REI Co-op - Kingdom 8

Yeah the kingdom 6 with garage extension is really nice if you are planning long camping adventures where you’ll potentially be stuck inside during the day for hours at a time like if it rains. If you’re just going to use it for quick overnights then something like a Coleman 4-person is a lot faster and easier to setup and takedown. I switch between the two depending on my outing.

We have 4 different tents; we started with my 2 person back packing tent and have upgraded every couple years opting for more space each time and now use a REI Kingdom 8. We prefer to have a lot of room and the setup difference is like 20min vs 10 min.

We have a REI Kingdom 8. The only downside is sometimes its hard to find a flattish area big enough for it some places. Otherwise well worth the extra room

My wife and I use the REI Kingdom 8 for car camping and joke that it's the best two person tent money can buy!

>staying cool will be more important than staying warm if that's relevant. Have you slept overnight outside in the desert yet? In my experience, unless it's high summer, night in the desert gets colder than you'd expect, and air mattresses suck the heat out of you quickly. (I have both small backpacking tents and a biiig REI Kingdom 8. I'll almost always go with a tent I can stand in when car camping! )

For car camping, there is no reason not to be a bit more comfy. You’re spending way more time in the same place, and might want camp chairs, a two burner stove, etc, and a bigger tent fits right in. We got a REI Kingdom 8, very happy with it. If you’re making the purchase, I’d go for an 8 person tent over a 6. You won’t mind the extra room now, and it also opens up the space to camp with kids or friends down the line. A good tent might last you 20 years, better to get the big one now than to buy a 6 and want a new one in 5 years.