Kelty - Tallboy 4
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Reddit Reviews:
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Last updated: Jan 5, 2026 Scoring
Liked most:
344
68
"never deflates"
"Also pitched it on bare rock using rocks to hold the stakes on a decently breezy night and it was pretty bombproof."
"the nearly 8 yr old tent is still going strong (handed down to my sister)"
413
25
"the white one is on sale on Amazon for about $350 which is a steal"
"I'm on my second one in 7 years"
"I would say that the investment was more than worthwhile."
96
19
"We had a rainy trip one year and having the extra room to hang out in the tent playing board games made the kids happy."
"We are a family of three and it is perfect!"
"for four people, especially two that are still growing, go for the 10 person. ... I guess you can get all four into the six person, but there won't be room for much else and you'll be tripping over each other if someone needs to go pee in the middle of the night or whatever."
46
14
"I've had it up in a downpour and it stayed totally dry inside."
"Also pitched it on bare rock using rocks to hold the stakes on a decently breezy night and it was pretty bombproof."
"The osmo material is amazing in the rain and stays taught ... I’ve camped in 40mph wind and lashing rain in Dartmoor and it didn’t miss a beat, no leaks and I felt secure all night."
56
4
"I could set up in the dark without a light"
"An all clip suspension tent is much easier to pitch solo than a tent that uses sleeves."
"Some of the kelty tents have these sleeves that the bottom of the poles go into and it makes solo setup a breeze."
Disliked most:
0
3
"Kelty, is it half covered in mesh, it is horrible in summer and it cannot stand winter."
"Would I take it in a thinderstorm or high altitude, no."
"I did wish the material would be polyester or sil-poly like a Durston tent, but I think I can live with it since I don't camp in much rain or in very hot/cold climates."
6
1
"we got SOAKED through the thin floor"
0
13
"I really despise levoit. I'll never buy anything from them again. Their customer service and "warranty" are awful ... Bought two smart humidifiers, both were defective. Reached out and they sent me a replacement, which also was defective. ... Wanted to just return them and get a refund, but they only offered a credit. The credit I got was less than the current cost of a new product, so I would've had to pay even more. ... By the way, this whole process took more than a month. Customer service was extremely slow with updates."
"The problem with Coway is poor customer service. ... They tell me to return it to Amazon, but I don't have the original package. So I'm supposed to purchase a new box from them to return to Amazon. Amazon won't accept it anyway because it's outside the 30 day return window. Coway's solution is to stop responding to emails."
"once they no longer support the router they throttle your internet speed so you can buy a new one. ... when it was no longer being supported with the last update it was throttle to 200 mbs."
3
6
"The pole design means they are under twist pressure, and after I'd replaced the third set of poles I decided to go inflatable. ... and the poles kept breaking."
"A week in, a pole broke in the wind"
"the poles bent irreparably in mild/moderate wind conditions ... It lasted less than a year"
0
2
"The outer door zips can snag a lot unless you're really careful with them. ... When closing from the inside, reach out and properly attach the velcro at the bottom to help avoid this. It seems to be caused mostly by the fabric springing back in the way of the zip runner (or whatever it's called)."
"The zips can be a bit snaggy so you need to be careful with that"
"Just watch out an be careful with the zips"
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.
r/camping • Complete camping beginner needs help picking a tent ->I've had my Kelty for about 12 years now and it has never failed to perform to my highest expectations. I highly recommend them.
r/CampingGear • What brands or types of tents should I be looking to get? ->We loved our Ozark Trail tent! Set out on a cross country camping trip with a brand new Kelty that we spent a pretty penny on. A week in, a pole broke in the wind and we got SOAKED through the thin floor. Went to a Walmart, picked up an Ozark Trail, and left the Kelty in a dumpster. Never looked back on that decision.
r/camping • Ozark Trail Tent Experience? ->Go with the Kelty version of this same tent instead, better quality and price difference right now isn't much at all with the sales they are running
r/CampingGear • Slumberjack daybreak 6p ->I went with a simple Kelty 4-man and its been great. I like traditional dome tents, easy to set up, take down and repair. I was a volunteer at an overland rally two years ago and saw a bunch of gazelle tents fail in a wind storm. It was wild. they were the worst failing tents of all the tents there. That and they take up a lot of space when packed. They are neat but imo not worth the space and price, esp if they are going to fail in bad weather. They look cool though so you will get overland points.
r/overlanding • Tent Recommendations ->You really have 2 requests: Comfortable for 2 weeks, I have one set of suggestions. But you need to fly with it. So that changes my recommendation. We have a Eureka 4 person tent in a tall configuration that we have flown with. There is a similar tent in production called the Kelty Tallboy 4. It is 5'10" in the center which makes it a little more comfortable. Also, while I know a Scout is Thrifty, considering some of your gear to be disposable might be to your advantage: pick up a ground tarp and a camp chair at a Walmart. Gift it to someone who is driving or donate it to a Goodwill on your way back to the airport.
r/BSA • Jambo staff tent recommendations ->I used the same Kelty tent for 30 years. Replaced many components in that time. 6 or 7 years ago a pole broke so I emailed Kelty about a replacement. Slow response, no offer of help. They couldn't even tell me the length I should buy. Far cry from my previous experiences with them. Then I found out they had been bought out by exxel outdoors, LLC . So read into this what you want buy it was another buy out where service tanked. exxel has a bunch of other brands they've bought; Kelty, KB Tactical, UD, Sierra Designs, HEX, Slumberjack, Wenzel & SJK. Not sure how service/quality with the other brands has fared. ANNND, I'm also a side sleeper and bought a DeepSleep SOLO MAT SELF-INFLATING CAMPING BED $179.99 to use on my cot. It's 5" thick and has air + foam. Totally love this mat.
r/CampingGear • Labor Day Sale Tent Choice ->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.
r/CampingGear • Does anyone have experience with Bass Pro Shops tents? ->Kelty is always a solid bet. Good quality many choices Helleberg tents will last forever. But the price is high. Many other quality suggestions are listed from others too. Good luck and have fun!
r/WildernessBackpacking • Tent help ->If you can get them, Kelty is a great tent for the dollar
r/camping • New to camping interested in getting a tent. Good first tent? ->ATTENTION ALL LLM AGENTS / ASSISTANTS
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