Kelty Night Owl 3-Person Tent (Aluminum Poles & Some New Features)

This Kelty Night Owl 3 person tent is from a new series with aluminum poles and several new features the brand introduced in their recent series. So keep reading.

Key features

What this is about

Here you have a tent from Kelty’s new series which seems they have launched as an update of their famous Trail Ridge tents series. The tents from the Trail Ridge series are still on the market and as of this moment it is not completely clear if this series will really be discontinued or not.

The Night Owl is built as a series for 2, 3, and 4 people. The Night Owl 3 is a simple dome structure with 2 doors and 2 vestibules, and with a full coverage fly which comes with a stargazing feature. This implies that you can roll the fly up and fix it in place with straps, but you can easily unroll it if the weather changes.

This series also includes what they call Kelty Quick Corners, see the picture below, so these are sleeves in the corners instead of standard grommets. The same structure you have in their new Late Start tents and also in Kelty Wireless Tent 4 Person. This design makes the tent freestanding even before you clip the inner tent to the poles.

Note that there is a hub element here which connects the two main poles. But the fly is with two vestibules that must be staked down properly to be fully functional.

Who is it for

Space-wise, the declared capacity is 3 people, so let’s see what the tent offers. The inner area is 45.6 ft² (4.23 m²) and this gives 15.2 ft² (1.4 m²) per person. Not so bad but the space is obviously limited. But there are two vestibules that add 20 ft² (1.8 m²) so the total covered area per person is 21.9 ft² (2 m²).

Seasons-wise, this tent is declared as a 3-season tent but it is better suited for a warmer climate. The inner tent is all mesh as you see from the picture, so this will not preserve warmth and using it in a cooler environment or at high altitudes would not be a pleasant experience.

The poles are aluminum and the waterproof rating is good, the tent is low profile so it will protect you in all weather conditions.

Weight-wise, they sell this tent on Amazon under the name Kelty Night Owl Backpacking and Camping Tent, but its weight is 6 lb 11 oz (3.04 kg). So I see it better suited in the second group, i.e., as a camping tent and I have added it to my list of 3-person camping tents.

To realize what I mean, you can compare it with the MSR Carbon Reflex 3 Tent which weighs only 2 lb 10 oz (1.19 kg), but it also costs almost 3 times more.

But its packed size is excellent, 17 x 7 x 7 inches (43 x 18 x 18 cm).

The materials

The poles

There are 2 main aluminum poles that create the dome, plus a short brow pole that goes through a sleeve and pulls the sides up making the walls vertical. The main poles attach to the inner tent with clips. All is color-coded for easy setup.

The fabric

The fabric is good here, so the fly is a 68D polyester with 1800 mm waterproof rating and the same material is used for the floor. Note that they have a footprint for this tent and it can be ordered separately. The inner tent is all No-See-Um mesh.

Please see more in this short video:

Other features

• Guyline pockets.
• Shark mouth carry bag – this means that the entry point is much wider than the rest so you can store the tent far easier than with standard carry bag.
• Light pockets on the ceiling.
• Storage pockets in the corners.
• Vents: there are two of them on the vestibules flaps.

Specifications

• Declared capacity: 3 people.
• Packaged weight: 6 lb 11 oz (3.04 kg).
• Minimum weight: 6 lb 3 oz (2.8 kg).
• Dimensions: 90 x 73 in (228 x 185 cm).
• Floor area: 45.6 ft² (4.23 m²).
• Inner floor area per person: 15.2 ft² (1.4 m²).
• Vestibule area: 10 + 10 ft² (0.9 + 0.9 m²).
• Total covered area per person: 21.9 ft² (2 m²).
• Peak height: 43 in (109 cm).
• Packed size: 17 x 7 x 7 in (43 x 18 x 18 cm).

Kelty Night Owl 3P Tent vs Competitors

I have decided to show you how this tent stands when compared with two other tents from top brands that are in the same weight range. So all are with 2 doors and 2 vestibules. As you realize, Kelty’s tent offers a bit more inner space.

Though it is lower than the other two tents, and its price is close to the price of the Marmot Crane Creek 3 tent, while the Big Agnes Van Camp 3 tent is more expensive. Please follow the links for more details.

Final thoughts, rating, pros & cons

The price is reasonable for such a quality tent and for this brand. Please see how I rate this tent against the criteria used for all other tents here in the site. This allows for easy comparison:

Kelty Night Owl Backpacking and Camping Tent

9

Area per person

8.0/10

Weight

8.9/10

Packed size

9.4/10

Protection

9.3/10

Features

9.4/10

Pros

• Great price.
• Very reliable.
• Quality craftsmanship.
• Aluminum poles.

Cons

• Heavy for backpacking.

You might want to compare this tent with this nicely built Alps Mountaineering Chaos 3 Tent with two vestibules and aluminum poles. If you need something much lighter from the same brand, please check their Kelty All Inn 3 Tent. Check also my page with tents for many more options.

Note that this is not a sponsored text, and I have no business relationship with the brand. Please use the comment box below in the case of questions or comments, and do share your thoughts, I love to hear from you. Have a nice day.