CORE seems to be everywhere right now. I bought the dome tent they sell at COSTCO, I believe it's a six-person tent. I took it to a festival for a weekend that got rained out HARD. My friend and I stayed nice and dry the whole weekend in that tent. I did make sure the rain fly was set up properly, i.e. not touching the sides of the tent and directing water away from the sides. I don't know if I'd trust the shape of the one shown here for a rainy weekend.
Yes. Quality- I have a Magellan tent and a Core tent. Bought a couple years apart, and they are different sizes. The quality is much better on the Core, but if you are just buying for occasional use the Magellan is just fine. And in case you don’t know, you aren’t fitting 3 people comfortably in a 3 person tent. I have the Core 6 man dome I use regularly with my son on camping trips and it is perfect for our gear and us and I can stand up in the middle. It wouldn’t be good for backpacking though it’s too heavy…
I have two core 9 tents, neither of them are instant, though. One is the massive two room tent that can hold two queen air mattresses easily. The other is the 6 man dome. I love their tents, and have used them frequently.
That core dome is 8 pounds. My (way more expensive) Durston Xmid Pro is 1 pound. You pay more for the ultralight/more durable stuff. But if you are just car camping a few times a year that thing is fine!
I am not familiar with the brands. However, is it a tent that you will be comfortable putting up and taking down every day as you travel. BTW, I own a CORE 6 person tent.
Both solid options! The Core 6 is a bit more spacious and the full rain fly is clutch.
But real talk - since this is your first time camping and you're still figuring out what you need, have you considered renting gear for your first trip or two?
Here's why:
\- You'll learn what tent size actually works for you (6-person sounds big but if it's just you + partner, might be overkill)
\- Figure out if you prefer pop-up easy setup vs traditional poles
\- See what features actually matter in real conditions (not just reviews)
\- Then invest in exactly the right tent
Top Camping Tents on Reddit
1
The North Face
Wawona 6
86% positive of 132 users
Spacious vestibule, strong in storms, but rainfly tricky solo.
Discount_Mithral
