Discovery Basecamp 6

I would go with Kelly based purely on experience with both brands

Agree with the brand. Kelty seems a little more heavy duty, and the fly is larger on the Kelty than the Coleman, even if it doesn't go to the ground.

I wouldn't buy either of them due to the lack of a fly that goes to the ground. That's not what you asked, so Kelty is my pick based on my experience with their brand.

I spent the summer with my family of 4 in a Kelty Discovery Element 6 that I got with a big discount (google coupon codes and wait for sales) and really liked it. Big enough for us and gear (and dogs sometimes!) and easy peasy to set up and take down.

I have the discovery element 6 and just took it on a 3 week long camping road trip where we broke down every morning and moved somewhere new. Setup and takedown of the tent was the easiest part of the whole process. All of this said above is spot on - it's user friendly, quick to set up and easy to jam back in the bag without complicated folding. I do agree that the floor is thin, so maybe both the footprint and a tarp inside to protect from digging.

I have the kelty discovery element 6, which looks like it's the same tent as the Far out but without the roll back option for the rainfly, which is sick and which I wish I'd known about when I bought mine! I love the E6, it's roomy and easy to set up and take down. We went on a 3.5 week trip where we moved almost every night this summer so it was CRUCIAL. The fly and corners are color coded so you know what goes where. The bag is also a game changer - I can jam the thing into the bag and zip it without CAREFULLY folding it just so so it'll fit in the bag, which has not been my experience with Coleman.

I have the 6 person and it's pretty big, we camped in ours for a month plus some weekends this summer and it was the easiest part of setting up camp.

I love my kelty discovery basecamp. It's dumb easy/quick to set up - two poles and everything is color coded (rain fly yellow straps are the front and clip into the yellow clips). I just used it on a road trip where we set up and broke down every night and it was honestly the easiest part of that situation. We have the 6, it's a good budget quick tent! We comfortably slept 2 adults and 2 kids on air mats with room for bags at the bottom.

How long is a long trip, and what are the concerns of failing? Most tents can last a good long time without issue. Make sure you are thinking about takedown time as well, just because it's fast up doesn't mean it'll be fast down as well. We did a month last summer plus a bunch of weekends in a Kelty tent, which I could set up and take down on my own in under 5 mins. Two poles, color coded, didn't cost me one zillion dollars, easy to get back into the bag without folding it perfectly. I think you're overthinking this.

The kelty will be the better tent. Fabric and pole construction are going to be somewhat higher quality. Design is also more capable of handling inclement weather. I would check into other models/brands though. $100-$150 more would put you in a tent that will be miles above these two. These are entry level, fair weather, weekender tents but will get you started.

I’ve got the Kelty. I wish the rain fly went all the way to the ground to make a vestibule, but for mild weather camping, the tent is awesome. And even in a persistent drizzle for several days, it did stay mostly dry with just a bit toward the bottom getting a bit wet.

Check out Kelty. Bought a basecamp model and it's great. Big enough to stand up in. Room for cots which gives you storage space underneath the cots...