mysh
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Post by mysh on Mar 7, 2017 1:14:36 GMT -8
I am looking to buy a new car camping tent and I am really interested in the Flying Diamond 6 tent. I live in Colorado and camp a lot in the mountains. I wanted a tent with a good amount of space but also could handle extreme weather. The flying diamond 6 seemed to meet these needs and is made by a reputable company.
My biggest hesitation is the footprint size. It is a large and long tent, and I worry about finding spots for it at campgrounds and national forest areas. I mostly camp out west in Colorado, Arizona, Utah etc.
Has anyone owned this tent and can speak to dealing with space? If you have dealt with other 6 or 8 person tents was finding spots an issue while camping in the west?
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Post by trinity on Mar 7, 2017 7:34:22 GMT -8
If you have dealt with other 6 or 8 person tents was finding spots an issue while camping in the west? Our car camping tent of choice is an REI Base Camp 6, which we've used all over Colorado and New Mexico. We've never had any problem with it. Slightly smaller footprint size than what you're looking at, but I really don't think you'll have much trouble. |
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tigger
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Post by tigger on Mar 7, 2017 7:52:34 GMT -8
I have used a freaking 15 man 3 room, Costco special for car camping and still been able to find spaces for it at a variety of car camping locations. With any large shelter, wind is your enemy. For every guy-out point, I add two and in some places...three, to ensure a more comfortable less wind flapping experience. I remember one rainy windy night at the coast that I was particularly thankful for the extra guy-outs. They didn't stop my battle with the raccoon in the middle of the night but it was still better than it could have been. Oh yeah, with that shelter, I did use a few rolls of seamtape and reinforced the corners and guy-out points which I think is the reason that tent lasted so long. I replaced it with a nearly identical one.
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rebeccad
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Post by rebeccad on Mar 7, 2017 8:17:36 GMT -8
I have used a freaking 15 man 3 room, Costco special for car camping I have seen those in campgrounds. They are larger than our house  It is largely in private (commercial) campgrounds that we have sometimes been very glad to have our backpacking tents rather than a large car-camping tent. Many such places have very little accommodation for tents in their sites (of course, those aren't the places you want to be staying; we sometimes end up in odd spots when road-tripping. You take what you can get). For me, the real issue with the extra-large tent is space in the car. That will ease some as the boys are separating from us and don't go on all our trips, but when you put 4 people and camping gear in a Prius, you don't carry anything bulky. |
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Post by Lamebeaver on Mar 7, 2017 9:44:38 GMT -8
mysh, I hope you found a good deal on that tent! I also have a bohemouth tent, but I paid less than $100 for it. The BA looks very rugged though. I know I'd prefer your choice if I were caught in strong winds. It can be a challenge to find a large flat area when you are primitive camping in the mountains, so you may have to search a bit more. |
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ErnieW
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Post by ErnieW on Mar 7, 2017 10:01:05 GMT -8
I have an REI Kingdom 8 with the "garage" adding to the already large footprint. So far no problems with space here on East coast. Great sturdy tent even in strong wind (properly staked) and stays dry in the rain. There is a 6 person version. Just the tent is 12.5x8.5 ft footprint. The garage is optionally but nice. I have been calling ahead to campgrounds to reserve a site that it will fit. You can see my sprawling camp with the Kingdom in my coffee video: www.youtube.com/watch?v=eKctoebSeuw |
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swiftdream
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Post by swiftdream on Mar 7, 2017 11:16:38 GMT -8
I second Trinity's choice, the REI Basecamp 6. It has a very strong dome design with four poles that cross each other in several places and brace that shelter very well. A 5th pole holds open the big vestibule. We stake down all the guylines and double up on every point, really nailing it down. It has ridden out some horrendous storms with very little budging around. It is solid. I saw a review online somewhere, perhaps REI where a storm had come through a campground full of big tents, pictures included, and every tent in that place was uttertly destroyed except his REI Basecamp 6 which was the only tent still standing. We have had ours for more than five years now, really used it in all conditions, got it on sale at REI and most likey will stick with that model for car camping forever now. We put Helinox cots and chairs inside with a small table, a great place to get out of the wind in the evening. The huge front vestibule is good for two people sitting in chairs with a small table between them. We have cooked breakfast in cold windy or rainy weather in there several times, even once when it was blowing snow. It makes a super base car camp.  |
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mysh
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Post by mysh on Mar 7, 2017 17:01:03 GMT -8
thanks for all the replies. I did get a pretty good deal on the flying diamond 6. I paid $375 for it which is the most I ever spent on a tent but it retails for $650-700. I was hesitant to spend that kind of money but then I thought how we spend $400-500 over a weekend at a nice resort. I think I can spend $375 for a tent that will be our home for hundreds of nights.
