Kelty - Discovery Element 4

Kelty all day every day in that price range. Discovery Element 4 and it's footprint is well under budget and gets you to a little more comfortable size for storing your gear. If you're backpacking or otherwise prioritizing size/weight the Discovery Trail 2 or Grand Mesa 2 would work as well.

https://www.steepandcheap.com/kelty-discovery-element-4-tent-4-person-3-season I have this tent. A pole did snap but Kelty warranty replaced it. I think it may have been a fluke, there was 4 straight days of rain. I had a mishap with it (my fault this time) so I just replaced it for $80 shipped. Most of our scouts have Kelty tents. We're in the southeast. Nothing wrong with Coleman either though. Perhaps better for you actually. They dont have a full rainfly so you'll get more condensation on that single wall - not a huge issue. They're pretty bullet proof though and the thick tent floor is nice, no need for a footprint tarp.

Where do you camp, what is the weather like? Generally Kelty or Alps Mountaineerimg tents are the budget tents that are a step up from Coleman. Two layer (separate body and rainfly) are most forgiving. Full rainfly (covers the whole body) is best. More mesh in the body for hot and humid. Less mesh for colder climates.

Yeah the marketing is so bad. There are 3 season tents that are better suited for colder climates but they aren't advertised like that. So weird. In the south, I recommend Kelty tents a lot because their 2 layer tents have almost-full mesh bodies. I notice that people in the northern US swear by Alps Mountaineering tents... their bodies happen to have a lot less mesh in the body. They're like 3.5 season tents, lol (but they'd be bad in the south).

I have the kelty Discovery Element and like it. We camped in 20 campgrounds this summer so we had a lot of set up/take down and I have no complaints!

I have a kelty discovery element that we took down every day on a road trip this summer and it was the least painful part of setting up/breaking down. Color coded so you know what goes where, two poles, shark mouth bag so you can just jam it back in. Up/down in just a couple of minutes, after spending one zillion minutes deflating pads and squeezing them small again.

I have a great easy to set up kelty discovery element tent that's a pretty teal, and have a women's sleeping bag from them too in a similar color way. I spent all summer in both and am happy with them.

I just bought the Kelty Discovery for an upcoming trip. Fits in my bag well and I think it’s going to do good.

I have had a normal kelty 4 man and the daydreamer 6. The 4 held up great for almost a decade of use (~6 trips a year with that tent) before we needed more space and upgraded. The day dreamer 6 is pitch black inside which is great for getting kids/dogs to sleep in later than sunrise. The thick fly to keep out light definitely adds a pound or two to the day dreamer vs a normal tent.

it fits my kelty 6 comfortably with space on the size. it was very tight with my kelty 4

My BF and I have 7 different tents and our favorite one is the 4-person Kelty tent that I bought for myself when I was 17-18 years old. That makes it 36-37 years old. It’s not the same shape as the one OP covets but it has the same basic options with a large back window screen and the zipper screen entrance with the additional layer of solid fabric. Unfortunately it’s so old and the fabric is becoming very brittle and fragile. Wish they still made tents like they used to.

Well if you want advice on a tent I could probably try to help you out! Just took a quick pass through the tent options and I’d recommend the core 4 person instant tent for $150 just because they’re already an established tent making brand with great reviews. I personally own a 4 person kelty tent and the quality is really good imo and they’re easy to setup. Some of the kelty tents have these sleeves that the bottom of the poles go into and it makes solo setup a breeze. My issue with instant tents like the one you mentioned, the gazelle t4, etc. is that they’re heavy and they don’t get very compact. But if you have both storage space and space in your vehicle go for it.

Are you backpacking or car camping? That makes a huge difference. I have a 4 person kelty for when I go car camping with my wife and dogs. For when I go backing with just one of my dogs I have a big Agnes copper spur 2p. When we go car camping, we have a foldable memory foam mattress, it’s quite large and takes up most of my roof box, it’s my trade off for comfort. There’s this company HEST, that makes these memory foam rolls for car camping. They look awesome, I just haven’t been to an REI lately to check them out. They are pricey but look to be really nice. I have my old ridge rest that I roll out to protect the tent floor from their paws. If your car camping and have the room, those floor mat puzzle pieces are also a great floor protector.

I like the Walmart brand Ozark Trail. We have had a smaller tent from them for quite a while (it does leak now but we set up a tarp over it). Our nicer Kelty tent tore and the zipper broke. They’ll fix them for you but I lose the receipt :(  Since you’re new I’d go on the less expensive side first.