Kelty - Tallboy 6

Those look great, but I’m trying to keep it under/around $300 if possible. I will have to look into these if/when my son gets a little older.

Thanks for the comments everyone! I checked out all of your suggestions and it helped me narrow down what I wanted. I decided on a Kelty Tall Boy 6. I liked the standard dome tent design, but I wanted to be able to stand up and put cots along the sides so the tall style was my choice. We’ve never had a tent with vestibules and I didn’t think they were really necessary or worth the extra set up time, especially since we already have a canopy. The Tall Boy also has less ventilation, which works well with the timing of our camp outs because it holds heat better and we don’t camp in the dead of summer. Finally, I trust Kelty tents because I grew up with them and never had issues, which is why I went went Kelty over some of the other brands such as Coleman, which I’ve had leak in the past. Thank you all again for your input.

See my comment below. I went with a simple dome tent from Kelty.

My son is young and I’m trying to keep him interested in camping and scouting. The tent will also double as a family tent and my wife and daughter aren’t big campers, so a little extra comfort isn’t a bad thing. With that said, we went with a simple 6 man dome tent from Kelty. I’m also an Eagle Scout, spent 10 days backpacking in the mountains of Colorado, and have multiple nights outdoors in literal sub-zero temperatures. I earned my stripes as a young man and want something with a few more creature comforts as an adult. It’s just a simple Cub Scout camp out in a field 20 feet from a car so the kids can experience running around in the outdoors, learn to tie some knots, and have a fun campfire.

I know you’re partial to Coleman, but the kelty tall boy is a simple dome tent with a 6’ center. It doesn’t have a covered exterior area if that’s important to you, but the quality is significantly better than my old Coleman.

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

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. 

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.

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.

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

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 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.

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!

If you can get them, Kelty is a great tent for the dollar