3 Net Liner fits well inside for great bug proofing. You can raise the pole to get great ventilation. Be sure to use all of the guy line attachments. Mine has stayed up in 50-60 mph wind gusts. Based on the Golite 3 , it’s a really sturdy setup.

Steofan M.

Kelly has always made nice tents. Too expensive when I was a kid. Too heavy now that I’m not.

https://www.kelty.com/discovery-basecamp-4/