REI Co-op Base Camp 6: Best Camping Tent Review - Gear Hacker

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REI Co-op Base Camp 6 Review: (Runner-Up) Best Overall Camping Tent

(Runner-Up) Best Overall Camping Tent

  • Comfort 80% 80%
  • Ease of Setup 80% 80%
  • Weatherproofing 70% 70%
  • Durability 90% 90%

Price: $469

Floor Dimensions: 9’2″x9’2″, 84sqft

Peak Inside Height: 6’2″

Doors/Windows: 2/2

Vestibules: 2, 27sqft + 17sqft

Poles: 5

Pockets: 14

Floor Material: 150D polyester Oxford

Canopy Material: 75D polyester

Rainfly Material: 75D polyester

Pole Material: Aluminum

Weight: 20.6 lbs

Approx. Setup Time: 7 minutes

Available Capacities: 4P, 6P

What We Like: Tons of storage, Durable, Two vestibules

What We Don’t: Dome structure reduces interior space, Sub-par ventilation

Although its interior space isn’t quite on the same level as the monstrous Kingdom 6, the Base Camp 6 still boasts plenty of room for families and furry friends. It’s also just a bit more structurally sound in the wind, and it’s one of only four tents in our review that sports vestibules at both ends. Compared to any other tent, the Base Camp 6 seems like a clear winner; it’s versatile and easy to pitch as well as decently roomy for a dome-style tent. However, the Kingdom 6 has additional mesh that gives it better ventilation, along with several more pockets and a far superior storage bag, which we felt justified spending the extra $30. It was a tight race to name the best of the best, and in the end, the Base Camp 6 took home the Runner-Up trophy for Best Overall Camping Tent.

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  • Comfort 90% 90%
  • Ease of Setup 80% 80%
  • Weatherproofing 70% 70%
  • Durability 80% 80%

Pros

Spacious interior

Smartly integrated room divider

Ample storage pockets

Handy travel bag

Cons

Small vestibule

Unstable in high winds

Floor Dimensions: 10'x8'4", 83sqft

Peak Inside Height: 6'3"

Doors/Windows: 2/2

Vestibules: 1, 29sqft

Poles: 1 hubbed set, 2 straight

REI Co-op Base Camp 6: Best Camping Tent Review - Gear Hacker

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  • Comfort 80% 80%
  • Ease of Setup 80% 80%
  • Weatherproofing 70% 70%
  • Durability 90% 90%

Pros

Tons of storage

Durable

Two vestibules

Cons

Dome structure reduces interior space

Sub-par ventilation

Floor Dimensions: 9'2"x9'2", 84sqft

Peak Inside Height: 6'2"

Doors/Windows: 2/2

Vestibules: 2, 27sqft + 17sqft

Poles: 5

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  • Ease of Setup 80% 80%
  • Weatherproofing 70% 70%
  • Durability 90% 90%

Pros

Included footprint

Durable

Handy “fast pitch” option

Cons

Slightly heavy for solo backpacking

Floor Dimensions: 6'9"x7'8", 51.8sqft

Peak Inside Height: 4'6"

Doors/Windows: 2/2

Vestibules: 2, 16sqft + 16sqft

Poles: 4

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  • Ease of Setup 40% 40%
  • Weatherproofing 70% 70%
  • Durability 70% 70%

Pros

Excellent value

Very roomy

Solid build quality

Cons

Complicated setup

Only one door

Vestibule could be more covered

Floor Dimensions: 10'x9', 90sqft

Peak Inside Height: 6'4"

Doors/Windows: 2/5

Vestibules: 1, 50sqft

Poles: 9

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  • Ease of Setup 70% 70%
  • Weatherproofing 50% 50%
  • Durability 40% 40%

Pros

Low price

Plenty of square footage

Cons

Single entryway

Questionable durability

Fiberglass poles

Floor Dimensions: 10'x10', 100sqft

Peak Inside Height: 6'

Doors/Windows: 1/4

Vestibules: N/A

Poles: 3

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Pros

Lightning-fast setup

Low price

Cons

Questionable water and wind resistance

Underwhelming ventilation

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Peak Inside Height: 6'2"

