REI Co-op - Kingdom 4 (Discontinued)

I was always a hard core backpacker…then hit 45 and started to get comfy car camping gear—a bigger tent (REI Kingdom 4, then Marmot Limestone 4), Exped 2-person camp mattress, 2-person sleeping bag with silk liner, Coleman 2-burner stove, solar string lights, camp chairs… totally luxurious setup. The upshot is that we go camping more, in a wider range of conditions and seasons, and are less beat up at the end of our weekends. Totally worth it.

If you are car camping then upgrading to a large tent is a game changer. Like you the majority of my gear was oriented towards backpacking. After car camping with a one or two person backpacking tent for so many years I decided it was time to level up. I got a four person REI Kingdom. It is 8'x8' (not counting the vestibule and mudroom) with 6' of headroom. It is absolutely amazing to be able to stand up and walk around inside the tent. When I'm camping solo I have enough room for a cot, table and chair with space left over . It is so worth it especially in foul weather. You can hunker down on a rainy day in the Half Dome 2+, but you can live in the Kingdom 4.