I looked at the rei kingdom 6 and basecamp. The basecamp would likely be the better choice for us due to camping at high altitude alot but the kingdom has great head space and the garage looked really cool.
For the past 6 years we have used a coleman sundome 4 person that cost $50. I have to say I have been amazed with how well that tent has held up. Our main reasons for wanting a upgrade are better wind protection and 2 doors. We got tired of climbing over each other in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom. Also the biggest flaw of the coleman tents is the rainfly coverage. They never cover the windows so wind just goes straight through the tent.
My wife also wanted more space even though it is just the 2 of us. We have a nice 2 man tent for backpacking but she wanted comfort for car camping. We like to stay in one spot for multiple days and we use a queen blowup mattress.
I really liked the rei kingdom 6 but I worry about the straight walls. I can see it being an issue with high wind. Head space is the biggest con to the big agnes we got. Its max height is 67". I am only 5'8 and my wife is 5ft so we don't need tons of head space but more than 67" would have been nice.
I'm glad to hear others don't have issues finding spots for these bigger tents. I never really had issues wit the coleman but this new tent is quite a bit bigger.
swiftdream is that picture near fisher tower in Utah?
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swiftdream
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Post by swiftdream on Mar 7, 2017 18:46:35 GMT -8
swiftdream is that picture near fisher tower in Utah? It is on BLM land not too far from the entrance to Canyonlands off 211. We had done some forays into the Needles area and wanted to car camp for a couple of nights. Though the campgrounds in the Park looked great, we don't do campgrounds and prefer dispersed camping instead, pretty easy in most of the west and very appealing in Utah. The line of cottonwoods you see in the mid-ground marks Indian Creek. It was our own world for a time. We have done some backpacking much further down Indian Creek before and found it amazing. So we found that spot in the image but it was about 200 yards off a dirt road, tucked in a little cove. We made two or three foot trips and set up a fine "car camp", and did some great dayhiking just outside the Park for a couple days. Most of southern Utah is a backpacking/car camping paradise as you might know. But we do have a somewhat lighter and smaller tent we take on the days we backpack. LOL |
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Mar 8, 2017 3:20:49 GMT -8
My car camping tent is a North Face Mountain Manor 6.....here in the east, it becomes somewhat problematic in certain campgrounds, if the foot print is much larger...Haven't camped west of the Mississippi in many years so I have no modern experience with those campgrounds.
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ErnieW
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Post by ErnieW on Mar 8, 2017 6:15:01 GMT -8
I really liked the rei kingdom 6 but I worry about the straight walls. I can see it being an issue with high wind. My previous home was on the water with a large open yard. I had the Kingdom 8 up when a stormy day came. 25-30 mph winds with hard gusts over 50 mph. It flexed a little but was rock solid. The shape sheds wind well. Now this was with the tent fully staked out in a lawn perfect for stakes. Without the garage the tent needs 15 tent stakes maybe 11 if you skip the corners and let fly and ends hold down everything. The garage needs 5 stakes more. Easy in a lawn maybe not so easy on rocky terrain. The 2 stakes at the long ends really have to be strong planted. I like the Kingdom because I can stand straight up in it. Combined with the vertical walls it makes it effectively a very large tent. The Kingdom 8 comes in a stuff sack with shoulder straps. You can wear it like a full sized backpack. It is big, heavy and was $$$ but I love it for staying in with the family. It has paid for itself with hotel/motel savings. |
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