Kelty Camp Cabin 6 Person Camping Tent Review – New 2017 Tent

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The Kelty Camp Cabin 6 Person Camping Tent is a new freestanding Kelty’s product launched in 2017. With 206 cm peak height and nearly vertical walls, it offers a lot of space and volume for a 3-season camping.

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Key features & benefits

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Who is it for

I have seen at some places on the Internet where this tent is described that they write about ‘trail weight‘ and ‘minimum weight’, and I do not understand the purpose of it. This because the Camp Cabin 6 tent is a typical camping tool which should be used at places with a car access. This is a relatively heavy tool, 18 lb 10 oz (8.45 kg), with steel front poles, and I doubt anybody would be going ‘on trail’ with it.

The floor area of this tent is 85 ft² (7.9 m²). The width at the front is 131 inches (333 cm) and at the back 108 inches (274 cm). The length is 106 inches (269 cm). So you have around 1.32 m² per person. This looks enough for 6 people, but the tent is without vestibules or awnings, and you do not have much space for equipment.

So my point is, I would not use it for 6 people, this is a great tent for parents with 2 children, or for 4 grown up people maximum, otherwise you will have a mess inside.

Note that the tent is quite high, no less than 206 cm at the peak. So if you would use bunk camping beds, you might have far more space in the tent. For couples who want a luxurious camping option, think about using this huge space in combination with some really cool queen size camping beds like this Coleman Queen size bed.

But if this is about groups of friends going to some open-air music festival, a rock concert, or anything similar, this is a tool you need. You might even squeeze inside one or two people extra.

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What type is it

By construction, this is a freestanding tent. So you can pitch it on any terrain, even on a concrete surface. But this is a very tall tool and I would not use it without fixing it to the ground. No worry, it comes with stakes and guylines for such a purpose.

Note also that this is a hybrid singe-double wall type. So you have one-layer walls all around, and only the ceiling is a mesh protected by the rain fly as the second layer. This also implies that the walls are as waterproof as the fly itself, so indeed you have 1800 mm waterproofness rating everywhere, on the floor, walls, and on the fly. This is completely enough, and with all seams taped you have a full protection.

But as I said, this is a tall tent and the fly is only on the upper part, so I would not use it in any situations with very strong winds. This is a 3-season tent, ideally, a summer-time tent, bear this in mind.

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Setup

In the video below you will see how to setup this tent; as usual, it is easy when you know how to do this; so it is best to watch carefully what this person is doing:

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The price

The price for this outdoor castle at the moment of writing this text is $263. I find it reasonable for such a size and comfort.

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Pros & Cons

Here is my summary:

One door for the supposed six people may look not enough, but it should be noticed that here you have a really huge and high front door.

It looks heavy but if you search on Amazon for the tents of this size, you will realize that it could be called an ultra lightweight tool, and I am not joking.

See how I rate this tent:

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 Specifications

• Type: 3-season freestanding tent for 6.
• Weight: 18 lb 10 oz (8.45 kg).
• Packed size: 31 x 10 x 9 in (79 x 25 x 23 cm).
• Floor dimensions (L x W): 106 x 131/108 in (269 x 333/274  cm). The two numbers for the width are front and back, respectively.
• Floor area: 85 ft² (7.9 m²).
• Peak height: 6 ft 9 in (206 cm).
• Doors: 1.
• Fabric canopy, floor, rain fly: 68D polyester.
• Poles: 4, fiberglass and steel.
• 1800 mm coating.
• Seams taped.
• Windows: 4.
• No-see-um mesh ceiling and windows.
• Nearly vertical side wall design.
• Four interior pockets for small gear and accessories.

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Kelty Camp Cabin 6 vs Kelty Camp Cabin 4

They have built two of them, for 6 and 4 people, see some numbers:

*This is at the moment of writing this text, please check the links for updates.

Assuming that you will not really carry this tent to large distances, the weight per person is not so important. But the comfort is, and obviously, the Camp Cabin 6 offers a bit less space (per person), but the relative price is lower.

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How about Kelty Camp Cabin Footprint

The footprint is not included; in principle, you do not have to use it, but it can be ordered separately. It protects the tent and extends its life, but you can also use it in any situation to protect things from rain, at home or while camping.

The footprint is built from 68D polyester and with the same waterproof rating as the rest of the tent. It is available on Amazon for some $50. Here are its specifications:

• Length: 92 in (234 cm).
• Width: 98/76 in (249/193 cm).
• Weight: 9 oz (0.26 kg).

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Summary

There are many more tents described in this site, so please visit this page to see more, in particular, this Big Agnes Tensleep Station 6 tent and Big Agnes Big House 6 Deluxe Tent. Certainly check also its smaller cousin, the Camp Cabin 4 and Kelty Outback 6.

Thank you for reading. Please let me know if you have any question or comment, or if you have to share something about this tent. I love to hear from you, so share here your outdoor experience, I have an open invitation for guest authors.

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