 This Product
REI Co-op Base Camp 6 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Awards |  Best Tent For Bad Weather |  Best Overall Camping Tent | Best 4-Person Tent | Best Form and Function |  Best Bang for the Buck |
| Price | $549 List $549.00 at REI | $500 List $500.00 at Backcountry | $599.95 at Backcountry Compare at 2 sellers | $349.93 at REI Compare at 3 sellers | $228.99 at Amazon Compare at 2 sellers |
Overall Score  |
|||||
| Star Rating | |||||
| Bottom Line | A well-engineered, thoughtfully designed tent that offers of convenient features, including the ability to attach you vehicle to your shelter | It's hard to imagine a better use of space at this price point | A unique tent both in looks and features, built with quality material from a well-known brand | With good looks and even better functionality, this tent was built right | You may have to sacrifice a little on quality, but this tent is fairly solid, cleans easily, and can sleep a platoon of kids and pets |
| Rating Categories | REI Co-op Base Camp 6 | The North Face Wawo... | MSR Habitude 4 | NEMO Aurora Highrise 6 | Coleman Skydome XL 8 |
| Space and Comfort (35%) | |||||
| Weather Resistance (25%) | |||||
| Ease of Use (15%) | |||||
| Family Friendliness (15%) | |||||
| Quality (10%) | |||||
| Specs | REI Co-op Base Camp 6 | The North Face Wawo... | MSR Habitude 4 | NEMO Aurora Highrise 6 | Coleman Skydome XL 8 |
| Measured Weight | 20.8 lbs | 21.9 lbs | 12.0 lbs | 18.9 lbs | 20.3 lbs |
| Max Inside Height | 6' 2" | 6' 4" | 6' 1" | 6' 5" | 6' 1" |
| Floor Dimensions | 9' 2" x 9'2" | 10' x 8' | 7' 11" x 7' 11" | 8' 4" x 10' | 16' 2" x 7' 1" |
| Floor Area | 84.3 sq ft | 86.1 sq ft | 62.4 sq ft | 83.3 sq ft | 114.5 sq ft |
| Seasons | 3-season | 3-season | 3-season | 3-season | 3-season |
| Windows | 2 | Mesh top | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| Pockets | 14 | 9 | 7 | 7 | 6 |
| Number of Doors | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 |
| Room Divider | No | No | No | No | Yes |
| Vestibules | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 |
| Vestibule Area (total) | 44.5 sq ft | 44.7 sq ft | 23.5 sq ft | 23.6 sq ft | N/A |
| Packed Size | 24" x 10" x 10" | 10" x 32" | 23" x 9" x 9" | 26" x 9.5" x 9.5" | 28" x 11" x 11" |
| Floor Materials | 150D polyester | 150D polyester | DWR 68D polyester taffeta | 150D PU Polyester | Polyester |
| Main Tent Materials | 75D polyester | 75D polyester | 68D polyester ripstop, DWR, PU | 68D Polyester/ No-See-Um Mesh | Polyester |
| Rainfly Materials | 75D polyester 1500mm PU | 75D polyester | 68D polyester ripstop, DWR, PU | Polyester | Polyester |
| Number of Poles | 4 | 4 | 3 hubbed | 4 | 4 |
| Pole Material | Aluminum | DAC MX aluminum | 7000-series aluminum | Aluminum | Fibergblass |
| Extras | Vehicle attachment | Dual exits in vestibule, 3 pockets on back door | Porch light | Oversize duffel storage bag, nightlight pockets | Integrated string lighting system |
Just as its name suggests, the Base Camp 6 touts the space, construction quality, and features needed for creating a comfortable home base for dispersed camping, campgrounds, and especially car camping.
Comfortably fitting six sleepers into the Base Camp 6 isn't the easiest process, but it is possible. This tent doesn't have the largest floor space, but it's ample enough. It also offers tons of added features that make this shelter comfortable and easy to use.
The Base Camp 6 boasts 84.3 square feet of interior floor space which, when compared to the other models in our testing group, is about average for a six-person tent. So, depending on the size of your guests, sleeping arrangements may be a little tight if you have a full house. However, our absolute favorite feature for this metric (and for the entire tent) is the option to connect the Base Camp 6 to the REI Co-op Base Camp Vehicle Connector. The Vehicle Connector is a separate purchase, making the whole system a pricey package. However, it adds an additional 62.2 square feet of living space which peaks out at 7.5 feet in height. Even better, the Connector creates a seamless link between your car and your tent.
The Vehicle Connector is very sturdy and weatherproof. During our testing, we enjoyed the covered access to our vehicle, and found the extra canopy to be a great place to take cover from rain or sun. Additionally, all of our testers found it super easy to slip back and forth between their tent and car. However, the entire setup connects linearly, which requires a more spacious campsite. Returning to other convenient features of the Base Camp 6, it has two massive doors, tons of loops for hanging gear, lots of mesh vents (six total), and a fully meshed rooftop that we really enjoyed during warmer-weather camping. In fact, nighttime cross breezes are this tent's specialty.
