If you’ve been studying AJ on-line for any size of time and peruse the gear part, certainly you’ve come throughout quite a few references I’ve made to my spouse and I being on the tall aspect. She is 6’3″ and I’m 6’2″. As you’ll be able to think about, we have now…points with regards to tents that correctly match our mixed 12 and a half ft of individual. When it was simply the 2 of us that was okay, we’d simply use a 3 individual tent typically whereas backpacking and automobile tenting if we actually wanted house, and cope with the cramped quarters of a 2 individual after we have been staying tremendous gentle.
Then we had two youngsters.
Now, with a 3 12 months previous and a one 12 months previous crawling throughout us, nothing in need of a 6-person tremendous tent will do. We discovered one after we purchased NEMO’s Wagontop 6p final spring. Almost actually my first studio condo was smaller than this factor.
First factor to notice: we will absolutely rise up and stroll round on this tent. An unbelievable luxurious for a tall household. It has a whopping 6’8″ of vertical house. For dwelling house, there’s 97-ish sq. ft. There’s a room divider that zippers closed about 2/3 of the way in which into the tent. Leave it open and you’ve got a palace. Or zip it closed for one actually massive sleeping house and one actually massive inside vestibule, relying on the way you prepare issues.
I’ve match a double-sized mattress within the massive house with one other sleeping pad at my ft and a single pad within the smaller room, no issues. I’ve additionally arrange a conveyable crib for the child in a single nook and nonetheless slept two adults and a child with a couple of third of the tent to spare. I’ve significantly thought-about bringing it as my shelter on solo camp journeys so I can have a desk and a cot inside on colder evenings. You have numerous house and plenty of choices.
There are two massive panoramic home windows on the lengthy sides of the tent that make it really feel good and open. Other than that, you desire a view, you allow the large entryway flaps open. It’s a single wall tent so there’s no fly—if it rains, shut the home windows and doorways and also you’re protected. There are only some pockets for storage, however in a tent this massive that doesn’t matter practically as a lot. You can go away your backpack within the nook with no matter you want in it.
The tent’s form and measurement (seems to be like a lined wagon in profile, therefore the title) makes it seem like it will be tough to pitch, and it sorta is—as soon as. The first time I set it up, I had the the big, crossing poles that kind an elongated “X” on the tent’s sides overlapping within the fallacious order. It wasn’t actually an enormous deal although, a simple repair, and now I can set it up in a breeze. All the clips are the place you count on them to be, it’s a wholly intuitive course of. Does it take longer than a 2-person tent to erect? Sure, by about 5 minutes. Is it onerous or require two individuals? Nope. Yes, it weighs an excellent 27 kilos nevertheless it is available in a superb duffle bag (tremendous straightforward to get that tent again into the bag too, after use, one thing I can’t *all the time* say about NEMO gear) so lugging it round is a snap.
My household and I used the tent all final summer time at campgrounds and within the yard. It has held regular in breezy situations and fended off gentle rain with ease. Those massive, 11-foot-long sides could have you ever questioning what actually gusty winds will do, and, frankly, I’m wondering that too. But guyed out it feels loads steady and 20 mph winds in my yard didn’t trouble the tent one bit.
Here’s the factor although—that is clearly a household tent. I don’t actually have the intention of tenting with my little youngsters in inclement climate. If the forecast requires storms, we’re in all probability staying house. That gained’t be the case for everybody and as soon as the women are older, I’ve little doubt we’ll have this tent out extra in shoulder season the place unhealthy climate can swing in. You know what? We’ll cope with it. It’s tenting. It’s imagined to be a bit adventurous. The beneficiant measurement and luxurious makes this tent effectively price any tradeoff when it comes to resistance to nasty climate we nearly actually gained’t be out in. If keeping off unhealthy climate was my essential concern, I’d get a Hilleberg.
But for this household of giraffes, we’re extremely stoked on the Wagontop. NEMO’s stuff is all the time top of the range and this tent feels each bit a effectively made piece of equipment to have for a decade or two. My advice is to splurge for the Victory Blanket designed to go along with the tent that protects the ground of the tent a bit and makes issues a bit softer, a bit extra lux in your naked or socked ft.
They additionally make 4 individual and eight individual sizes of the Wagontop with largely the identical designs and options in the event you’re within the house however have a different-sized group. The 4 individual mannequin could be a superb automobile tenting tent for 2 adults.
SPECIFICATIONS:
• Packed weight: 27 lb , 0 oz / 12.26 kg
• Packed measurement: 27.0 x 12.0 x 12.0 in / 69 x 30 x 30 cm
• Floor space: 97.3 sq ft / 9.0 sq m
• Peak top: 80 in / 203 cm
• BUY 4 individual: $412; 6 individual: $700; 8 individual: $800