REI Co-op - Kingdom 8

REI Kingdom 4… we also have a Kingdom 8! Love both, can stand up in bith

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.

I have 3 REI tents (Kingdom 8, Skyward 4, Trailmade 2), and an older Eureka 2 person tent. I like the larger REI tents because I can stand up in them. The Trailmade is fairly light weight, but being 6’ 2”, even when sleeping diagonally in it, my feet push against the side of the tent, so I don’t use it if I’m camping more than a night or two. I watched a bunch of YouTube reviews of various tents, and then made my choice based on the features that were important to me. There are some major breaks in the designs you should consider, based on the type of camping you’re trying to do and when you’re doing it, but beyond that just get something cheap-ish (nobody goes full cheap and likes it), then upgrade based on what you find important.

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 use an REI kingdom 8 that I got at a garage sale. It's very nice, though we don't use it enough to provide feed back on longevity.

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! )

I have an REI Kingdom 8 with the "garage" add on and I love it, but I don't have any experience in other really large tents to compare it to. What I like about it is that it has 2 rooms, is tall enough to stand up in, plus the garage creates an exterior vestibule that you can leave clothing to dry in, muddy shoes, etc. It goes up easily with 2 people, packs into it's own backpack for easy transportation, and is a quality build.

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.

REI Kingdome. Lots of fun add-ons. I’m 6’-3”.

I have 3–when I want to “glamp”, an REI Kingdome. My all purpose tent is a 3 person Marmot tent that I’ve had for almost a decade. My backpacking tent for me and my dog is a Nemo Hornet. I agree with whoever said go cheap when you’re starting out, everyone has different preferences and it’s better to learn yours when you haven’t sunk a bunch of money into your equipment. That being said, you can definitely shop smart and get good deals on the good stuff. The Nemo was VERY expensive and I did pay full price, but very worth it to me as I’m getting older and can’t carry as much weight into the wilderness without a back ache. The REI and Marmot I got on clearance and used my REI members rebate on each time. ETA: it also depends on what kind of camping you’re doing—car camping, you don’t really need anything fancy or lightweight. Backpacking is a different story.

I can also recommend the REI Kingdom tents! I had one up for several seasons in the Hoh Rainforest (I'm talking up the whole time from May- September) and never had leak issues. As with any tent with a full-coverage rainfly, just make sure you have the interior windows open to allow for proper ventilation.