Wawona 6

We need to upgrade our 4 person backpacking tent for a larger size car camping tent. We are looking at the Wawona 8 with a footprint of 10'x14'. This will give our family plenty of space to spread out esp. during inclement weather. Do most US public car camping spots allow this size tent footprint? I want to say yes since we will have to drive in and park our car in the camping spot. Also, any downsides with such a large tent? Thank you. Update: Going with a Wawona 6, with the vestibule, it will be as big as the 8. The 8 with a vestibule would be too big.

I picked up a Wawona 6 person tent and tried it out with the family this past weekend. The specs are 9.5’ x 8’. The vestibule added another 4’ to the 9.5’, so similar footprint to the Wawona 8. Setting up wasn’t too bad, took longer than expected figuring out how the combined vestibule/rainfly sits and which poles to use where since one is curved and the other is straight. The space was ok for 2 adults and 2 kids, would have liked more space to keep our clothes and cooler bags inside. It fit four sleeping pads fine, I doubt a 5th would’ve fit. Standing space was good, the sides were more vertical than slanted. The vestibule was nice to have to put storage and buckets, fans, etc. that you don’t want to leave outside. The rainfly was covered in morning dew, I am not sure if there was any way to make it more taut. We are still on the fence if we should keep it or go for the Wawona 8. My wife wants the 8 for more space. I saw the Core 6 at Costco for $150 which is a steal compared to the Wawona 6, anyone have experience with it?

Hi, I am 6'4. I can stand up straight in my Wawona 6 and it is significantly more well equipped for high winds. Those shelters are entirely dependent on the canopy and forest has very high winds every year. Had to replace 2 super bent and crunched arms on my ez up this year from 2 years ago. Genuinely cant recommend the wawona enough. Its THE tent for forest IMO.

That’s what I have, I just realized from your response mixed up my Northface and Marmot. lol It’s absolutely incredible, and surprisingly easy to set up.

I have a north face wawoma 6 (for me, my partner, and our dog) and in that I have to disagree. It has a huge vestibule to the point where you can leave the vestibule doors open and leave the tent door open in the rain and everything stays dry and you can sit there snuggled up reading a book with hot toddie and the sounds of the pitter-patter serenading you. “There’s no such thing as bad weather just bad preparation” lol not fully true but we’ve all heard those words before lol

I have the Wawona 6. Very cool tent. Vestibule is big enough to put a couple chairs and hangout during rain etc. I believe the peak in it is over 6’.

If you’re looking for something similar with good ventilation, you want the Wawona 6. Huge vestibule, tons of mesh and ventilation, etc. I’ve taken it out in the winter though a few times and it works great as well. I believe Nature Hike makes a knockoff for about half the price called The Kota. It looks almost the same but has some other features like a stove jack, etc. However, quality would not be near what the Wawona is (massive DAC MX poles…). You mentioned the Big House tent from Big Agnes but I think you’d actually want the Bunk House. It has a bigger vestibule area. It’s a great tent, but it has a full fly and substantially less ventilation than the Wawona. I’ve only used a Bunk House in the winter and it was great.

Skip the Skydome honestly. It's decent for the price but the fiberglass poles and lightweight fabric don't handle wind or rain well, and with a 6 and 3 year old you're gonna want something that feels solid when you're wrestling gear in and out. The Wawona's a solid pick but the weight is brutal for what you're getting. At that price point the Big Agnes Wyoming has better materials and the extra headroom actually matters when you're chasing kids around getting them dressed. FWIW I have the Nemo Riff and it's been tank, but for family car camping something with a proper vestibule for muddy boots and gear makes a huge difference.

Can confirm, it’s a great tent and the large vestibule is great for sun or weather.

With canvas, if you can't dry it out for storage it will 100% mildew and smell, very unpleasant to sleep in. It can be dried out in a humid environment but takes longer. Being in the sun helps. Wawona is good imo, the patio can be great for shade or rain.

Wawona 6 is great, the covered vestibule Is amazingly useful for shade or cover from rain.

Second the Wawona 6. The vestibule is amazing for rain or shine.

Wawona 6 is pretty solid. Good amount of room including headroom and the covered porch is great if it rains or for shade.

I definitely would stretch for the 6 if it’s in the budget. The extra headroom and especially the extended vestibule are amazing imo.

Haha definitely worth the stretch if it’s within budget. Also goes on sale pretty regularly at REI so if you can wait you’ll likely be able to pick it up for a better price.

North Face Wawona 6 is great for car camping. The garage is a nice feature as kids like to sleep out there instead of in the tent, so it gives you options. 

Not yet, and it’s been through a few rainy - but not stormy - nights in Alaska state campgrounds. I’ll say this about the fly and flies in general: * The Wawona tent body has DWR on it, and is the same spec material as the fly itself: 75-denier with 1200mm PU coating. IOW, the tent body on the Wawona is better quality than the flies of some of the other recommendations I’ve been seeing. * The fly is mostly forming the garage and covering the venting (functional). * If you were anticipating camping in several days of sustained rainfall or significant wind-driven rain, you probably want a good 3.5 season tent with a fly that goes all the way to the ground and a good tarp game but you’re talking a whole different price bracket (2-3x). I have two-man tents that are made for sustained, severe weather (mountains, sea coast) and in those conditions even a fly will eventually soak through and a good tarp strategy is gold. * A full coverage fly (to the ground, not midway down) offers more benefit than just added rain protection. It can provide important protection from wind (structural and insulating), keeps snow weight off the tent roof, and can provide a still layer of air to help with insulation. The Wawona 6 fly can’t serve this role, for sure. * full-coverage flies come with a couple trade-offs: reduced ventilation and weight. With four people in a tent, ventilation is important for getting humidity out (sweat, breath). Weight may matter less with car camping. * most campers don’t need a real storm fly. I would expect a quality-built solid-panel tent body with DWR to generally hold on for three-ish days without any issue. Especially when new, just make sure you take care of it. Appropriateness will depend on the conditions you reasonably expect to be in when camping with the family and your risk of mutiny. I’ll also add that some of the other recommendations here (Coleman, Eureka) are comparatively low quality materials and construction. A tent is not something you want to cheap out on - you don’t need top of the line, but be just as allergic to the bargain brands. Your tent should be seen as a multi-year investment. I’ve literally seen poles snap on more than one tent from these brands in high winds. A downside of the Wawona garage is that it’s a six-man PLUS a garage the size of a three or four man, so to use the fly you need a larger footprint than some nominal 6-man tents. Generally not an issue in campgrounds, though. And I’m telling you - that garage is great for what you’re doing.

Yep, W6 ftw. Grab the footprint if you can, they come and go in terms of availability.