A couple of weeks ago I bought an REI Basecamp 6 tent for family camping and bug out use.  It's a six person dome with aluminum, shock corded poles, and a separate rain fly.  (My family is four people but I wanted a bit more space than a 4 person tent.)  It's self-supporting but has loops to stake it down if it's windy.  The floor is 10'5" x 8'4".  This afternoon I finally had a confluence of good weather and free time, so I got to set it up in the backyard.

This is how it looks without the fly:



Here's the side, showing how the poles are clipped to the tent. Note how much of the tent is mesh.  It has great ventilation:



And here it is with the rain fly:



Closeup of the big vestibule on one end:



Smaller vestibule on the other end.  Note how I have this one configured differently from the other end.  There are enough zippers, toggles, and stake loops to give you a lot of flexibility:



I like how the rain fly is attached, using Fastex buckles:



Moving inside, we see the mesh gear loft.  You can remove it and hang a lantern from a loop in the center of the roof:



There are several mesh pockets sewn to the inside of the tent for storage small items:





This is a really neat feature.  With the rain fly installed you can undo two zippers on the roof.  Then, there are two plastic rods inside Velcro-covered sleeves, that you can use to prop open two vents in the fly.  Unless rain was blown into the vents, they should be pretty weather resistant, and you can always close them in case you need to batten down the hatches:



Finally, the setup instructions are sewn to the outside of the carrying bag.  I thought this is really smart:



I am really looking forward to getting this tent out in the woods this summer.

Coool.  I like the vestibule feature.  I don't know why that isn't incorporated into more tent designs.  Very handy in foul weather.

REI usually has rather pricey stuff.  Since the cost of tents in general has gone down considerably in the past three years, I was wondering if you got a good deal?

Quoted: Coool.  I like the vestibule feature.  I don't know why that isn't incorporated into more tent designs.  Very handy in foul weather. REI usually has rather pricey stuff.  Since the cost of tents in general has gone down considerably in the past three years, I was wondering if you got a good deal?

Yeah, it was on sale.  Regular price is $399 but I paid $279.  Even at full list it'd probably be worth it.  It seems really well made and designed.

I'll bet it serves you well.

I have an rei half dome it's been a great tent.

I use the Kelty Yellowstone 6 for family camping. I like it.


Make note of the deep bathtub floor and large rainfly. Lots of ventilation as well...often overlooked in tents.

Almost got the Kelty Trail dome 6 instead but our family camping isn't really adventurous enough to justify the aluminum poles and lighter weight.

For the adventurous stuff I'm on my own and just carry a hammock and a tarp.

REI makes really good tents. They really think them through and include all the little features that make them easier to setup and nicer to use.

I bought a quarter dome several months ago and just purchased the half dome 4. I thought about getting one of the camp dome tents, but wanted something I could also take backpacking.

My only complaint is how long the footprint connections are, which means the footprint is really loose and not taut...

Since you have it set up and it appears to be nice out, might as well run and get some seam sealer and some waterproofer and spray the heck out of it with it.  My Kelty Trail Dome 2 is a heck of a tent but did leak (just a few drops) during a 30-40mph wind/rain/hailstorm.  I seamsealed the hell out of it and put some waterproofing spray on it too.  It's gonna take a tornado to make my tent leak.  

My aunt and uncle have that tent and have taken it on several week-long backpacking trips with me (5-6 miles in, and then a basecamp for the rest of the week -no they didn't carry that thing for a week)

REI tents have proved very good in the past, and I really like their unconditional lifetime guaruntee

Quoted: Since you have it set up and it appears to be nice out, might as well run and get some seam sealer and some waterproofer and spray the heck out of it with it.  My Kelty Trail Dome 2 is a heck of a tent but did leak (just a few drops) during a 30-40mph wind/rain/hailstorm.  I seamsealed the hell out of it and put some waterproofing spray on it too.  It's gonna take a tornado to make my tent leak.

Yup, I did get to seal some of the seams on the fly.  I took it down after dinner though because t-storms were forecast.  I need to get another bottle of sealer and get the rest of the seams.

My aunt and uncle have that tent and have taken it on several week-long backpacking trips with me (5-6 miles in, and then a basecamp for the rest of the week  -no they didn't carry that thing for a week)

It would be one hell of a tent to carry around.  Packed up it weighs about 20 lbs.

nice looking tent!
ive been debateing upgradeing our family tent.
we have a coleman thats be re-trofitted with these special poles. in others it sets up in 3 seconds like those fold up chairs from walmart!
but now with takeing our child along the add'd room willbe a bonus. The last few trips, ive slet outside  while the wife and kid sleep in the tents. doesnt bother me much as i like it outside!

i like that vestible on the side i bet you could rig it out like a small dinning fly also to keep shade and eat under!