Another fan-favorite feature was this tent's incredible storage capacity. Nearly the entire interior of the Base Camp 6 is lined with large mesh pockets (14 in total), so keeping keys, clothes, phones, or gear off of the floor and out of the way is a breeze.
The Base Camp 6 received some of its highest marks for this metric. Our testing proved this tent to be reinforced and hardy enough to take on some of the harsher weather Mother Nature may have in store. To be transparent, this isn't a bonafide four-season expedition tent, but it certainly is one of the most weatherproof general camping tents REI has created.
We doused our Base Camp 6 with tons of backyard rain for more than five minutes and this tent never flinched. Despite our efforts, the tent's interior was bone-dry. The Base Camp's massive, full-length, rainfly completely swallows up the main tent and protects it very well from rain, wind, and sun. We also love that the rainfly is reinforced by its own separate pole system, which adds incredible strength and stability to the entire tent.
Our testers unanimously noted that the most crucial weather-resistance features of the Base Camp 6 are its full-length pole sleeves. Continuous sleeves can make setup a little more difficult but the payoff is worth it. This type of system is employed on the most rugged of mountaineering tents, and it gives the tent more strength to handle high wind, as well as the weight of ice and snow.
A more complex design may translate into greater stability and strength, but it doesn't equal a simple setup process, which influenced us to award lower scores to the Base Camp 6 for this metric. However, thanks to dead-end pole sleeves, this tent can still be pitched by one person in a reasonable amount of time.
Our testing for this metric focused on more than just ease of setup. We also considered the intuitiveness of all of the tent's functions, tested the ease of zippers, loops, clips, grommets, and noted the size and weight of the entire system after we had stuffed it into its storage bag. One reoccurring complaint centered on this tent's two large doors. We had no issue with their size, but did notice the zippers routinely catching. They often needed to be coached along for a smoother pull. Additionally, we loved the dead-end sleeve features (a pocket which catches one end of the pole so it doesn't slip out during setup). However, we were often annoyed with the added time it required to “inch worm” both of the main poles through — and out of — the lengthy sleeves during setup and tear down.
Decent headroom, massive large mouth doors, and spacious vestibules earned the Base Camp 6 solid marks for this metric. And, although we weren't blown away by its spacious floor space, we still feel it is adequate enough to accommodate a family of 4 to 6, including the family pet. As previously stated, the Base Camp becomes an entirely different animal when it's combined with the Vehicle Connector accessory; however, since it is an optional accessory, we didn't consider this attachment in our testing or scoring.
The Base Camp 6 lacks optional wall dividers, and it doesn't offer pet-friendly floors (easier to clean). Likewise, its peak height is just barely over 6 feet (shorter offers better wind protection). However, the amazing rainfly creates massive vestibules on both sides of the Base Camp that offer a combined 44.5 square feet of space. They are large enough to house larger gear like camp chairs, skis, fishing gear, or even the family dog if prime interior real estate is a bit scarce. Lastly, our favorite family friendly features are the Base Camp's two gargantuan doors. They are identical in size and shape, and they have full-radius zippers which allow for maximum clearance for loading bedding, making a quick exit when nature calls, or just enjoying the breeze.
Reinforced stitching, quality fabrics, strong aluminum poles, and many other well-crafted components earned the Base Camp 6 impressive scores in our quality metric. Its fabrics are on par with other top performers on our list, and after weeks of testing, the entire system has our seal of approval for being well-made and built to last.
Four aluminum poles (two main, two auxiliary) crisscross nearly the entire diameter of the Base Camp 6 and anchor into eight ground loops that can be secured to the ground with dense metal stakes. The only thing we didn't like is that although structure is technically a free-standing tent, we found it to be heavily dependent on the use of ground stakes to truly secure it and give it its best form. Our tests proved this tent to be strong, reliable, and built for regular, steady use. If properly cared for, we feel this tent will last for several camping seasons. This tent's walls and rainfly are 75-denier polyester, and the flooring is 150-denier polyester, giving it ample strength to do battle with the elements. Likewise the Vehicle Connector is composed of 75-denier polyester.
The Base Camp 6 is a great choice if you're looking for a larger tent that offers generous vestibules for tucking gear or supplies. As its name suggests, it's a solid choice as a central haven during remote camping or car camping, especially when a vehicle is involved. This tent's Vehicle Connector option allows the tent to be attached directly to most vehicles, creating a convenient conduit between shelter and car.
The The North Face Wawona 6 also offers an additional canopy system that is already built-in to the tent design; however, it doesn't attach to a vehicle. If you need a smaller tent, but want to stick with an REI product, we suggest looking at the REI Co-op Wonderland 4. The Big Agnes Bunk House 6 also offers a large vestibule, and may be more of what you're looking for.
