NTK Proxy 4 Instant Dome Family Camping Tent

This NTK Proxy 4 Instant Dome Family Camping Tent is a 3-season shelter with a full-coverage fly and a large vestibule for full protection of occupants and their gear.

Key features & benefits

What this is about

Here you have a structure that can be described as an instant tent, at least this is how the manufacturer describes it. This means that the inner tent is preattached to the frame as in the picture below. However, this is a tent with a full-coverage fly that creates a large vestibule. This implies that you have to cover the tent and then to add the additional loop that supports the vestibule. So setup takes a few minutes but this is indeed all easily done.

The tent shown above without the fly is fully freestanding, but the situation is completely different when you add the fly with its extra pole and vestibule. So the overall structure must be staked properly to be fully functional.

They use the word Dome in the official name of this tent, but this is certainly not a dome-style tent. In fact, this is a very typical cabin tent with straight walls. The design is quite similar to this KAZOO Family Camping Tent 4 Person Saturn.

The tent is moderately high, you have a 5.4 ft (165 cm) peak height, so this is not a stand-up height. Note also that it is designed for an awning setup shown in the picture below, so this adds lots of useful space because you can sit in the shade created with the awning that extends the vestibule considerably. You can also use this floorless space for cooking and for storage of your camp gear. The two poles for the awning are included in the package.

The inner tent has two doors on the opposite sides so the back door is under the fly and the narrow area behind you can use for storage. There is no back door on the vestibule.

There are also two windows on the fly. They are equipped with flaps from outside and you can roll them up and fix them with toggles when the sky is clear as in the picture below:

Ventilation

The inner tent has lots of mesh on the canopy, you have seen this in the picture without the fly above. There are also mesh sections on the inner doors. But they have added two vents on the vestibule, this is useful when you have to keep the fly fully closed. I notice that they are quite low and on the front, and this is not an optimal design. But this all should work well to fight condensation.

Materials

The poles are fiberglass, and I guess you cannot expect anything else with such a budget-friendly tent. So this is not its best feature but this material is used even in much more expensive tents. 

The fabric is a polyester 190T with PU coating that gives it a 2500 mm waterproof rating. This is more than enough for any use. They claim that the tent has a heat-seamed thermoplastic coating for UV protection. The mesh sections are no-see-um type mesh, this is a Brazilian brand so you should have full mosquito protection.

The floor is an anti-fungal polyethylene which should be highly waterproof and prevents leaks. You have a bathtub-style construction to protect you from groundwater and from splashes. They claim these are all CPAI-84 fire-retardant materials. The carry bag is made with reinforced polyester with extra room so getting the tent back into it is easy.

Other features

• Utility pockets for storage.
• All necessary stakes are included.

Who is it for

Capacity-wise, the tent is officially for 4 people, and for this you have the inner area which is only 49 ft² (4.5 m²). This implies 12.25 ft² (1.13 m²) per person which is a modest value.

But there is a large front vestibule, they do not provide any information about its total size, but here you have a few square meters of space to store your gear. In any case, I would downgrade it to 2-3 people maximum.

Seasons-wise & climate-wise, there is no doubt this is a true 3-season tent and it will protect you in most conditions you can expect in such use. It is not exceptionally high and the full fly makes it reasonably aerodynamic so I am sure it can withstand a lot of wind pressure if you orient it properly. 

Weight-wise, the tent is quite heavy for its official capacity and its size, but this is normal for instant tents and also for tents with such a massive fly. So the weight is 19.58 lb (8.88 kg) and its packed size is 34.65 x 9.45 x 9.45 in (88 x 24 x 24 cm). All in all, this is a car camping tent.

Price-wise, this is simply incredible for what you get with such a tent and from such a brand, a true bargain.

In this short video you can see how to set this tent up and some of its features, have a look:

Specifications

• Official capacity: 4 people.
• Weight: 19.58 lb (8.88 kg).
• Dimensions: 7 x 7 ft (213 x 213 cm).
• Area: 49 ft² (4.5 m²).
• Area per person: 12.25 ft² (1.13 m²).
• Peak height: 5.4 ft (165 cm).
• Packed size: 34.65 x 9.45 x 9.45 in (88 x 24 x 24 cm).

Final thoughts, rating, pros & cons

Please see how I rate this tent against my standard set of criteria, this allows you to make an easy comparison with other tents here in the site.

NTK Proxy 4 Instant Dome Family Camping Tent

$129.99

8.4

Area per person

7.9/10

Weight

7.2/10

Packed size

7.6/10

Protection

9.4/10

Features

9.7/10

Pros

• Full fly.
• Large vestibule.
• Great waterproof rating.
• Vents.
• Windows.
• Incredible price.

Cons

• Heavy.
• Long when packed.
• Fiberglass poles.

Buy on Amazon

If you need more options to check, see under the category 4-person tents here in the site. Remember the word Dome in the name of this tent? So if you want a true dome tent, check this Eureka Kohana 4 Person Tent. Thank you for reading and have a nice day.