Doors/Windows: 1/5

Vestibules: N/A

Poles: 1 hubbed set

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  • Ease of Setup 60% 60%
  • Weatherproofing 80% 80%
  • Durability 80% 80%

Pros

Large front vestibule

Well-built and durable

Cons

Complicated setup

Less than ideal storage bag

Floor Dimensions: 10'x8'6", 85sqft

Peak Inside Height: 6'8"

Doors/Windows: 2/2

Vestibules: 2, 44.7sqft + 21sqft

Poles: 4

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  • Comfort 70% 70%
  • Ease of Setup 70% 70%
  • Weatherproofing 80% 80%
  • Durability 70% 70%

Pros

Versatile front vestibule

Roomy interior

Cons

Lacking in bonus features

Rainfly can be difficult to deploy

Floor Dimensions: 10'x8'4", 83sqft

Peak Inside Height: 6'4"

Doors/Windows: 2/1

Vestibules: 2, 25sqft + 16sqft

Poles: 4

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  • Ease of Setup 50% 50%
  • Weatherproofing 60% 60%
  • Durability 50% 50%

Pros

Large vestibule

Family friendly

Cons

Minimal headroom

Slightly difficult setup

Only one door

Floor Dimensions: 10'x9', 90sqft

Peak Inside Height: 5'8"

Doors/Windows: 1/3

Vestibules: 1, 50sqft

Poles: 4

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  • Ease of Setup 50% 50%
  • Weatherproofing 70% 70%
  • Durability 80% 80%

Pros

Spacious

Excellent build quality

Built-in room divider

Cons

Expensive

Not great in the wind

Difficult to pitch

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Peak Inside Height: 6'8"

Doors/Windows: 1/4

Vestibules: 1, 26.9sqft

Poles: 4

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  • Durability 80% 80%

Pros

Lots of headroom

Convenient travel bag

Shelter Mode option

Cons

No vestibule with standard tent

Complicated cosmetic choices

Floor Dimensions: 9'10"x8'4", 81.9sqft

Peak Inside Height: 6'9"

Doors/Windows: 2/2

Vestibules:  N/A

Poles: 3

REI’s (or Recreational Equipment, Inc.) history dates back to 1938 when it started as a small co-operative for climbing enthusiasts sold out of a shop near Seattle’s Pike Place Market. It has since grown into a nationwide chain that countless co-op members frequent, and any hiker worth their weight in carabiners owns a product either sold or produced by REI. The company produces several popular backpacking tents—my Camp Dome 2 is approaching its fifth birthday and has gotten me through multiple hiking trips, but their camping tent designs have also demonstrated a real proficiency for understanding the needs of their customers. REI’s Base Camp 6 (retailing for $469) is just one example of this, with a handful of well-thought-out features and design choices.

REI Co-op Base Camp 6: Best Camping Tent Review - Gear Hacker

Comfort

The square interior of the Base Camp 6 measures 9’2″ x 9’2″ for a total of 84sqft, and a max headroom of 6’2″. The numbers are near-average compared to comparably priced 6-person tents, although the sloped walls of this dome-style tent do give it a bit less interior volume than those that use pre-bent or hubbed poles to give the walls a bit more verticality.

That being said, the Base Camp still feels quite roomy, much of which can be attributed to its massive front and rear doors and dual vestibules. Both doors have quad zippers that connect in the top-middle and can be stashed away in mesh pockets that line the roof. The top half of both doors can be unzipped to reveal mesh windows, and there is also mesh lining the entire roof to provide views of the night sky. The front vestibule is supported by a tent pole that runs across the roof. It measures 27sqft and is large enough to function as a small sitting area. The staked-out rear vestibule, which is 17sqft and quite slanted, is better served as a storage area. Both can be sealed off completely for sufficient protection from the elements.

REI Co-op Base Camp 6: Best Camping Tent Review - Gear Hacker

Ease of Setup

Expect to set aside roughly seven minutes to pitch this tent. This feat could be accomplished by one person but will go much easier with two. The process is a rather straightforward affair, thanks in part to color-coding on the poles and sleeves. You’ll start the assembly by feeding two tentpoles through fabric sleeves from corner to corner, crisscrossing through the center, and forming the main structure. The second set of poles connect to grommets along the base of the sidewalls; they criss-cross each other and run through hooks on the walls and sleeves over the front and back doors, pulling these areas outward to generate additional interior space. The fifth pole feeds through the rainfly to create a roof for the front vestibule. In fact, we found that deploying the rainfly was much easier with the Base Camp 6 than with some of the other tents in our review.

REI Co-op Base Camp 6: Best Camping Tent Review - Gear Hacker

The total packaged weight of the Base Camp 6 is 20.6 lbs, which is near average amongst the tents we tested. The tent and other accouterments pack away into a heavy-duty storage sack measuring 24”x11”, which also comes with a pole-repair tube, pole bag, and stake bag. While packing and unpacking, this bag lacks any real flaws, but we still preferred the highly organized backpack-style bag of our other REI tent, the Kingdom 6.

REI Co-op Base Camp 6: Best Camping Tent Review - Gear Hacker

Weatherproofing

The Base Camp 6 is rated for 3+ season use, so while we wouldn’t go as far as testing this out in the dead of winter, its thick rainfly provides enough insulation for it to prove its worth on an especially chilly fall evening. In addition, the dome shape makes it more stable in the wind than the Kingdom 6, which has vertical walls and pre-bent poles.

REI Co-op Base Camp 6: Best Camping Tent Review - Gear Hacker

Although the rainfly completely wraps the tent to provide a great deal of privacy and protection from the rain, there are several options for ventilation. There are deployable vents at the top of the rainfly—which can be reached from inside the tent through zippered openings, along with triangular floor vents to create what REI calls “chimney effect” ventilation. Although we appreciated the ingenuity of these features, we also found that it didn’t do quite enough to counteract the thick rainfly, so the interior may get a bit stifling on hot days.

REI Co-op Base Camp 6: Best Camping Tent Review - Gear Hacker

Durability

The ruggedness of the Base Camp 6 is a noteworthy strength. Along with its 75D polyester canopy and rainfly, the tent floor is made of 150D polyester Oxford that is touted as being both abrasion- and puncture-resistant. The aluminum poles are super thick, and the clips are pretty beefy, so you won’t feel the need to be incredibly gentle during assembly and disassembly. Still, to extend the life of this tent, we would recommend purchasing the accompanying footprint, which will cost an extra $64.95.

REI Co-op Base Camp 6: Best Camping Tent Review - Gear Hacker

Other Features

The Base Camp 6 offers a plethora of storage options, with 14 stash pockets in convenient locations; close your eyes and point in any direction inside this tent, and chances are you’ll find one. It’s still not quite as staggering as the 22 pockets inside the Kingdom 6, yet it far exceeds any of the storage options presented by the other tents in our review. The dual doors and vestibules make it highly appealing for family outings, as does the durable construction. With proper care, the Base Camp 6 is a worthwhile investment that will stand the test of time.

REI Co-op Base Camp 6: Best Camping Tent Review - Gear Hacker

The Bottom Line

Although its interior space isn’t entirely on the same level as the monstrous Kingdom 6, the Base Camp 6 still boasts plenty of room for families and furry friends. It’s also just a bit more structurally sound in the wind, and it’s one of only four tents in our review that sports vestibules at both ends. Compared to any other tent, the Base Camp 6 seems like a clear winner; it’s versatile and easy to pitch as well as decently roomy for a dome-style tent. However, the Kingdom 6 has additional mesh that gives it better ventilation, along with several more pockets and a far superior storage bag, which we felt justified spending the extra $30. It was a tight race to name the best of the best, and in the end, the Base Camp 6 took home the Runner-Up trophy for Best Overall Camping Tent.

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We participate in affiliate programs to help us fund Gear Hacker. Some of the links in this website are affiliate links, which means that if you purchase a product using our link, we will earn a small commission. Don’t worry! This comes at no additional cost to you, and we will never base our reviews on whether or not we earn a commission off of a product. With that said, if you find our review helpful and decide to purchase an item we review, we would be very appreciative if you use our links to do so. It will help us bring you more awesome content in the future!